What's the hardest song you ever learned to play on guitar?

[Robert]

What's the hardest song you ever learned to play on guitar?

Hard question, I am not even sure how to answer it myself. Mmm, I'll go with the chord melody guitar in "54 Duncan Terrace", by Allan Holdsworth. I transcribed it by myself, and it took a while before I got all the notes right - some very unusual chords in there. It's not that hard to play it, but it was that hard to figure out the chords.
Listen here - http://www.last.fm/music/Allan+Holdsworth/_/54+Duncan+Terrace


Also, the melody to "Got A Match" (Chick Corea), very hard to execute cleanly and with good timing, due to the speed!

 

[pes_laul]

I don't know about guitar but when our jazz band did "when a man loves a woman" that was the hardest bass line to learn ever with its weird time signature and stuff.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Hmm, I guess some of the Christmas tunes I learned using jazz chords, that included a lot of changes. I would also say Sultans of Swing, because the leads are hard, but I did not really learn that part, just the chords, and wanking on the solos.

 

[Ro3b]

For me it was Fernando Sor's Study #19 (Op. 29 No. 13). The Sor studies are each intended to focus on a particular aspect of guitar technique, and number 19 is all about barre chords. It made me realize that I didn't want to be a classical guitarist after all. Actually I still feel kind of psychologically scarred by the whole experience.

 

[Lev]

Mr Brightside by the Killers. Had to learn it for the band and it killed me!! Really awkward fingering and the fact that it's so high up the neck means if you're slightly off with the fingering it'll go sharp/flat really easily.

 

[Commodore 64]

Everything is hard for me. Right now I'm working on the acoustic rhythm part of Fade to Black by Metallica.

 

[Monkus]

Actually I still feel kind of psychologically scarred by the whole experience.

I know exactly how you feel,

Everything is hard for me. Right now I'm working on the acoustic rhythm part of Fade to Black by Metallica.

Commodore64...
You can get backing tracks for fade to black here, really helps with the timing.
This one has the rhythm track on it, I'll see if i can upload the one without.

http://www.guitarbackingtrack.com/play/metallica/fade_to_black.htm

Some Tutorials here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k1HUsSIsLA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXuQrhjYJCc&feature=related

Stick with it !!!! :happy

 

[Eric]

Uh, I'm not sure I know too many hard songs on the guitar. Maybe Stickshifts & Safetybelts by Cake, but I'm still not flawless on that one. Every Breath You Take and Message in a Bottle are annoying for me to play up to speed because of Andy Summers' 5-fret stretches.

I tried to learn Stash by Phish at one point but got frustrated. Maybe I should go back and try that one again.

I find that I like wanking around with my own parts more than I like learning solos and songs by other people, but I think it might be something good to go back and try.

 

[Commodore 64]

Commodore64...
You can get backing tracks for fade to black here, really helps with the timing.
This one has the rhythm track on it, I'll see if i can upload the one without.

http://www.guitarbackingtrack.com/play/metallica/fade_to_black.htm

Some Tutorials here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k1HUsSIsLA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXuQrhjYJCc&feature=related

Stick with it !!!! :happy

Monkus, right after I posted that, I figured out that it was mostly arpeggio type picking of a Am, C, G, Em chord progression, and that helped a lot. I also use tux guitar for linux, so I can hear the general timing, although the midi kinda blows.

My goal is to lay down a backing track of my own, on my Boss RC-20 looper, so I can then start working on some of the other guitar parts. I'm really, REALLY weak on palm muting and metal rhythms (chugging, etc).

Also, thanks for those links!

 

[marnold]

Dokken's "In My Dreams"--although technically I still don't have that lightning-fast run at the end of the solo conquered.

 

[evenkeel]

"Blackbird" The fingerpicking is a bit of a challenge, but the real hard part for me is singing and playing the tune. The tune is right at the top end of my vocal range. "The dead of night" line is the killer. Trying to stay on pitch, the tricky vocal phrasing and the fussy finger parts have always been tough for me.

Never had the guts to play it out. Strictly a "in the house" tune.

 

[Monkus]

I guess the hardest for me was Queensryche's Silent Lucidity or the fast run at the end of "more than words" by extreme, but the most satisfying after getting it down was John Mayer's Why Georgia...

Evenkeel:

The tune is right at the top end of my vocal range.

I find that tuning down one of my guitars to Eb (half step) works. It takes a bit of getting used to hearing the song a bit lower, but I've found that the audience doesn't care what the guitar is tuned in...lol once you sorta stay in key...

 

[Geoffrey Charles]

Joe Pass' version of Satin Doll.

 

[pes_laul]

"Blackbird" The fingerpicking is a bit of a challenge, but the real hard part for me is singing and playing the tune. The tune is right at the top end of my vocal range. "The dead of night" line is the killer. Trying to stay on pitch, the tricky vocal phrasing and the fussy finger parts have always been tough for me.

Never had the guts to play it out. Strictly a "in the house" tune.

Have you ever thought of going into a falsetto for that part?

 

[just strum]

The next one.

 

[Algonquin]

Not the most difficult, but likely the hardest tune to learn was the first... 'Mary had a little lamb'.

Folks, think back to the first time you held this foreign instrument in your hands and struggled to pluck anything that even resembled something that was recognizable by anyone who was brave enough to listen to your new found passion. Regardless of where you are at the moment musically, you've all come a long way from that first moment, but realize you've got a long way to go on this musical journey... enjoy the ride! ancake

 

[Allen55]

Probably Rush-YYZ (including the solo sections)

 

[deeaa]

cant say...I don't really want to learn other peoples songs...to me it seems like waste of time I could use for making my own songs instead. Neither I want to play too many cover ssongs on gigs its good to hear a good cover band but I don't wnna do that so much myself.A it just feels ...i feel like apologizing all the time...i dunno. might as well copy picasso paintings nd show those around. a guy playing even a bad orig. tune gets twice ghe resp. from me also live.

edit.not meaning to dis learning, playing songs...i think as a finn i always say what i think and wonder later it could hurf someones feelings or is out of pla
ce..or something...plus writing mobile its direct.s sorry for ot. noticed in the us that .eing too dire t and honest gets rep of an a.hole but no ill zpirit here just my 2c sorry

 

[MAXIFUNK]

I am only 1 year into this guitar playing thing so everything I learn is hard at 1st because I still suck. LOL

 

[Eric]

edit: not meaning to dis learning, playing songs...i think as a finn i always say what i think and wonder later it could hurt someones feelings or is out of place..or something...plus writing mobile its direct. sorry for ot. noticed in the us that being too direct and honest gets rep of an a.hole but no ill zpirit here just my 2c sorry

I don't know -- maybe some people think that, but it's the main reason I like your posts. You don't just go with what others tell you is good; you base opinions on personal experience. From my perspective, that's WAY more valuable when gathering input.