Hardest Song To Play On GUITAR

[nolan8or]

what do you think is the hardest song to play on guitar? i'm gonna have to go with Captain, just because of the ridiculous stretch. and sorry if this should be in the musician's forum, i never post there.

[Smoke/Mirrors]

so much to say, played right, is difficult. i have never heard anyone play it right though. everyone that i've seen play it bastardizes the lick so massively and then claims it's "easy"

[CamCam176]

billies by far

[Robby~C]

I went with 'Billies' because it's the only song on the list that I can't play (perfectly, all the way through).verse is tough....one of those "once you get it, you never forget it".

R&R and The Stone were 2 of the first few DMB songs I learned.

I would have picked "busted stuff" as a hard one too, some of those triads he uses are pretty hard to get when playing up to speed with dave.

[CamCam176]

im no good guitar player, but i can play 8/10th of smts

[demar727]

wow..i can play all with ease

except rhyme and reason.. that is very hard


Captain? come onnnnn.. very easy

[demar727]

and seeing billies on here is a shocker :eek

[uchuskies87]

rhyme and reason.

[Smoke/Mirrors]

and seeing billies on here is a shocker :eek


none of daves songs are nescessarily that hard once you get his style down.

[Carbon Copy]

funny how alot of people answering this poll dont know how many strings are on a guitar

[Smoke/Mirrors]

funny how alot of people answering this poll dont know how many strings are on a guitar

:lol



wait...there are 8 right? just making sure.

[dmbfan4ever]

wow..i can play all with ease

except rhyme and reason.. that is very hard


Captain? come onnnnn.. very easy

rhyme and reason is not hard at all.

[Smoke/Mirrors]

rhyme and reason is not hard at all.
:thumbsup

[demar727]

rhyme and reason is not hard at all.

then i suck :rolleyes :lol

[Smoke/Mirrors]

then i suck :rolleyes :lol
:lol first step is acceptence...

[Pig17]

None of them are hard. :rolleyes

As for which one took me the longest to perfect, I would also say Captain due to the stretches and the fact that I have small fingers.

[JorgeCavos]

I've become pretty good at all of them

[dmbisforlovers]

billies for me. i can "play" about 99% of the DMB catalogue, but billies verse is FUCKED Up hard.

[Robby~C]

rhyme and reason is not hard at all.

:thumbsup

I'll third that

[Pig17]

billies for me. i can "play" about 99% of the DMB catalogue, but billies verse is FUCKED Up hard.

I actually have a much harder time with the Warehouse strumming pattern, which takes a long time to perfect.

[Norbs2690]

most of these songs arent even the hardest...u can find much harder

[willthethrill]

Stone is ridic, but that's if you're singing with it.

[dmbisforlovers]

I actually have a much harder time with the Warehouse strumming pattern, which takes a long time to perfect.


haha, i worked on that for a solid 3 months in a closet at my high school before it started

[Pig17]

haha, i worked on that for a solid 3 months in a closet at my high school before it started

Wasn't there a video on the dmbtabs.com boards for that? Let me go see if I can find it...

[lafleurjp]

captain was most difficult for me due to the streches.

[Riggaberto]

This thread is teeming with guitar egos...

[dmb41nancies34]

This thread is teeming with guitar egos...

haha yeah although i can play them i still think they are all hard..

[bneiluj]

Captain: That strech can hurt but ti's a pretty easy song
You Never Know : That's the one I vote for... one of the only song I can't get to play right... It's hard to play and sing that one like Dave does
So Much To Say: Pretty easy when you get the riff
The Stone: It's easy to play a "stripped down" version but it's hard to make it sound like Dave does...
Rhyme and Reason : Pretty hard to sing while playing...
What Would You Say : Probably to toughest riff for a song... I might be playing it not the right way
Satellite: Not too hard
Tripping Billies: That one is pretty easy... even if you sing while playing it!

[manninta]

The Stone is the most difficult out of the songs you listed. It has a difficult intro, verse, and post chorus.

SMTS, Billies, and Rhyme have difficult verses but the rest of the song is not too difficult.
As long has you can stretch your fingers Captain and Satellite are not too difficult.

Honorable mention goes to You Never Know. There are so many parts to it that you need to be a good guitarist in order to play it like Dave.

[bneiluj]

haha yeah although i can play them i still think they are all hard..

Yeah... everyone know that guitar player have big ego... I was in a party with a guy that was playing a lot of song too and we were defying each other... He said that the hardest song to play was Dreaming Tree... and I said it was Warehouse... but after a lot of practice every song can be played by a decent guitar player... the hardest part is to sing right while playing those song...
What Would You Say and Rhyme and Reason are tough for that!

[TwoStep2888]

so much to say, played right, is difficult. i have never heard anyone play it right though. everyone that i've seen play it bastardizes the lick so massively and then claims it's "easy"

:thumbsup

[JCpatriot66]

What Would You Say, once learned, is fun as Hell to play. Took me a long time to learn to sing with it.

[gmoore4th]

I think it's just a matter of how you progress, but I picked Captain just cuz it's one I haven't tried until as of late and it is a "stretch" for the hand.

[gmoore4th]

so much to say, played right, is difficult. i have never heard anyone play it right though. everyone that i've seen play it bastardizes the lick so massively and then claims it's "easy"

Well HECK, MR "NOBODY PLAYS IT RIGHT..."

