You have no idea how comforting it is to watch guitarists who have played for a decade or more, struggle. It makes my own struggles less soul crushing. Thank you for sharing.
I like this quote from jerry from Rick and Morty, life is effort and I’ll stop when I die. You never stop struggling, your struggles just become more advanced
The cool thing is, once you "master" a John Mayer song/rhythm it makes it easier to learn his other songs. Right now I'm struggling to play "Who did you think I was?" and sing at the same time, for some reason it's alot easier if I move my body and make "john mayer" faces while doing it.
Isn’t he also quoted when he And Pete Townsend saw Hendrix playing as “ Is he for real or is that the only song he knows”? Forever changing British Rock guitarists futures. Love them all!
I have never been a fan of john mayer, mostly because I was in college when he took off, and dave matthews and john mayer was being played poorly behind every door, but I have always appreciated the fact he could play the hell out of a guitar, even if it wasn't my style.
She said I learned to play guitar in my style by failing learning his. It's funny because John Mayer says quote "you develop your own style when you fail to steal someone else's."
Yea it’s funny how even John Mayer’s signature playing style was created by him not being able to play another style correctly. He even said this himself in an interview. (Can’t remember which interview though)
in the beginning of learning certain guitar techniques your hand is not able to do it. But after a certain amount of time your hands will transform and adapt to your style of playing (tommy emmanuel also said that his two thumbs have a different form now after the years of playing)
@@andresbarriga5305 when your fingers are too big or too small its always a disadvantage, but in most cases this is just an excuse for not practising. At the start everything felt too hard, but today my fingers are able to make movements which would never be possible according to my self of the past (I thought: "oh man my hands are just too small for this stretch" but this was just an excuse)
There are some cases that this is true, like, could Shaq play the violin? Well...no, he physically can't do it. In general though, most people can physically play most instruments and it's just a matter of practice. Having said that...fuck the violin
@@crashraynor totally agree. There are just some songs - like the way he plays Stop This Train live with his thumb on the low E (3rd) stretching down to the 8th. I've tried many, many times. Can't stretch it.
"I developed my style from failing at playing like John Mayer" I love that and can definitely relate! Seems like we chose the wrong artist to like because almost all his songs are this intricate lol
Your humility is really refreshing. I mean you are evidently a very accomplished musician and yet you choose to share your vulnerability and challenges with the sometimes less-than-understanding public. That gives me great inspiration to persevere. Thank you.
The true struggle that no one sees behind the scenes... God is it frustrating learning something unfamiliar to the fingers but oh so rewarding when you finally get it!
Reminds of when I started trying to learn some Kossoff chords and play some Free songs 'properly'. Sheesh that was a shock. Similarly when trying to learn Texas Flood properly - again really tricky changes. Easy to bodge using 7ths or in the wrong key entirely, but hard af to do right.
now THIS is some quality content. I love the realism behind this, we all struggle like hell learning some songs and this just reminds me how we are all human with different learning curves.
Mary's face when she nailed that tricky part takes me back to all the breakthrough's I've made in my own playing over the years. It's such a great feeling when you get to grips with something you previously considered beyond your ability. Well done Mary Spender.
Amazing video. Seeing an artist of your caliber being so open about their frustrations learning a song is nothing short of refreshing. It’s just so human, whereas most artists seem to be busy trying to build up mythologies about themselves and how amazing they are. It’s so much more amazing to just be a real person, as you are. Ultimately that kind of personal integrity and humility makes its way into your art, yielding more genuine expressiveness.
I’ve been playing this song incorrectly for about 15 years. You inspired me to learn it properly. Thank you! TIP for people with tiny hands like mine: use a capo to nail the riff further up the fret board (I put it on capo 4). Once you nail it there, move the capo lower and lower til you can play it without one 🙌🏻
the most musician like video ive ever scene . I love the realism of this haha thankyou for making me feel normal haha. you've done killer job as well btw!
What I love about this video, is seeing Mary, who I consider an excellent guitarist, struggling in just the same way that I do, albeit at a much lower level, while working her way through a song which is outside of her comfort zone. It is all too easy to fool oneself that the musicians that we admire have been endowed with a "special gift" - I am sure individual talent does come into play. But, what this video shows is, that often, it is just a matter of grinding it out; nothing beats practice and putting in the hours. So, the next time I feel myself getting frustrated whilst trying to figure out a couple of bars of a song, I'll reflect on this video and press on.
@Jude Dawson Yes; people often overuse 'talent' when, as you say, the end product you're hearing is the result of endless practise and dedication to one's art. Tommy Emmanuel has said much the same when people speak of his 'talent' His amazing technique wasn't a gift from birth.
