Most Difficult Song to Learn!

[MoonManTom]

Got to thinking bout stuff we could talk about, so no matter what instrument or if youre a singer, whats the most difficult song you ever learned or TRIED to learn!

For me, I worked for a long time back in the 80s on White Lions "When the Children Cry", Back then I just didnt have the patience for that finger picking crap! Today I enjoy it more, but have never attempted to learn that one again!

Cant wait to hear what ya got for this list!

[JackANSI]

Still working on:
1. Hamburger Train - Primus
2. Hair - Graham Central Station (that groove is so hard to hit for me)
3. Maxwell Murder - Rancid (solo)

Some things have tricks to them that make them sound hard, and are hard to play, unless you know the trick. At least thats been my experience on bass.

But every once in a while you come across something that the only trick to it is speed and agility. To that I can only say... someday...

[J Michaels]

I don't know why, but for some reason I cannot get the drum part to Van Halen's Jump during the solo. It's 4/4, but it's played so weird, I cannot get it right.

Anything NOT in 4/4 always gives me fits, too. Maybe that's why I switched to singing. That, and my undying desire for the limelight.

[mjb]

The Clap by Steve Howe. I go back and revisit it from time to time and usually end up shakin' my head and thinkin.... gaddamn. It's such a cool acoustic number. One of these days i'll get her. But i've been sayin that for 20 years probobly.

[BDR]

We do a few Eminem numbers and it took me about a month each (not working on anything else) to get them to the point where I wasn't a-scared to try it on stage in front of people.

r:>)

[songsmith]

That, and my undying desire for the limelight.

Weird, but I was going to say, "Limelight" by Rush. We were learning it in Thin Ice, and we actually did very well until we got to the slow warbly guitar lead about 2/3 of the way in. The drummer had the timing perfect (he actually had the drum parts written out as sheet music, plus he's Mark Morningstar, he has the best inner clock EVER), but for the rest of us, once we got to that point it literally sounded like the wheels coming off a train. Now I know where that saying comes from.
There are a bunch of songs Mama Corn does that are super challenging for me... our bassist, Brett, is very fond of Jerry Garcia's habit of taking a simple I-IV-V chord structure and messing with it to make it impossible to just absent-mindedly play. Arrangements are usually very spare and simple in bluegrass, but the Dead stuff can be a like playing Husker Du every time.
Add to that the sad discovery that I use the exact same part of my brain to keep my dobro on the correct note that I use to sing the correct note, and it's no wonder I'm still a rank amateur. I'm no longer curious why Jerry Douglas never sings a note, nor do the vast majority of dobro players. On the other hand, I've NEVER felt like I was on auto-pilot, which was common when I played rock... you know, about halfway through the third set, the crowd's up dancing, you're popping through songs, and everything's working like a well-oiled machine... you start thinking about the load-out, what's going on tomorrow,etc. I almost forget what that's like. ------>JMS

[bassist_25]

My philosophy has always been that once you get to a certain point as a musician, many songs aren't really all that hard to play, but there are many, many songs that are hard to learn, if that makes any sense.

Out of our setlist, the song that probably gave me the most trouble to learn would be Walk. The bass line is just pretty much off the wall. First, there are the glisses under the guitar solo that pretty much slide out to nowhere. Then there are note bends (Rex Brown is one of the few bass players who can do bends and not sound like an ex-guitar player trying to play bass). Plus, the song is just physically exhausting to play. I've learned Jaco and Geddy Lee stuff that didn't kick my ass as much as Walk. To be honest, I still don't play it exactly like Rex Brown. I'd love to play it with a pick to be more authentic, but there's way too much string skipping going on for my limited picking skills, so I have to go pizzicato.

With bass, I've learned that the technicality isn't usually what makes a song difficult to learn. Honestly, one of the biggest obstacles is dealing with a less than stellar bass mix. It can really make figuring out note intervals that are close together near impossible. I had to learn some older music about a year ago, which meant that most of the bass players used flatwounds. I didn't realize how easier it was to learn bass parts from players who had the extra note definition afforded by roundwounds. Another thing is copping the feel of a line. Something can be so simple note-wise, but just have a pocket that kicks your ass. Life in the Fast Lane by The Eagles is such a bass line that comes to mind.

