HOW I LEARN SONGS So You Wanna Be A Pro Musician #5

Everyone's gotta do it at some point... how I tackle learning material for gigs, auditions, tours...
Check out TRANSCRIBE software here: www.seventhstring.com/
PETE THORN II NEW ALBUM OUT EVERYWHERE NOW, CLICK TO BUY/LISTEN HERE: smarturl.it/petethornII
Get Pete's 'Space Charged" jam track in E on iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/album/spa...
Check out "A Rush To The Head": by Pete Thorn itunes.apple.com/us/album/rus...
Check out "Clean To Scream" by Pete Thorn: itunes.apple.com/us/album/cle...
Check out "To Live And Die In Nashville" by Pete Thorn: itunes.apple.com/us/album/to-...
Check out "The Groomed Noodler", new single by Pete Thorn here:
itunes.apple.com/us/album/the...
Check out Pete Thorn's "Guitar Nerd" CD here:
www.cdbaby.com/cd/petethorn
itunes.apple.com/us/album/gui...

[@MikeM-so3je]

To any beginners out there, bookmark this video. Pete just gave you a treasure trove of information to become an accomplished guitarist.

[@Scratch_Monsters_Golf]

Mike M Absolutely! Great info for beginners!

[@dumbguy9386]

@@Scratch_Monsters_Golf This is an excellent video. I would add that if you are mastering your own newly written song make sure you have the full arrangement solid before learning it because otherwise you may find (as I do) that you're playing the v1 verse with the ver 9 outro in the ver 8 sequence.

[@Guitarjunkie37]

dumb guy do you know what program is best for phrase trainers for learning stuff?

[@dumbguy9386]

@@Guitarjunkie37 I've been playing for years and never really thought about using a phrase trainer like this, which is why (I guess) I've had problems with phrase trainers and lead guitar in general. When learning songs I just play the damn thing until I beat it into my head by sheer repetition. I will say the book "Make It Stick" had some valuable insight which has really helped out.

[@trubadorphotography2541]

@@Guitarjunkie37 On the iPad/iPhone there's an app called AnyTune Pro+ that will play your MP3 music files at variable speeds without affecting pitch, you can also adjust pitch if you'd like, you can repeat loops of parts/sections of songs, and you can isolate an instrument or vocals. I think it's also available on the Mac for desktop/laptop use.

[@sublyme2157]

Another trick that has helped me over the years is to learn the bass line (or acoustic, if any). For some reason my brain can hear the guitar parts much more clearly when I'm focused on learning another instrument's parts. Then when I go back to learn the guitar parts, half the work is done, and the brain quickly zeros in.

[@ProjectDreamCatcher]

It's all about dat bass .... no treble lol ;-)

[@timpierceguitar]

Pete I have a gig on May 1 with 2 rehearsals prior to that. I’m going to use your techniques to learn the songs prior to the first rehearsal !

[@noahmoran2885]

Good to see you out here mr. pierce

[@johnrepucci4777]

Every time I watch one of these videos I think, where was Pete when I was coming up! But I think we are around the same age so he was fumbling with cassettes and records and living in the dark ages as well. I love this video series Pete, very helpful no matter where someone is in their career.

[@michaelwade9455]

Truth!

[@frannyp46]

You are not a poor reader Pete, you are a great internaliser and delivery man. I once watched a video where classical musicians who read like hawks , but are riveted to there seats and sheet music. Imagine being an actor and playing your part with the script constantly in your hand. Liberation is what we want to aim for.

[@johnbeamon]

09:15 "Check this out, what it sounds like slowed down to 50%." Sounds like me at regular speed. Seriously though, it is remarkable and perspective-changing to see someone like Pete Thorn going to these lengths on behalf of his craft. Thanks for sharing, Pete. We tend to forget that "people like you" actually slow down and loop other people's parts.

[@guitarshorts5624]

I've used transcribe for many years as a song learning tool. It's also great for pitching a song up to standard tuning, instead of having to have a guitar tuned to Eb. Nice to see someone else who uses this program!

[@surethebest]

Wonderful, Pete!

[@luisrodriguesmusic7476]

I was waiting ansiously for this next episode #5. Thanks Pete. You're the man!!!!

[@unstabilizer]

Great stuff Pete, love your videos as usual! Love transcribe too, it's great!

[@TropicalReflections]

What a fantastic series! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us Pete!

[@dougiemanross]

Great timing Pete! I've been doing a ton of different fill in cover gigs lately and this helps a lot! You rock man!

[@andrewbettis4247]

Great advice and the transcribe software sounds awesome thanks for sharing

[@Claimjumper55]

This is the best series out there. I'm learning so much. Thanks Pete!!!

[@KevisaVivose]

I already know I'm gonna get some priceless insight here! Thank you for always sharing , Pete. Also, like everyone else, big fan of your playing, lol.