So true... saw a comment once from a guy saying he could play all JM’s song because “they’re all easy...”🤣 yeah, and I make a million every week daytrading bc "it's easy..."
One fun thing is that this tricky C chord was easy for me to play when I first learned this song, but that's only because I'm brazilian and samba and bossa-nova artists put this kinda of stuff all over their songs, so I had that on my fingers and my ears long ago. What amazes me is how John, in a song from his early days and being originally a blues player, had adapted stuff like that into his playing. I can point many subtle bossa-nova and jazz influences on his first record and that's one of the things that I love about him, he's not where he is now because of luck or anything like that. He obviously studied the crap out of the guitar, as seriously as any of those praised players who are taken more seriously in the musician's circle even though it's just because they can't make tunes that stand out without relying on extensive (and often boring) showing off of guitar skills.
This was so relatable, genuine, humbling, and inspiring to see a talented musician struggle to learn a song but you did learn it! Love a happy ending haha, this definitely earned a like and subscribe 👍
It's actually not that easy at all when you want to add that 8th note ostinato on G (3rd fret on low E string) and still do the c!assic "main riff" rhythmically correct all the way through...
I love how approachable you are and open to your failures/shortcomings as a musician - it's super refreshing! We all fail and it's great to focus on how truly hard it is to be a good player :-).
2:19 is me every time I play something a little more difficult than I'm used too and 2 weeks after I can play it I think to myself: "how did I ever find this difficult."
it's been said but it bears repeating. When we get to see someone like you go through the learning process it's a realization that it's what we ALL go through. Thanks for sharing this.
I felt that look of relief and accomplishment after you got it in my soul. I do almost the exact same thing when i finally get a decently clean play through of a part.
I love this group of musicians/teachers/both/etc on the tewb of yew. All so talented and so free with help and teaching. "And the world is now a better place..."
As a guitar and Mayer fan of over 20 years I can relate to this exact struggle. Emotionally and with that second part of the first verse. I'm in the midst of that struggle as we speak which is how I found this video. I'm not sure if its the weed or just the frustration of trying to play that for years but seeing you succeed on on that first verse brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for the inspiration.
From my years of failing on 2 instruments: flute starting when I was 12 and bass when I was about 21 years old, and years of good players and singers, and, last but not least, discovering the way the brain learns, many of my problems with playing well was 1.) finding a tempo that produced almost NO mistakes and 2.) practicing the difficult parts in "Chunks". A chunk may be only a few notes or a few beats of music. It is the mastering of these very small sections to perfection, or as close to perfection as possible, and then stringing them together one at a time until the entire section can be played at one consistent tempo, will actually cut down the amount of time in learning difficult sections of a tune. In recent years, I have found that having a quote or two from those musos I admire helps me stay focused on the conceptual side of learning the physical skills necessary for improvement in my own practicing. The following statement by Wayne Shorter, famous for his work with Miles Davis and Weather Report, is one I reference when I am forced to confront the issue of quality results and practicing slowly: "The long road is the short road". It speaks directly to practicing a passage too quickly, thus producing mistakes which cause you to have to go back and play the same passage again, only to recreate a flawed version similar to the previous one, resulting in yet another pass, and so on and so on. The fact that you have identified problems in your playing and are willing to relate some of your struggles to cyberspace is very brave and is to be commended. Many players struggle with what approach is to be taken when learning such passages. My apologizes for offering such unsolicited advice. That said, research these 2 concepts: tempo and "chunking". Good luck.
You are delightful...even more so because you have so much talent and are willing to share your struggles rather than just the polished stuff. Subscribed.
I REALLY enjoyed watching you try to play this song. You really demonstrate the struggle and the accomplishment perfectly well. Made me smile. You're awesome Mary
This video popped up on my feed, I watched and instantly subscribed. I have been struggling to learn guitar on and off for a bunch of years. It’s extremely helpful to know that someone who is a legit musician also struggles with how to learn certain bits and techniques. Can’t wait to check out the rest of your channel and other work!
As a Guitarist that tends to learn complicated music, i appreciate this video. This video shows something very real, what you don't see when someone is performing a difficult piece of music, or any music. The learning process, the moment when you are working on why you arent hitting some notes properly, or why your picking hand suddenly stops mid solo, or when your fretting hand still gets tangled after playing the same thing slow. Those moments when you have to grab the instrument in a humble manner and be a noob again for a while. You realize there are still plenty of things to learn about music, and your instrument. You may get tired, confused, even mad. You may lay down the guitar to rest... But you may never give up ! It's all about putting in the time, the work. After you get the thing right you become 100% percent better than you were before. It is how it iss.
