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

Passion_and_Warfare · #1 05-08-2007, 06:36 AM

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 · #2 05-08-2007, 01:08 PM

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

markg5150 · #3 05-08-2007, 01:13 PM

+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

richard1973 · #4 05-08-2007, 01:34 PM

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.

**jemaholic** · #5 05-08-2007, 01:35 PM

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

Passion_and_Warfare · #6 05-08-2007, 04:25 PM

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

Inzane · #7 05-08-2007, 04:50 PM

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.

Dino · #8 05-08-2007, 05:35 PM

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.

Dee · #9 05-08-2007, 06:39 PM

Quote:

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?

andy7jem · #10 05-08-2007, 06:48 PM

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

mi2tom · #11 05-08-2007, 10:57 PM

The best way to approach FTLOG is to approach it

Dee · #12 05-09-2007, 12:22 AM

Quote:

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!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mi2tom

The best way to approach FTLOG is to approach it

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

Passion_and_Warfare · #13 05-09-2007, 10:58 AM

Will have to wait abit before I can fully concentrate on this song for the time being. I have being listening to it alot lately though, about 5 or 6 years ago I stopped listening to it for awhile.

darco · #14 05-09-2007, 01:56 PM

Using software like Transcribe! to slow down playback helps a lot. Trying to learn Vai songs at full speed is too hard. Transcribe! also lets you create a loop over parts of a song which is great since you can really focus on small sections at a time.

Dino · #15 05-10-2007, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darco

Using software like Transcribe! to slow down playback helps a lot. Trying to learn Vai songs at full speed is too hard. Transcribe! also lets you create a loop over parts of a song which is great since you can really focus on small sections at a time.

Gearbox can do that too if you have any line 6 products....