How about at least upping or directing us to a site that tabs out or videos the right way to play it rather than being a SNOOTIE SNOOTERSON.

[JCpatriot66]

Well HECK, MR "NOBODY PLAYS IT RIGHT..."

How about at least upping or directing us to a site that tabs out or videos the right way to play it rather than being a SNOOTIE SNOOTERSON.

Well gee sir, how about asking to be directed to a site that shows the correct way to play tabs without being a dick about it? There are better ways to ask for things, for instance: "Please post a link to the correct way to play So Much To Say. Thanks." Not hard.

http://www.dmbtabs.com/song.php?sid=23

You're welcome.

[TwoStep2888]

Well HECK, MR "NOBODY PLAYS IT RIGHT..."

How about at least upping or directing us to a site that tabs out or videos the right way to play it rather than being a SNOOTIE SNOOTERSON.

Douchebag, party of one?

[ncdude2k3]

Out of My Hands, clearly. Hehheh.

[BF101519]

billies verse is a joke how hard it is.......i can play most of the tunes listed except captain and billies verse....crazy hard if ur trying to play it the right way

[JCpatriot66]

Out of My Hands, clearly. Hehheh.

:lol Practically impossible!

[gmoore4th]

Douchebag, party of one?

hundreds and thousands of sperm,
AND YOU WERE THE FIRST SOB to get there huh?

Shame on your daddys dong you imbred piece of trash

[marlin1805]

The only songs that really give me a problem are Stone and R&R, everything else is fairly easy to play for the most part.

[gmoore4th]

The only songs that really give me a problem are Stone and R&R, everything else is fairly easy to play for the most part.
rhythmicly, i think the stone is tough to play too. I also think So Damn Lucky is tough to keep with and sing at the same time, with respect to rhythm.

[marlin1805]

yeah so damn lucky is all about the rhythm. I can't tell you how many times I've messed the rhythm of that song playing it for people. The chords are fairly straight forward though

[anothertime]

Wasn't there a video on the dmbtabs.com boards for that? Let me go see if I can find it...
I'd be interested in seeing this, too. I've just started really tinkering with the guitar as well and I've been working on SMTS, FTT, Crash is one that I have down, So Damn Lucky I agree with the others above me that the rhythm is tricky, Gravedigger, The Stone, Nancies, and some others, but the stop-time intro on Warehouse is completely out of my grasp. I don't know really which strings he's muting or which ones he is actually strumming - I've worked with the tab on dmbtabs.com but like I said, it's the strumming pattern that I need to know how to do.

[keithb]

I don't think that any of the songs listed are especially difficult, with the exception of You Never Know. I think it's pretty damn hard to keep on the beat since this song is changing regularly from 6/8 to 5/8 to 3/4 time. It's pretty to get lost in the time signature changes.

[clayj41]

so much to say, played right, is difficult. i have never heard anyone play it right though. everyone that i've seen play it bastardizes the lick so massively and then claims it's "easy"

I've seen it done. I went with YNK....so tough!

[MGH4007]

I dont really think that Dave's music is all that hard compared to some other artists, but I have never tried to play YNK because i only have a standard tuned guitar and i dont like to play it like that.

[chr35919]

so much to say, played right, is difficult. i have never heard anyone play it right though. everyone that i've seen play it bastardizes the lick so massively and then claims it's "easy"yeah, a lot of rhythm guitarists don't have rhythm:lorraine

almost all of dave's songs have a lot of percussion coming out of them just from the guitar part, if you know what i mean. he's not just playing a riff, he's playing a beat. i think this is what makes songs like so much to say difficult for some.


and like you said, i know a lot of people who can play dave tunes, but can't really "play" them

[MGH4007]

ohhh, i completely forgot warehouse, that song is though for me.

[Senator12]

Satellite, not that hard to play, but a bitch on small hands like mine.

[nklcreek41]

I think Warehouse is tougher than any of these songs. But, being a perfectionist, I'm with Dave in saying that sometimes, Dreams of Our Fathers is a bitch. Obviously, the riffs aren't difficult, but singing DOOF and playing it is hard work.

[yanks7533]

the stone is kinda simple cause i can play it pretty well...but i can't play it like dave does, im a begginer, and the timing is tough, i can def see how some don't consider it that bad.

[MGH4007]

I play it on standard...

i just never really got into because when i listen to the different tunings i can quite get it, i dont know why but i try to play a lot by ear.

[Spo777]

I don't play guitar but i put YNK for the time aspect.

[gmmmotors]

wow..i can play all with ease

except rhyme and reason.. that is very hard


Captain? come onnnnn.. very easy

rhyme and reason came incredibly easy for me. i tried it right after i learned the stone ( which took me a little while longer than any other dmb song i've tried)

[gmmmotors]

none of daves songs are nescessarily that hard once you get his style down.

very true

[weller3377]

been trying to get Warehouse down for a while now and just can't seem to get the into at all. The rest of the song isn't all that hard, but DAMN YOU INTRO!!!

[GinaNMU]

I don't know about difficulty level on guitar or anything, but my boyfriend (I just started getting him into liking/playing DMB) thinks that So Much To Say is so much fun to play.

[TomDMB803]

I always found the chorus of Fool To Think to be pretty tricky. The Dreams of Our Fathers riff is kinda tough too.

