Jump to content

For those who rock


TheY2k
 Share

Recommended Posts

After seeing them, listening, and honestly making them as close to a religion as a man could I'm stuck. I love rush and there the only reason I started playing the guitar and bass. Alex knows it, Geddy knows it, and I know it. I feel so much pressure playing rush though, I stress out so much while playing it. I mean I love playing it sometime I ask myself what If you never learned, you could just rock out like everyone else. But then I yell back, "you do have fun! You enjoy it" if it was not for Alex's amazing solos I could do it's just the solos and the magic he does on spirit of the radios intro. I'm not in a band but I wish I was honestly. So can anyone relate to my argument between myself? Do any of you struggle and get frustrated to the point you just quit midsong while learning it?

Granted these are what I can play

(solos and everything)

2112 overture/temple of syrinx

Far cry

Closer to the heart

Tom Sawyer

Good News First

(without solos)

Bastille Day

Something For Nothing

Working man

Summertime blues

Limelight

Fly by Night

Spirit of Radio(defently not ontime with the intro)

YYZ

A Farewell To Kings

The Trees

Passage to bangcock

Cygnus x-1

ANY ADVICE?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 64
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I'm struggling, and I'm asking If anyone has felt or does feel like I do. I just wish someone would give me some pointers
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How long have you been playing? Hang in there it will not be an easy proposition to be a really good musician. You have to earn it. If you don't know what to practice get a good teacher. I'm a drummer so I really can't help you there.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been playing for a while but I'm self tought. So I guess I did a dis-service to myself. Believe me I practice.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rush is not a religion.

 

Keep practicing.

 

Branch out and learn to play some other music.

 

Lighten up about it a bit. A reasonable dose of admiration for and inspiration from the band is fine but anything more than that is not healthy. And this is coming from someone who started playing guitar 25 years ago mostly because of listening to Alex. Ultimately, you're going to want to play like yourself more than copy others anyway no matter how good they are. Lifeson grew up wanting to play just like Jimmy Page (who doesn't?) but the reason people love his playing is because he started sounding like himself.

 

That's all I've got to offer.

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (TheY2k @ Aug 18 2011, 12:35 AM)
I've been playing for a while but I'm self tought. So I guess I did a dis-service to myself. Believe me I practice.

I guess I would get a teacher even if for a short while just to analyze where you are at and what you need to work on. I've been playing drums over 25 years but I've really earned it over the last few years.(6 hours per day) I am self taught as well(I am taught by books and videos though) cut my teeth on Rush drums in the 80's. I've been searching the internet to find practice ideas and some of Mike Mangini's(Dream Theater) practice routines are really working for me although I still have to bust my butt. biggrin.gif

Edited by presto123
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all your advices. I never really lissoned to alot of bands growing up so Jimmy was not mine, Alex was. Granted I like the white stripes, red hot chili pepers, reel big fish, and others but nothing comes close to it.

I don't think my love for this band is unhealthy, I think it's fine and it's dedicated. It's a religion to me because it's helped me through every stage of my life. Neil Lyrics could be brought up at a moments notice to fit a spacific time in my life. RUSH HAS HEART, and as such I let them infulence me to this point, if I'm wrong I'm so very sorry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (TheY2k @ Aug 18 2011, 12:55 AM)
Thanks for all your advices. I never really lissoned to alot of bands growing up so Jimmy was not mine, Alex was. Granted I like the white stripes, red hot chili pepers, reel big fish, and others but nothing comes close to it.
  I don't think my love for this band is unhealthy, I think it's fine and it's dedicated. It's a religion to me because it's helped me through every stage of my life. Neil Lyrics could be brought up at a moments notice to fit a spacific time in my life. RUSH HAS HEART, and as such I let them infulence me to this point, if I'm wrong I'm so very sorry.

