"Learning and playing songs is the single best thing you can do to improve yourself as a musician..." And here I've been feeling guilty and inadequate for spending so much time learning songs and not so much on scales and metronomes. This is exactly the sort of codependent affirmation I needed. 😁🎸ruclips.net/p/PLz1Jurlmso417LJLF2DMzam6Om3ssRDEP
My originality mostly comes from that exact same failure and a short attention span for learning covers. BTW, I can't shred for shit, but I love lots of that flavor! I just do it all at half-speed!
@@lashedandscorned LOL. Ben makes great videos. And I really do play a lot more songs than anything else. It can get really confusing trying to find a balance (songs/exercises) . My regimen includes songs I wrote, songs from other bands I like, and stuff I suck at. Practicing what you suck at usually yields the best results. Not always fun though . So I watch Ben to infuse a little something new into my practice. He’s a smart dude.🤘🏻
The best reason for why I suck at guitar is that guitar takes coordination of both hands and fingers to create one note. each hand and finger contributes to the potential for inaccuracy in every note with multiple options to suck at every fingering, fretting, plucking, picking action creating unplanned noises, frustrating and distracting non rhythmic, unmusical crap.... the better you get... the worse it gets....
Wise words. Never realized i was "developing my galloping technique or improving my right-hand muting", i was just jamming along with some Maiden & Metallica tunes and having fun. Nowadays, whenever i feel like improving a particular guitar technique, i just pick a song that uses that technique and try to play it as accurate as i can :)
yo, this is literally a trap that i feel like i have been in for the past 10 years with guitar and I have spent the past couple months trying to get out of it by just actually learning to play some songs. This is soooooo so true and really appreciate the insight - i feel like i am falling back in love with the instrument and its because of this.
Do you ever like just go grab the chords and do the strum through and get that down, and then just try to make up your own parts instead of even copying the album? That's my vibe these days. Fake it. And then fake it slightly better.
I'm in that place right now Connor. My life kinda fell apart 5 years ago and has only piled up way more. It's a bummer for sure, I'm just going to keep scratching and clawing my way out of this dark place I'm in till I see the light again. Hopefully people I love will stop dying on me.
My problem is that I am a perfectionist, and unless I can play a song perfectly, it stresses me... which is why I don't play other peoples songs and stick to backing tracks :( Confidence is also a massive issue as my parents told me I was shit my whole life. I am 42 years old now, started playing at 13 and still lack confidence and skill...
Learning whole songs is the best exercise. From the weird intro noise, to the riff, the chords, the solo, the second solo, the outro. If you can’t do that because it’s too hard, find another song and learn it instead. And also, Tom Petty is a great place to get better. Mike Campbell is a fantastic guitarist.
I’ve been practicing hella Ramones songs in the last month and a half or so. I know how to play power cords i practice Metallica songs and all that cool shit but man, Johnny Ramone is a different beast and their songs are so much fun i just love it.
"Floor it and do your best to keep up" Michael Angelo Bateo makes a similar comparison to football players being slingshotted with an elastic band to get the feel of running faster to build speed.
I met MAB at a urinal before his show at a concert years ago. He peed standing up just like mere mortals like you or me. Anyone can play a double-neck guitar, see!
There was an Olympic softball coach (for American women's team) that used a technique like this to help players improve batting. He painted numbers on tennis balls, then shot them past the players and told them to call out the numbers. At first, it seemed impossible, but after a while everything seemed to slow down for them and they could read the numbers on the balls while they were spinning and coming at them at 200 mph! They won the gold medal that year (needless to say!)
I’m struggling to get through this, because I can’t stop laughing. That Borat voice “short and intense, like-a my wife” joke had me dying. 😂 This is fantastic!
My biggest problem has always been playing infront of people even family, someone will say 'play something there on guitar', i will blank and make excuses lol Ps why does this video have any dislikes!
The trick is to start simple, even if it's just warming up with scales. Don't worry about what popular songs they want to hear, just play what you like without trying to impress.
I guess I've been guitar right by accident because I always play through the whole song. Badly. Very badly. The point is to learn to play songs, not parts. No one learns to two bars of lyrics from a song. You learn the whole thing, and then mumble through the parts you don't know like a normal person.
and I've learned like 2 songs with powerchords and open chords after 2 years of playing guitar.) Somehow it feels uncomfortable to learn easy songs while you know all the mods and all the scales and stuff, but it's even more uncomfortable to learn hard songs because they're too fucking hard. So you keep on playing scales. I hust listen to mathrock and stuff and for me it's impossible to learn it by ear, especially not knowing what is the tuning n the song, but it's nearly impossible to find tabs to something not american football.
“Pull-outs” best line in the whole video. As a teacher myself, love to throw those off comments to check if students are listening. Keep up the great work.
Dude.... I was just about done with trying to learn any Children of Bodom songs, because... You know... Alexi is a solo god. But the words you said about dropping out and playing rhythm instead really spoke to me...
Playing along with the radio or a random online setlist is like jamming with people you've never played with. Figure out the key, try to mimic, try to play something complimentary, take a solo! Play in tune and in time. It really helps your ears and fingers when it comes time to jam with real people (and you can tell when you jam with people that don't practice this!).
One of the best videos you've ever done. As an instructor, drummer, and fake guitarist, this is everything. A perfect example of how a balanced lesson plan will get you where you want to go.
I agree wholeheartedly with this; I got caught in the exercise trap for way longer than I'd like to admit. When I started focusing on getting to the point where I could play a single song all the way through, I immediately noticed a huge improvement in a lot of the same techniques that I had only been doing exercises for. Still working on perfecting my first but excited to move on to others!