[MGH4007]

I always found the chorus of Fool To Think to be pretty tricky. The Dreams of Our Fathers riff is kinda tough too.

yeah i cant play it like dave, i have to slide my middle finger up instead of just using my ring finger

[Butterfingerz]

almost all of dave's songs have a lot of percussion coming out of them just from the guitar part, if you know what i mean. he's not just playing a riff, he's playing a beat. i think this is what makes songs like so much to say difficult for some.

Yeah. I think it's more difficult to duplicate some of the dynamics and the overall feel of his playing than the actual notes/chords etc.

[DaveMB36]

i'm an alright guitar player and i just got billies down and it is the most fun to play out of all of dave's tunes.......it is all about the stretch imo
also the biggest thing i find most difficult is the rhythem that you must have to play his songs.....which i can't really grasp yet

[2SteppingInVA]

I actually have a much harder time with the Warehouse strumming pattern, which takes a long time to perfect.
That was like the like the first song I learned. Is it difficult. The only reason I learned it is because before I got my acoustic my dream was to be able to play the Warehouse intro. Actually, I learned the basis of the song early on, but I probably didn't perfect the strumming until much later.

[MGH4007]

Yeah. I think it's more difficult to duplicate some of the dynamics and the overall feel of his playing than the actual notes/chords etc.

yeahhh:thumbsup

[SpecialAgent007]

They're all pretty easy. Dave in general is pretty blah guitar wise once you get over the guitar-jargon...

[2SteppingInVA]

Yeah. I think it's more difficult to duplicate some of the dynamics and the overall feel of his playing than the actual notes/chords etc.
The hardest part for me is doing some of the stretches flawlessly and picking out some of the notes. It's probably just me though, I think strumming patterns, dynamics, and whatnot is one of my stronger areas.

[nolan8or]

the stretch in Captain does not feel good at all

[SpecialAgent007]

the stretch in Captain does not feel good at all

That's because it's a stupid chord...you shouldn't bother with it...it's inefficient and bad for your hand to play them in all seriousness...just play a X4244X...it's a C#mi9 chord that more or less accomplishes the same tonal goal as the stupid X4214 chord which is a C#mi9 just voiced with a 5 as opposed to a minor 7th interval...it's really negligable when you're playing it though...the other chords? 4X644X (standard G#minor) or 4X444X (G#mi7) and same at 7 for the B (7X777X) and just play a standard A X0222X...again, the weird way Dave plays it isn't good for your hand and is essentially the same thing as the standard way of doing it.

[astb41]

to me the hardest song to play the right way is grace is gone, because i cant find a site that tabs it correctly. everything i looked at has a couple things tabbed then says "a lot of variation". im a stickler for playing the songs the right way and an idiot when it comes to hearing a note and knowing exactly how to play it on the guitar. anyone have a site link that tabs grace is gone as close to perfect as possible? (and not dmbtabs.com cause its not right, havent searched their boards though)

you never know is the hardest lsited to me cause i never really tried longer than 3 minutes to play it. Billies was one of the first songs i tried to play when i started playing guitar and it frustrated the hell outta me. about 3 years later i sat down and figured it out in like 20 minutes. jsut gotta listen to a live version or a tab video and its pretty simple.

[keithb]

to me the hardest song to play the right way is grace is gone, because i cant find a site that tabs it correctly. everything i looked at has a couple things tabbed then says "a lot of variation". im a stickler for playing the songs the right way and an idiot when it comes to hearing a note and knowing exactly how to play it on the guitar. anyone have a site link that tabs grace is gone as close to perfect as possible? (and not dmbtabs.com cause its not right, havent searched their boards though).

You can buy the guitar tab book for Busted Stuff, which has it note for note.

[chr35919]

to me the hardest song to play the right way is grace is gone, because i cant find a site that tabs it correctly. everything i looked at has a couple things tabbed then says "a lot of variation". im a stickler for playing the songs the right way and an idiot when it comes to hearing a note and knowing exactly how to play it on the guitar. anyone have a site link that tabs grace is gone as close to perfect as possible? (and not dmbtabs.com cause its not right, havent searched their boards though)

you never know is the hardest lsited to me cause i never really tried longer than 3 minutes to play it. Billies was one of the first songs i tried to play when i started playing guitar and it frustrated the hell outta me. about 3 years later i sat down and figured it out in like 20 minutes. jsut gotta listen to a live version or a tab video and its pretty simple.
http://www.geocities.com/dmb726525/gracebs.txt
http://www.geocities.com/dmb726525/graceisgone.txt

[astb41]

You can buy the guitar tab book for Busted Stuff, which has it note for note.

yea...the problem with that too me though is that i can play all the other songs in the book (except YNK) so i find it pointless, but i guess its worth payin to play it right.

[astb41]

http://www.geocities.com/dmb726525/gracebs.txt
http://www.geocities.com/dmb726525/graceisgone.txt

yo thanks...ill give it shot

[chr35919]

yo thanks...ill give it shot:thumbsup

[JCpatriot66]

Question...with all the fuss about the stretch in Captain, how come no one has mentioned the exact same stretch in #41's intro and jam?

[VanHorneDog]

i voted billies, becuase i only know two songs on there and thats the hardest of the two i know how to play.

[dancheatham]

hundreds and thousands of sperm,
AND YOU WERE THE FIRST SOB to get there huh?

Shame on your daddys dong you imbred piece of trash
Great word! What does it mean?

