Quick Tip #19: Use Someone Else's Ears (Guitar Lesson QT-019)

In this guitar lesson quick tip we'll explore the idea of using someone else's ear to get you a clearer (or different) perspective on your music!

Taught by Justin Sandercoe.

Full support at the justinguitar web site where you will find hundreds of lessons on a wide range of subjects, and all the scales and chords that you will ever need! There is a great forum too to get help, no matter what the problem.

And it is all totally free, no bull. No sample lessons, no memberships, no free ebook. Just tons of great lessons :)

To get help with this lesson (and for further info and tabs), find the Lesson ID in the video title (like ST-667 or whatever) and then look it up on the Lesson Index page of justinguitar.com

http://www.justinguitar.com

Have fun :)

.

Hi, how are you doing?

Justin here with another quick tip for you,

and today it is "Put on Someone Else's Shoes",

And I don't mean literally putting,

somebody else's shoes on.

That would be a little bit weird!

What I'm talking about here is

getting a different perspective on things.

Now this kinda links back to the idea that I

talked previously about recording yourself

So especially when you're recording yourself,

sometimes it can be difficult

to be objective.

Songwriters have it a lot,

you've written a tune and you're

listening back to it, and you're trying

to figure it out if it's good or if it's not.

There's lots of instances; whether you like

a particular solo, a song,

a bridge, the melody, the sound.

One of the things I find really helpful

I do all the time is

put on somebody's else's shoes,

or more particularly, close to the point,

putting on somebody's else's ears.

So if I'm doing a mix, say,

I imagine myself a good buddy, Reese,

who always used to pull up an amazing mix.

When I'm mixing a song,

after I've done what I think it is,

I'll sit there and go,

"Now what would Reese say?"

I'm trying to listen with his ears,

and I'll go, "He's going to say

that the kick drum's too loud,

or there's not enough sizzle in the hats,

or the guitar's too loud,

or the vocal needs to come up.

By imagining myself being somebody else,

it changes stuff.

It's a really effective tool,

and it's a very odd one.

I found it on a prev record I was doing,

I was working with a producer

who used to call guitar solos

with too many notes "Ernie",

maybe there was too much "Ernie" involved.

So that's something I still use

if I'm recording a guitar solo

for myself or someone else's record,

I'm listening back to it and I'm thinking,

now is there too much "Ernie" in it,

is there too much little widdly bits,

or is it okay?

Because you get attached to stuff,

as a guitar player, I'm like,

that's a really awesome lick,

but you gotta think of it from

the song perspective.

Is that lick fitting the song?

No matter how cool it is,

if it's in the wrong song, it's not cool anymore.

By stepping back out from myself,

and trying to be objective with what I'm doing,

I'm going, okay, is that really

the right thing there?

Is that right or should I change it?

What would Thessa say, with "Ernie"?

For songwriting, it's something I do all the time.

When I'm writing a tune,

and I've recorded it,

I listen back to it,

and I start listening back to it

as if I was other people,

depending on what kind of tune it is,

or how I'm feeling,

or who I'm respecting at the time.

I'm always trying to pick people

that I really respect and whose ears I admire,

and go, well, is that bridge really good enough?

Is it linking in okay?

And I'll be going, well, it is and it isn't,

and of course because I created it,

I'm already attached to it emotionally.

Stepping back and going, okay,

what would James Taylor be thinking,

if he was doing that?

Do you think it would work for him?

Trying to step back away from the things,

it really increases your perspective,

because as musicians,

we get attached to stuff.

I always feel bad

if I'm critiquing somebody's song,

because it's like calling their kid ugly.

No matter how ugly your kids are,

you don't want hear that they're ugly.

They're still beautiful to you,

and it's the same with writing a song.

You're attached to it.

You don't want to hear from somebody

that your song is no good.

So rather than try to embarrass somebody

by asking them for a critique,

you can try and be the critic yourself,

and go, let's get really honest here,

and if I was playing it to this guy,

what would they say?

What would they hear that I'm not hearing?

Is it good enough, really, you know?

This is a really, really cool technique.

I've been using it for 10 or 15 years.

I've been trying to step out

from my own perspective to listen.

It nearly always fixes stuff,

even things that I wouldn't have noticed,

stuff that, maybe because I've played it

and I'm involved, or maybe

I just wouldn't have thought of it,

until I step into that other mode.

Well, I hope this little quick tip

increases your persepective on music.

It's a really cool idea, do give it a try.

I'll see you for plenty more lessons,

and quick tips, and songs,

and all kinds of stuff very soon.

Take care of yourselves, bye bye.