if ya dig Alex, you should love Steve Howes stuff from the 70's with YES

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've also been trying to learn Rush songs and, yes, I DO get frustrated sometimes. I've been trying to learn Presto for months. I kept at it, though and I can play most of it now, albeit slowly. But this time last year I couldn't play ANY Rush. So I look at how far I've come and not dwell on what I CAN'T do. Look at all the Rush you can play! Keep it up! biggrin.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (HowItIs @ Aug 18 2011, 01:39 AM)
I've also been trying to learn Rush songs and, yes, I DO get frustrated sometimes. I've been trying to learn Presto for months. I kept at it, though and I can play most of it now, albeit slowly. But this time last year I couldn't play ANY Rush. So I look at how far I've come and not dwell on what I CAN'T do. Look at all the Rush you can play! Keep it up! biggrin.gif

What songs do you find easy to play, expeahily solo wise? I want to learn marathon, stick it out, and other songs from the time machine tour. But can you give me some pointers?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But I'm glad someone can relate to me. I guess I need to breath and just keep at it
Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (TheY2k @ Aug 18 2011, 01:46 AM)
But I'm glad someone can relate to me. I guess I need to breath and just keep at it

just practice... forever

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Edited by HowItIs
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm fine with just playing the songs! I can rock it out and keep time but the solos kill me
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I imagine that the songs are not easy to play, especially with the time signatures. Take La Villa Strangiato - I have the guitar tab book for Hemispheres, I listen to how Alex starts off with the acoustic, then he gets to the flamenco part, and that's it, after that, I'm stuffed! I have no idea where he goes! For me, that's the only instrumental that confuses the heck out of me, and the worse thing is I can't read music!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah I love talking to other musicians. smile.gif

Just keep practicing man. Obviously eventually you'll get to a point where every Rush song is easy for you.

 

Ive been playing bass for about 25 years now. What I ended up doing when I was young was learning some Rush, then I guess when I was about 14 I got my first 6 string bass and leapfrogged over them to a band far more difficult band to play, Dream Theater. Who is so much more complex than Rush ever was.

 

It was a real struggle. After like 2 years of playing them I went back to Rush and all their songs suddenly were very easy to play. So that's something to think about, aim high, force yourself to learn stuff more difficult than Rush then go back to them. Rush is actually not a difficult band to play at all. You'll realize this in time im sure.

 

If you're learning on guitar, a more modern prog band I would suggest is Mars Volta, who Neil is a big fan of. Their guitarist is insane. He plays stuff that will hurt your brain, far more than anything Alex ever wrote. Try learning some of their stuff, it will definitely make you a lot better real quick and Rush will become a total breeze for you. Their bass player is fantastic too.

 

Check out this song from them. Around 4:10 there is a guitar part there, have fun learning that if you dare. Sounds like random notes but it's not. If you can play that go try and play something like Spirit of Radio and see how easy that is for you. This is one of their earlier songs, but they are an amazing band. Really worth learning for any musician trying to get better. If Neil raves about them, you know they are good.

Edited by trenken
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you are stressing to much. You are stressing on the wrong things. You will never play solos exactly as Alex does,nor should you want to. A solo is something that comes from an extremely personal and unique place from any musician. On recording, it's just a moment that was captured, unique in time, where the immediate feeling and mood of the musician was captured. That is what a good producer does, he/she will know when that magic moment occurs. Even the musicians themselves rarely play a solo exactly the same every time, sure they might follow a basic framework but they will play with it, express how they are feeling right then at that moment.

Now having said all that, I learned everything I could from Alex....copping his sounds, solos, equipment... all of it. What that did for me was teach me technical playing skills, only because I practiced a lot! Long and hard. In the end, my style is now my own, I don't play like Alex...only Alex plays like Alex. But I can play his stuff, I have fun with the technical challenge and I'm good enough to play it with my own spark and essence. Stress is not in the equation, only joy and wonderment of the beautiful music...that's the key.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey man thanks for the advice and maybe your right. I disagree about how rush is not complicated but I do see your points. I'll give them a lissen. Maybe I need to just set it down, take a break, and come back more level headed. Just an idea.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (LerxstLuthier @ Aug 18 2011, 10:39 AM)
Good Lord!
I didn't say that I think Rush's music is not complicated!

No no no no not you smile.gif your advice is perfect and just what I was looking for. I'm not Alex, I'm Brent I guess I need to find how go play like me however that might sound smile.gif but thanks alot, seriously

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...