This method worked for me. People ask me how I learned how to play the way that I do, and I tell them "Judas Priest" and they look at me weird. I would just put on cds and play along from track one until they were done.
Yup ...the best thing that ever happened to my guitar playing was joining the School of Rock , I went from taking lessons and not knowing what to do with it to playing live shows with a band on stage for 300 friends and family in 6 months and we did nothing but learn how to play songs from intro to outro, bridges and solo’s , my playing increased 10 fold in 6 months . Now I’m trying to learn how to improvise on my own and jam with backing tracks ...it’s definitely a challenge for me without learning scales and triads and some theory behind and understanding the fret board.....any tips are welcome....thanks
Thank you Uncle Ben! 53 yr old aspiring guitar guy here. Started at fifty and making progress. And, yes im putting in work to learn and or perfect songs im learning every day. Theres a lot of great guitar instructors on RUclips but, you're one of the best. Love your style, sense of humor, and instructional content. I plan on subscribing to your pay site once im a little better off financially. Thank you!!!
I'm almost the wrong way round, I play and learn songs all the time and rarely sit down and practice exercises. I'm learning some Twilightning now and it's getting me better at sweeps which I don't really practice on their own.
Probably the first episode of the series ever where I feel comfortable about myself with the topic hahah. Playing full songs is just so much fun and it has helped me improve massively overall. Playing a solo can feel easy on it's own but it's another thing to play a whole song without mistakes. Great video Ben!
I always felt like every song I learn needs to be practiced to perfection. I'd spend so much time in specific parts that at some point I'd lose all interest in continuing to practice. Most of the songs always have one or more parts that kept me from advancing. I guess I'm made to clean toilets and pick up the trash.
@@overthoughtmusik772 I've been working on Crystal Mountain and Without Judgement. On the Bolt Thrower side, Salvo, Anti-Tank, and (the one that's really warping my brain) The Killchain.
@@overthoughtmusik772 honestly, one of my favorite trem picking "benchmarks" is desperately trying to keep pace with Lashed to the Slave Stick lol. Nothing like a blistering 200 bpm to tell you you're still nowhere close.
You are 100% right. I picked it back up after a 20 year hiatus when my father passed 3 years ago. I basically started from the beginning again and got tired of messing with a structured practice routine and just started trying to keep up with the songs and artists themselves and it has been better than anything else Ive tried. It forces you to get better or else you will wallow in lameness. Glad I found your channel man.
Ugh. This is such a good reminder early in the new year. I often do guitar exercises. Learn licks/riffs/song sections but i seldom learn the WHOLE song. I think it's safe to say that it isn't the same thing to learn a section as it is to learn the whole thing. I need to do fix this. I've been thinking that this year my musical goal is to put together a "youtube" worthy song play-through. Whether it's a cover or original. Just the whole thing. End to end. Thanks Uncle Ben!
Billy Sheehan preaches this as well. When I went to a bass clinic of his he said the most important thing to do as a musician was to learn great songs.
That's the most important thing, but Billy also says you need to break down the technical weaknesses in your playing and work through them, as well… He's very analytical on a micro level as well as seeing the big picture on a song or working level.
the run fast by being dragged behind a car analogy both made me cackle coffee right out of my nose and brought me right back to my years as a teen. thanks uncle Ben.
There was a period where I practiced scales 4-6 hours a day for a few months and I don’t miss it at all lol. I’ve gotten way better, way faster by covering songs and just writing my own material and having fun
same here- well still use scales and exercises to warm up but I don't spend more than 20-30 minutes using them as starter exercise than move to songs. Works better that way and after 30 minutes my hands are warmed up.
1000% This, I've only been playing a little under 2 years, but my picking hand and sense of timing has improved more in the past couple of months since I started learning Sylosis and Trivium songs and actually playing along to them than it has by doing anything else.
Perfect timing. I get really burned out of technique studies. When I came back to guitar I started playing along with a lot of music and having fun again. Great topic, great ideas. I'm glad I don't have to learn songs by scratching up my records anymore.
This is objectively the best advice you can get on improving on guitar imo. You ask any of the old jazz guys how they got so good, and they tell you one word: repertoire. Especially with improvising, it gives you a bag full of tricks and melodies to pull from in order to make melodies from thin air.
Its crazy how learning new songs actually just subconsciously affects your musicality. I've been working on the sweet child o mine solo, and after some improvisation, I noticed I played a little differently than before without me even thinking about it.
This is by far my biggest weakness. Playing near 4 years now and I spend so much time trying to get into theory but someone asks me to play country roads I look at them like they've got 2 heads 🤣
Positioning the tele like that in the outro.. You knew what you where doing. What a freaking neck that is! All that aside, very important video. I wish people teaching higher up in the music education system would take "playing songs" more seriously. Great stuff Ben!
Damn Unc, I woke up today thinking this exact thing and I open up RUclips to see this video. WTF. The Gods are giving me big hints. I usually just noodle with the pentatonic scale and the last song I played in its entirety, fuhhhhh... its been ages. Thanks for the nudge and absolutely enjoy your humor and videos.
This is so true, i just learned hot for teacher all the way through and also Round and round by Ratt as soon as i got them down i noticed my playing was improved plus it adds motivation knowing you can play through a song you been working on great sense of accomplishment. Love this Uncle Ben !!
I totally love this: "Learning and playing songs is the single best thing you can do to improve yourself as a musician . . . " & I also totally appreciate the concept of figuring out the songs by ear instead of finding tabs & blah, blah, blah Thanks very much!
Scales, chord building , triplet techniques etc , are all ingreidients , the flavour is how you combine them into a fine meal you can cook your friends mom for breakfast , good enough she'll invite you back for dinner !
