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Quickest way to learn "The Way It Is"-thought exper. w/ Poll


Quickest Way to Learn "The Way It Is"  

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  1. 1. Quickest Way to Learn "The Way It Is"

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First, I do NOT need advice on how to play The Was It Is by Bruce Hornsby, but it seemed as good a song as any for this exercise, which I hope we'll find rewarding to reflect on ways we absorb and learn new music.

 

Pretend for a moment that none of us know how to play The Way It Is. There is a contest with a prize you'd like to win to be awarded to the first one of us to play a reasonably accurate version of the first 90 seconds of the tune (intro, verse, chorus). By "reasonably accurate," let's say your performance must be 90% faithful to the notes and rhythms Bruce plays on the original studio recording, as determined by some computer analysis we all agree is fair. You do not need to learn the piano solo on the studio recording. All performances will be done on a standard acoustic piano, so you needn't worry about matching Bruce's tone or layering pads.

 

Ready, set, go... what is your go-to tactic. Vote in the poll below!

 

[video:youtube]

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There's no option for both? I would go by the studio recording with some assistance from sheet music if I needed to refine my ears or double check something.

 

In this particular thought experiment, there is no point in watching live video of Hornsby because he's as likely to start this tune with Elliott Carter or Gershwin as he is to play the tune from the beginning. He never plays any song the same way twice, which is why I admire him so greatly. If there's another tune (like, for example, "Spider Fingers") where there's a particular technical challenge, I would go to video. It always depends what the gig/audition/contest is calling for.

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I selected learn by ear, listening to the tune ad nauseam before even sitting down at the piano. I would have picked 'all of the above' if that option were available.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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In this particular thought experiment, there is no point in watching live video of Hornsby because he's as likely to start this tune with Elliott Carter or Gershwin as he is to play the tune from the beginning. He never plays any song the same way twice, which is why I admire him so greatly.
Yes, I'll second this. If the goal is to play it Like the Recording, I'll start by drilling the recording, but I almost always seek out live performance video both for visual cues and for insight into how an artist approaches a song outside of the widely-known and accepted "text" of a hit recording. Often, there are nuances we may obsess over in a recorded version that the artist doesn't consider essential to the song. Just as often, a live performance will highlight nuances of chord voicing or technical approach that are obscured but present in the studio version, and help unlock that je ne sais quois in the part that gains the nod of recognition from bandmates and/or audience.

 

And yes, in the specific instance of Hornsby, a live performance is unlikely to reveal the exact approach from the recorded version because he's such a dedicated improviser.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

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I voted for ears in this specific context.

 

To add to the excellent points already made, I'd just say that I would use my ears until I felt their limitations. In a time crunch, anything will do, use every resource available. I'd still as much as possible prefer to start with my ears. Just feels like a more solid foundation to me, particularly in most contemporary styles. YMMV.

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Ears are always good. I also like youtube videos for this reason: it's easy to see where techniques are being used that I wouldn't have thought of doing. Case in point: the solo to Call me the Breeze. The way he's doing that minor to major chords is alien to how I play and I was having all kinds of trouble picking it out. Now I know what he's doing--and I still can't easily play it, but I learned a new technique to try!
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Also, it helps a lot to be familiar with the particular artist's playing style that you're trying to copy. I'm not that familiar with Hornsby but I remember many years ago trying to play along to a recording of his, in order to learn it so I could accompany a vocalist on the song. What I realized right away is that Hornsby likes to move around inside the chords and move around a key center so it's not about learning the chords, melody, and riffs or licks so much as you have to get the movements he's doing, like arpeggiating here or moving up and down on the thirds and fourths or fifths and sixths there, things like that. I don't know how to describe this accurately or in correct musical terms, but I know it when I hear it ... and especially when I try to play it. :D

 

Similarly, if you want to learn to play the first chorus of a Professor Longhair or James Booker recording, it helps a helluva lot if you've put in the time to study the masters before you sit down to play along. See Josh Paxton, for example, whose playing I enjoy very much. He didn't just one day try to play along to a New Orleans piano classic. At least, I don't think so ...

These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise.
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My typical process is: Google the image for the first page of the sheet music. If it looks dead accurate, maybe buy the whole thing. Then AB against the audio of the tune and adjust accordingly.

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I voted "other", which for me would mean "some or all of the above".

 

I'm constantly having to do this sort of thing, I play in two tribute bands and one covers band.

 

Before the internet existed, I used to listen to songs by ear, transcribe them as I went, then learn from practicing the transcription.

 

However these days my process looks somewhat like this:

 

1. Try and find a tutorial on YouTube. If it's good, that will generally be all I need. However I only get lucky about 20% of the time.

2. If no tutorial available and the part is sufficiently complex, I'll try and find a downloadable sheet music version. These are rarely 100% accurate but still helpful.

3. If 1. and 2. are not available or need supplementing, I'll just listen to the studio recording.

4. If the keys are buried too low in the mix on the studio recording (confronting this issue right now as it happens) I'll look for live versions on YouTube.

5. If I'm still struggling to pick the part out I sometimes use karaoke-version.com and isolate the keys track. Again it's rarely 100% accurate but can move me a long way in the right direction.

