Learning Satch Boogie - and it's kicking my behind...

CaseOfAce

I know this all sounds a bit "news just in... water is wet..." but ... Joe Satriani - not exactly beginner level stuff is it?

I've been working on the Satch Boogie intro - and wow.
For a start it 's got that awkward "where do I come in" thing a bit like Zeppelin's Rock and Roll...with the timing and drums. Awkward - forget counting it in - I just do it by feel and hope to get it right.

And then there's the sheer bpm speed of it. Just about got it down picked clean to the lizard gurgle bit (how he does that - 14th fret AH with a load of whammy abuse?!) and then it's once more unto the breach for the rest of it...

I'm having to interpret the (slightly inaccurate) tab a bit - there's bits (after the intro part) such as 5th fret g string and then open g string - when I assume it's a ghost note g cos he's just lifting his finger off for the next part etc...For the most part though it's fairly precise.

Absolute riot of a piece to learn. 

viz

CaseOfAce said:

I'm having to interpret the (slightly inaccurate) tab a bit - there's bits where it's 5th fret g string and then open g string - when I assume it's a ghost note g cos he's just lifting his finger off for the next part etc...For the most part though it's fairly precise.

which bit's that?

I love playing Satch Boogie

viz

ah, in the intro, you mean?

CaseOfAce

viz said:

ah, in the intro, you mean?

corrected in original post now.

jasonbone75

I haven't played this since I was at school lol! I do remember the lizard gurgle though. You start around 5th fret G-string and do a slow uniform slide up while simultaneously sinking the whammy bar. The aim is to keep the note at approximately the same pitch and the inherent lack of precision provides your gurgle.

axisus

About 15 years ago I managed a hack version of the first section. It never sounded good, it's above my level of playing. It's a shame really as I do love Joe's playing.

JonnyBgoode

CaseOfAce said:

I know this all sounds a bit "news just in... water is wet..." but ... Joe Satriani - not exactly beginner level stuff is it?

I've been working on the Satch Boogie intro - and wow.
For a start it 's got that awkward "where do I come in" thing a bit like Zeppelin's Rock and Roll...with the timing and drums. Awkward - forget counting it in - I just do it by feel and hope to get it right.

There's a two bar count in, with the lead guitar playing a pick up 8th note triplet starting on the '8-and' of the  last beat.
So the first beat of bar 3 is the D note (5th fret A string) pull off, and the landing on A (5th fret 6th string) is not where your ear wants it to be :-)   But providing you come in at exactly the right spot and keep time with that hihat like its your metronome, you'll be OK, even during the crazier parts of the intro where phrases start on the off beat, or sound like they're speeding up but aren't.   But yeah, hardly beginner stuff.

musteatbrain

Ignore this if you have already seen it, but in this video I remember Satch gives some feedback on the timing of Satch Boogie to the competition winner who is already a well developed player.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nXk4gxcjVr8

hats off to the guy for playing Satch’s material to the man himself. I’d crap myself if I had to play it in front of him.

digitalkettle

CaseOfAce said:

...
And then there's the sheer bpm speed of it. Just about got it down picked clean to the lizard gurgle bit (how he does that - 14th fret AH with a load of whammy abuse?!) and then it's once more unto the breach for the rest of it...
...

That's not a 'lizard gurgle' manoeuvre...you'll find one in 'Ice 9' around 2:04

digitalkettle

Are you learning from the Cherry Lane 'Surfing...' tab book @CaseOfAce ?

A couple of things always bugged me about that transcription so I started watching live clips and put this together...



So it's slightly different to the recorded version but should be pretty faithful to where Joe has evolved it to over the years.

Main changes:

• The 5-6-5-0 phrase, e.g. bar two, beat one
• The dissonant open B string (bar six, beat two)
• The low E string getting involved with the descending triplets in bar nine
• Rephrasing of bars thirteen and fourteen
• Extra voice on top of the chords in bar fifteen

Hope that's useful in some way!

(PDF downloadable from the link in my sig)

jasonbone75

digitalkettle said:

CaseOfAce said:

...
And then there's the sheer bpm speed of it. Just about got it down picked clean to the lizard gurgle bit (how he does that - 14th fret AH with a load of whammy abuse?!) and then it's once more unto the breach for the rest of it...
...

That's not a 'lizard gurgle' manoeuvre...you'll find one in 'Ice 9' around 2:04

Wiz awarded - that is what I described doh!!

viz

CaseOfAce said:

For a start it 's got that awkward "where do I come in" thing a bit like Zeppelin's Rock and Roll...with the timing and drums. Awkward - forget counting it in - I just do it by feel and hope to get it right.

By the way, on the counting in, it's really REALLY simple. 

The first open high-hat isn't the start of the bar. That first tssss is BEFORE the first beat of the first bar.

Then the first beat of the first bar starts on the "t", and so the rhythm of each bar is like "tantaraa, tantaraa". If you count them, you see there are exactly 8 of them; the last of which being the guitar part. 

                              (1)

So it's (tsssss) T-t-tssss,  T-t-tssss,  T-t-tssss,  T-t-tssss,  T-t-tssss,  T-t-tssss,  T-t-tssss,  T-t-tssss. 




          (1)

NOT tssss-t-t,  tssss-t-t,  tssss-t-t,  tssss-t-t,  tssss-t-t,  tssss-t-t,  tssss-t-t,  tssss-t-t-tsssss (weird slightly long bar at the end)

digitalkettle

jasonbone75 said:

digitalkettle said:

CaseOfAce said:

...
And then there's the sheer bpm speed of it. Just about got it down picked clean to the lizard gurgle bit (how he does that - 14th fret AH with a load of whammy abuse?!) and then it's once more unto the breach for the rest of it...
...

That's not a 'lizard gurgle' manoeuvre...you'll find one in 'Ice 9' around 2:04

Wiz awarded - that is what I described doh!!

It's the second time I've used 'manoeuvre' this week...one of those 'mental block' words that I can never remember how to spell...like vynil vinyl

Roland

I had a problem with vinyl yesterday morning, and eventually spelled it correctly. It was later in the day that I realised that I should actually have said acrylic.

jasonbone75

Roland said:

I had a problem with vinyl yesterday morning, and eventually spelled it correctly. It was later in 5e day that I realised that I should actually have said acrylic.

That's the most obscure geeky 1st world problem I've seen all day 

randella

musteatbrain said:

Ignore this if you have already seen it, but in this video I remember Satch gives some feedback on the timing of Satch Boogie to the competition winner who is already a well developed player.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nXk4gxcjVr8

hats off to the guy for playing Satch’s material to the man himself. I’d crap myself if I had to play it in front of him.

I saw that vid at the time, absolutely ace and yeah - hats off to the guy. Full admiration from me!

One useful thing in that vid is Satriani talking about laying back on the beat slightly to give it a swing. I always liked the way JS did that in his music, gives it a lot of movement.

CaseOfAce

I'm working from the Jam with Satriani / Hal Leonard score - it's slightly awry and needs correcting in places.

That vid is interesting - and adds a whole new level of skill to playing it - laying back on the beat / making it swing.

I'm there with the timing to coming in - ensure the D note gets played on bar 3 first beat with triplet hammer on / pull off thing before...

I'm learning stuff from all the comments here - thanks guys.