My greatest year of improvement was the year that I spent jamming with other people on an almost daily basis. If you want to learn a language you have to speak it with others.
Hi Ucle Ben, from the French Alps. What a great video! You have the gift of putting the finger where it hurts (no pun intended), and on what every guitarist is missing nowadays , in this time of trillions of internet guitarists. We also do a great job fooling ouyrselves believing that watching tons of videos will make us a better musicians. What makes us better musicians is playing more Music, not a catalogue of tricks and skills. Thank you for reminding us of that. And please , keep up the good work! Thank you again, as always
This is awesome! This is how I learned.... And I'm still trying to learn! 30 years ago, I was playing along to Iron Maiden and Metallica (and dodging the solos like a trooper). And back in the day, when I knew less about chord construction and shapes further up the neck and couldn't figure out how stairway was played... Suddenly it's really easy now. Cool video, nice to know I'm not alone in doing it this way (I did learn some theory along the way too....) \m/
Started doing this about a year ago. Play something i know on YT, play along to warm up, then let YT algo decide what i play next, just let it auto play, and i play along as best i can. Sometimes drop back into something i know and do that for about an hour 3 times a week. It's the most fun i've had with guitar since i started 20 years ago. Up to that point, it was always, "oh look, here's that same alternative solo from Sweet Child, that i know back to back"
%100 right i m 43..and i got it before..but not till recently, i permanently settled in another country (Indonesia), love to see live music and i m constantly asked to jam songs..and what is missing...more songs ..never late to learn to top hits (and great and beautiful songs) bon jovi, green day, rhcp..etc...no body will ask you to play exercises at 200pbm...😅😅😅...excellent advice Ben!
I'd say that two other things that are overlooked but *definitely* contribute heavily to your enjoyment of learning guitar (especially leads) are as follows: If your guitar can stay in tune. I cannot stress how frustrating this was for me starting out and wanting to learn Dave Mustaine solos. Your guitar going out of tune with any old bend is easily the biggest deterrent to actually practicing and improving lead skills. If your guitar is absolutely unable to stay in tune to save its life then send it to a luthier to get it looked at, upgrade some parts or - sadly - find a new one. If you're happy with your guitar tone. This is tricky since a lot of people start off with not a lot of money and probably have cheaper gear or don't know any better. But trust me, if you're getting into it definitely do your best to buy some good gear cause if you can make your crappy guitar playing sound *amazing* it'll only make you wanna keep going.
This. I needed to hear this. I've been stuck in metronome hell for too long. Thinking I needed to focus solely on exercises to be able to play holy wars cleanly... Instead of.. ahem...playing holy wars. Thanks as always UB for the great help!
100 truth...I learned by playing along and learning how to play whole albums like merciful fate...iron maiden and other non metal bands. Soloing was just a brief part of the song
It makes me wonder... What kind of donuts it was? What was the icing or toppings? And how big it is? Especially the scale between the dough and the hole. Is that potato donuts with shoestromming as the toppings? No wonder he get offended.
My best friend told me he would kneel before me if I could play the entire lead of a certain instrumental song. There's no tabs or videos so I had to write everything by ear. I'm struggling with it since 2-3 years and practising almost every day but at the same time I love doing it since I'm learning a lot. I also want to see my best friend kneel before me.
I know, maybe it's just boredom of playing the same stuff over and over. That's what keeps me from practicing most of the time. That or just laziness in general. It's like: "I don't lack the passion for playing, I just get bored when it becomes routine".
@@Cthulhu_Awaken always learn new styles- country, jazz, etc. I'm 60 and go back and forth between genres even though I'm a rocker from way back. P.S. jazz chords are hard as Hell but good to learn
I find a challenge. Something that is above my very modest ability, but that I know will make me proud if I learn it. Then if I learn it, I think “If I can play it, it can’t be as impressive as I thought”
"If you're being drug behind a car you'll run faster than you ever have in your life." Hot coffee, right through my nose. Thanks a lot, uncle Ben. Actually, age wise you're more like cousin Ben.
You have no idea how breath taking it is that I have found someone who agrees with me on this matter, I will stop feeling alone I will continue to play my ass off and tackle a large inventory of songs that we have here at home. Good for you Mr Ben. Big hi five from México city. You rock Sr.
This is some wholesome Uncle Ben content! I've played on and off for 15 years, but never really "learned" other than some tabs and I always felt discouraged. I bought my first 7 string a few months ago and it's motivated me to play more and more. It's tough because I still feel I'm not "great" for the songs I want to be playing, especially since guitar is just a small hobby, which can still feel discouraging, but this video reminded me to just try to have fun and learn music I like. Thanks Ben!
I set a quest to learn cliffs of dover and crazy train, I thought these were beyond me, but after working through for hours and practicing, I finally got it and felt amazing paying it.
Oh I know - Grahaem Goble, who wrote Reminiscing was on my radio show. Wayne Nelson of LRB was on twice, as was Peter Beckett of Player! I was king of Yacht Rock! lol - I have a playlist of all of those interviews. Good times
@@ATthemusician definately good advice, I do rely far too much on sight reading the tab right now. Once i've stopped playing RS I try to repeat phrases through from memory and usually struggle a bit, so now I do this after each session.
@@ATthemusician It kind of does that on it's own. Once you know a part it starts hiding the notes. The real pain of rocksmith is getting a simplified version of a riff, learning it in a particular way, and then having to learn it again once you get the full riff because the way you played the simplified version doesn't translate to the full riff.
You are so on point with this Uncle Ben. I practically learned how to play beginner guitar by just playing with tapes and CDs and going for it learning technique along the way.
