What’s the last time you learned a guitar part note-for-note?

actually sat down and learned, as opposed to playing something note for note that i learned a long time ago ?
a long time ago. classic rock band in the late 80's, some Thin Lizzy songs that have dual harmony leads, which really NEED to be right, not improvised.
 
I'm guilty of sitting down to learn a song... and once I learn most of it... I start experimenting until I find "my version" of the song.

Many times when I sit down with a guitar and the original recording I realize "Oh shit... I've deviated soooo far from the original" which is fine when you play with a trio or the same group of people all the time... but can get weird looks when playing with new folks and your point of reference is way off.

I think it was last year when I sat down and learned the middle and outro solos for "Hard to Handle" (Black Crows) note for note as well as "Overkill" (Men at Work) instead of just improvising. I may sit down and learn some others in the future (Like I was thinking of learning Runaway by Bon Jovi), but as of right now, I've been learning different ways to orchestrate the various parts of a song to live loop them solo, and still have it capture the overall vibe of the entire piece.

 
I am not good at note for note. I usually will learn the most memorable sections and then just mimic the style in between. The last song I learned note for note was Dream On by Aerosmith, but it took me a long time and then I promptly forgot almost all of it.
 
Lately I’ve been working up Knopfler’s “Get Lucky,” pretty darn close to note for note. For some reason this song feels good that way, but I rarely try for NFN because the time it takes isn’t often worth it.
 
Lately I’ve been working up Knopfler’s “Get Lucky,” pretty darn close to note for note. For some reason this song feels good that way, but I rarely try for NFN because the time it takes isn’t often worth it.
exactly. unless your playing in a band and often have other guitarists in the crowd that KNOW the song NFN, if you get pretty close, nobody's gonna know the difference. they're too busy drinking, talking or dancing (or whatever).
 
I learned "Where Is My Mind" by the Pixies note for note late last year, but there are like four notes in the whole song. Maybe ten if you count the solo.
 
February this year, come and go blues by Gregg Allman, the acoustic version he did in the two youtube videos I found. But that was from a tab and then watching what Gregg was actually doing. They usually don’t line up but in the end I’ll call it an actual song because I did it from start to finish.

 
Probably today, lol. I have a 70s Hard Rock/Southern Rock no rehearsal gig coming up on Saturday, and there are a couple on the list that I haven't done before.

I just learned the riff for Rock and Roll Fantasy by Bad Company earlier today.
 
On guitar? Probably never. I’ve learned plenty of bass parts note for note, but not for a long while. Filled in with my friends’ band a long time ago and they were fussy about their parts and all the bass stuff was written by the drummer/piano player…on keys. So lots of not normal bass guitar moves doing counter melodies and load bearing parts. Some of the best bass stuff I’ve been asked to play. Challenging and fun.
 
Last year at some point for the first time in decades, I went about learning a guitar solo. In particular, the first guitar solo in Rosanna...can't remember the compulsion, but it was sated.
 
Last year at some point for the first time in decades, I went about learning a guitar solo. In particular, the first guitar solo in Rosanna...can't remember the compulsion, but it was sated.

Talk about learning something en toto.

*tugs necktie*

I’ll see myself out.
 
A few days ago. At the very least I'll learn a couple per week. I like to learn things note-for-note just for the challenge. If I don't continue to play them I'll quickly forget them though.

I'll give you a recent example. Last weekend I was watching someone on youtube demoing a pedal and they played the solo to 'Purple Haze' and I thought 'I learned that note-for-note many, many years ago, but I've completely forgotten it because I never play it'. So I quickly learned it again.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top