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Happy New Year My Friends!

Well, this was an attempt at Chet Atkins' arrangement of Vincent. I believe that I received the sheet music a couple years back from Tommy Emmanuel's site, and I've been using it ever since, so I've not delved into Muriel Anderson's slightly modified arrangement yet (haven't downloaded it yet from her site).

I need some critical review on this one. I've been at it for 2 years (though not steady until recently), and am I missing the basics in finger-picking?

The transitions from chord to chord are way out of whack, and it feels like I'm not using my fingers for the melody correctly, and of course, I hit a couple incorrect bass notes too, namely, I think, in the 12th fret.

I stopped there, because I don't know anything about Harmonics, and I'll have to attack that later.

What can I do to get this correct? I've been trying to practice an hour each day for about two weeks, with 15 minute sessions (though not with complete success), and the fingers are still not operating right.

Am I using the wrong fingers for the melody notes? I'm trying to use Fingers 1, 2, 3 for Strings 3, 2, 1, respectively, but I've noticed that I tend to use my index finger for both S2 and S1. Is that a problem I need to deal with? It is giving me trouble when I'm playing the beginning of measure 2 ( F7, 7, 0 & S1, 3, 5, respectively), as I tend to miss S3, hitting S2 instead (S1, 2, 5 - which is wrong).

PLEASE HELP! If anyone needs the sheet music to Chet's arrangement, I'll be happy to email it.

Thanks for all your comments.



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Hi Terry, how great to finally watch someone tackle this song!

A critical review......well....

1 Yes, get the basics down on fingerpicking. For example, use your thumb for the bassnotes and not for melody or fillernotes. You use your thumb for wáy too many notes.
2 I'd strongly suggest to look at Muriel's lesson, the arrangement is really not that different.
2 No matter what you do, do it in time.
4 Take smaller bites, looks like you don't have the what to play all down.
5 Make sure the notes sustain properly.

Good luck Terry!

Ness

Hat off to you Terry for having a go at this... looks like an extreme work-out for the left hand to me... not something I'd be comfortable with!

Hi Terry,great your on this song,,its such a favo of mine(instrumental and the singin one)..

And you have already got all the advice you could get for working on it,,,I realy think you should buy Gpro and write the song in it,,its such a help..Or counting in the head..

Willem

Terry, no matter what, this song is worth working on. I've looked at Ness's upload and Muriels lesson and didn't find either very easy. So I'd say you've gotten a good start.

As Vanessa say's, small chunks with a metronome may be your focus for the next level.

I do love this song, and I should really work on it too.


Scott

Hey, thanks guys for jumping in here, and for the positive comments.

Well, at least I got it uploaded. It's taken me two weeks to get it on here cause of bad (worse) takes than the final.

Another area I was concerned with is that the melodies don't seem to be loud enough on my Epiphone, and I'm wondering if it's the guitar or the operator, a.k.a. me. If it's me, then I need a solution.

I watched the video and nobody mentioned the right hand "claw" that I was using, and that Neil warns against. I wonder how much that has to do with things.

The metronome: I have yet to use the metronome. What setting would be correct for this?

Scott: This is, indeed, a difficult song for me. I've been at it for about 2 years now, and I can't give it up because of its beauty.

Please do work on it, either version (Muriel's or Chet's - there's not a lot of difference, but there are some, one, I think, are the two open D notes in measure 16, and 21, that I really like).

Thanks for the suggestions.

Willem: Thanks, buddy, for the suggestion. Money's kinda tight right now, so I'll have to forgo GPro. I have the lyrics already written in the the Staff area. What I do is I scan a copy onto my computer, go into PAINT, and erase all the gobblygoop (:D what call it ) above the TAB, and then I have a nice area for writing the words, and drawing, by hand, guitar chord diagrams. Makes it a little bit easier to see chord shapes that are new to me.

Then, there you go with that counting again. :silly:

Thanks for the suggestions, Willem.

Chris: Yes, it is extreme! :side:

Really, no it isn't too bad. Don't rely on what you see from me, I can make some really easy stuff seem impossible because I'm a Doofus! :whistle:

Get in there with this, it will captivate you into learning it once you start.

Thanks for the comments.

Ness:

... looks like you don't have the what to play all down.

OH, you noticed that, did you? I hate that I'm always doing that.

OK, so for your list:
1. MY thumb does what it wants to do when it wants to do it. I think it really understands that the three little pinkys don't know what they're supposed to do, so it takes over. Any suggestions to reel in this obnoxious digit?

2. I've listened to Muriel's arrangement, and I do like it. The thing is is that I started working with Chet's a long time before I seen hers, and, well, I'm just more used to it. But I may give it a try.

3. "In Time", as in Tempi, or slow, as in not rushed?

4. Yeah, that's a problem for me.

5. Please show me what you mean about sustaining? I know the definition, but I'd like to see (and hear) the difference.

Thanks for taking the time on this.

~terry

Terry this song is both beautiful and challenging. Ness and others have given you some great advice.

You need to practice without the pauses, otherwise for you they will become how your brain remembers how to play the tune.

I would pick up on what Ness has said about tackling small chunks. Play the tune until your first pause appears that is not written in the music. You then need to just play from the previous bar through the part that you added the pause at and onto the next bar, removing the pause of course. Once you can play this in time and smoothly you can play on until the next pause that appears and sort this one out also. Think of it this way ......if you were strumming the tune, would you pause? No, so to keep true to the music and keep it smooth, you have to work all of the pauses out of it and work in good timing.

As Ness said, get the correct fingers working on the correct strings this is very important.

You may want to look at Fingerpicking 101 for good technique.

Play the tune as slowly as you can play it in time, always.

If you have GPRO use it, it is such a useful tool to slow down the music and play along with and keeps you in good time. (Sorry you must have replied about GPRO before I refreshed my screen) How about using a metronome then?

You may want to learn an easier tune at the same time as this one, one that will improve your technique and make the harder tune easier to learn.


I wish you luck. Fingerpicking is a great and rewarding way to play guitar, it just sounds so great and is fun.


Tom N.

You can pm Anton and ask him how he got Gpro..

Terry,

Way to go choosing such a beautiful tune to cut your teeth on. I dare say you'll be practicing this for a very long time till it becomes fluent, but I don't see that as a bad thing. You should follow the advice given already and nail down the basics of fingerpicking with simple tunes and regular alternating bass patterns, all the while keeping your hand in with this exotic beauty.

Dean

Dean, Thanks for the encouraging words. I guess I need to work a bit more on the Fingerpicking 101, because I've not gotten it down yet, obviously.

It is a beautiful song, isn't it?

Willem, sounds sinister

Tom, If, by pauses, you mean the parts where I was trying to remember the next part, that was just it: I was lost on the fretboard. BUT, perhaps you're referring to something I'm not aware of?

~terry