I was smiling throughout. Been playing 50 years and it is the same for me. But, you will have stuff you invent that require the same effort from others : )
You are wonderful. Paul is wonderful. It made me very happy to see two people I admire so much working together. Rest assured that your humility in the face of obstacles is helping many other musicians keep going and plenty of people are developing their sound by failing to imitate you. Thanks for sharing this and all of your other content.
As fellow musicians (who are way more untalented than you are) we'd like to say that it's kind of easing to see someone struggling to learn an instrument, or a song in particular and finally making that one little progression that takes you further in your whole journey. There's no one, who can ever take that feeling from you! And as you progress there will be situations like this every now and then, but it just means that you develop your skills and yourself! Keep going the rocky road! :)
What I Love is your honesty. You give great insight to developing the ability to achieve an interpretation of an arrangement. I think all musicians struggle at times to play someone's version & then reinterpret to our own style. Thank for sharing this process. It sounded great as you arrived at a version that worked for you.👍
Paul Davids is great! Not only a very competent guitarist, but also a very knowledgeable, superb teacher. Nothing against you, Mary; admire your talent and tenacity in trying to master this difficult song to play and sing. You both are quite charming and humble people, and it's been a privilege getting to know the both of you through the magic of the internet.
Easier forJM. He wrote it. The rest of us don't have "his" muscle memory so for us it is often a big learning curve. Never been one for covers but yeah it definitely pushes you out of your comfort zone and in the end that makes for a better, more rounded guitar player. Nice one Mary, sounded great to me :)
Most good songs have a little hook like that which is difficult to get correct. Good thing is that most ppl would never know that you didn't get it exact
I'm on my way to learn classical gas from tommy emmanuel, just a tiny bit every week or so because it's definetly challenging to say the least, meanwhile I'm learning some other fingerstyle songs just to get better at the whole thing while also learning one of the hardest pieces of the genre I don't know if you did it or not but while learning a song or a specific part of a song it's soooo helpful to see how who wrote it plays it live, judging by the fact you didn't use your thumb over the neck, you didn't watch John Mayer playing the song live or you didn't catch it.
This video absolutely 100% sums up how I feel about the "hard" part. In fact I'm rethinking my opening methods as well. When you nailed the intro I just smiled and felt your sense of relief. You rock. Please keep us informed!
I was very happy to see that you nailed it in the end. Congrats on your win ! It is a good feeling when you finally get right, even for somebody watching, (I felt like I was cheering you on). This song may have to wait a little longer before I add it to my wish list.
moonlight sonata was one I finally mastered (on piano) but the one that's haunted me since I was about 10 was The Peanuts theme. I cant get my hands to play the 2 rhythms they are asking for. I'm a pianist and a drummer so you would think this wouldn't be a problem. The other ironic part is the the harder hand (right) is the one I'm fine with. It's the bass line that gets me.
@@MusicDABIsMe I finally came to the realization that all people really cared about were the first 30 seconds anyway. So once I play that and people laugh or smile, I move on to another song I know completely. lol. I'm afraid it will always be my unicorn song though.
@@ivilkai Same here. It took forever, but one day it kind of just clicked. I can't play it if I think too much about how I'm doing it though. I kind of just have to let my hands go and try to think about something else.
Damn. This is sooooooo encouraging. As an 'endless beginner' who draws inspiration from RUclips 'guru's', (Paul included) it's so refreshing when players of your level share these struggles! It makes me feel ok that I'm still trying to play Hotel California 10yrs after I started.🤣 Your voice is awesome BtW!
The one i'm tackeling at the moment is the intro to Crazy On You by Heart, it's very different from my usual finger style which makes it a hell of a lot harder.
I clicked on this video because I was intrigued by the title. I too have failed miserably at trying to play John’s stuff. Then I was pleasantly surprised to note that we have the same taste in acoustics! I literally just ordered the same Martin this week! I pick it up tomorrow. Love your videos! You rock!
This video not only introduced me to this song it convinced me to learn it and its quickly become one of my favourite songs ever so thank you for that Mary!
What an awesome part of *you* to share. I cannot tell you how many times i have put the guitar down simply giving up thinking... "i just shouldnt play guitar"... showing this side of you, as a performance, should get other's like me whose guitars have been idle for MONTHS or more to get off their butts and get back at it! Thank you Mary, you are so real and *chill*.
You are very close..... It will get easier from this point on. You just have build up the muscle memory by repeating till you don't need to think about it anymore when playing the song.