[nklcreek41]

Question...with all the fuss about the stretch in Captain, how come no one has mentioned the exact same stretch in #41's intro and jam?

The "stretch" chord in captain is lower on the neck which means its a longer stretch due to the scale of the neck.

[JCpatriot66]

Great word! What does it mean?

Great...and that little outrage was dead in the thread...

[JCpatriot66]

The "stretch" chord in captain is lower on the neck which means its a longer stretch due to the scale of the neck.

I know, but not by much, one fret doesn't make that big of a difference in my opinion...also the third chord in the mentioned spot on #41 has an extra fret, played, from A to B strings, 7-5-4-8. That's a much harder stretch, especially with only the pinky, although it is not completely necessariy.

[nklcreek41]

(and not dmbtabs.com cause its not right, havent searched their boards though)


I guess I'm a stickler for accuracy, but I wouldn't consider the tab incorrect, it's just useless to tab something note-for-note when they are considering the live performance the "correct" way to play the song (and DM obviously varies the riff constantly, though slight). Otherwise they'd have a lot of Tim tab to make up for all the studio additions he so gracefully incorporates.

[nklcreek41]

I know, but not by much, one fret doesn't make that big of a difference in my opinion...also the third chord in the mentioned spot on #41 has an extra fret, played, from A to B strings, 7-5-4-8. That's a much harder stretch, especially with only the pinky, although it is not completely necessariy.

True, but I actually find that chord easier because you can move the thumb almost to the bottom of the neck a la the violinist getting notes that are over the body of their instrument. Also, the reach for the index finger is still there, but the middle-to-ring finger stretch isn't as bad for that chord.

[nklcreek41]

Actually, I was referring to the last chord in the Captain progression. I use a different chord in that part of #41. x-8-7-5-7-x (high E to low E) I see your point now, looking at the DMBtabs version, it's a beast, I'll have to incorporate it...

[JCpatriot66]

True, but I actually find that chord easier because you can move the thumb almost to the bottom of the neck a la the violinist getting notes that are over the body of their instrument. Also, the reach for the index finger is still there, but the middle-to-ring finger stretch isn't as bad for that chord.

Huh. Weird. That's always been the hard one for me. I learned #41 before Captain, the Captain chords were cake compared to that one. I guess just differences in the hand.

[VanHorneDog]

so, who plays guitar with only 3 fingers?

[dmb41nancies34]

I always found the chorus of Fool To Think to be pretty tricky.

Yeah and trying to sing over this.Whew...:BANG

[nklcreek41]

so, who plays guitar with only 3 fingers?

Django Reinhardt? Phil Keaggy (right hand)?

[VanHorneDog]

Django Reinhardt? Phil Keaggy (right hand)?

left hand, i dont use my pinky on my right. its just useless sometimes. but i dont do a lot of finger style. usually i use my pinky to steady my hand on my guitar.

[nklcreek41]

Huh. Weird. That's always been the hard one for me. I learned #41 before Captain, the Captain chords were cake compared to that one. I guess just differences in the hand.

Again, I was addressing the wrong chord (I was thinking the x-x-6-2-4-5 chord from captain). The chord you mentioned does suck, but I still think it helps to move the thumb down to the bottom of the neck to play it properly.

[nklcreek41]

left hand, i dont use my pinky on my right. its just useless sometimes. but i dont do a lot of finger style. usually i use my pinky to steady my hand on my guitar.

I think Django only used two fingers from his left hand, and he was awesome! According to wikipedia, he could use his paralyzed 3rd and 4th fingers for chords, but not solos.

[VanHorneDog]

I think Django only used two fingers from his left hand, and he was awesome! According to wikipedia, he could use his paralyzed 3rd and 4th fingers for chords, but not solos.

but what about you guys? imean i use my pinky more than i do my middle finger and ring finger.

[nklcreek41]

I use 'em all. However, prior to my DMB exposure, i went through bluegrass, shred/classical/progressive rock nerdy phases:o . I'm actually still into those to some extent or other. I was particularly into Steve Vai and Dream Theater, now more into the King Crimson and still Vai.

[VanHorneDog]

I use 'em all. However, prior to my DMB exposure, i went through bluegrass, shred/classical/progressive rock nerdy phases:o . I'm actually still into those to some extent or other. I was particularly into Steve Vai and Dream Theater, now more into the King Crimson and still Vai.

lol, im in a funk/blues phase right now. its kinda cool actually. :)

[nklcreek41]

lol, im in a funk/blues phase right now. its kinda cool actually. :)

I had a major blues phase in high school. SRV, Jimi and Clapton. I really don't dig blues too much anymore, but it might just come back around. I'm thinking of how cool some of the old stuff like Freddie King, and even older, Robert Johnson, was.

[DaveMB36]

kind of a random question but does anyone have a good tab of crush......i learned it by playing the standard chords but i don't think that is right, i know he uses drop d......i hope i am right i don't really know much about guitar tuning and such, thanks

[nklcreek41]

kind of a random question but does anyone have a good tab of crush......i learned it by playing the standard chords but i don't think that is right, i know he uses drop d......i hope i am right i don't really know much about guitar tuning and such, thanks

I'd use this. I don't really play this song much, but this tab has a low D.

http://www.dmbtabs.com/song.php?sid=41

[Musicology200]

two step should be on here... the timing if you want to play it right is rediculous

[mattsheehan88]

Anyone have tips on easy songs to learn for a beginner (real beginner, just picked it up in the last month). I've been working on Ants and Crash for about a day and it is starting to sound like it should (but not at nearly the right speed). Are there some songs out there that are fun but simple?