[@EddieB2047]

Great info usual Pete...thanks for sharing this!

[@MikeBaars83]

Thanks for this. Oh, and I really like your Pete Thorn II album man! It sounds very uplifting and fresh. With great tone.

[@andyracksthecams]

Transcribe. I've been looking for something like this for a while. Cheers, you are the Man.

[@drockny]

That software is absolutely killer Pete. Thanks for taking the time out to demo it for us!

[@tomnowlin7396]

Awesome! Thanks so much Pete!

[@martynkentfrancis]

Amazing Pete, so useful, thanks a million 🙏

[@Bad_Phil]

Pete, incredibly timely release! I am prepping for an audition next week, so this is invaluable! Thanks man!

[@Theweeze100]

This was fantastic! Thank you Pete!

[@tommystratpaul]

Once again Pete, your best video series yet! A treasure trove of knowledge. This episode got me really inspired to learn new songs. Thank you Pete! 😁

[@MrLbd1921]

fantastic advice from a pro...priceless thanks Pete, nobody does it better...

[@krisyoungsteadt9139]

Killer info. Thanks, Pete!

[@SamBellGuitar]

I've been looking for this video for years!

[@JeffAulich]

So awesome, Pete! Totally validates the same methods I’ve been using for the past 10 years!

[@dapperdanman1956]

Tremendous share Pete thorn thank you for your time and offerings to your fans.

[@CalebMcLellan]

Great video! I love your new studio!!!

[@JayPmare]

Awesome Video and advice. Thanks Pete!

[@johnbovie9203]

Thanks Pete. Your videos are always informative and incredibly useful. I'm lucky I have a good ear and when using KZbin as a resource I can tell pretty quickly if it's correctly played. (been playing for a very long time). I always learn new things from you and I'm grateful for the time and energy you spend to help others out.

[@13vansman]

I'm loving this series! Thank you so much! So much vital information. I'm looking forward to more "So You Wanna Be A Pro Musician" videos.

[@Joj1n]

It’s so nice to see how you are enjoying the transcribe software 🙂

[@solarpoint1]

The solid wisdom and experience of Pete Thorn for all to see. Thanks man you truly ROCK on multiple levels!

[@AgileJazz]

Love all you do Pete! Transcribe is a godsend when it comes to learning new tunes. Great call out! Wish it existed back in the 80's and 90's!

[@neilspake]

Another awesome video, Pete! Very insightful and tremendously helpful. Your real world examples are great as well. Cheers! Neil

[@iadorasjourney]

These are the words of a great and wise musician! Thank you Pete for sharing your experiences with the Tube and I really wish one day I can shake your hand and say thank you personally. Happy music, man!

[@johnjanoski3988]

Second time I've heard the Transcribe software mentioned, first time I've heard it working. Thanks, I'll give it a go.

[@crazylikeafox1000]

Thanks Pete, great video!

[@BillGathen]

Thanks so much for these vids! You are clearly a meticulous, thoughtful person and an excellent teacher. It's terrific that you're so generous with your time and knowledge trying to make the world a more musical place.

[@adsvx]

Just great stuff, Pete, THANK YOU.

[@mikegibsonincognito4580]

Awesome video Pete thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@BentTom]

Another home run. Thanks Pete.

[@jodyfree953]

As always, great advice Pete!

[@fredgalpern]

This is great, thanks Pete! The breakdown of how many parts, how many songs and how many days is a really useful framework.

[@humbuckerblues5150]

Thanks Pete, so helpful and reaffirms doing things!!

[@andrelourenco__]

Damn! Perfect timing for this video. I just joined a new band and im at the process of learning 60+ songs in a short time. Thank you so much for this Pete. Always great advice and motivation. Keep up the good work!

[@yourbore]

Thank you for making this video! Exactly what I needed, great advice. You sir, are a saint!

[@westernrider100]

Saints and Sinners! The material in this video is worth a private lesson. Memorizing songs has been a lifelong struggle. I've gone back to learning the progression and counting. Many thanks for your time to post this video.

[@rcolang1]

simply excellent...thank you!

[@Chinaguitarsceptic]

Great advice Pete, thanks for this series it's compulsive watching. 👍😍

[@MatteoBussotti]

Hey Pete! Been following your series since Ep.1, and...it's great! Your videos are gold, your advices are useful for everyone, they're thorough, clear and insightful! The thing that struck me the most is that nowadays you find a lot of accomplished musicians holding on to their "secrets" because they're "afraid" of the new generations...and then here you are, with all the tips and tricks that landed you a lot of jobs, available for everyone! So, again, thank you so much, you're a great musician but, most of all, a great human being for doing this!

[@vigilant545]

One of the best music channel on YT!

[@62falconizer]

Great content, man!