Man, you have a delivery style that is second to none. Thanks for the support and encouragement that you provide to your listening base. I've been playing longer than most of your subscribers have been living, but predominantly in the realm of folk and folk-rock oriented, voice accompanied, acoustic stuff (fairly tight finger-style and quick-picking bluegrass was as good as it ever got). Like most of the rest of me, my voice hasn't aged as well as I would've hoped. So, now I am an electric guitar player, only. My weapon of choice is a Les Paul. I likely will never have the dexterity and acuity necessary to play most of the stuff I find myself listening to, but my play-along list affords me sufficient opportunities to shine at my _potential_ level _and_ learn to step back when the water gets too deep. At your suggestion, I am going to focus on sharpening up my ability to contribute when the leads aren't forthcoming. I have a sort of built-in metronome, so keeping solid time isn't an issue, but I have been lazy at chord development. Though I have a good ear, even that could improve and bolster my overall skillset. I have no designs on playing out ever again - though sitting in, on occasion, would be nice - but only were I able to do it with a degree of professionalism. At this stage of the game, my only remaining goals are to perhaps see my daughter off to college and to die with either a rifle or my guitar in my hands. Cheers, younger brother.
This is the main way I learned how to play guitar. I actually lack the ability to really improvise and don't know many scales but I learned by doing and playing guitar that was hard like Anthrax, and 6 years later I can play almost anything. Except sweep picking. Fuck sweep picking LMAO
Awesome video Ben! Exactly! The answer to everything you want to learn about music and every guitar playing technique you want to know can be found in the music. Learn 1,000 songs and you will shred on guitar.
This is 95% of my practice, just playing along to my favorite songs. Another thing, practice standing up. Hard to watch even great players sitting hunched over their guitar with their face inches from the fretboard.
Great advice. I've played along to songs since I started playing. It helps you train your ear and your sense of rhythm. If you do this first, everything else just clicks into place.
The issue i have is learning the songs. I know it is as simple as sitting down and trying to figure it out, but I have the worlds worst ear and the patience of a 3 year old.
This is the best guitar lesson. I spent months learning shred licks and alternate picking excercises, only to be embarressed when asked to play through an AC/DC song
Thank you for watching This is Why You Suck at Guitar: You Don’t Play Enough Songs!!! What songs are you working on now?!
Thoroughly at home
Apparently thumping and selective thumbing at 8 trillion bpm is a little difficult. Who knew?
Ghost of Perdition.
Iron Man Black Sabbath
"Learning and playing songs is the single best thing you can do to improve yourself as a musician..." And here I've been feeling guilty and inadequate for spending so much time learning songs and not so much on scales and metronomes. This is exactly the sort of codependent affirmation I needed. 😁🎸ruclips.net/p/PLz1Jurlmso417LJLF2DMzam6Om3ssRDEP
Cult of Personality
“Rhett shull transition” 😂
TRADEMARK
Ha! Yea - that was fantastic! :D
LOL, so true.
I was gonna post the same thing, I laughed way too long at that.
Same here, laughed my ass off...
Every song I've ever written started as a failure to learn someone else's music.
You must be in the band Green Day!
_(Or some joke to that effect.)_
Lmao dude same. “Hmm the way I messed up this riff was pretty cool..what if I slowed it down and added a note here”
@@vu4803 yup
My originality mostly comes from that exact same failure and a short attention span for learning covers. BTW, I can't shred for shit, but I love lots of that flavor! I just do it all at half-speed!
@@j_freed can you name an example of Green Day copying a song or are you just shitting on them randomly?
This list of reasons of “why I suck at guitar” is steadily rising 😩
lmao
@@lashedandscorned LOL. Ben makes great videos. And I really do play a lot more songs than anything else. It can get really confusing trying to find a balance (songs/exercises) . My regimen includes songs I wrote, songs from other bands I like, and stuff I suck at. Practicing what you suck at usually yields the best results. Not always fun though . So I watch Ben to infuse a little something new into my practice. He’s a smart dude.🤘🏻
@@Wargasm644 Ben's shit helped me with string skipping & sweep picking. He makes some damn fine content.
The best reason for why I suck at guitar is that guitar takes coordination of both hands and fingers to create one note. each hand and finger contributes to the potential for inaccuracy in every note with multiple options to suck at every fingering, fretting, plucking, picking action creating unplanned noises, frustrating and distracting non rhythmic, unmusical crap.... the better you get... the worse it gets....
the next reason I suck at guitar is I always play over my head trying to do things I have no business doing except to try to show off for chicks...
Wise words. Never realized i was "developing my galloping technique or improving my right-hand muting", i was just jamming along with some Maiden & Metallica tunes and having fun. Nowadays, whenever i feel like improving a particular guitar technique, i just pick a song that uses that technique and try to play it as accurate as i can :)
63 years old here and I still aspire to be a rock legend. Well actually I am one just visit my bedroom sometime. Lol great wisdom Uncle Ben
Wholesome Dave
@@ahyeaman love it. Look up the band Foghat
U go for it brother! It's never too late!
Amen!
Take it easy old man
yo, this is literally a trap that i feel like i have been in for the past 10 years with guitar and I have spent the past couple months trying to get out of it by just actually learning to play some songs. This is soooooo so true and really appreciate the insight - i feel like i am falling back in love with the instrument and its because of this.
Do you ever like just go grab the chords and do the strum through and get that down, and then just try to make up your own parts instead of even copying the album? That's my vibe these days. Fake it. And then fake it slightly better.
At least it was only 10 years 😂
I'm in that place right now Connor. My life kinda fell apart 5 years ago and has only piled up way more. It's a bummer for sure, I'm just going to keep scratching and clawing my way out of this dark place I'm in till I see the light again. Hopefully people I love will stop dying on me.