[VanHorneDog]

Anyone have tips on easy songs to learn for a beginner (real beginner, just picked it up in the last month). I've been working on Ants and Crash for about a day and it is starting to sound like it should (but not at nearly the right speed). Are there some songs out there that are fun but simple?

chirstmas song or satellite.

Kryptonite by 3 doors down is fun and simple too, look that one up.

acoustic or electric though?

[MGH4007]

chirstmas song or satellite.

Kryptonite by 3 doors down is fun and simple too, look that one up.

acoustic or electric though?

typical situation

[AFly01]

yeah so damn lucky is all about the rhythm. I can't tell you how many times I've messed the rhythm of that song playing it for people. The chords are fairly straight forward though

whenever i play so damn lucky i start confusing the rhythm with the rhythm for 'listen to the music' which inevitably leads to me fucking up the song.

[TMoore4075]

Proudest Monkey is the hardest song ever! why isn't that one on there? it actually has to be the easiest song in the world to play. Satellite was the one I voted for because its hard for me to do the stretches. Captain is the same for me.

[SeanMH]

I've tried playing guitar, but I don't have the coordination... :mad


but I've heard from a few people that Grey St. is hard to play

[MinaretScreamin]

you never know for me. i have all the rest perfected.

[Rockyall107]

I've tried playing guitar, but I don't have the coordination... :mad


but I've heard from a few people that Grey St. is hard to play

id put grey street in the very easy section for me..it took me all of 20 seconds to learn it

[BruceW]

YNK...basically only b/c of the weird counting done in it

[DMBWcUPA]

out of those songs, Rhyme And Reason is the hardest for me to play.

[crushmebaby.]

My vote goes to The Stone because it's very hard for me to sing and play it at the same time. Honorable mention goes to Captain because I have small hands and fingers so the stretch hurts after a while. I think WWYS and Billies are fairly easy, but that's me.

[solfeggio4]

YNK...basically only b/c of the weird counting done in it

What is the time sig on YNK? I know it's fucked up.

[DerekDenman]

Dreams of Our Fathers never gets listed in these threads but is one of if not the hardest song to play. Dave can't even play it

[gduarte77]

for me...lie in our graves is very difficult...very hard to play!

[trippinbilli40]

one sweet world is hard for me for some reason...but hands down the hardest song i can play by DMB would have to be You Never Know. The time sigs are just fucked up and its just a strange song..but i love it.

[trippinbilli40]

for me...lie in our graves is very difficult...very hard to play!

ha...practice, practice, practice.

this time next year if you saw that post you'd think, "wtf? why did i think LIOG was so hard?"

[lhs112wrestler]

first of all, it's hilarious to see how many people feel the need to criticize others by saying everything they thought was hard is easy...

anyway, here's my breakdown:

Captain: like many have said...it's quite a stretch. if you have bigger hands, it shouldn't be too dificult, but to keep up that stretch for basically the WHOLE song can be somewhat painful

YNK: many parts... no specific part is really that dificult though. probably the hardest part of this song is figuring out when to play which part. I love this song, so I worked on it for a while, and can play it great now... sure helps to have a raised B guitar though. this song is a bitch with a capo on a standard tuning guitar

SMTS: This and WWYS took me the longest to get them to sound right. Once I got that it's not too difficult. like riding a bike...

The Stone: first of all, this one is really fun to play. watch a vid of Dave playing it. the strum pattern makes so much more sense when you do that. really only one difficult riff in this song, so once you get that down you can do the whole thing. becomes a muscle memory song after not too long.

Rhyme & Reason: the riff itself doesn't take too long to get down, but playing and singing can be pretty tough. took me a while

WWYS: (see SMTS) - took a long time to get it right. CP DVD sure helped though...

Satellite: this one is actually not that hard as long as you've got bigger hands.

Tripping Billies: the intro riff is simple, but the verse... yeah this can be a tough verse to play fluidly... Dave makes it look so effortless. once you get the hang of it though, it's pretty fun

Honorable Mention - Fool To Think
playing and singing the chorus at the same time is an accomplishment

[chr35919]

welcome to the dave brainwashing guitar thread...:eek

[crashintonickdm]

you never know isnt hard. why is it winning?

[Munford]

I have'nt mastered you never know yet, the others are easy for me.

Glad to be apart of this forum by the way..

[DMBWcUPA]

so much to say, played right, is difficult. i have never heard anyone play it right though. everyone that i've seen play it bastardizes the lick so massively and then claims it's "easy"

i have been playing this song the right way for a while now..hard to learn, but once you get the hang of it, it's not too bad


i would say Tripping Billies is definitely one of Dave's hardest riffs to learn (the verse, not the chorus)

[chr35919]

if anyone wants to see how NOT to play a lot of dave tunes:

Pathetic Youtube Videos
http://www.antsmarching.org/forum/showthread.php?p=5860240#post5860240

a cover of a dave cover: watchtower
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP0RyrJjst8&mode=related&search=

^warning: this may be painful.



warehouse?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3BL3GfdZMo

[lhs112wrestler]

if anyone wants to see how NOT to play a lot of dave tunes:

a cover of a dave cover: watchtower
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP0RyrJjst8&mode=related&search=

^warning: this may be painful.

the Watchtower... started off looking like it might not be too bad.. but then DAMN! haha that lead singer's dancing was hilarious

it got painful...

