What a Bitch! Nothing 'sweet' about trying to learn the guitar solos for this classic!

Voxman

I know it probably seems ridiculous, but my band wants to play Guns n Roses sweet child o mine, and its just one of those songs that I never learned to play properly.

So with the help of a great series of videos on you tube I'm trying to learn it properly.

I know it's one of those songs that 16 yr olds can probably master, but all I can say is...what a bitch to learn...at least for an old hack like me. I've sussed the alternate picking intro and chorus variation, and I'm ok for the first 3 solos, and ok ish with the solo once it gets a bit faster.  But my fingers and brain are really struggling with that odd run connection before going into the wah wah lead solo that I can sort of bluff a bit.

I'm I just basically crap or have others here struggled with this song?  Please reassure me that I'm not the only one who's struggling with this song.

Tell you what though. My respect for Slash has gone up in leaps and bounds...goodness only knows how his mind is wired to actually create these solos and weird scale runs!

guitarcookie1

That’s probably one of my favourite solos of all time. I’m ok with the intro and first two solos, but the main one I really struggle with, doesn’t sound that complicated on record but trying to play it  

hubobulous

I learned it and then chose to do my own solo. I've taken the main theme so it's still familiar to someone listening, but the fast parts are different - that's 3 bits for me.

1) The intro to the final solo where the wah kicks in
2) The ascending pentatonic prior to the final repeated lick
3) The final repeated lick

For all three, I took the 'movement' that a Slash had and then tapped something different but with the same theme. Difficult to describe, so might try to record it to explain better.

skunkwerx

You aint crap. Only human. 

You’ll get it!

hubobulous

......and no it's not easy to learn. He's one of those players for me that I have increased respect for once I learn his stuff

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

Any reason you need to learn it note-for-note? If I were you I'd get the basic structure of the solo (ie where it gets higher/lower, how it builds to the climax of it etc) and then just work out your own interpretation along the same sort of lines.

I'm sure if you're playing in a covers band nobody is going to complain if it's not 100% bang on, as long as it sticks to the spirit of the original, and as long as you keep it same number of bars etc so the band mates know where you're gonna finish.

not_the_dj

Sure keep the intro and those couple of short lead bits the same but for the big solo I just wig out without trying to play it note for note.

Punters want to hear the intro and to sign along to the chorus. Play the solo with attitude and passion and no one will be disappointed that it’s not exactly what Slash played. 

Hush

You will get it if you stick at it, and then when you start to play it regularly it will bed itself in with you, and become more familiar and fluent to you.

midlifecrisis

we play it  and it always goes down well. the tricky 3rd solo i can do at home but usually gigging i wing it and put lots of delay and drive and auto wah and bodge through it. (like much of my stuff), il never get it note perfect but no one cares really

fastonebaz

It's a pretty basic solo around the pentatonic scale.  Just start slow with a metronome and gradually wind it up.  The trick is not to play the song too fast live as it's actually quite slow really.  Practice practice practice until you can't get it wrong. 

TTBZ

When I used to play that live I had all good intentions of learning it properly but just ended up winging the fast bit live. I'm crap at learning solos note for note, I generally just follow the theme in my simplified fashion. Too lazy really.

Stuckfast

Oddly enough the famous intro riff is really easy in DADGAD.

thomasross20

I do it note for note maaaan. Love it! 
I even dress up as Slash! 
 

It can be tricky. Key is... Nothing is as fast as you think. It's just the tension in your playing!

Oh and yes!!! Slash, for whatever reason, does sometimes seem to get a bad rap.... But he's always been my guitar hero. He's a great player with a great ear, playing lines laymans can sing along to and get excited about! Plus he is ROCK and looks the part.

Hopefully I'll be doing paradise city in February.. Dressed as Slash. We recorded a demo of it which I thought sounded bitchin' !!

Voxman

Cheers for the words of encouragement guys - once I get to the stage where muscle memory kicks in I'll be fine.  Actually, it's not the last solo I'm struggling with - like many here I can pretty much wing that as it's pretty much pentatonic.  The bit I'm struggling with and just can't yet get me head & fingers around is the lead up run to the final 'wah-wah' solo.  I can 'wing it' but I'm trying to learn it properly so when it comes time to gig I'm not fluffing it.  

It's the E harmonic minor run here at around 08:30:

thomasross20

I'm totally dressing as Slash in February! I'd post paradise city if the other guys are ok with it.

Always helps to understand what scales you're playing under. Gives you a confidence!

Slash, Van Halen, Nuno... Love players like that!!

thomasross20

It's not played right in that video and he misses crucial slides and bends which make it ROCK!! Still.. good guide!

Voxman

thomasross20 said:

I'm totally dressing as Slash in February! I'd post paradise city if the other guys are ok with it.

Always helps to understand what scales you're playing under. Gives you a confidence!

Slash, Van Halen, Nuno... Love players like that!!

thomasross20

Please forgive me, I get excited with anything to do with Slash  

johnl

This video helped me a huge amount with the fast bit:



tab:

johnl

Made the mistake of editing my post so video doesn't work. Link here:

mburekenge

Voxman said:

Cheers for the words of encouragement guys - once I get to the stage where muscle memory kicks in I'll be fine.  Actually, it's not the last solo I'm struggling with - like many here I can pretty much wing that as it's pretty much pentatonic.  The bit I'm struggling with and just can't yet get me head & fingers around is the lead up run to the final 'wah-wah' solo.  I can 'wing it' but I'm trying to learn it properly so when it comes time to gig I'm not fluffing it.  

It's the E harmonic minor run here at around 08:30:

Voxman you are a good player

IMO this guys video lessons are absolutely awful. He never plays things as they are on record 

Check the Justin guitar version of the lesson he breaks it down really well.

i slowed it down that lick down in Logic until it was at 25 percent speed, crawling along but i played it with total control, then sped up gradually when I had the muscle memory.

you'll do it