[@nuajbalpo]

This video is just a perfect demonstration of professionalism, not just because of the main topic discussed in the video, but also the fact that Pete is showing all of us and teaching in such detailed manner, I guess a magician can reveal his tricks after all. Thanks, Pete! p.s. I need to get back to learning songs this way, used to do it when just starting out and definitely worked wonders for me.

[@PaddyMoore]

Another great set of insights Pete...many thanks. I play in several cover bands and find Transcribe invaluable. Your advice on hunting down live versions of songs you might wish to play is priceless because I have found that, from time to time, the original artist struggles to recreate the studio recording complexity, at which point it is time to select another song to cover in order to save a lot of heartache 😀

[@VonBluesman]

Great video. You are always great at what you do. Thanks.

[@slowpoke7888]

A great series. Much appreciated.

[@chrisjeemusic]

Fantastic video! Extremely helpful, information layed out in thought out manner. I use all of these techniques when learning material so this was great confirmation!

[@Greg-rd8qr]

Awesome, thanks Pete!!!!

[@EdKidgell]

Outstanding info.

[@michaelwade9455]

The Tascam portastudio! Still have my Portastudio 246 from 1986 or 87; countless hours slowing down music to transcribe, ah the good ol days lol!! This is fantastic Pete, what a great lesson, a wealth of information for all of us, bravo!

[@zoga6330]

Great,... when I was trying to play, I used to ffw rww an audio cassette, and struggled to make it right, then I used to play along with any other music on fm radio, than recorded again on cassette and listen to it,... developing inner ear, improvising in different situations... That helped allot, more than tablatures and note scripting.... Best regards Pete, you're great!!!

[@kurtshetler9719]

Nice tip with Transcribe! Exactly what I've been missing. I used to use Logic Pro to change the pitch of songs, and then I bought a Digitech Drop to learn stuff 1/2 step down, but none of it worked nearly as well as Transcribe. So freakin easy. Worth every penny. Such a great series of knowledge drops. Thanks for sharing, Pete. You're a class act.

[@IPushHard]

Took awhile (because I sub to too many channels) but finally subscribed! : ) Another excellent video Pete. Besides being a true guitar hero, you are a great communicator and teacher. This series has been amazing and valuable. Thanks!

[@rockarena666]

Excellent tips!

[@johnnytruck2009]

Good information explained from genuine experience. Learned allot. Thanks!

[@sneifert1968]

Nice job Pete. It’s great today that we have better tools to slow things down. It was a bit of a pain back in the day. You tube is also a great tool to learn songs.

[@MarkPritchardGuitar]

Great advice Pete, this will come in handy when i'm learning songs for my KZbin videos.

[@claytonstringman596]

This is a very valuable video. Being able to learn songs note for note will put you on a path that leads to work.Back in the late eighties and early nineties I bought tab book for Van Halen 1. Sometimes I would work on one measure at a time or just a couple notes. Slowly you'd string it all together and you were playing VH like the record. Really had to take it slow to learn it right. Love listening to EVH slowed down, always makes me feel like Im finding a missing treasure.

[@rocamp56]

Amazing tips. Got transcribe from a tip from you on your Sunday live.Help out a lot and even learn about the karaoke mode which I overlook Learn something new today on your videos. Great series Thank you

[@timojurvelin]

Solid advice! New method for me to learning songs for gigs is lining up the whole set to logic in .mp3 or whatever. Then over those tracks recording in small fragments what would be the ideal perfect take to do every particular song live and then learn that. I always knew this was the best way do it but was too afraid to put in the work, however now I think it might be the quickest and most effective way. Really helps to FEEL what it's like to play a perfect part with varying dynamics, patch changes and all.

[@hochha]

Pete I admire your work ethic and talent, I learn as much from you as I do from Tim Pierce and we all know how much he has to teach.

[@Mindcore777]

Amazing info. Great vid!

[@wangbar1]

I have about 40 tunes to learn in the next few weeks. Most of them were recorded before tuners became popular, so they’re mostly not at concert pitch. Pete’s tip about Seventh String Transcribe software is gonna make my task much easier. Thanks Pete!!!

[@joshuabsmith1991]

Pete you are awesome bud and a great player I liked when you played the Steve Stevens I need to build my song library

[@WiserInTime]

Hang 'em High is one of my favorite songs ever!

[@BillFranco]

Amen on Transcribe, man!! I’ve been using that for a few years and it’s such a phenomenal tool. I won a copy at a Jennifer Batten clinic, and it’s been invaluable to me. “I’m the One,” “Shy Boy,” “King of the Monsters,” et al, have all come within reach. Not to mention hearing chord voicing sad they go by because I have time to really listen. I bought another copy for my laptop as well. Thanks again for the wonderful insights, Pete.