[Tomriddle]

You mean on GUITAR!? Stop trying like a RETARD and invest in LOWER CASE LETTERS

[chr35919]

the Watchtower... started off looking like it might not be too bad.. but then DAMN! haha that lead singer's dancing was hilarious

it got painful...

this is pretty rough too, not quite as bad, but..

halloween
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZPHHRHXzXI


if this is anyone on this board, sorry for exposing you...but you are on youtube so...

[dmb0091]

i cant get the rhythm to the tripping billies chorsu

[chr35919]

i cant get the rhythm to the tripping billies chorsuhow long have you been playing?

[FalloutBoyRocks]

the Watchtower... started off looking like it might not be too bad.. but then DAMN! haha that lead singer's dancing was hilarious

it got painful...

haha i made your sig. That quote was pretty funny considering it's true.:lol

The hardest songs for me to play are Tripping Billies, Captain, The Stone (which I still can't get), and Oh, which I only have attempted a few times, but struggled greatly. The thing about guitar is, the more you listen to music, the better your ear for it becomes. I pick up things much faster than I did 6 months ago.

[dmoney28]

all of these songs are pretty easy

[Halloweendmb1]

funny how alot of people answering this poll dont know how many strings are on a guitar

:lol

[dmb0091]

how long have you been playing?

about a year

[dmb0091]

i can play every song up theres even tripping billies but for some reason i just cant get the chorus any tips?

[chr35919]

about a yearyou'll get it...keep at it. a year isn't very long!


only tip is to play along with d+t and practice practice practice

[cottlerocket]

I Did It is tough.

[matts420music]

wow..i can play all with ease

except rhyme and reason.. that is very hard


Captain? come onnnnn.. very easy

:thumbsup

[Fisherman]

All those listed are very difficult to play correctly, which most people don't, but I'd say top 3 hardest are So Much To Say, Rhyme And Reason, and The Stone.

[Rtrout240]

All his songs are not easy to play. The whole ego conversation is funny.. Alot of people seem to have this problem... ha ha ha... For me how the hell can anyone sing and play at the same time. It is impossible.!!! But I still try everyday to get better. And that is what it is about.

[bradshaw06]

what about dreams of our fathers? is that hard to play?

[Robby~C]

All his songs are not easy to play. The whole ego conversation is funny.. Alot of people seem to have this problem... ha ha ha... For me how the hell can anyone sing and play at the same time. It is impossible.!!! But I still try everyday to get better. And that is what it is about.

I have no trouble playing any of his songs....once you learn his style you can pretty much learn it without looking at tabs (at least i do, and that isn't a ego thing) All their songs can preatty much be broken down into 3-4 different styles.....and this isn't just DMB its with alot of bands.



Singing and playing is one thing that hardly anyone can do within their first year or so of playing...what I found that helped is playing with the cd and slowly start singing along with it as you play with it.

Guitar playing takes TIME and PATIENCE...

[bennetts]

well i taught dave how to play guitar so all these are pretty easy for me

[Rtrout240]

I have no trouble playing any of his songs....once you learn his style you can pretty much learn it without looking at tabs (at least i do, and that isn't a ego thing) All their songs can preatty much be broken down into 3-4 different styles.....and this isn't just DMB its with alot of bands.



Singing and playing is one thing that hardly anyone can do within their first year or so of playing...what I found that helped is playing with the cd and slowly start singing along with it as you play with it.

Guitar playing takes TIME and PATIENCE...


Time and patience is the key... And I still have no idea how the hell I am going to be able to sing and play at the same time... The voice and ability to sing is a whole-nother story. Anyway I keep trying..

[Robby~C]

Time and patience is the key... And I still have no idea how the hell I am going to be able to sing and play at the same time... The voice and ability to sing is a whole-nother story. Anyway I keep trying..

thats all you can do really... it will come.

[Rtrout240]

thats all you can do really... it will come.


I hope so... But like I said the voice .. it's just not there... which is probably what is preventing me from moving forward... It just doesn't matter right?

[chr35919]

I hope so... But like I said the voice .. it's just not there... which is probably what is preventing me from moving forward... It just doesn't matter right?
one of the best ways to wake up your voice is to hum the chords you are playing with your moth closed...if you're singing(humming) the right note, you'll feel it reverberating in your throat.

trying to sing words may not work at first...just make sounds...does that make sense?


just use a simple progression like G > Em > C or something to start and you'll get the hang of it over time.


once you graduate from with your mouth closed try making simple sounds like "ahhhhhh" or "ooohhhh" or "mmmmm" while you're playing.


the other thing is a lot of people don't even attempt to sing until they've been playing 5 or more years. you have to be able to play a song in your sleep to sing along with it.


my last piece of advice is simple! stop playing dave matthews! if you want to learn one song, fine...but don't make it your mission to learn his catalog. all you'll do is brainwash yourself. my roommate freshman year of college said he played guitar. i said cool, so do i. but i soon realized all he knew was dave! that's all he could see on the guitar. it was sad. don't let this happen to you.

