Suspicious Minds - that intro is a hybrid picking nightmare...

CaseOfAce

Our Singer wants to do it next rehearsal.
Elvis - dead easy right? - major / minor chords and it is for the most part...
Except that intro is hybrid picking at considerable tempo. 
That's gonna be fun to play at volume in a club.
I'm having to put in the time on this - will I be James Burton by the end of the week ?!?!

Rocker

Is it absolutely necessary to nail the part as per the record?

CaseOfAce

in this instance Rocker - yep. it's a signature intro instantly recognisable plus it's fun to try to do so. 

EricTheWeary

I thought it must be JB but apparently it's session muso Reggie Young.
Well, good luck. 

Danny1969

  I played that song in A for years with various singers as they found G a little low … it’s nicer to play in A With the open A string
Although I’m a heavy hybrid picker these days and teach it  from the get go with students I actually just used to play that part of the pick originally because it’s not  particularly  fast

going for gold intro by Shed Seven used to remind me of suspicious minds

yorkio

Have you seen the lesson at ?

He might have a few clues on how best to approach it.

CaseOfAce

yorkio said:

Have you seen the lesson at ?

He might have a few clues on how best to approach it.

yep - that's the video I saw the other night of how it's done - he absolutely nails it (great video).
You can do it using open chords a la James Burton / Vegas live shows (and he uses a thumb pick?)
 - but I like the tonality you can get using the Reggie Young original method...

Whitear

I ripped off the Dwight Yoakam version. Much easier but crowd seemed to like it just as much. 

CaseOfAce

well that was fun.
Did Suspicious Minds for the first time last night with the band.
Soon as the drums kicked in (and tonight Matthew - our drummer is going to be Ronnie Tut) right from the start the fancy hybrid picking part I'd spent weeks practising just got absolutely buried in the mix....
Pretty much decided then and there to just strum the chords for the remainder of the song.. and concentrate on the harmonies - no one out there was gonna notice (much less care about) the fancy guitar picking.

Not the first time I've experienced this playing live.
Just like the Mr.Brightside intro - you spend ages debating picking patterns, positions, tunings, tones, effects - and the minute the bass and drums kick in...it all goes out the window...

What's that old adage? Oh yeah - KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid.
  

bobblehat

I've always played this in Open G tuning. No need for any hybrid picking and sounds pretty indistinguishable from the record.

Bellycaster

I've had a go at it in Standard Tuning in the open chord position with a pick and managed it. Not a brag, just saying that hybrid picking may not be needed.

I would need to practice it solidly though to keep it going and be confident enough to play it fluently on stage.

It's a bit like "WDDIM" by The Smiths, I have to settle into the rhythm and it's easy to fuck up if my mind wanders.

Stuckfast

bobblehat said:

I've always played this in Open G tuning. No need for any hybrid picking and sounds pretty indistinguishable from the record.

This, it's pretty easy in open G or D. So much so I assumed it must have been played like that originally.

guitarjack66

yorkio said:

Have you seen the lesson at ?

He might have a few clues on how best to approach it.

What would he know!!

lustycourtier

Ive played it in bands for years (even with new Shed 7 Tribute. As per the band, the go into it from Going for gold which is same riff in A) and never even considered it to be complicated. I mustn't play it right. 

BigPaulie

lustycourtier said:

Ive played it in bands for years (even with new Shed 7 Tribute. As per the band, the go into it from Going for gold which is same riff in A) and never even considered it to be complicated. I mustn't play it right. 

Yeah. I can't see the challenge personally. Quite a basic hybrid picking pattern and easy chord changes/positions.