My quest to play like Randy Rhoads

[Aquila Rossa]

This is going to be my Blog about my new quest to play like Randy Rhoads.


Below are my first few mp3s, not good recordings yet, but the playing is getting much better.
This is where your help can be useful.
Point out mistakes that I can't get away with, any missing phrasing, advice on getting it right. Advice with tone and recording and basically anything you can say that will challenge me and assist me in achieving my quest to "play like Randy Rhoads"
This isn't supposed to be too serious but I do really want to play his music really well.

Any requests for other Randy Rhoads solos would be a good incentive for me to get on with learning them.
You could also post your own efforts at playing his music.
Randy Rules!!


Mr Crowley Second Solo Jan 2009:
http://www.box.net/shared/4byujq4ads

(all other clips deleted until I do better versions)


I will add more solos soon and update them with new versions every time I make a big improvement in playing or recording.
Next will be another Mr Crowley First Solo, then Believer Solo, Flying High Again Solo, Revelaltion Mother Earth Solo, Diary of a Madman Solo and Good Bye To Romance Solo as soon as I record better versions than I have now.

At the moment I'm using a Gibson Les Paul Classic, V-amp recording with either backing tracks or Gpro5 to Audacity or cakewalk sonar pro.
My sound card is capable of multi tracking, but I don't know how to get multi tracking working on Vista x64, this is just "what you hear" recording with Audigy 4pro. Damn Vista x64.

[Aquila Rossa]

Bumped because I just totally changed this thread.

[badmotor]

Dirty old Vista.

I'm not much of a lead player at all myself, but your tone is not too bad and it sounds like you have worked out most of the notes. Definitely on the way to your goal.
The one thing that stands out to me that could possibly be worked on, is your phrasing/rhythm - quite a few of your licks were a little out of time with the backing track? It sounds to me like you can't quite hear the tracks you are playing over as you record it... Otherwise awesome. Keep it up.

[shinenz]

Wicked man, sounding awesome. !!!

[Aquila Rossa]

Dirty old Vista.

I'm not much of a lead player at all myself, but your tone is not too bad and it sounds like you have worked out most of the notes. Definitely on the way to your goal.
The one thing that stands out to me that could possibly be worked on, is your phrasing/rhythm - quite a few of your licks were a little out of time with the backing track? It sounds to me like you can't quite hear the tracks you are playing over as you record it... Otherwise awesome. Keep it up.

Thanks.

You are right, I struggle with timing and rythmn and lose my place in the song when I'm playing the solo. I don't seem to be able to hear the beat clearly some days. On bad days I can't even play Paranoid in time, then something just clicks and I start feeling the beat and play in time without having to think about what my fingers are doing. Warming up properly helps alot. This is why I've never been in a band, timing!! Practicing to a metronome helps.

[Aquila Rossa]

Wicked man, sounding awesome. !!!

Thanks Dude,

I have often stopped playing and sold my guitars because I think my playing is crap sometimes.
I got bummed out because my sister said one of my RR solos sounds like Zakk Wilde. The next day a thought that is not such a bad thing I suppose and kept on jammin.

[rickenbackerkid]

RE> timing, I find physical movement helps me, either toe tapping or kind of walking around in sync with music. It connects the tempo I hear to my body, and hey presto, I'm in time.

But I don't play lead, so it might not work for tricky bits?

[Aquila Rossa]

RE> timing, I find physical movement helps me, either toe tapping or kind of walking around in sync with music. It connects the tempo I hear to my body, and hey presto, I'm in time.

But I don't play lead, so it might not work for tricky bits?

I find rythmn often to be more difficult than lead, the timing has to be much more precise.
Walking around the room in sync, lol. I'd trip over something. I do know what you mean though. You have to feel the beat.
This comes easily to some people without effort. I think most people can feel rythmn and play in time, but for me it does not happen until I've warmed up and relaxed my playing style.
This must be why so many say that they play best late at night.