Don't be too hard on yourself Mary, you're amazing! Been playin for years too and I feel like I'm years behind...don't come close to you anyway. Hearing you go through the same thought process was nice though, reminded me am not the only one. Thanks for the video that was just awesome
Ray Schoch It may not be a lack of talent but rather a lack of basic guitar playing technique. That can be sealed with. Take some lessons in classical guitar and you will be able to play anything. Trust me, I did it ... and I didn‘t get stuck with the classics.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
You have no idea how comforting it is to watch guitarists who have played for a decade or more, struggle. It makes my own struggles less soul crushing. Thank you for sharing.
I like this quote from jerry from Rick and Morty, life is effort and I’ll stop when I die. You never stop struggling, your struggles just become more advanced
@@HearMeLearn That's a good one.
@@HearMeLearn pulling a quote from jerry. nice one, man
@PeterCarlson We all struggle buddy... keep up the effort. As long as it remains fun, it's an amazing and rewarding hobby.
The struggle never ends no matter how good you get ;D
The cool thing is, once you "master" a John Mayer song/rhythm it makes it easier to learn his other songs. Right now I'm struggling to play "Who did you think I was?" and sing at the same time, for some reason it's alot easier if I move my body and make "john mayer" faces while doing it.
That’s the secret lol
Practice with a metronome, you should be able to learn all songs with singing without much trouble. Practice with metronome.
That's helpful
😂😂😂
@@whitewalker608 my problem with metronomes is they always get off the beat :0)
Even Eric Clapton described John Mayer as being a master guitarist...which is astronomically high praise.
Isn’t he also quoted when he And Pete Townsend saw Hendrix playing as “ Is he for real or is that the only song he knows”? Forever changing British Rock guitarists futures. Love them all!
@@iTrove I heard it was something like, "this guy's gonna put us out of business."
Pricklyhedgehog72 Yeah, likely that too.
@@iTrove I heard this from a Scottish guitarist, apparently Clapton called out to Jeff Beck, and said you gotta see this guy...
I have never been a fan of john mayer, mostly because I was in college when he took off, and dave matthews and john mayer was being played poorly behind every door, but I have always appreciated the fact he could play the hell out of a guitar, even if it wasn't my style.
She said I learned to play guitar in my style by failing learning his. It's funny because John Mayer says quote "you develop your own style when you fail to steal someone else's."
Yeah. She copyed the quote from him
@Sven Svennson bruh
@@SV-yo6nq not that Mayer came up with it. It is not what I'm saying. What am saying is that Spender got it from him.
Yea it’s funny how even John Mayer’s signature playing style was created by him not being able to play another style correctly. He even said this himself in an interview. (Can’t remember which interview though)
Interesting that John said a very similar thing, his failure to sound like his heroes is what makes him sound like him
MorbidManMusic no it’s not, that’s also not how life works
@@kylecardoso1 😂😂😂
Vh1 storyteller to Heartbreak Warfare. Super nice quote from him :)
Well that's what makes music move forward! Otherwise everything would be just a copy of what's gone before.
MorbidManMusic no it’s not obvious and how life works. A lot of artists are good at copying others, but never become their own, and that’s my point.
John Mayer's biggest playing secret: He is a massive human, and his hand can stretch down the entire neck.
in the beginning of learning certain guitar techniques your hand is not able to do it. But after a certain amount of time your hands will transform and adapt to your style of playing (tommy emmanuel also said that his two thumbs have a different form now after the years of playing)
That can be a burden too, when your fingers are too big to perform small movements in small spaces.
@@andresbarriga5305 when your fingers are too big or too small its always a disadvantage, but in most cases this is just an excuse for not practising. At the start everything felt too hard, but today my fingers are able to make movements which would never be possible according to my self of the past (I thought: "oh man my hands are just too small for this stretch" but this was just an excuse)
There are some cases that this is true, like, could Shaq play the violin? Well...no, he physically can't do it. In general though, most people can physically play most instruments and it's just a matter of practice.
Having said that...fuck the violin
@@crashraynor totally agree. There are just some songs - like the way he plays Stop This Train live with his thumb on the low E (3rd) stretching down to the 8th. I've tried many, many times. Can't stretch it.
"I developed my style from failing at playing like John Mayer" I love that and can definitely relate! Seems like we chose the wrong artist to like because almost all his songs are this intricate lol
Well John Mayer said he's style is from failing to play SRV style lol.
Well it was John's quote. It was from a monologue from his career documentary. People just basically "incorporated it"
who cares you ass?
thats what makes them fun too learn!
Your humility is really refreshing. I mean you are evidently a very accomplished musician and yet you choose to share your vulnerability and challenges with the sometimes less-than-understanding public. That gives me great inspiration to persevere. Thank you.
