learnings songs

im pretty much wondering if learning songs would actually make me a better guitarists.because the other day i went to a party at a friends house and 3 other people there played guitar so we sat down and played.i've only been playing 2 years and im almost certain all of these guys have been playing 4 or more.the thing that surprised me was that i was better than all of them. the best one out of them played a pantera solo(which was good) but couldn't play anything that good when he was improvising.then i started playing and killed a solo right off the top of my head.my thing is this guy said he knows like 50+ songs and i barley know 2 in full.so i was just wondering if learning songs actually matters as far as my technique, and improv. skill go.

btw sry for the long post.

Everyone learns their own way and to the degree they want to attain. Personally, I think learning the techniques and music theory are great for laying the foundation to build upon. Learning songs helps you see how others apply that "foundation."

More concisely, yes, so long as you are also learning techs & theory.

yeah you should learn songs but in doing so learn how they work and the theory behind them. but (here comes the opinionated/truthful part) i wouldn't study pantera songs or really and rock songs(exceptions of course) i would study jazz songs there are many books on the and there called jazz standards. for example Coltrane's "Giant steps" a progression of fifths (ii,V,I) then moving up a third was originally wrote as a training exercise. but you need to learn how to read notation (if you don't all ready) it will help you with understand music better just being able to read and visualize it. then if you did want to play rock song (the kindergartner of music for the most part) all you would need to knew is the tech in which they play the song and the progression(chord changes) and you could rip through em. for example Hendrix's version of Hey Joe. all it is is a progress of major fifths starting on C and going to E. then just know his techs and of course the rhythm.

Transcribing songs is one of the most important things you need to do in order to improve. I'm so surprised at your friend for saying he's learnt that many songs yet doesn't know how to properly mess around. A shame really.

Check out my Transcribing songs lesson: http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/lesson.php?id=122

This should help you to understand why it's important and what you should do during that time.

i haven't looked at much jazz stuff before, i'll try it out.

hmmm i see what your saying. yea i know that examining songs can really help but i was wondering because i know a lot of people like this.i think the guy did mention though that he only knows a handful of scales whereas i know a ton.don't get me wrong though the guy was decent at making up stuff but he wasn't nearly as good as me.

btw are talking about listening to a song and figuring it out by ear? or are you talking about getting a song directly from tab. cause im talking about getting a song from tab.

he probably spent all his time learning songs and never just played around

I don't mean to sound rude, but I question how much you know man. You say you know all these scales, but how have you not understood how they work? Along with TABs which are almost always wrong.

I mean learning by either ear or official notation - then with that notation you could possibly TAB it out, but I strongly encourage you to learn how to read music - you'll seriously benefit from it!

What you need to do is apply these scales into the songs you already know. Understand why this scale goes with it, what the sweet notes are, how chords link to scales - and how to compliment these chords whilst improvising (most important!)

I don't mean learn Jazz, it may be in my name, but I learn many genres. Dive into what YOU love, understand each individual technique you crave to master, any breathtaking melody or pounding beat. It's down to your taste, but everything I've said applies to any possible genre.

Music is becoming far too simple these days and it's a shame, no one will truly understand how to express themselves freely with the way everything's going.

i think your getting my question wrong, im not asking about theory( i can read music for the most part).i know the importance of learning how scales work with chords, how to apply it to improvising, ect. i wasn't claiming to be an expert guitarist or anything i was just asking why do I need to learn songs if i can play well just by learning theory and applying it. see i guess my confusion was that i have seen a bunch of guys who learn from tab and arn't very good at improv. so you suggest learning songs from official notation? and that will make me better? or at least give me more knowledge on how things work?

I agree with Bodom

Ive been playing for 7 years and I just got into soloing

What Ive been doing in the meantime is working on fingerpicking

There are many different techniques and skills with guitar that some might be better at than others, and visa versa

oh im not talking about just soloing, im saying any kind of improv in general. one of them there was really good with making chord progressions(which im not). i was just focusing on the fact that they all basically knew a bunch of songs but couldn't create anything better than me.

sry if my posts sound arrogant or something im not trying to make them like that.and when i said that jazz thing it was because the oter guy suggested it.i love a lot of music haha anything from metal to classical.

i feel i understand what you saying and i recommended learning song but more advance songs then rock (with exceptions of course) that's way i said jazz. and if your what to know more on chord progression look into bebop but study how the song works like the examples i gave. you just have to read notation to learn jazz standards and the tab on the internet will be wrong most jazz book aren't in tab and if they are there dumb because more then likely there simplifying things. and you don't need to what to play jazz to learn from it look at Brent Mason he studied jazz and is an amazing country player just like he set out to be.

and while transcribing has nothing to do with your original topic (sorry jazz it really doesn't) it would be very helpful in your progression as musician as it develops your ear and in jazz specially they do a lot of faking(just having the progression and melody and have to make up the rest) and it requires a very good ear. especially when you got a fancy piano player comping like T. monk

Haha I wasnt trying to sound condecending if thats what it sounded like

Plus dude, we have had some really arrogant guys on here so no worries

i take back my second paragraph. transcribing is about the original topic. i was very tired and wasn't thinking right sorry. i was just trying to make the point to learn complex song and see the theory behind how they work which would involve going into many different genres.



1 most jazz and other complex song structured music is only in notation or if it is in tab it is dumbed down.

2 learning notation will make you better for it allows you to "see" the music so to speak(if you decide on learning it you well see what i mean but in no way feel that it is mandatory just a
recommendation)

3 it will give you more knowledge on how things work


last note, the other reason why i said jazz was because there is more depth books on the subject then any other genre and songs like "giant step" made to original help practice better techniques.