@@Jeffmetal42 Been there buddy, hang tough man, life always has a way of self-correcting, I promise!
My problem is that I am a perfectionist, and unless I can play a song perfectly, it stresses me... which is why I don't play other peoples songs and stick to backing tracks :( Confidence is also a massive issue as my parents told me I was shit my whole life. I am 42 years old now, started playing at 13 and still lack confidence and skill...
Step-dad: mow the lawn.
Uncle Ben: play more songs.
Rock on!
I have to mow the lawn.
AND play more songs! Haha
Learning whole songs is the best exercise. From the weird intro noise, to the riff, the chords, the solo, the second solo, the outro. If you can’t do that because it’s too hard, find another song and learn it instead.
And also, Tom Petty is a great place to get better. Mike Campbell is a fantastic guitarist.
Dude, Mike is one of the most underrated players EVER!!!!
I’ve been practicing hella Ramones songs in the last month and a half or so. I know how to play power cords i practice Metallica songs and all that cool shit but man, Johnny Ramone is a different beast and their songs are so much fun i just love it.
"Floor it and do your best to keep up"
Michael Angelo Bateo makes a similar comparison to football players being slingshotted with an elastic band to get the feel of running faster to build speed.
Exactly right!
I met MAB at a urinal before his show at a concert years ago. He peed standing up just like mere mortals like you or me. Anyone can play a double-neck guitar, see!
@@secularZoo But did you glance to see if he had only one thing in his hand?
@@HeadbangoO to be fair the other thing probably would've been a guitar anyway
There was an Olympic softball coach (for American women's team) that used a technique like this to help players improve batting. He painted numbers on tennis balls, then shot them past the players and told them to call out the numbers. At first, it seemed impossible, but after a while everything seemed to slow down for them and they could read the numbers on the balls while they were spinning and coming at them at 200 mph! They won the gold medal that year (needless to say!)
I’m struggling to get through this, because I can’t stop laughing. That Borat voice “short and intense, like-a my wife” joke had me dying. 😂 This is fantastic!
IS NICE!
My biggest problem has always been playing infront of people even family, someone will say 'play something there on guitar', i will blank and make excuses lol Ps why does this video have any dislikes!
The trick is to start simple, even if it's just warming up with scales. Don't worry about what popular songs they want to hear, just play what you like without trying to impress.
I guess I've been guitar right by accident because I always play through the whole song. Badly. Very badly. The point is to learn to play songs, not parts. No one learns to two bars of lyrics from a song. You learn the whole thing, and then mumble through the parts you don't know like a normal person.
True
👍
Watermelon, watermelon.
@@unclerumple9287 wtf
and I've learned like 2 songs with powerchords and open chords after 2 years of playing guitar.) Somehow it feels uncomfortable to learn easy songs while you know all the mods and all the scales and stuff, but it's even more uncomfortable to learn hard songs because they're too fucking hard. So you keep on playing scales.
I hust listen to mathrock and stuff and for me it's impossible to learn it by ear, especially not knowing what is the tuning n the song, but it's nearly impossible to find tabs to something not american football.
“Pull-outs” best line in the whole video. As a teacher myself, love to throw those off comments to check if students are listening. Keep up the great work.
Dude, i finally know why i suck at guitar.
There are so many moments of wisdom crammed into just 14 minutes. Uncle Ben is the Eckhart Tolle of guitar practice here. Gems everywhere
Yeah, Eckhart Tolle is the man! 👍
Dude.... I was just about done with trying to learn any Children of Bodom songs, because... You know... Alexi is a solo god. But the words you said about dropping out and playing rhythm instead really spoke to me...
Even then, CoB's music is so full of little things here and there it's a big task to learn/, especially on the follow the reaper album
@@Thijscube currently I'm trying Morrigan and Under Grass and Clover and even the rhythm is destroying me. 🤣
COB isn't that hard tbh
but its fun to play
Rest in peace alexi laiho🙏🤘 he was so good at songwriting and yes i also find COB songs extremely difficult
As an Aussie, seeing Little River Band pop up brought a tear to eye... your range of music interests never ceases to amaze, Uncle Ben!!!
Love it!!! Gotta stay diverse!
LRB were awesome.
Playing along with the radio or a random online setlist is like jamming with people you've never played with. Figure out the key, try to mimic, try to play something complimentary, take a solo! Play in tune and in time. It really helps your ears and fingers when it comes time to jam with real people (and you can tell when you jam with people that don't practice this!).
One of the best videos you've ever done. As an instructor, drummer, and fake guitarist, this is everything. A perfect example of how a balanced lesson plan will get you where you want to go.
I agree wholeheartedly with this; I got caught in the exercise trap for way longer than I'd like to admit. When I started focusing on getting to the point where I could play a single song all the way through, I immediately noticed a huge improvement in a lot of the same techniques that I had only been doing exercises for. Still working on perfecting my first but excited to move on to others!
This method worked for me. People ask me how I learned how to play the way that I do, and I tell them "Judas Priest" and they look at me weird. I would just put on cds and play along from track one until they were done.
Yup ...the best thing that ever happened to my guitar playing was joining the School of Rock , I went from taking lessons and not knowing what to do with it to playing live shows with a band on stage for 300 friends and family in 6 months and we did nothing but learn how to play songs from intro to outro, bridges and solo’s , my playing increased 10 fold in 6 months . Now I’m trying to learn how to improvise on my own and jam with backing tracks ...it’s definitely a challenge for me without learning scales and triads and some theory behind and understanding the fret board.....any tips are welcome....thanks
My favorite video EVER, i tell my students the same thing, all the time.
"your step mom... talks in her sleep" - nice.
Aye, that one was a beaut
Hilarious
Satch Boogie is my all time fav by Joey Satch.