The true struggle that no one sees behind the scenes... God is it frustrating learning something unfamiliar to the fingers but oh so rewarding when you finally get it!
And also sucks when you don't play it long enough and forget it... dammit brain!
@@andrewsheridan612 hahahaha yes
Reminds of when I started trying to learn some Kossoff chords and play some Free songs 'properly'.
Sheesh that was a shock. Similarly when trying to learn Texas Flood properly - again really tricky changes. Easy to bodge using 7ths or in the wrong key entirely, but hard af to do right.
"It's the notes in between that are f**king with me!" - Kirk Hammett.
aah John Mayer song?
calling: Paul Davids ....
Sorry guys... jamie harrison.
I read this in Paul David’s voice haha
😂
That's the best comment
mattia polinelli oh yeah 👌🏽
now THIS is some quality content. I love the realism behind this, we all struggle like hell learning some songs and this just reminds me how we are all human with different learning curves.
Well, every John Mayer's song is tricky to learn.
The fact that he sings at the same time.. Make it really more difficult..
Say isn't. Unless you are not used to picking.
anish 99 Neon, edge of desire
Especially if you play it the way he does. He used to always play chords differently. St.Patrick's Day has so much chords and they're almost jazz-like
that's what im saying when she said it's hard 😂😂😂 it's john mayer what can you say? lol
Mary's face when she nailed that tricky part takes me back to all the breakthrough's I've made in my own playing over the years. It's such a great feeling when you get to grips with something you previously considered beyond your ability. Well done Mary Spender.
Persistence is the one thing failure can’t cope with. Cheers and be lucky.
Amazing video. Seeing an artist of your caliber being so open about their frustrations learning a song is nothing short of refreshing. It’s just so human, whereas most artists seem to be busy trying to build up mythologies about themselves and how amazing they are. It’s so much more amazing to just be a real person, as you are. Ultimately that kind of personal integrity and humility makes its way into your art, yielding more genuine expressiveness.
I've loved Paul Davids forever. His is the master!!!!
@JPVanDerBilt agreed (and upvote #100)
I’ve been playing this song incorrectly for about 15 years. You inspired me to learn it properly. Thank you!
TIP for people with tiny hands like mine: use a capo to nail the riff further up the fret board (I put it on capo 4). Once you nail it there, move the capo lower and lower til you can play it without one 🙌🏻
That's a great tip! Learning the muscle movements is the critical part - stretching it over time is easy. Thanks!
A genuinely brilliant tip for anyone who sees this
the most musician like video ive ever scene . I love the realism of this haha thankyou for making me feel normal haha. you've done killer job as well btw!
He’s ergonomic with his playing *stretches pinky to infinity*
To infinity and beyond
favorite john mayer song, i remember my dad every time i listen to it. he was a huge john mayer fan and passed away 2 years ago.
Marcio Maximo ❤️🎸
check out my music !!
Zach Oliver don’t be an insensitive dick.
@@zacholivermusic yeah its shit
What I love about this video, is seeing Mary, who I consider an excellent guitarist, struggling in just the same way that I do, albeit at a much lower level, while working her way through a song which is outside of her comfort zone. It is all too easy to fool oneself that the musicians that we admire have been endowed with a "special gift" - I am sure individual talent does come into play. But, what this video shows is, that often, it is just a matter of grinding it out; nothing beats practice and putting in the hours. So, the next time I feel myself getting frustrated whilst trying to figure out a couple of bars of a song, I'll reflect on this video and press on.
@Jude Dawson Yes; people often overuse 'talent' when, as you say, the end product you're hearing is the result of endless practise and dedication to one's art. Tommy Emmanuel has said much the same when people speak of his 'talent' His amazing technique wasn't a gift from birth.
I feel you. When you listen to John it sometimes seems "easy" to play but when you try you realise that this dude has a lot going on on his guitar. 🔥
So true... saw a comment once from a guy saying he could play all JM’s song because “they’re all easy...”🤣 yeah, and I make a million every week daytrading bc "it's easy..."
HASHKIT plus he sing ontop
@@kristiansjstrand6727 exactly and i don't even want to try that on top of playing guitar the way he does. Full respect to John 🔥
but can you play smoke on the water?!
One fun thing is that this tricky C chord was easy for me to play when I first learned this song, but that's only because I'm brazilian and samba and bossa-nova artists put this kinda of stuff all over their songs, so I had that on my fingers and my ears long ago. What amazes me is how John, in a song from his early days and being originally a blues player, had adapted stuff like that into his playing. I can point many subtle bossa-nova and jazz influences on his first record and that's one of the things that I love about him, he's not where he is now because of luck or anything like that. He obviously studied the crap out of the guitar, as seriously as any of those praised players who are taken more seriously in the musician's circle even though it's just because they can't make tunes that stand out without relying on extensive (and often boring) showing off of guitar skills.
