What's the best way to approach 'For The Love of God'?

[Passion_and_Warfare]

I'm nearly at intermediate level, I certainly can't play anything fast. I know this song has some fast runs somewhere in there, and I want to know how to learn them.

I'm really buckling down lately, but I need some advice on how to learn this song.

[Rocker1]

Powertab, Dave Kilminster does a lesson for the first few minutes, other than that use powertabs

[markg5150]

+1 The Lick Library DVD's are really good at breaking down tunes. I've got the Danny Gill Satriani DVD which is really useful to understand fingering etc where tab can be a bit confusing

At the end of the day its practice, practice, practice I'm afraid

[jemaholic]

You mention 'somewhere in there' for fast runs.
That tells me you do not "know" the song yet.
Forget tabs, forget DVD's, the FIRST thing you need to do is KNOW THE SONG.

That means listening to it 50 times, or until you can sing every note of the lead guitar line along with the CD. Memorize the 'way' he plays it....the fog will slowly clear and you'll start to understand Steve's phrasing for each verse and how they start simple and grow each time around - the way he plays with 'tension & release' in his melodic structures.

If it makes you feel any better, I was a music (piano) major in college and it STILL took me a BUNCH of listens before I started seeing his genius in the structure and phrasings he builds. :^) FTLOG is a great piece - but if you really want to witness genius go and disassemble "All About Eve" or "The Question". The latter is really just an excercise in modal phrasing.
He goes through 6 modal changes in a single piece of music (mixolydian, Dorain, Aeolian,etc..) which is unheard of. The frikin guy is just amazing.
-jemaholic

[richard1973]

Fast runs somewhere? As in the last few mins of the song lol, it starts off slow but boy does it get fast, its long too, over 7mins I think so thats a lot to remember! Class tune though, prob my fave of his but i'd imagine it'd be one of the hardest to learn as the last few mins are insane.

[Passion_and_Warfare]

found a load of Dave Kilminster lessons for this song on tube.

[Inzane]

For the Love of God was my favorite Vai piece, until I heard Building the Church.

I'm not that religious, so perhaps its just coincidence, but damn those two pieces stir something in the soul for me.

[Dee]

Originally Posted by Inzane

For the Love of God was my favorite Vai piece, until I heard Building the Church.

I'm not that religious, so perhaps its just coincidence, but damn those two pieces stir something in the soul for me.

Funny, I am the complete opposite. I think FTLOG is so dramatic and overblown it does nothing for me at all, but then I might just be tired of hearing endless renditions of it done by other people. There are exactly 47 billion of them so far and most of those are already posted on Jemsite. Kinda takes away whatever might have been special about it. Now I cannot stand that mooing melody.

I'm such a miserable old goat, aren't I?

[Dino]

Just leant thwe basic parts and the scales, then try to improvise it and eventually figure it out. I agree though, know the song. Listen to it until you are so sick of it you don'e even want to learn how to play it anymore. Learning a song you really enjoy spoils some of the magic. Cryin' used to be one of my favorite satch tunes and when I learned it I don't enjoy it as much anymore. I try to not learn other people stuff so thoroughly. Take a piece and try to make it your own.

[andy7jem]

Dee......i can just picture you walking into a music shop to find some-one playing FTLOG, so you go and plug into the biggest, loudest, motherf**king amp there, crank it to 10 and drown him out with the riff of Smoke on the Water just to say 'F' you.

I admire you're stamina to count all 47 billion though

[Dee]

Originally Posted by andy7jem

Dee......i can just picture you walking into a music shop to find some-one playing FTLOG, so you go and plug into the biggest, loudest, motherf**king amp there, crank it to 10 and drown him out with the riff of Smoke on the Water just to say 'F' you.

I admire you're stamina to count all 47 billion though

LMAO! Sounds like a plan. I'll do that if / when I find someone playing that tune. Thanks!

Originally Posted by mi2tom

The best way to approach FTLOG is to approach it

Let me just work out the meaning of this...

[JJEMMER777]

Originally Posted by jemaholic

You mention 'somewhere in there' for fast runs.
That tells me you do not "know" the song yet.
Forget tabs, forget DVD's, the FIRST thing you need to do is KNOW THE SONG.

That means listening to it 50 times, or until you can sing every note of the lead guitar line along with the CD. Memorize the 'way' he plays it

I completly agree. You've gotta break down the song....know where each and every note is and HOW it is played. Most importanly the "HOW"! Steve rarely just "hits" a note.

Anyone ever see someone pull off a good version of FTLOG with a fixed bridge??

Funny.....I almost regret being a musician (wannabe) just for the fact that it seems like all I do is break down and ANALIZE songs anymore instead of just sitting back and takin in the whole "mental effect" of it.

Originally Posted by andy7jem

crank it to 10 and drown him out with the riff of Smoke on the Water just to say 'F' you.

Lol....and to rub further salt into the wound, kindly follow it up with "Livin after Midnight" and "Iron Man"

[Eco]

Originally Posted by JJEMMER777

I completly agree. You've gotta break down the song....know where each and every note is and HOW it is played. Most importanly the "HOW"! Steve rarely just "hits" a note.

Anyone ever see someone pull off a good version of FTLOG with a fixed bridge??

Funny.....I almost regret being a musician (wannabe) just for the fact that it seems like all I do is break down and ANALIZE songs anymore instead of just sitting back and takin in the whole "mental effect" of it.




Lol....and to rub further salt into the wound, kindly follow it up with "Livin after Midnight" and "Iron Man"

Bit of Black Knight goes well in the music shop favourites

[Dee]

Originally Posted by JJEMMER777

Lol....and to rub further salt into the wound, kindly follow it up with "Livin after Midnight" and "Iron Man"

Second LOL in a row from your posts today!

[FloridaNative]

Originally Posted by andy7jem

Dee......i can just picture you walking into a music shop to find some-one playing FTLOG, so you go and plug into the biggest, loudest, motherf**king amp there, crank it to 10 and drown him out with the riff of Smoke on the Water just to say 'F' you.

I admire you're stamina to count all 47 billion though

Reading this made me think of that scene in Wayne's World when he is in the music store and starts playing Stairway to Heaven and the guy in the shop stops him and points to the sign that says, "No Stairway to Heaven". I wonder if "No FTLOG" will be on a sign in a music store someday. I still like the song, but I haven't heard it 47 billion times yet. I think I'm still in the hundreds.