We're doing a cover of The Monkeys, "I'm a Believer" for a picnic this summer, and I figured it would be a piece of cake. We're all familiar with the beginning of this song--the organ sound, the simple repeating guitar notes... Here it is if you don't recall:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfuBREMXxts

Anyway, the guitar player hasn't managed to figure those notes out yet. I'm not a guitar player, but should this be that difficult?

As long as for the keyboard part, you're not mimicking what Tork was shown doing in that video.

He's probably being thrown by the rhythm of the notes, unless he can't hear V/I. Just play it yourself, since it seems you may not have "a guitar player". No one's going to rush the stage and demand to know why the guitar player didn't play it.

I'm not much of a guitar player (barely good enough to play a little Rhythm where appropriate), but I picked up my guitar just now and figured it out in about 10 sec.

I wouldn't use this to knock guitar players - I'm sure most would consider that song child's play. This is a specific guitar player issue.

That's what I figured...

This is a very straight froward riff on guitar. Your guitar player probably hasn't bothered to listen to the track to pick out the riff and is just going by memory.

I would be prepared, with a proper patch of course, to throw that rif in if the guitar player goes blank.

At rehearsal he will likely see what you play and just copy you rather do nothing....I'm guessing you are talking about the 3 note rif (D,E,G) that Nesmith is leading into the verse with.

Save time; show them the part.
Pro players learn quickly or accept what they're shown.

OK, I haven't heard the song in at least 10 years.

But as I recall the organ plays G then G7 twice (no third) C triad twice (2nd inversion) G triad (root inversion)

followed by the guitar playing CDF CDF D.

Do I win a cookie?

C'mon, obviously this thread should be titled "Crappy Musicians -- oy!". Any bad musician, regardless of instrument, could have been the object of your ire. It's not about the instrument, obviously.

So don't be a musical racist.

Wouldn't that term be "instrumentalist"?

That's what I started writing, then looked at it, and then laughed.

...nice electric piano sound out of the Vox Continental, too.

(har-har-har)...

Maybe it's not an issue of ability but one of dignity

I gotta agree with this point......If the theme is music from late 60's, why not something a little more "groovy" like this:

Wow, I think these guys might be High on something!

Spirit

Do you think the guitar player can handle it?

Cool, he's playing a Nord!

It's not a "60's music" picnic... we're just doing the Monkey's song for the kids.

Dang, on closer inspection, it appears that he is using OMG a genuine Sears Silvertone guitar!

Along with the Nord, of course.

I think I meant "instrumentist".

I had a similar issue with a guitarist once. The guy could only play chords. No riffs. Ask him to play an Am or a G7, and he's fine. But play anything that required an actual riff, and he just couldn't do it.

Obviously, that severely limited the amount of material we could play.

I no longer play with that guitarist.

Noah

I'm like that, all I can do is strum chords. But I don't even consider myself a guitar player and wouldn't consider presenting myself to a band as one.

Ditto, and ditto.

When my current band writes songs, we usually base them around chords, instead of riffs. I'd like to get a bit more melodically creative, but the guitarist and bassist aren't formally trained like I am, so explaining licks to them can be very frustrating. I suppose in a modern-influenced rock band, you don't need to go very far beyond 3 or 4 major chords anyway, but it'd be nice..