[Rtrout240]

one of the best ways to wake up your voice is to hum the chords you are playing with your moth closed...if you're singing(humming) the right note, you'll feel it reverberating in your throat.

trying to sing words may not work at first...just make sounds...does that make sense?


just use a simple progression like G > Em > C or something to start and you'll get the hang of it over time.


once you graduate from with your mouth closed try making simple sounds like "ahhhhhh" or "ooohhhh" or "mmmmm" while you're playing.


the other thing is a lot of people don't even attempt to sing until they've been playing 5 or more years. you have to be able to play a song in your sleep to sing along with it.


my last piece of advice is simple! stop playing dave matthews! if you want to learn one song, fine...but don't make it your mission to learn his catalog. all you'll do is brainwash yourself. my roommate freshman year of college said he played guitar. i said cool, so do i. but i soon realized all he knew was dave! that's all he could see on the guitar. it was sad. don't let this happen to you.

I am not sure playing other music is a possiblity right now! The dave matthews band rules my world and thats ok for me... It is the reason I wanted to learn to play in the first place.

I will take your advice and at least start humming... Thanks for the advice!!! Appriciate it.

[chr35919]

I am not sure playing other music is a possiblity right now! The dave matthews band rules my world and thats ok for me... It is the reason I wanted to learn to play in the first place.

I will take your advice and at least start humming... Thanks for the advice!!! Appriciate it.
well okay! at least focus on one song though...that's my advice.

learning the riffs to a bunch is great, but remember: knowing how to play the riff of the stone is not the same as knowing how to play the stone.:)

[Robby~C]

I am not sure playing other music is a possiblity right now! The dave matthews band rules my world and thats ok for me... It is the reason I wanted to learn to play in the first place.

I will take your advice and at least start humming... Thanks for the advice!!! Appriciate it.

getting away from playing DMB only on guitar is start playing some of the covers he does (i.e Down by the River, Long Black Veil, Aint it funny, Beauty of Wynona)

[chr35919]

getting away from playing DMB only on guitar is start playing some of the covers he does (i.e Down by the River, Long Black Veil, Aint it funny, Beauty of Wynona)
that would defeat the purpose of getting away from dmb imo...branch out beyond dave everyone!

[Sami22782]

and seeing billies on here is a shocker :eekYeah, it is difficult (the verse) but it was the first song I ever learned on the guitar, so easy to me. I guess it depends on what you are introduced to first, or maybe the fact that I learnt from someone who could play it perfectly. He could give me little fingering hints.

I think RR is pretty tricky.

[laststraw41]

Why isn't Proudest Monkey an option? Or Loving Wings?

[chr35919]

Why isn't Proudest Monkey an option? Or Loving Wings?
they aren't hard:rolleyes

[laststraw41]

they aren't hard:rolleyes

no way!! Dave's hardest songs by far n00b!!!!


:rolleyes:lol

[jackdaniels5445]

YNK I think is definately the hardest. Billies is all based off of the same chord so once your can get that stretch its not a big problem. The Stone I find to be pretty easy if you can figure out to strum and mute rather than pick individual notes. The hardest stretch not mentioned is the intro to 41 IMO though.

[nolan8or]

the tripping billies verse is ridiculous, and YNK is tough just because there are so many different parts and trying to figure out which part comes in where. i think i started this thread in january and then i thought Captain was the toughest, but the more i practiced it the more my fingers got used to the stretch so its not as tough, still a massive stretch though.

[Roddy9]

Stream.

[Tomriddle]

That's Tim, not Dave.

Duh

[chr35919]

Stream.
this is the best cover of stream i've seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SaNZkAFyzI

it's not absolutely flawless, but it's close.

[Pig17]

Sugar Will made me cry last night when I tried to play the intro for 5 minutes straight. :lorraine

[DerekDenman]

what about dreams of our fathers? is that hard to play?


Very Hard. Dave dosnt' play it live cause he can't play it and sing it at the same time.

[Roddy9]

That's Tim, not Dave.

Duh

Thanks for the info Tom.

[MGH4007]

I'd say Stay at this point. This song is difficult to play the way dave does, or at least for me.

[AFurth]

Sugar Will made me cry last night when I tried to play the intro for 5 minutes straight. :lorraine

ya dude... its tough. that's the type of shit the band needs to be putting out... cool and complex. interesting.

[chr35919]

ya dude... its tough. that's the type of shit the band needs to be putting out... cool and complex. interesting.
it's sooo boring live...the riff goes nowhere.

[watchtower08]

Very Hard. Dave dosnt' play it live cause he can't play it and sing it at the same time.

is that what he told you?:freak

[watchtower08]

I'd say Stay at this point. This song is difficult to play the way dave does, or at least for me.

yeah, the strumming is pretty hard to get perfected.

[AFurth]

it's sooo boring live...the riff goes nowhere.

i guess i just plain old disagree.

from the intro to the verse it changes and builds slowly... then in the chorus it shifts again. then there's the breakdown after the verse.

and I agree the jam is a little repetitive, but it IS different riff than the entire rest of the song. its also great template for roi to blow that great sax solo. then they get into that riff at the end of the jam, carter & butch joins him and its a great groove - that's vintage dmb.

so ya... i disagree

[acost3]

is that what he told you?:freak


that seems to be the assumption around here on the boards laddy :thumbsup

and he told me last night..while havin a cup of tea and honey

[boonie]

is that what he told you?:freak

you ever heard the soundcheck of that song, it's pretty ovious

[bman286]

Finally learned how to play Billies today. Took a while, and it's still kind of shakey, but it's definitely acceptable. I think the next hardest one on that list for me is YNK. I can't get the timing down at all.

