TOPIC: Breaking from the comfort zone

You players (i think of Sylvia with this tune because she plays it well) make Soldier's Joy look easy. I can't get that intro run in the lead to sound the same as you guys play it. I'm sure it's a timing issue,sounds better when i play it fast, but sounds goofy slow. It's a deceptively hard song, i can play the beginning lead to Arkansas Traveler better than this one...(but i couldn't play it last week)I'll keep practicing, i'm sure it will fall into place.

I've been practicing that song all week! The more I practice this song, the more I forget EVERY OTHER SONG!

i practiced it last night for 2 hours. got on you tube and watched others play it. starting to get to the place where i don't need to look at the tab for some of it. and it actually sounds ok...i need to make a smoother transition to the lead run on the 1st string after the intro, and the lead at the end.

Dave 2311, funny you should say that (and thank you) but that was the HARDEST song for me to learn to play. Just could not hear the tune in my head...I'd make Dave play it for me....Sam....Claire....anyone I was around but that tune was just too foreign to me....then one day not too long ago while a group was "performing it" the lightbulb went on in my head...and I "heard" the melody! I really like it now...guess because it was so hard to get....so have patience...it'll come!

Yes exactly! For some reason, the tune doesn't come natural in my head. You don't know how many times i hummed it as i hear you guys play it, then i tried to emulate what i hear. Going to YouTube and hearing it played several times helped. Much of my issue was timing of the notes to achieve the sound that was needed. Amazing Grace came easy cuz i know the song, i had the same issue with Simple Gifts till i heard it several times. I've got to get it from the brain to my fingers. That little riff that repeats on the 3rd and 4th strings for some reason didn't start to click till last night. There's another repeating riff in the lead on the 1st and 2nd strings that looked easy, but the sound didn't come until after alot of practice. It is actually a rockin tune, a good picking song that is all bluegrass.

I have to play by ear, to some extent. I have to know how the song is supposed to sound. So I prowl youtube and my iTunes on my computer looking for class songs. I found The Carter Family doing Wildwood Flower and two versions of Dark Hollow, one by the Grateful Dead and one by David Bromberg,as well as Chris Smither's John Hardy, that I didn't even know I had on my computer.....it definitely helps knowing what the song is supposed to sound like.