[Bag]

We do a few Eminem numbers and it took me about a month each (not working on anything else) to get them to the point where I wasn't a-scared to try it on stage in front of people.

r:>)

I thought you were gonna say "Old School."

[DirtySanchez]

Sorrow- By Bad Religion. The beginning of that song is sung at such weird timing that I get it about 1 in 5 attempts. Therefore, I do not ever attempt it live. Maybe someday.

[JackANSI]

My philosophy has always been that once you get to a certain point as a musician, many songs aren't really all that hard to play, but there are many, many songs that are hard to learn, if that makes any sense.

Out of our setlist, the song that probably gave me the most trouble to learn would be Walk. The bass line is just pretty much off the wall. First, there are the glisses under the guitar solo that pretty much slide out to nowhere. Then there are note bends (Rex Brown is one of the few bass players who can do bends and not sound like an ex-guitar player trying to play bass). Plus, the song is just physically exhausting to play. I've learned Jaco and Geddy Lee stuff that didn't kick my ass as much as Walk. To be honest, I still don't play it exactly like Rex Brown. I'd love to play it with a pick to be more authentic, but there's way too much string skipping going on for my limited picking skills, so I have to go pizzicato.

I've found the trick to making Pantera easy is to tune where they are. Not what I call an option (I hate using alternate tunings in a cover band situation), but thats how to make it easy enough to play it all day long without breaking a sweat. Not too proud of this, but in my earlier days I've used a beefed up capo on the 5-string to do Eb and C# tunings

The trick to picking (for me) was finding the right size pick. Once I found what I was comfortable with, it got a million times easier. My grandmother got me using these hard felt picks when I first started to allow me the ease of a pick with a more finger-ish tone. They were easy as hell to use and hold on to and really felt (no pun intended) great. Made the bass look like I was a coke fiend doing lines off my bass, but really a nice pick to start with.

So I naturally feel comfortable with a thick pick.. (I prefer the biggest they make, the 3mm big stubby). Any thinner and I feel like I'm not sure where the end of the pick is But anything lighter than a .72 sounds like poop on a bass IMO.

[bassist_25]

Yeah, I'm the first to admit that I'm not a great pick player. It was actually ToonaRockGuy that got me exploring the plectrum a lot more. There are just times where the timbre of a pick just helps the song.

Pick thickness seems to really help. When I first started using a pick more, that was one of the biggest obstacles I faced. With pizzicato, I could physically feel all of the strings with my right hand. With a pick, I couldn't do that. Accuracy became a big thing when using a pick. I always laugh at myself, because I actually use Green Eggs picks that I've found discarded on the stage at Pellegrine's; they are just the right thickness. Another thing that was difficult was muting. I use to do all of my string muting with my right hand. I mute with my thumb, ring, and pinky while plucking with my index and middle fingers. Again, this was something I couldn't do with a pick. Therefore, I had to start using left-hand muting techniques.

The felt picks are cool. I've used them before, but for me, I use picks more for timbre, not so much for speed.

[Colton]

Satch - Time

This one just has so many strange riffs into it.. its hard to even memorize it, let alone play it once you have it in your head. The first few minutes arent bad, its after the breakdown stuff....


I WILL GET THE DAMN THING DOWN THO! haha


back in pnEumatic days, Tool - The Grudge was a hard one to learn, not at all hard to play, just isnt easy memorizing 10 minutes of a tool song with all those unorthodox guitar riffs and signature changes. We got it in a week of practice luckily.

[JackANSI]

The felt picks are cool. I've used them before, but for me, I use picks more for timbre, not so much for speed.

A thumb and three fingers (I still need the pinky for position reference, have not broken myself of that bad habit) vs two sides of one pick. Plus you can't drop a finger during a song

Cumbersome - Seven Mary Three just doesn't sound right to me without a pick... and picked mainly on the up-stroke with the occasional back beat on the down-stroke.

I never heard that song, even on the radio, until a couple of months ago. A guitarist in a different cover band in 2004 showed me how to play it, stressing what stroke each note should be on. I just trusted his judgement, timing, and fingering and played it out many times and no one told me I was doing it wrong. When I finally heard it I was stunned how close he was and how actually hearing a song for myself makes it easier to play

Also hearing someone else's cover/version of a song really helps me learn it. Solves the trouble with poor mixes sometimes.