6. ALWAYS cross-reference everything with my own ears.

 

I try and find the quickest and easiest method so I can minimise time spent trying to work out what's being played and maximise time spent getting it to an acceptable level of competence for live work.

 

Of course this is only 50% of the job, the other 50% is getting the sound right, but I note that is out of scope for this question.

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However these days my process looks somewhat like this:

 

1. Try and find a tutorial on YouTube. If it's good, that will generally be all I need. However I only get lucky about 20% of the time.

2. If no tutorial available and the part is sufficiently complex, I'll try and find a downloadable sheet music version. These are rarely 100% accurate but still helpful.

3. If 1. and 2. are not available or need supplementing, I'll just listen to the studio recording.

4. If the keys are buried too low in the mix on the studio recording (confronting this issue right now as it happens) I'll look for live versions on YouTube.

5. If I'm still struggling to pick the part out I sometimes use karaoke-version.com and isolate the keys track. Again it's rarely 100% accurate but can move me a long way in the right direction.

6. ALWAYS cross-reference everything with my own ears.

 

Similar to my approach, except I start at 3, then 4, then 5, then 2 and lastly 1.

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My band used to perform this song. I'm classically trained (i.e. I suck at playing by ear and improv) so I had to learn it using the sheet music. Performed it exactly as the studio recording but I'm a stickler for that.

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The OP framed this as a contest--the first of us who has never played it, who can pull off 90% accuracy over a minute and a half of the song, as graded by a computer.

 

For speed of learning + accuracy, machine-graded, I'd say ONLY sheet music plus a reference recording would win the huge cash prize and international prestige. If you can pull that tune off with ears alone over the first 90 seconds, and no written reference, faster than someone with ears AND a written reference, hat's off to you, but I would think even a single question along the way would be answered faster via (accurate) notation than ear, in the context of this speed-contest premise.

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It's not clear whether it is time-based or accuracy based.

 

I've never played this song, or heard anything more than some version of it that Yamaha used as a demo tune segment in one of their Clavinovas. So I'm the target demographic lol. I would go by ear and probably transcribe chord changes and a few rhythmic things myself. I also might take a look at a live performance or two to see whether anything was changed live to account for potential multi-tracking etc in the studio version, if any is present.

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The OP framed this as a contest--the first of us who has never played it, who can pull off 90% accuracy over a minute and a half of the song, as graded by a computer . . . If you can pull that tune off with ears alone over the first 90 seconds, and no written reference, faster than someone with ears AND a written reference, hat's off to you, but I would think even a single question along the way would be answered faster via (accurate) notation than ear, in the context of this speed-contest premise.
I'm now imagining this as a John Henry-esque competition wherein an emotive player triumphs over said computer, but dies from the effort. Somehow "The Way It Is" is a very funny song to be at the center of a life-or-death scenario.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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It's not clear whether it is time-based or accuracy based.

 

 

The OP framed this as a contest--the first of us who has never played it, who can pull off 90% accuracy over a minute and a half of the song, as graded by a computer.

 

 

MOI got it right -- the imaginary contest is time-based (who can achieve X in the shortest amount of time, with X being "play a 90% accurate version of TWII")

 

I've enjoyed the conversation so far. Ultimately it boils down to the maxim that each of us have different learning styles, but it is still interesting to read the variety of tactics we would employ to accomplish the same task. And I intentionally didn't put an "all of the above" option in the poll because I assumed that would be a popular option and I am most interested in what everybody would consider their first or primary resource to accomplish the task.

 

Good conversation!

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Interesting thread!

 

I'd listen to it a lot, pick out bits a pieces by ear, maybe figure out the structure like the chord progression. I'd look for a written transcription , read through it slowly, find some YouTubers that play it well and demonstrate it, and make my own short hand simplified chart. I probably not when the prize, because I usually change things up to fit my style or should I say "limitations" . ?

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I just search online and pick a tutorial that doesn't suck.

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I made a point more generally in this thread which I will make more specifically: in the imaginary speed test, if you've previously transcribed Bruce Hornsby's playing on a bunch of other tunes, then you most likely will quickly pick up what he's doing when you first listen and play along to a recording of his that you haven't transcribed before. You will win the speed test because you won't need sheet music or a video tutorial or see a video of a live version. You will just pick up what he's doing because you've done it several times before. Another way of saying it is if you've been playing in that style for many years, you'll get it much faster than someone who hasn't.
These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise.
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Sorry to pull us slightly OT once again, but I just feel like under the circumstances this needs to be shared. [video:youtube]

I"m afraid none of the options in OP"s survey would help me with this version. :laugh:

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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That era of Bruce is how I discovered the Samuel Barber "Nocturne" (the piece he plays at the beginning... kind of started working on it a couple of years ago but I need to go back to it in earnest).

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I"ve used all the ways that you listed - a lot times more than 1 on one song. All depends on the song, how much the style is in my 'wheelhouse ', how complex or technically challenging the keys are, etc.

I"ve also been able download a (good) MIDI file, put it my DAW and see what"s going on. This was great for getting horn section parts in quite few songs I"ve covered in the past (Chicago, EWF, etc). I find it hard to figure out some of those inner voices in horn parts.

So, all of the above + SMFs.

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I played this song when I was in another band. I learned by listening to it, it's not that difficult to learn. I just broke the song down into pieces. Took a few hours to get it down.

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