Thank you Uncle Ben! 53 yr old aspiring guitar guy here. Started at fifty and making progress. And, yes im putting in work to learn and or perfect songs im learning every day. Theres a lot of great guitar instructors on RUclips but, you're one of the best. Love your style, sense of humor, and instructional content. I plan on subscribing to your pay site once im a little better off financially. Thank you!!!
Thanks very much, Shaun!
I'm almost the wrong way round, I play and learn songs all the time and rarely sit down and practice exercises. I'm learning some Twilightning now and it's getting me better at sweeps which I don't really practice on their own.
Same
Probably the first episode of the series ever where I feel comfortable about myself with the topic hahah. Playing full songs is just so much fun and it has helped me improve massively overall. Playing a solo can feel easy on it's own but it's another thing to play a whole song without mistakes. Great video Ben!
I always felt like every song I learn needs to be practiced to perfection. I'd spend so much time in specific parts that at some point I'd lose all interest in continuing to practice. Most of the songs always have one or more parts that kept me from advancing. I guess I'm made to clean toilets and pick up the trash.
Bold of you to asume I was wearing clothes in the first place.
Oh damn, my bad!!!!
well played sir.
Been doing this with Bolt Thrower and Death lately. Been seeing way more improvement this way than just trying to to learn the tabs alone
Learning something from the Human album has been on my todo list forever...
@@overthoughtmusik772 I've been working on Crystal Mountain and Without Judgement. On the Bolt Thrower side, Salvo, Anti-Tank, and (the one that's really warping my brain) The Killchain.
@@r3ngokuking That rules, I love BT too. Talk about good music to learn to keep your skills up....death metal
@@overthoughtmusik772 honestly, one of my favorite trem picking "benchmarks" is desperately trying to keep pace with Lashed to the Slave Stick lol. Nothing like a blistering 200 bpm to tell you you're still nowhere close.
BT rules, check out Frozen Soul from Texas, theyre our Texan Bolt Thrower. TXDM REPRESENT
Guilty as charged. Thanks Uncle Ben for helping to kick me in the arse to learn and play more songs.
You are 100% right. I picked it back up after a 20 year hiatus when my father passed 3 years ago. I basically started from the beginning again and got tired of messing with a structured practice routine and just started trying to keep up with the songs and artists themselves and it has been better than anything else Ive tried. It forces you to get better or else you will wallow in lameness.
Glad I found your channel man.
Thank you for watching, keep shredding!
I'm 56 and think this is probably the best advice ever given in a guitar video. Thank you!
Ugh. This is such a good reminder early in the new year.
I often do guitar exercises. Learn licks/riffs/song sections but i seldom learn the WHOLE song. I think it's safe to say that it isn't the same thing to learn a section as it is to learn the whole thing.
I need to do fix this. I've been thinking that this year my musical goal is to put together a "youtube" worthy song play-through. Whether it's a cover or original. Just the whole thing. End to end.
Thanks Uncle Ben!
Billy Sheehan preaches this as well. When I went to a bass clinic of his he said the most important thing to do as a musician was to learn great songs.
That's the most important thing, but Billy also says you need to break down the technical weaknesses in your playing and work through them, as well… He's very analytical on a micro level as well as seeing the big picture on a song or working level.
the run fast by being dragged behind a car analogy both made me cackle coffee right out of my nose and brought me right back to my years as a teen. thanks uncle Ben.
Love the Rhett Shull shout out!)) This one of my favorite videos from you Ben, thanks.
There was a period where I practiced scales 4-6 hours a day for a few months and I don’t miss it at all lol. I’ve gotten way better, way faster by covering songs and just writing my own material and having fun
same here- well still use scales and exercises to warm up but I don't spend more than 20-30 minutes using them as starter exercise than move to songs. Works better that way and after 30 minutes my hands are warmed up.
1000% This, I've only been playing a little under 2 years, but my picking hand and sense of timing has improved more in the past couple of months since I started learning Sylosis and Trivium songs and actually playing along to them than it has by doing anything else.
same here- learning classic metal songs really builds these key skills on guitar and more fun learning process as well!
Same here, i have been playing for about 2 years aswell, when i started to spend hours learning songs i like it has improved my playing a lot
There's so much wisdom in this video that whatever you're earning from it is a paltry fraction of its worth. -from your favorite nephew
Perfect timing. I get really burned out of technique studies. When I came back to guitar I started playing along with a lot of music and having fun again. Great topic, great ideas. I'm glad I don't have to learn songs by scratching up my records anymore.
That Little River Band song was sounding nice!
Benadryl Cumpersnitch : *exists
Yingyang Milkshake : allow me to introduce myself
🤣🤣🤣
You have proven your musical infallibility this day by playing Little River Band. They are so good.
This is objectively the best advice you can get on improving on guitar imo. You ask any of the old jazz guys how they got so good, and they tell you one word: repertoire.
Especially with improvising, it gives you a bag full of tricks and melodies to pull from in order to make melodies from thin air.
Its crazy how learning new songs actually just subconsciously affects your musicality. I've been working on the sweet child o mine solo, and after some improvisation, I noticed I played a little differently than before without me even thinking about it.
This is by far my biggest weakness. Playing near 4 years now and I spend so much time trying to get into theory but someone asks me to play country roads I look at them like they've got 2 heads 🤣
Thanks Uncle Ben, Good advice. I really dug the Rhett Shull transition dig. LOL. Keep on smiling...
This is some of the best advice for musicians ever.
Positioning the tele like that in the outro.. You knew what you where doing. What a freaking neck that is! All that aside, very important video. I wish people teaching higher up in the music education system would take "playing songs" more seriously. Great stuff Ben!