[symbian]

for eveyone saying they are easy, POST VIDEOS of you playing them. I dont believe half of you could play Smoke on the water.

[Sniper15]

You Never Know

[lalkb48]

rhyme and reason is not hard at all.

Rhyme And Reason is a tough songs to learn. I can remember when I was learning it that it was very difficult. If I didnt know it today and wanted to learn it, then it would probably be easier. But maybe he hasnt been playing very long? Or perhaps you just want to prove superiority? Im sure its not very easy for you big guy

[lalkb48]

for eveyone saying they are easy, POST VIDEOS of you playing them. I dont believe half of you could play Smoke on the water.

I do have videos up on youtube. Today, they are easy to play for me, only because I have practiced for a few years. But it annoys me when people say the songs are easy, because there not. I have never once said a song wasnt hard (Im not saying you are talking about me) but I know what you mean. Its annoying

[TheMakerDMB17]

for eveyone saying they are easy, POST VIDEOS of you playing them. I dont believe half of you could play Smoke on the water.


Why don't you believe these people? I can play all of those songs too, there quite easy. Daves songs aren't that hard, you just got to get his style down, thats it. There are many, many talented musicians on ants here, it's pretty cool.

[bullox005]

so much to say, played right, is difficult. i have never heard anyone play it right though. everyone that i've seen play it bastardizes the lick so massively and then claims it's "easy"

ummm...i'm positive i play it correctly and i still maintain it isn't that hard.

the billies verse riff is much trickier, imo.

[bullox005]

Why don't you believe these people? I can play all of those songs too, there quite easy. Daves songs aren't that hard, you just got to get his style down, thats it. There are many, many talented musicians on ants here, it's pretty cool.

i agree with this guy.

it is not that much of a stretch to imagine that most of the people claiming to be able to play these songs can.

[bullox005]

You can buy the guitar tab book for Busted Stuff, which has it note for note.

or just use your ears.

i don't doubt that there are tons of different tabs out there, but they should all give you the same basic idea. once you have that, listen to the song.

i think that is one of the most valuable things a guitar player can learn to do. listen. hear the notes and replicate them.

[Crazy#41]

I went with 'Billies' because it's the only song on the list that I can't play (perfectly, all the way through).verse is tough....one of those "once you get it, you never forget it".

R&R and The Stone were 2 of the first few DMB songs I learned.

I would have picked "busted stuff" as a hard one too, some of those triads he uses are pretty hard to get when playing up to speed with dave.

I sing the verse with A, G, D then A, G. then 'Doo Doo' the end infamous dave chords.

[Screbin]

id say the stone, mainly cause its weird and not fun to play at all..

[npl1128]

or just use your ears.

i don't doubt that there are tons of different tabs out there, but they should all give you the same basic idea. once you have that, listen to the song.

i think that is one of the most valuable things a guitar player can learn to do. listen. hear the notes and replicate them.


i agree but with the weird tuning busted stuff (the song) is in, it can be tough

[DerekDenman]

id say the stone, mainly cause its weird and not fun to play at all..


I play the stone every night before i go to bed just to work my fingers. I don't really like to play it anymore but it is just good practice.



And as far as SMTS... It is only hard if your fingers are weak. Honestly look at the tab...
E:------5-------------------------------
B:------5-------------------------------
G:------5---4/6-------------10----------
D:---------------7------5---7--------7--
A:--------------------3-----x------5----
E:-3/5--------------1------/10---3------

Which if you break it down is just a couple of easy riffs in one.

E:------5------------
B:------5------------
G:------5---4/6------
D:---------------7---
A:-------------------
E:-3/5---------------

Then

E:--------------
B:--------------
G:--------------
D:----------5---
A:------3-------
E:--1-----------

Then...

E:----------
B:----------
G:-----10---
D:------7---
A:------x---
E:-(0)/10---

Then...

E:---------------
B:---------------
G:-------------7-
D:--------5------
A:---3-----------
E:---------------

This song is not hard. It takes some finger muscle to hit all the right notes, but this is not a complex song at all. I would give it a 6/10 as far as difficulty.

[npl1128]

I play the stone every night before i go to bed just to work my fingers. I don't really like to play it anymore but it is just good practice.



And as far as SMTS... It is only hard if your fingers are weak. Honestly look at the tab...
E:------5-------------------------------
B:------5-------------------------------
G:------5---4/6-------------10----------
D:---------------7------5---7--------7--
A:--------------------3-----x------5----
E:-3/5--------------1------/10---3------

Which if you break it down is just a couple of easy riffs in one.

E:------5------------
B:------5------------
G:------5---4/6------
D:---------------7---
A:-------------------
E:-3/5---------------

Then

E:--------------
B:--------------
G:--------------
D:----------5---
A:------3-------
E:--1-----------

Then...

E:----------
B:----------
G:-----10---
D:------7---
A:------x---
E:-(0)/10---

Then...

E:---------------
B:---------------
G:-------------7-
D:--------5------
A:---3-----------
E:---------------

This song is not hard. It takes some finger muscle to hit all the right notes, but this is not a complex song at all. I would give it a 6/10 as far as difficulty.

eh i kind of agree i guess, the 10,x,7,10 took me a bit to get everything to ring out after the 1,3,5