>>New Target and Pay Per Lesson - Vienna - Ultravox

What we have so far, new songs added weekly!
TGKatherine
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2015 8:41 am
Status: Offline

Thu May 25, 2017 6:31 pm

Hi everyone,


Today's Target and Pay Per Lesson release is now live, Vienna by Ultravox.


Ultravox are a British new wave band formed in London in 1974.


Vienna, taken from their 4th studio album with the same name, became a major hit in Europe in 1981.


To date, it remains Ultravox’s signature song, being their most commercially successful single and is often
played live by Midge Ure in solo performances. He co-wrote the song and was the band's lead singer and
front man during most of the eighties.


This lesson is entirely based on how Ure plays it on guitar in such performances.


He plays it in the key of C Mixolydian, primarily using chords I, IV and VII, with the guitar tuned down a half
step or sometimes even a whole step to fit his vocal range.


He doesn’t necessarily copy the rhythmic feel of the original recording, but does incorporate the main little
piano riff.


The song is probably too hard to sing for most male vocalists, in particular the high notes in the chorus, so for
that, we also take a look at the keys of A and G Mixolydian, which turn out to work really well.


A little bit of theory regarding the Mixolydian mode is included.


Enjoy this level 4 song!


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










michelew
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:43 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Status: Offline

Thu May 25, 2017 10:03 pm

TGNess,

Very cool. Very cool!

The incorporation of the riff is fabulous. And what a singing range! The looooooong soaring high notes you're singing in the playthrough are spine tingling... awesome.

Thanks for another trip down memory lane. :) I very well remember this being a big hit in the '80s.

:kiss:

Shel


TGNesh
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 8:25 am
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:
Status: Offline

Tue May 30, 2017 5:37 am

Hey my dear and most supportive fan! :kiss:

Glad you like the incorporation of the riff too. It's easy and it adds so much to it.

I actually have fun memories of the song. As a kid i was just fascinated by the sounds in the recording and also very much of the video. I remember, we must've been 8 years old or something, that we formed this band on the spot in the play grounds of our school, during our lunch break. Some little boys used shovels to hold as guitars and i used a stick to bang on a trash can. We even set up as a real band, as if we were on stage, with me in the back and the 'guitar players' lined up in front. At the time, this song was a number 1 hit in the Netherlands, so I guess that's the reason why we thought of it. With those shovels there was of course no music :dry: , just me banging on the trash can, copying this drum machine that you can hear in the original: 'Tu do, tu do do do'. It was just too funny! :laugh: :laugh:

We obviously didn't get too far, after a couple of measures of banging on the trash can, there was not much left for the boys to do, except air strumming on the shovels. What in the world were they thinking??! :silly:

I do believe that the idea of getting a few kids together to play music together was born then. I was already quite comfortable playing the guitar, there was another boy who barely played it and my friend fancied the drums. Eventually, he and I formed a little band together (the other boy unfortunately couldn't keep up), my first. And we've performed together all over the place. A couple of highlights were performing in front of 6000 people (some sort of festival, we were the only children playing though) and getting air time on the radio. That was pretty cool! :cheer:

Haha, sorry for the ramblings-novel on the trip down memory lane! :laugh: :)

TGNess B)

michelew wrote:
TGNess,

Very cool. Very cool!

The incorporation of the riff is fabulous. And what a singing range! The looooooong soaring high notes you're singing in the playthrough are spine tingling... awesome.

Thanks for another trip down memory lane. :) I very well remember this being a big hit in the '80s.

:kiss:

Shel


michelew
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:43 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Status: Offline

Tue May 30, 2017 4:41 pm

Hilarious! What an image! Shovels - I dig it! :) you might be one of the first thrash metal bands. :) Hey you could have gotten someone to play some stones and called yourselves a rock band. :P :laugh: B)

So you've always been a music instigator it seems. That doesn't surprise me.

Shel


tombo1230
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:27 am
Status: Offline

Tue May 30, 2017 6:09 pm

I loved this song when it was first released, still loving it. Midge Ure or Jim his real name, was
Born in Cambuslang Scotland. Some singer. ;) Only started writing songs because.....well someone had to. I haven't had time to go through your lesson yet Ness, but just about to. Can't wait!

Tom N.


familyman4
Posts: 55
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 9:29 pm
Location: Arizona
Status: Offline

Wed May 31, 2017 8:36 am

Thanks for sharing that story of your childhood playground band! You already knew then, that music would be a part of your life from cradle to grave. I bet you realty beat the crap out of that trash can! And playing in front of a crowd of 6000 people when you were that young, must have really been an experience!

As for this song, I had never heard it before. Isn't it strange how a song so popular in one country or another doesn't get any attention in other country's. In today's world, which is so much smaller because of the internet, you would think that wouldn't be the case any longer. Although, you did mention that this song was from the early 80's, so still early in the days of MTV and internet music.

As always, you do a fantastic job of teaching the song!!!!

Thank you for your dedication to perfection!

Bart


User avatar
neverfoundthetime
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:14 pm
Status: Offline

Thu Jun 01, 2017 5:37 pm

Wow! Who'd have thought that this song could be played acoustically and sound that good? A real surprise Ness :) Nice!
So, do we get Dancing With Tears In My Eyes next? :) :) :)


TGNesh
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 8:25 am
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:
Status: Offline

Mon Jun 05, 2017 1:01 pm

Michele: Glad to hear you were amused by my history-music-ramblings! :laugh: Looking back at it now is quite hilarious to me too. In thruth, I can't say I was the music instigator. It was more the boys imagining that they were rock stars or something :dry: . Before that I had played by myself in front of my class several times. But they tried to form a band and actually only asked me for help since I was the only one in class who could actually play. Turned out that they didn't have much choice than keeping me in their 'band' while others just had to bail, because they couldn't or barely played. Funny how things went. In any way, this drummer and I have kept on playing together on many many occasions until all the way through highschool. (with many others too). Anyway, I can't recall that the boys ever tried to do the air strumming on shovels again! :laugh:

Tom: You're right, some singer! :ohmy: Quite a career he has had, and still, for so long. Amazing that the Americans doesn't seem to know him or Ultravox. :dry: Anyway, great to hear you like the song choice. Should be right in your wheel house to play. ;) Many thanks Tom!

Bart: Haha, yes the trash can got beaten for sure! Just not for long, no one knew what to do. :S :laugh: :laugh: The 6000-crowd performance was quite something! :ohmy: I can tell you, i was very intimidated, but at the end (I think we did maybe 2/3 songs) we did get the crowd to clap along, that was pretty cool! :cheer:
Yes, I would agree, it's funny how some songs/artists are very popular in some countries and just unknown in others. Ultravox did make it down under though, but obviously not in the West. Thanks so much for your compliments Bart. It always means a lot to me...!!

Chris: I'm with you Chris, i never ever ever thought of playing the song on an acoustic guitar. So I'm always very pleased with artists showing it themselves, like Midge Ure does with this one. It sure was a nice trip down memory lane too. :) As for Dancing With Tears In My Eyes, there is probably no need to, you already figured it out yourself, cool! ;) Thanks Chris!

Thanks again guys and Shel! Ultravox-Vienna: Check.

TGNess B)


Post Reply Previous topicNext topic