Hahaha like I’m NOT gonna show that neck off!!!
Damn Unc, I woke up today thinking this exact thing and I open up RUclips to see this video. WTF. The Gods are giving me big hints. I usually just noodle with the pentatonic scale and the last song I played in its entirety, fuhhhhh... its been ages. Thanks for the nudge and absolutely enjoy your humor and videos.
This is so true, i just learned hot for teacher all the way through and also Round and round by Ratt as soon as i got them down i noticed my playing was improved plus it adds motivation knowing you can play through a song you been working on great sense of accomplishment. Love this Uncle Ben !!
I totally love this:
"Learning and playing songs is the single best thing you can do to improve yourself as a musician . . . "
& I also totally appreciate the concept of figuring out the songs by ear instead of finding tabs & blah, blah, blah
Thanks very much!
Scales, chord building , triplet techniques etc , are all ingreidients , the flavour is how you combine them into a fine meal you can cook your friends mom for breakfast , good enough she'll invite you back for dinner !
What did she do to merit that kind of treatment?
You’re headed into step dad territory there 😂🤣
My greatest year of improvement was the year that I spent jamming with other people on an almost daily basis. If you want to learn a language you have to speak it with others.
Hi Ucle Ben, from the French Alps. What a great video! You have the gift of putting the finger where it hurts (no pun intended), and on what every guitarist is missing nowadays , in this time of trillions of internet guitarists. We also do a great job fooling ouyrselves believing that watching tons of videos will make us a better musicians. What makes us better musicians is playing more Music, not a catalogue of tricks and skills. Thank you for reminding us of that. And please , keep up the good work! Thank you again, as always
I needed this video, you reignited the passion in me again, thanks uncle Ben :)
I'm actually in a major rut right now.
I did master "Aiming High" from Accept. That's fun to play.
Help Uncle Ben!!!
This is awesome! This is how I learned.... And I'm still trying to learn!
30 years ago, I was playing along to Iron Maiden and Metallica (and dodging the solos like a trooper). And back in the day, when I knew less about chord construction and shapes further up the neck and couldn't figure out how stairway was played... Suddenly it's really easy now. Cool video, nice to know I'm not alone in doing it this way (I did learn some theory along the way too....) \m/
Started doing this about a year ago. Play something i know on YT, play along to warm up, then let YT algo decide what i play next, just let it auto play, and i play along as best i can. Sometimes drop back into something i know and do that for about an hour 3 times a week. It's the most fun i've had with guitar since i started 20 years ago. Up to that point, it was always, "oh look, here's that same alternative solo from Sweet Child, that i know back to back"
%100 right i m 43..and i got it before..but not till recently, i permanently settled in another country (Indonesia), love to see live music and i m constantly asked to jam songs..and what is missing...more songs ..never late to learn to top hits (and great and beautiful songs) bon jovi, green day, rhcp..etc...no body will ask you to play exercises at 200pbm...😅😅😅...excellent advice Ben!
I'd say that two other things that are overlooked but *definitely* contribute heavily to your enjoyment of learning guitar (especially leads) are as follows:
If your guitar can stay in tune. I cannot stress how frustrating this was for me starting out and wanting to learn Dave Mustaine solos. Your guitar going out of tune with any old bend is easily the biggest deterrent to actually practicing and improving lead skills. If your guitar is absolutely unable to stay in tune to save its life then send it to a luthier to get it looked at, upgrade some parts or - sadly - find a new one.
If you're happy with your guitar tone. This is tricky since a lot of people start off with not a lot of money and probably have cheaper gear or don't know any better. But trust me, if you're getting into it definitely do your best to buy some good gear cause if you can make your crappy guitar playing sound *amazing* it'll only make you wanna keep going.
This. I needed to hear this. I've been stuck in metronome hell for too long. Thinking I needed to focus solely on exercises to be able to play holy wars cleanly... Instead of.. ahem...playing holy wars. Thanks as always UB for the great help!
Get some!!!!!
Thanks uncle ben, for teaching me how to have fun with learning and not touching me when I was little
So many true things you spoke right here. I wish a had an Uncle Ben teacher when i started 25 years ago.
100 truth...I learned by playing along and learning how to play whole albums like merciful fate...iron maiden and other non metal bands. Soloing was just a brief part of the song
Feel like you're right on the money. Feel I'm caught in this Music theory / mindless scale trap
So true Uncle Ben. I'll just add that the rythym playing of Hendrix is often harder than the solo, and play and jam with other actual people.
Very true. Its even more incredible that Hendrix is singing at the same time.
I seriously appreciate the amount of knowledge and insight in these videos.
I heard that guy Yingyang Milkshake was offered some donuts when he was touring with Pantera and he got pissed, he said he could buy his own donuts
It makes me wonder...
What kind of donuts it was? What was the icing or toppings? And how big it is? Especially the scale between the dough and the hole.
Is that potato donuts with shoestromming as the toppings? No wonder he get offended.
Bet they weren't Krispy Kreme. Gotta set the bar high.
Yea, dude "don't fu**in like donuts!"
Although Ying-Yang's last name is pronounced Mei-Ku-Sake.
It's Japanese and means 'no songwriting writing skills.'
@@j_freed lol
My best friend told me he would kneel before me if I could play the entire lead of a certain instrumental song.
There's no tabs or videos so I had to write everything by ear.
I'm struggling with it since 2-3 years and practising almost every day but at the same time I love doing it since I'm learning a lot.
I also want to see my best friend kneel before me.
Uncle Ben, your delivery, humor, and knowledge are a gift to youtube! Thanks
Great points Uncle Ben! Thanks for reminding...
My problem is once I learn a song then I don’t want to play it anymore.