[hamo]

RE> timing, I find physical movement helps me, either toe tapping or kind of walking around in sync with music. It connects the tempo I hear to my body, and hey presto, I'm in time.

But I don't play lead, so it might not work for tricky bits?

I find rythmn often to be more difficult than lead, the timing has to be much more precise.
Walking around the room in sync, lol. I'd trip over something. I do know what you mean though. You have to feel the beat.
This comes easily to some people without effort. I think most people can feel rythmn and play in time, but for me it does not happen until I've warmed up and relaxed my playing style.
This must be why so many say that they play best late at night.

Or boozed

[Ironbird13]

Or boozed

the trick is finding that fine line between not enough and too much

[Aquila Rossa]

Or boozed

the trick is finding that fine line between not enough and too much

Or boozed

the trick is finding that fine line between not enough and too much

I can't play any of the above solos with even the slightest drop of booze in me.
I don't think Randy Rhoads was a pisshead, Dimebag and Zakk Wilde on the other hand.

I'll try to get a new clip up today (Flying High Again Solo), but I don't drink this year so I can't do an A/B test on the effects of drink on timing.

[sambrowne]

RE> timing, I find physical movement helps me, either toe tapping or kind of walking around in sync with music. It connects the tempo I hear to my body, and hey presto, I'm in time.

But I don't play lead, so it might not work for tricky bits?

I find rythmn often to be more difficult than lead, the timing has to be much more precise.
Walking around the room in sync, lol. I'd trip over something. I do know what you mean though. You have to feel the beat.
This comes easily to some people without effort. I think most people can feel rythmn and play in time, but for me it does not happen until I've warmed up and relaxed my playing style.
This must be why so many say that they play best late at night.

I would have to disagree with this. Both rhythm and lead are equally demanding really, but it might seem like rhythm is more demanding because like a lot of metal guys you've (probably) spent most of your playing career working on licks and runs rather than just strumming away. Equally, I hear lots of lead based guys who can get the notes down of their heroes and play fast but they lack the rhythmic punch of a player with a lot of rhythmic understanding (aka feel). Good players don't always have flashy moves but they will always have their rhythm down whether playing rhythm or lead.

[dayl]

but I don't drink this year so I can't do an A/B test on the effects of drink on timing.

Not your timing so much but your phrasing i.e your flow will become more 'slurred'

[Aquila Rossa]

RE> timing, I find physical movement helps me, either toe tapping or kind of walking around in sync with music. It connects the tempo I hear to my body, and hey presto, I'm in time.

But I don't play lead, so it might not work for tricky bits?

I find rythmn often to be more difficult than lead, the timing has to be much more precise.
Walking around the room in sync, lol. I'd trip over something. I do know what you mean though. You have to feel the beat.
This comes easily to some people without effort. I think most people can feel rythmn and play in time, but for me it does not happen until I've warmed up and relaxed my playing style.
This must be why so many say that they play best late at night.

I would have to disagree with this. Both rhythm and lead are equally demanding really, but it might seem like rhythm is more demanding because like a lot of metal guys you've (probably) spent most of your playing career working on licks and runs rather than just strumming away. Equally, I hear lots of lead based guys who can get the notes down of their heroes and play fast but they lack the rhythmic punch of a player with a lot of rhythmic understanding (aka feel). Good players don't always have flashy moves but they will always have their rhythm down whether playing rhythm or lead.

For me rythmn parts can be harder to play well. Yes i DO spend more time practicing solo's than the accompaning "rythmn" parts.
I also find I play the solo better if I have played the preceeding rythmn parts first. Usually, then the solo will be tighter with better timing and phrasing, more "feel" as you put it. Without any rythmn a melody makes no musical sense.

The good thing about Randy Rhoads is he was a very solid rythmn player who had neat sounding fills and "flashy moves" incorperated into his rythmn stlye. He was a very complete player and musician.
This is why I'm commited to studying his work and learning to play it well.

[thehenderson]