"I mean it's not neon" Damn true.
Neon ain't that hard tbh
@@colourfulpixels6897 you must've flexible thumb
That 🤬🤬🤬 triplet rhythm at the end of the main riff 😫
The crazy part abt neon is that John mayor finger picks it with only his thumb and pointer
@@colourfulpixels6897 It's hard to play correctly. Anyone can half hazardly play the chords to the song...
This was so relatable, genuine, humbling, and inspiring to see a talented musician struggle to learn a song but you did learn it! Love a happy ending haha, this definitely earned a like and subscribe 👍
I’m really struggling with Smoke On The Water.
I’m really laughing out loud!
@@lefteyeentertainment4693 me too bro😂😂
0-3-5
It's actually not that easy at all when you want to add that 8th note ostinato on G (3rd fret on low E string) and still do the c!assic "main riff" rhythmically correct all the way through...
That solo isn’t that easy
I love how approachable you are and open to your failures/shortcomings as a musician - it's super refreshing! We all fail and it's great to focus on how truly hard it is to be a good player :-).
imagine doing this pre-internet mid-2000s
that would just be impossible. thank you and worthy vid to walk us through
You're SO SPECIAL to put that out there and show others we ALL have struggles learning certain songs. So GLAD I found you.
She's smart, appealing, candid and gifted. A lot to like here!
Yippee!
I’m working on this as well and I pray 4 months from now I can smile like Mary.
2:19 is me every time I play something a little more difficult than I'm used too and 2 weeks after I can play it I think to myself: "how did I ever find this difficult."
Muscle memory is real thing.
it's been said but it bears repeating. When we get to see someone like you go through the learning process it's a realization that it's what we ALL go through. Thanks for sharing this.
I see that PRS Silver Sky you got chillin back there.
You appreciate the music so much more when you see the effort that goes into creating it. Thanks for sharing
The world is a better place because of Paul Davids. I actually learned Neon (at least the intro/verse) thanks to his video.
Paul is legend.
I felt that look of relief and accomplishment after you got it in my soul. I do almost the exact same thing when i finally get a decently clean play through of a part.
I wish i could call Paul Davids to help me whenever i need it xD
"Keep talking Paul... i'm nearly there"
I love this group of musicians/teachers/both/etc on the tewb of yew. All so talented and so free with help and teaching.
"And the world is now a better place..."
Lovely! That's a cool way to teach something and and a beautiful way to share music. Thanks Mary Spender!
As a guitar and Mayer fan of over 20 years I can relate to this exact struggle. Emotionally and with that second part of the first verse. I'm in the midst of that struggle as we speak which is how I found this video. I'm not sure if its the weed or just the frustration of trying to play that for years but seeing you succeed on on that first verse brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for the inspiration.
When you played that G with your middle finger instead of your thumb I knew you were gonna have a hard time lol
That emotion in your face!! I know exactly the feeling wow, I don't feel like I suck as much.
From my years of failing on 2 instruments: flute starting when I was 12 and bass when I was about 21 years old, and years of good players and singers, and, last but not least, discovering the way the brain learns, many of my problems with playing well was 1.) finding a tempo that produced almost NO mistakes and 2.) practicing the difficult parts in "Chunks". A chunk may be only a few notes or a few beats of music. It is the mastering of these very small sections to perfection, or as close to perfection as possible, and then stringing them together one at a time until the entire section can be played at one consistent tempo, will actually cut down the amount of time in learning difficult sections of a tune. In recent years, I have found that having a quote or two from those musos I admire helps me stay focused on the conceptual side of learning the physical skills necessary for improvement in my own practicing. The following statement by Wayne Shorter, famous for his work with Miles Davis and Weather Report, is one I reference when I am forced to confront the issue of quality results and practicing slowly: "The long road is the short road". It speaks directly to practicing a passage too quickly, thus producing mistakes which cause you to have to go back and play the same passage again, only to recreate a flawed version similar to the previous one, resulting in yet another pass, and so on and so on. The fact that you have identified problems in your playing and are willing to relate some of your struggles to cyberspace is very brave and is to be commended. Many players struggle with what approach is to be taken when learning such passages. My apologizes for offering such unsolicited advice. That said, research these 2 concepts: tempo and "chunking". Good luck.
As someone learning to play, this might be the most inspirational video I've ever seen you post
Great job! Why Georgia VERY underrated song....well played
You are delightful...even more so because you have so much talent and are willing to share your struggles rather than just the polished stuff. Subscribed.