Got the Same Problem
I know, maybe it's just boredom of playing the same stuff over and over. That's what keeps me from practicing most of the time. That or just laziness in general.
It's like: "I don't lack the passion for playing, I just get bored when it becomes routine".
@@Cthulhu_Awaken always learn new styles- country, jazz, etc. I'm 60 and go back and forth between genres even though I'm a rocker from way back. P.S. jazz chords are hard as Hell but good to learn
Then play it Reggae Style, or Bossa Nova.
I find a challenge. Something that is above my very modest ability, but that I know will make me proud if I learn it.
Then if I learn it, I think “If I can play it, it can’t be as impressive as I thought”
"If you're being drug behind a car you'll run faster than you ever have in your life." Hot coffee, right through my nose. Thanks a lot, uncle Ben. Actually, age wise you're more like cousin Ben.
You have no idea how breath taking it is that I have found someone who agrees with me on this matter, I will stop feeling alone I will continue to play my ass off and tackle a large inventory of songs that we have here at home. Good for you Mr Ben. Big hi five from México city. You rock Sr.
This is some wholesome Uncle Ben content! I've played on and off for 15 years, but never really "learned" other than some tabs and I always felt discouraged. I bought my first 7 string a few months ago and it's motivated me to play more and more. It's tough because I still feel I'm not "great" for the songs I want to be playing, especially since guitar is just a small hobby, which can still feel discouraging, but this video reminded me to just try to have fun and learn music I like. Thanks Ben!
That REVV head absolutely killed me. Yes just killed me. I'm died.
REVV Rules!!!!
RIP 1.28.2021
Dead? Get well soon
"Your step-mom..."
Me: uh-oh..
"... talks in her sleep"
Me: THANK GOD! IT'S NOT WHAT I HAD IN MIND!!
I set a quest to learn cliffs of dover and crazy train, I thought these were beyond me, but after working through for hours and practicing, I finally got it and felt amazing paying it.
Two things - love the inside stuff (Brett Shull transition); I can’t remember the other thing. 😜
Oh I know - Grahaem Goble, who wrote Reminiscing was on my radio show. Wayne Nelson of LRB was on twice, as was Peter Beckett of Player! I was king of Yacht Rock! lol - I have a playlist of all of those interviews. Good times
meow
(on topic) Rocksmith is fun to play along with proper songs.
It's good but don't let it slow you down, once you learn the song learn how to play it without watching the screen
@@ATthemusician definately good advice, I do rely far too much on sight reading the tab right now. Once i've stopped playing RS I try to repeat phrases through from memory and usually struggle a bit, so now I do this after each session.
@@ATthemusician It kind of does that on it's own. Once you know a part it starts hiding the notes.
The real pain of rocksmith is getting a simplified version of a riff, learning it in a particular way, and then having to learn it again once you get the full riff because the way you played the simplified version doesn't translate to the full riff.
Rhett Shull transition im DEAD LMAO
Hahaha glad you caught that
You are so on point with this Uncle Ben. I practically learned how to play beginner guitar by just playing with tapes and CDs and going for it learning technique along the way.
Man, you have a delivery style that is second to none. Thanks for the support and encouragement that you provide to your listening base. I've been playing longer than most of your subscribers have been living, but predominantly in the realm of folk and folk-rock oriented, voice accompanied, acoustic stuff (fairly tight finger-style and quick-picking bluegrass was as good as it ever got). Like most of the rest of me, my voice hasn't aged as well as I would've hoped. So, now I am an electric guitar player, only. My weapon of choice is a Les Paul. I likely will never have the dexterity and acuity necessary to play most of the stuff I find myself listening to, but my play-along list affords me sufficient opportunities to shine at my _potential_ level _and_ learn to step back when the water gets too deep. At your suggestion, I am going to focus on sharpening up my ability to contribute when the leads aren't forthcoming. I have a sort of built-in metronome, so keeping solid time isn't an issue, but I have been lazy at chord development. Though I have a good ear, even that could improve and bolster my overall skillset. I have no designs on playing out ever again - though sitting in, on occasion, would be nice - but only were I able to do it with a degree of professionalism. At this stage of the game, my only remaining goals are to perhaps see my daughter off to college and to die with either a rifle or my guitar in my hands. Cheers, younger brother.
This is the main way I learned how to play guitar. I actually lack the ability to really improvise and don't know many scales but I learned by doing and playing guitar that was hard like Anthrax, and 6 years later I can play almost anything. Except sweep picking. Fuck sweep picking LMAO
I feel personally attacked by this video haha.
Awesome video Ben! Exactly! The answer to everything you want to learn about music and every guitar playing technique you want to know can be found in the music. Learn 1,000 songs and you will shred on guitar.
This is great advice, I love playing through live albums and just trying new things and figuring out what the guitar player is doing.
This is 95% of my practice, just playing along to my favorite songs. Another thing, practice standing up. Hard to watch even great players sitting hunched over their guitar with their face inches from the fretboard.
I always remember James hetfield saying he strives to play a completely solid rythem I always thought that was cool.
Been saying this for years for my friends who suck at guitar. Now they suck less. Thanks uncle Ben.
Great advice. I've played along to songs since I started playing. It helps you train your ear and your sense of rhythm. If you do this first, everything else just clicks into place.
I’ve been playing for years and have never learned how to play a single song.
The issue i have is learning the songs. I know it is as simple as sitting down and trying to figure it out, but I have the worlds worst ear and the patience of a 3 year old.
This is the best guitar lesson. I spent months learning shred licks and alternate picking excercises, only to be embarressed when asked to play through an AC/DC song
Well worded wisdom. Thanks Ben for all you do for the guitar community. You are an inspiration to us all.