[BDR]

We do a few Eminem numbers and it took me about a month each (not working on anything else) to get them to the point where I wasn't a-scared to try it on stage in front of people.

r:>)

I thought you were gonna say "Old School."

Nope, still haven't learned that one yet ... LOL

r:>)

[sunsetbass]

for me it was iron maiden wasted years. it was easy to learn but i for some reason have a timing issue with the first bass walk at the begining. its not hard i know the steps but the timing is throwing me off. half of the time i end up missing it and just saying the hell with it and not doing that part. sad thing is its a key part of the song. the rest of the song is a peice of cake.

[BDR]

Any song from Bush. I've found that it's much easier to learn lyrics if they actually make sense.

r:>)

[KyleMayket]

Tool - Lateralus... during the bridge, the snare and kick (left hand, right foot)are in 4/4 time, and the hat hits and opening of the high hat (right hand and left foot) are in 5/4 time... it sounds so seamless, but just try to play it once....my brain melted on several occasions, but i found another one from a homeless guy for cheap.

[witchhunt]

YYZ...Got so frustrated that I gave up and never did learn it.

[bassist_25]

Cumbersome - Seven Mary Three just doesn't sound right to me without a pick... and picked mainly on the up-stroke with the occasional back beat on the down-stroke.

I never heard that song, even on the radio, until a couple of months ago. A guitarist in a different cover band in 2004 showed me how to play it, stressing what stroke each note should be on. I just trusted his judgement, timing, and fingering and played it out many times and no one told me I was doing it wrong. When I finally heard it I was stunned how close he was and how actually hearing a song for myself makes it easier to play

Also hearing someone else's cover/version of a song really helps me learn it. Solves the trouble with poor mixes sometimes.

That song is weird because you have to be right on with the kick drum and it alternates everytime through the chord progression of the verses. The tough part, though, is the bridge section where everything drops out except the bass. You're kind of just out there on your own, not even a hi-hat click to keep you on track. It's not that playing by yourself is a big deal, but the groove right there really doesn't have any structure or ryhme or reason to it. It's also funny because the dude from Seven Mary Three probably isn't a very schooled bass player and he just jammed that part out without even giving it much thought.

[Thornmoon]

Bass player here...

Egyptian Danza & Race With Devil On Spanish Highway by Al Di Meola

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClbE6YEO6e0

Andy by Frank Zappa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcNLcDbBDTo

Close To The Edge & Heart of the Sunrise by Yes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sElb_gy1IVc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLvEwEmo48Y & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldk74wA7 ... re=related

[JackANSI]

That song is weird because you have to be right on with the kick drum and it alternates everytime through the chord progression of the verses. The tough part, though, is the bridge section where everything drops out except the bass. You're kind of just out there on your own, not even a hi-hat click to keep you on track. It's not that playing by yourself is a big deal, but the groove right there really doesn't have any structure or ryhme or reason to it. It's also funny because the dude from Seven Mary Three probably isn't a very schooled bass player and he just jammed that part out without even giving it much thought.

Its just a whole note (whole band) then the bass slides into the same structure as the begining of the song alone. Just imagine that you're starting the song over again (but with flair), without the guitar intro, on a 4 count (that count being under the whole note). Thats how I learned it without even hearing it

I usually let the strike of that whole count 1 for me, then I shout "2, 3, 4" just to make sure the drummer knows when I'm coming back.

I hate playing out there all alone in the cold. I get nervous about hitting something wrong too easily... it never seems to get any easier for me. Originals, fine, you don't know if I was going to play it that way or not Covers... even the non-musical in the crowd know when you do something that wasn't in the music.

[Jared Michaels]

Alex Vanhalen's Drum intro on Hot for Teacher has always been a pain in the ass for me.

[Jerry C]

High Enough by Damn Yankees. The vocals especially.

[sunsetbass]

Alex Vanhalen's Drum intro on Hot for Teacher has always been a pain in the ass for me.

thats why i wanna play that song because its a pain in the ass to you.

[DickShackBass]

Institutionalized by Suicidal Tendencies. We have it mostly, but its just not quite "right" yet.

ETA and also Maggie by The Exploited, I think we have given up on this one.