John Mayer should TOTALLY feature you in a song. Sounds incredible.
I REALLY enjoyed watching you try to play this song. You really demonstrate the struggle and the accomplishment perfectly well. Made me smile. You're awesome Mary
I’ve been trying to piece together John’s Lenny intro to Man On the Side from Any Given Thursday. Still giving me a run for my money
This video popped up on my feed, I watched and instantly subscribed. I have been struggling to learn guitar on and off for a bunch of years. It’s extremely helpful to know that someone who is a legit musician also struggles with how to learn certain bits and techniques. Can’t wait to check out the rest of your channel and other work!
Thank you for figuring this out! That riff has always been a mystery to me.
Damn!! My hand hurts just watching you play that!! Well done!! I truly love your sincerity and humble ways!
This was really entertaining. Well done for being so honest and candid.
(Don't worry, we won't believe you if you say you've got it down.)
As a Guitarist that tends to learn complicated music, i appreciate this video. This video shows something very real, what you don't see when someone is performing a difficult piece of music, or any music. The learning process, the moment when you are working on why you arent hitting some notes properly, or why your picking hand suddenly stops mid solo, or when your fretting hand still gets tangled after playing the same thing slow. Those moments when you have to grab the instrument in a humble manner and be a noob again for a while.
You realize there are still plenty of things to learn about music, and your instrument.
You may get tired, confused, even mad.
You may lay down the guitar to rest...
But you may never give up !
It's all about putting in the time, the work. After you get the thing right you become 100% percent better than you were before.
It is how it iss.
I was smiling throughout. Been playing 50 years and it is the same for me. But, you will have stuff you invent that require the same effort from others : )
You are wonderful. Paul is wonderful. It made me very happy to see two people I admire so much working together. Rest assured that your humility in the face of obstacles is helping many other musicians keep going and plenty of people are developing their sound by failing to imitate you. Thanks for sharing this and all of your other content.
As fellow musicians (who are way more untalented than you are) we'd like to say that it's kind of easing to see someone struggling to learn an instrument, or a song in particular and finally making that one little progression that takes you further in your whole journey. There's no one, who can ever take that feeling from you! And as you progress there will be situations like this every now and then, but it just means that you develop your skills and yourself! Keep going the rocky road! :)
What I Love is your honesty. You give great insight to developing the ability to achieve an interpretation of an arrangement. I think all musicians struggle at times to play someone's version & then reinterpret to our own style. Thank for sharing this process. It sounded great as you arrived at a version that worked for you.👍
HEEE, you found the best person to teach you. Paul is an amazing teacher. Greettings. XDDDD
So many songs that I have listened to, but never really "heard" until you sang them. Thank you for opening my eyes.
I always improvised that tricky part saying "eh, close enough."
That PRS Silver Sky in the background is so beautiful!
Hi, my name is Paul Davids and this is my beard
What an awesome vid Mary
Paul Davids is great! Not only a very competent guitarist, but also a very knowledgeable, superb teacher. Nothing against you, Mary; admire your talent and tenacity in trying to master this difficult song to play and sing. You both are quite charming and humble people, and it's been a privilege getting to know the both of you through the magic of the internet.
Easier forJM. He wrote it. The rest of us don't have "his" muscle memory so for us it is often a big learning curve. Never been one for covers but yeah it definitely pushes you out of your comfort zone and in the end that makes for a better, more rounded guitar player. Nice one Mary, sounded great to me :)
That then raises the new question; HOW THE HELL DID HE WRITE IT? 😂
@@whyaskmenoely25 Oh he's a very talented chap that's for sure! I guess it's a mix of pure talent and a lot of dedication to his craft :)
Most good songs have a little hook like that which is difficult to get correct. Good thing is that most ppl would never know that you didn't get it exact
7:20 Paul says "Ooh, yeah, 'mooi' "- and the Dutch word "mooi" means pretty or beautiful.
I think he said almost 😔
Sorry but it's sooo refreshing to see that someone as accomplished as you struggle with a song just like us mere mortals do. Thanks for sharing.
I'm on my way to learn classical gas from tommy emmanuel, just a tiny bit every week or so because it's definetly challenging to say the least, meanwhile I'm learning some other fingerstyle songs just to get better at the whole thing while also learning one of the hardest pieces of the genre
I don't know if you did it or not but while learning a song or a specific part of a song it's soooo helpful to see how who wrote it plays it live, judging by the fact you didn't use your thumb over the neck, you didn't watch John Mayer playing the song live or you didn't catch it.
Try the Original from Mason Williams. Much more Melodic IMHO.
