Green Grass and High Tides - On REAL guitar?!

[Invictus]

I realize this probably seems like a random thread, Im a average guitar player (been playing for about 7 years, self taught) - Im (not to be egotistical) REALLY good at guitar hero and rock band. A nice side effect of this is that I've improved my sense of rythm on my electric and acoustic. I've been playing a lot of rock band recently, and want to learn how to play Green Grass and High Tides for real. I've got the opening down decently, but I can tell it's going to take a long time. Has anyone actually achieved this great feat? If so, do you have any tips on how to maybe fudge some of the harder solo sections to make them more easily playable at my current skill level? Any other songs from the games that you enjoy or wish to share your learning experiences on? Try to keep it on topic as best you can though.

[knapplc]

The best guitar player at the Cafe is probably acsguitar. He doesn't post in GT anymore, but you can reach him via PM. He may be able to help.

[Invictus]

Thanks ! I'll definatly try to get in touch with him. Anyone out there wish to share their best and worst learning experiences?

[Mugrila]

I can play most of the solo that comes in at 3:22. As for the rest of the soloing, I think it's just based off an Eminor scale so just go with the flow.

[Snakes Gould]

i play on expert on guitarhero

[AcidRock23]

I haven't heard the song all the way through for years but it's an intriguing prospect.

The wikipedia thing about the Outlaws mentions that Billy Jones is apparently panned to the right stereo channel in the mix? If you have a player that will allow you to run it through one side, hearing one of the guitars at a time might make it easier to study. A lot of two guitar stuff (I have been fiddling around w/ the Allman Brothers quite a bit lately...) is challenging just to figure out which guitar is playing what, particularly when they are tossing it back and forth. A 'cheaper' way to do this is w/ an iPod and just take one set of headphones out of your ear too.

I would not worry about figuring it out note for note either, work on figuring out which key/ chord the solos are coming from (again, w/ three guitars firing away, this could be challenging) and then whether the runs are closest to major, minor, pentatonic or some variation thereof. I'd take mugrila's suggestion and run with it but, if that doesn't catch it, you should eventually get in the ballpark of what the guy on the record is playing.

I just got Guitar Hero and playing real guitar is WAAAAY easier for me. When MrsAcidRock is rocking out on GuitarHero, I have been sneaking off into the other room to figure stuff out on my IRL guitar... . We went to the Gibson Factory in Memphis last week and I got to play with several sweet guitars and was relieved that I could keep up w/ the 13 year olds jamming out...

[AcidRock23]

I listened to the sound clips on iTunes and was unable to resist d/l the sucker.

I think that the song works w/ minor w/ the sort of melancholy note in the vox but I think that the axmen are tapping into the steel resolve of the pentatonic/ blues scale for most of the jamming....jeez, this stuff about 7-8 min is fantastic, I don't think I've heard this in 20 or 30 years...*back to guitar*.

[Invictus]

I've gotta say that it's my new favorite song, which is hard to achieve with me. The thing I find so interesting is that the solos are so incredibly complex, but they don't "show off" if you catch my drift. I find with a lot of modern music, there's an air of ego involved, but I don't detect that with this music. It's really just the players getting really into what they are playing.

As I've stated before, Im self taught, and so whenever I hear people talking about pentatonic scales, and minor scales, while I understand what they are, and how to play a "blues" scale, Im lost as to how to interpret and find/follow different scales. Does anyone have any advice on a good place or book to reference/learn this skill from?

[AcidRock23]

the scales are the same everywhere on your guitar, if you move the E up to G you are in a different key but the shape is the same. Until you run out of space, of course. Another thing that is good to do w/ scales is figure out different ways to play the same thing in different spots as you move up and down the neck and up and down the strings.

The only thing to do is just practice a ton and keep practicing and then practice some more. I don't think books will have any secrets that are not already there right in front of you on your axe. Baseball season always gets me playing as I dig playing my (unplugged) electric while I watch baseball. 5 innings of practice will sharpen your chops I think?

The current setup I have that has gotten me to play more is a Roland MicroCube and headphones and then I just run my ipod earbuds into my ears w/ larger overear headphones on top and just set the levels and jam along w/ different stuff. Green grass has already drained me today after running through it 3 times. There's a cheese element in the tone of The Outlaws that might be the heavy strat vibe that I don't get w/ the Allmans as much?

[Mugrila]

I think that the song works w/ minor w/ the sort of melancholy note in the vox but I think that the axmen are tapping into the steel resolve of the pentatonic/ blues scale for most of the jamming....jeez, this stuff about 7-8 min is fantastic, I don't think I've heard this in 20 or 30 years...*back to guitar*.

Yeah I think you're right. I just know that the part that I know it falls exactly along the E minor scale b/w the 4th/9th frets (then moving on up when they get to the repetitive bending part.)

I listened to the sound clips on iTunes and was unable to resist d/l the sucker.

No kidding, it's an amazing piece of work and I think even more so when you actually try to play along. One of my favorite guitar tunes ever.

The current setup I have that has gotten me to play more is a Roland MicroCube and headphones and then I just run my ipod earbuds into my ears w/ larger overear headphones on top and just set the levels and jam along w/ different stuff. Green grass has already drained me today after running through it 3 times. There's a cheese element in the tone of The Outlaws that might be the heavy strat vibe that I don't get w/ the Allmans as much?

Yeah, they definitely have that heavy strat vibe going while Duane and Dickey Betts get more of that cleaner tone from the Gibsons. Blue Sky is a great song to jam with.

I've heard good things about the micro cube. My buddy has a cube 30 and I'm possibly looking in to getting a cube 60 this summer. I'd really like a nice tube amp, but I'm not sure if I'm really ready to spend that kind of money.