Al Stewart Year of the Cat by suziko

suziko
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Sat May 18, 2013 7:14 am

Stuart- You are so right that it's really easy to lose focus of how much we improve over time. I'm constantly trying to play songs that are just a little too hard for me. I like that because it keeps me challenged and keeps me moving in the right direction. However it can also leave you feeling as though you are constantly struggling to keep your head above water, and that sensation can be discouraging and exhausting. It's nice sometimes to tackle something that's more "in the pocket" and realize that you've made progress.


That said, this song still presented challenges to me. Moving to and from the lick while keeping in time with the rest of the song was something I had to work on a lot. I tried to vary up my strumming to make it more interesting. I'm not sure I was always successful, but it was a good opportunity to work on that technique!


Willem- Thanks so much for your kind words. I bungled the lyrics in the 3rd verse, which was what made me smile. I figured I'd just go with it instead of trying to redo the whole thing at that point! Yes, this is a nice song to have in my repertoire since most everyone knows it!


Dermot- Thank you! It's getting there- but it's still not as bendy (or maybe as strong?) as it needs to be!! I can tell I'm not really getting all those strings ringing out cleanly on my A-shaped barre chords. More to work on....


Jason- One really nice thing about this song lesson (and many others on TG) is that Neil presents it with various options that change the difficulty level. You can just strum through the chords and it sounds great! Add the lick (which really isn't that hard- you should try it!) and you get a bit closer to the original. Then Neil has all the leads tabbed out, too. I haven't tackled the leads yet, though I might take a look at them at some point.


Thanks so much for watching and for (as always) being so kind and supportive. I bet you can't wait to hear this done by the original master soon!


UncleWalt (Rick?)-
I know you don't usually check out student uploads so I definitely appreciate you taking the time to check out mine! And I owe you a thanks for triggering my memory about this lesson.


Wow, I hadn't listened to that audio clip before, and it's awesome! I love the original, but I almost like this better.... And it's funny cos I didn't know what your "Grapevine" comment meant until I got to the end of the clip. And was that "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (known better to most of us "Inspector Gadget"!!) at the end???


Thanks for the comment on my house. It's an American Craftsman-style house in Madison, WI. There are lots of nice, old(er) houses here in Madison. Though nothing quite like the Robie House in Chicago!


More soon........


sbutler
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Sat May 18, 2013 9:00 am

Well that didnt take very long. Wow to be able to play something like that and sing it too is something I cant seem to do, but it only takes you a week. Great work Suzi. I really liked that.

Scott


suziko
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Sat May 18, 2013 9:45 am

Shel- Your comments always make smile so much! Thank you, my sweet friend. Though I'm not 100% satisfied with the vocals, I also see that it's a lot better than I would have done a few years ago. My ear is starting to improve and at least now I can hear when I'm off-key. Correcting it is another thing!! :)


Craig- Thank you! The lick is really fun to play and adds a lot to the song. To anyone who likes this song, I'd recommend checking out the lesson- AND the audio file of Neil and Al Stewart playing it together. What a cool performance that was!


Tom- Lots of pretty great things seem to come out of Scotland! Did you know that all Americans love Scots? That is actually a verifiable fact. ;)


You have just a few months to get this song learned so that you can play it for Al in September. You can do it!


Scott- Thanks so much! I have no doubt you could learn this song. If you just tackle the rhythm guitar and the lick, it's not that hard. I'd like to, at some point, start working on the leads. But that adds another whole level of difficulty. Maybe a couple of levels, actually!
:)


tombo1230
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Sat May 18, 2013 1:06 pm

suziko wrote:


Tom- Lots of pretty great things seem to come out of Scotland! Did you know that all Americans love Scots? That is actually a verifiable fact. ;)


You have just a few months to get this song learned so that you can play it for Al in September. You can do it!


:)


I believe you on both counts. Lots of Americans can trace themselves back to Scotland and Ireland. Where do you think your red hair came from? :P ;)

I could learn the song before camp if I prioritize it. I am working on lots of stuff at the moment. :)


Tom N.


kelemenj
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Sat May 18, 2013 1:12 pm

nice job on that!
BTW what model Taylor is that?
John


dtaylor
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Sat May 18, 2013 1:15 pm

Suzi,
You're a real star of TG, everyone knows what a massive leap forward you've made here. It's always a treat to hear you play and sing and this is your best yet IMO. It sounds so professional and polished. I wish more people would upload for review, it's one of the things I look forward to most on the site.
Congratulations on the achievement.
Dean.


thereshopeyet
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Sat May 18, 2013 1:26 pm

Suzi and Tom Wrote:
Tom- Lots of pretty great things seem to come out of Scotland! Did you know that all Americans love Scots? That is actually a verifiable fact.

I believe you on both counts. Lots of Americans can trace themselves back to Scotland and Ireland. Where do you think your red hair came from?


:)


tombo1230
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Sat May 18, 2013 2:41 pm

thereshopeyet wrote:
Suzi and Tom Wrote:
Tom- Lots of pretty great things seem to come out of Scotland! Did you know that all Americans love Scots? That is actually a verifiable fact.

I believe you on both counts. Lots of Americans can trace themselves back to Scotland and Ireland. Where do you think your red hair came from?


Click Image To Enlarge:

Image

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
I think you just did :huh: :)


Tom N.


suziko
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Sat May 18, 2013 4:28 pm

Tom and Dermot- Come on, guys! I'm BLONDE these days. Try to keep up!! :laugh: It must be my English blood!! That's what my stylist tells me, anyway!! :)


John- Thanks so much for watching. It's a Taylor GC3. So, a Grand Concert-sized body, and their 300 line: Sitka top, Sapele back and sides. I've had it since right after I joined TG and it's very special to me. It's sort of a middle-of-the-road Taylor (price-wise) but I love how it sounds and plays. I'm very fond. :)

Dean- Thank you! I'm not sure I'm a "star" of TG, but that's a really kind thing to say. i have to agree with you that I do enjoy when people upload songs for review- especially songs in the Target libarry, because it's always nice to see how they tackled them. I've often been inspired to learn a song after seeing one of my fellow TGers post their video of it. It's been great to hear you singing these days. You don't seem to have any troubles with vocals. I'm envious! :)


thereshopeyet
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Sat May 18, 2013 4:33 pm

Ah Tom,

Suzi Scottish ? ........There's Hope For Her Yet ....... here's a picture of Hagar's daughter !

;) ;) :P

Image


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