This video absolutely 100% sums up how I feel about the "hard" part. In fact I'm rethinking my opening methods as well. When you nailed the intro I just smiled and felt your sense of relief. You rock. Please keep us informed!
8:25 "That's lucky" - no it's not! You literally put the time and effort in; that's hard work!
I was very happy to see that you nailed it in the end. Congrats on your win ! It is a good feeling when you finally get right, even for somebody watching, (I felt like I was cheering you on). This song may have to wait a little longer before I add it to my wish list.
moonlight sonata was one I finally mastered (on piano) but the one that's haunted me since I was about 10 was The Peanuts theme. I cant get my hands to play the 2 rhythms they are asking for. I'm a pianist and a drummer so you would think this wouldn't be a problem. The other ironic part is the the harder hand (right) is the one I'm fine with. It's the bass line that gets me.
I comes in time. I had the same struggle with it. Now, my struggle is the piano solo lol. Just when I thought the hard part was over.
@@MusicDABIsMe I finally came to the realization that all people really cared about were the first 30 seconds anyway. So once I play that and people laugh or smile, I move on to another song I know completely. lol. I'm afraid it will always be my unicorn song though.
@@ivilkai Same here. It took forever, but one day it kind of just clicked. I can't play it if I think too much about how I'm doing it though. I kind of just have to let my hands go and try to think about something else.
Damn. This is sooooooo encouraging. As an 'endless beginner' who draws inspiration from RUclips 'guru's', (Paul included) it's so refreshing when players of your level share these struggles! It makes me feel ok that I'm still trying to play Hotel California 10yrs after I started.🤣 Your voice is awesome BtW!
That's not lucky in the least. That's practice. Nice work.
really great, im a soloist and keyboard player, you made me pick the guitar back up again and at minimum start playing some chords again.
Life is like playing guitar in that you have to keep on persevering in order to succeed.
This is so inspiring... thanks for sharing this journey of yours, Mary!
The one i'm tackeling at the moment is the intro to Crazy On You by Heart, it's very different from my usual finger style which makes it a hell of a lot harder.
I clicked on this video because I was intrigued by the title. I too have failed miserably at trying to play John’s stuff. Then I was pleasantly surprised to note that we have the same taste in acoustics! I literally just ordered the same Martin this week! I pick it up tomorrow. Love your videos! You rock!
I'm struggling with these at the moment. Here comes the sun. Nothing else matters. And a couple of Cat Stevens songs.
You'll get there eventually! I find that every song becomes easier and faster to learn once you get past the ones that make you struggle.
I admire your perseverance, Mary. And love your voice by the way. Keep it up.
I'm struggling with Plini electric sunrise 😂 screw 13/8
I stand with you on this. Fuck 13/8 and 19/8 (fuck you soundgarden and zappa)
This video not only introduced me to this song it convinced me to learn it and its quickly become one of my favourite songs ever so thank you for that Mary!
“He’s ergonomic with his playing” not with for those of us with normal thumbs
What an awesome part of *you* to share. I cannot tell you how many times i have put the guitar down simply giving up thinking... "i just shouldnt play guitar"... showing this side of you, as a performance, should get other's like me whose guitars have been idle for MONTHS or more to get off their butts and get back at it! Thank you Mary, you are so real and *chill*.
You are very close..... It will get easier from this point on. You just have build up the muscle memory by repeating till you don't need to think about it anymore when playing the song.
Don't be too hard on yourself Mary, you're amazing! Been playin for years too and I feel like I'm years behind...don't come close to you anyway. Hearing you go through the same thought process was nice though, reminded me am not the only one. Thanks for the video that was just awesome
I read it as why 'Georgia' by John Mayer is a hard song 😂😂
You are fun to watch. I can relate. Nice work, Mary.
I'm with Peter Carlson. EVERY new song is a challenge, especially for those of us who suffer from minimal talent.
Ray Schoch It may not be a lack of talent but rather a lack of basic guitar playing technique. That can be sealed with. Take some lessons in classical guitar and you will be able to play anything. Trust me, I did it ... and I didn‘t get stuck with the classics.
There is no such thing as talent.
That was awesome. hahaha I Felt your joy when you got it on that last take!!
Late to the party but Polyphias G.O.A.T gave me nightmares for a while :'D
Love this video. Someday I’ll make another attempt at that riff…
anyone else read, Why “Georgia” by john mayer is hard, instead of “why georgia” is hard?
So cool that you share this. It reminds me of the famous 'cellist, Pablo Casals quote when he was 81 yrs. old on
Thanks Mary. So inspiring to see this. Just knowing your hand cramps up too makes me feel less alone!