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Hello Everyone!

Today's Target members only lesson is a new Fly On The Wall.


Sandy had been working on You’ve Got A Friend for a few weeks when we shot this lesson.

It had been causing quite a few problems and seemed much more difficult than Fire And Rain, which we recently finished.

In this short lesson, Neil and Sandy explored some of the reasons that made it so much more difficult, before heading into Desperado.


http://www.totallyguitars.com/target-so ... .html#song

Memorization. Maybe you hit on some things here that I need to know.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why, I can memorize Quicksand and Sleight of Hand, which I consider incredibly difficult songs, yet I've been working on Rosa May since that day I first heard it in your backyard, (IGC 2013) and I still CANNOT memorize it.

Thanks for bringing this stuff up Sandy.

Hi Scott

You tend to take on and learn really difficult songs, so it seems like most songs would be somewhat easy for you to learn and then to memorize. It's interesting to hear you say that you struggle more with certain songs too. I learned to play Rosa May but I would probably really struggle with Sleight of Hand and Quicksand.

I'm finding that learning to sing and play at the same time is complicating things for me. Especially if there is set tablature for the finger style part, and more so if it's at all complicated. It's always a concerted effort to memorize songs but I prefer that to always needing my sheet music. Neil is having me learn to strum the chords and sing the song first, while I'm learning the tablature, then just hum the melody while I play the tablature, and finally once I know the tablature really well then add the words to the vocal part. I didn't do that with "you've got a Friend" and now I'm trying to backtrack.


Sandy

Thank you Sandy, great info which we can't hear enough, I work on ''streets of London" and have this problem too, so back to the campfire and heat 'm up.. B)

Willem

sandysue wrote:

Hi Scott

You tend to take on and learn really difficult songs, so it seems like most songs would be somewhat easy for you to learn and then to memorize. It's interesting to hear you say that you struggle more with certain songs too. I learned to play Rosa May but I would probably really struggle with Sleight of Hand and Quicksand.

I'm finding that learning to sing and play at the same time is complicating things for me. Especially if there is set tablature for the finger style part, and more so if it's at all complicated. It's always a concerted effort to memorize songs but I prefer that to always needing my sheet music. Neil is having me learn to strum the chords and sing the song first, while I'm learning the tablature, then just hum the melody while I play the tablature, and finally once I know the tablature really well then add the words to the vocal part. I didn't do that with "you've got a Friend" and now I'm trying to backtrack.


Sandy

Sandy, singing while playing isn't something I'll be trying anytime soon. I applaud your efforts. Keep up the good work.
Scott

Hi Willem; I guess we all have the same struggle with memorization of some songs. You have so many songs to memorize in your Choir and also with guitar. That's a lot of memorizing but it's good for your brain.

Hi Scott: Like you, I've always loved playing instrumentals on my guitar, but Lately I've also been enjoying singing sometimes too. Luckily i don't have to make a living with my singing voice, I would surely be a starving artist. but who cares, it's just for fun anyway.

Sandy