[@javiceres]

That program is great !! Thanks for the tip

[@surfrby8876]

Wonderful video Pete,you're a great teacher, One of the first songs I learned from KZbin was Dear Prudence taught by you back when your hair was long😜that's going back a few years, anyway thanks for all the great videos and Sunday live chats you do, I'm always learning 👍

[@jayguitar]

Really excellent strategies Pete! That’s how I used to learn too! By ear and slowing down in a tape deck that had half speed on it 😃 great memories and training for my ear and learning how to learn songs quickly! That’s how I learnt much of the George Lynch songs and especially the style of playing that I used to teach on KZbin - it allowed me to learn off of the very very fine detail and get the sounds and inflections. And watching the hands on video ( VHS At the time) was such an amazing resource! The amount of info you can pick up just by watching is pretty amazing. And final point taking breaks - this is so something that I teach my students all the time. The brain is like a sponge but it can only absorb so much - once it’s saturated it stops taking in and processing info. So when we take breaks, everything that we have been learning has time to absorb, process and be understood by our minds, which is why it seems easier to play when we go back let’s say the next day 😊 and the music starts to slow down too as we are more familiar with its and don’t have to actively listen out for the notes - we already know them and have internalised 😊🤟🙏awesome info! Thanks again man! You rock. Have an amazing day!

[@robmagrath9162]

Thank you Pete! I can’t believe I haven’t subbed yet. Learned so much from your work. Peace ✌🏻

[@OscillationOverdrive]

Thanks Pete! I've been playing a long time, but still picked up some tips.

[@frannyp46]

The slow down and keeping the pitch is a godsend. I always remember how the hell did Guthrie Govan transcribe Shawn Lanes Get you back for a guitar magazine back in the 90’s.

[@MachineGunManUFMS]

I have been studying my ass off for the bar exam and other assorted professional tests (ask Lari Basilio, she knows it SUCKS! hahaha), and because of that I'm having veeery little time to learn/practice songs or even simply picking up my babies to give them some hard and loud love. These videos have been amazing, but this #5 right here is just GOLD, was needing this one. Thank you so much for the great advices, Pete! Cheers from Brazil :D

[@ShutupAndPlayGuitarTutorials]

Transcribe is great. I use it every day!

[@ruihenig]

Guys, including pete thorn, this guy does the best song tutorials on KZbin! No need for any other channel!

[@uplaywithfire7564]

Man! Always great stuff! Thank you brother musician!

[@PeteThorn]

Thanks Jimmy!

[@descentintozachstrom]

Thanks for the help Pete! 😬

[@jimduffy9773]

Guitar Pro 7 and Ultimate Guitar Tabs can be a shortcut when someone has already broken out a song. Neither are perfect, but can get you close. I am enjoying your videos! It's nice to hear the pros have mere mortal needs, even if they are super guitarists!

[@JoeBoult]

I had to learn Steve Vai's solo in Elephant Gun by David Lee Roth as part of my final essay at university. I put that straight in the amazing slow downer, and by the time I worked it out I could hear every note perfectly, so I absolutely know what you mean in point #2. I would say something to do with being able to predict the notes makes it seem slower? Who knows. Great vid man!

[@adamlonghorn9341]

Hey Pete, this is absolutely awesome!! Quick request for something similar on improving and training your ear. I don’t aspire to be a pro but want to get to be a decent player and this is something I’m struggling with.

[@allancrow134]

This is really good advice. I'm in the same boat regarding reading vs. ear and I started in 1978. Imprinting the song into your memory bank is key. For those just starting out, check out your favourite songs on KZbin. Happy pick'n. :)

[@darrenlucas804]

Super valuable advice, thank you so much!

[@DW-zw2xp]

DW.. Pete, Hi I cut my teeth on 80's music (new wave dance) As I learned the songs in my set list I would take bits of a song and play it over and over. You nailed it.... Songs in whole have a lot going on in them! If I focused on my part in the song (over and over bit by bit) my ears and brain start to click. I could here my part so clearly like slow-mo it will just happen. I have applied these principal's for decades and it works. Over time I have developed an ear for tone as well as playing my part in the song. I hope to all your readers this was helpful.

[@BenK.]

That Robben Ford Telecaster in the bckground!!! :)

[@markhoskins]

I got !Transcribe on your recommendation and it works great! Cheers Pete! :)

[@nevious1982]

KZbin is actually a great tool. You can speed it up or slow it down. You can just tap to move forward or backward.

[@joewilliams5396]

Excellent thanks

[@Sven_59]

I use a combination of Riffstation and KZbin videos to learn songs. Riffstation also allows you to slow down and isolate parts without changing pitch. It also has a tuning function so I'm able to get tracks in tune. I've found that a lot of classic rock music isn't exactly in tune. Thanks for the video Pete, another great one.