Imagine

[nroberts]

Has anyone else tried this lesson? I just did and it just seems off to me. I even tried it on piano as it is written in that lesson and it didn't sound right at all. Are we sure about the chords there?

[Musenfreund]

I've not played David's arrangement yet, but he has transposed the song. Lennon recorded it in C but David's arrangement is in D. Could that account for what you're hearing?

[Orlando]

Yep, sounded a bit 'too' different to me also. Ths is a rare occasion where I'll stick to my version as opposed to adopting David's. Still, there is plenty in the lesson to be going on with, which is the main point of it.

[Musenfreund]

Mikespe asks:

I am thinking of starting the lesson by David Hodge "Imagine"...looking at the tab it looks like he is fingerpicking but it sounds more like a pick...

What way should I learn this song in?...I know it's up to me but I just want to know HOW the lesson was played..

Thanks

[Musenfreund]

I think David does indicate in the lesson that he's fingerpicking.

[dhodge]

I'll have to go dig up the original MP3 recordings (I can't download from the computer) and see, but if I recall correctly, I think that it's fingerpicking throughout except for the final MP3, which is on the twelve string. I believe (and I think the MP3 says so) that I used a pick on that one. But I could very well be wrong.

As to how one should learn the lesson, either way is fine. When I perform this in public, my decision to use a pick or fingerpick is usually determined by matters that don't have anything to do with the song (or any song, for that matter). Things like the sound system, the place in which I'm playing, which guitar I have, the mood I'm in, how much my fingers hurt...

So personally (obviously! ) I think that it's important to be able to play any song you know in many different ways, simply because you never know in what circumstances you might want to play it.
But, as I said, that's just me...

I'll let you know for certain when I dig up the files...

Peace

[Leftyrocks]

i haven't played through your arrangement , i played it according to the standard recording using Fchord as so on.

For creating the piano type effect , i fingerpick the chords(i mean chords not one note at a time) and them mainly at the bass strings.It sounds pretty nice.

I have printed out 19 pages of imagine by you , and now only i have to try them according to you.(i also have give a litte bit )

[lars]

Nice lesson - I've allways meant too that Imagine is a "piano song" I've realised now that that is just an excuse for songs I'm not capable of playing...

- But it didn't really sounded the way I wanted it to do (i.e. my playing of David's lesson didn't - the mp3s do not seem to work??)

Found out that I had to "invent" some chord fingering for the G chord to make it work -

D9 xx0320
D9+7(?) : xx0220
G9 3x0423 (Thumb on 6th string muting 5th string)



|-0------0-----0-----0--------3-------3-----3----------------
|-3------3-----3-----2--------2-------2-----2-----0--2--3 --
|-2--2------2----2---2--2----4----4-----4-----4-----------
|-0----------------------------0------------------------------
|-------------------------------x-----------------------------
|-------------------------------3-----------------------------
Think this sounds OK...

The rest of it in original version sounds terrific!

Thanks
Lars

[pearlthekat]

it doesn't sound like imagine in some places but it still sounds great so i'm ok with it!

[pearlthekat]

i'm back to relearning this song and now i have a question. dave is using a twelve string and i'm not. i'm wondering how i can make this song sound more..."musical" on a six string, as written by dave.

i know it's my playing thats lacking, not dave's version of the song. i'm able to play it and it comes out sounding like someone who can play it competently but no more than that. i don't know if you can quite get what i mean. in any case if anyone has any ideas, lemme know.

[dhodge]

Hi Pearl

I'm glad to hear that it's coming along. But now that you've got the notes, you've discovered the hard part of making it sound easy!

Seriously, the next goal is to make it sound more musical, and to do that you've got to loosen up a bit. Be aware of keeping time, but don't get locked into a kind of metronome thing as much as getting locked in a "groove." I know that sounds incredibly vague (not to mention new-age-ish), but it's the best way I've come up with describing it. At least so far, I'll keep working on it.

One thing that seems to help students is to be able to close one's eyes and just kind of let the music float along. Again, I know it's vague, but I'll try to come up with a better explanation.

Be chatting with you a bit more in a bit...

Peace

[scr@tchy]

If you want to play it in key, this has always got me good compliments at solo acoustic gigs.
You could play it like I do, fingerstyle plucking with all four fingers on the C/G and thumb
for the E and A strings, or it sounds just as good with a pick. You don't have to keep the
bass notes in that order or alternating, I sing when I play this and sometime don't always
alternate the bass here and there:




--0-----0------0------0-----1-----1------1----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--1-----1------1------0^1--1-----1------1-------------0--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--0-----0------0------0-----2-----2------2------2^3--(Let "3" and "0" ring together to get piano-y)-----------------------------
--2-----2------2------2---------------3--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------3-------------------3-------------3-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----3-------------3----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------