“Blackbird” came on Pandora “radio” the other night, as my wife and I drove home from a long road trip to Central Pennsylvania. I cringed. I’d just cringed for the previous song, an REM song, I believe. For my wife, this second cringe was one cringe too many. “What’s your problem with this song?” she made the mistake of asking, as I reached for the SKIP button. In an extraordinarily rare moment of compassion and maturity I left my answer at, “I don’t know, that’s one of my least-favorite Beatles songs.”
Of course I know exactly why this essentially solo, fingerpicking, tender love song by McCartney ranks among my 5 Least Favorite Beatles Songs (excluding throwaways like “Wild Honey Pie,” which aren’t worth ranking): It makes me feel inadequate.
I never took the time to learn much fingerpicking, and “Blackbird” was a song most young guitarists took the time to figure out. As with harmony singing and writing love songs, I found it easier to skip working on the song’s intro and, instead, consider those who were working on it a bunch of “kiss asses.” In retrospect, this was not a good move on my part.
Guys who did take the time to figure out the intro to “Blackbird” took great pride in their work, which in retrospect and from my current state of maturity, was well deserved. They had a habit of wanting to show off their accomplishments whenever in the unexpected presence of an acoustic guitar, frequently pulling a chair out in front of me, resting their right foot on it, and propping the guitar on their knee as they leaned forward and looked me right in the eye, desparately seeking my approval. I’d do my best to feign appreciation and even wonderment, but an inner sense of dread grew as each fingerpicked measure proceeded.
“I’ll never take the time to figure out this song,” I’d think.
“I don’t even like it,” I’d remind myself.
Then the the thought that always came to mind popped into my head, the thought that made me feel completely inadequate: “Girls seem to like that song. This asshole’s going to impress a girl by having learned that song. What girl is going to be impressed by my ability to play ‘Clash City Rockers’?”
Thirty years later, even with my wife of 20 years sitting beside me, a woman who just a few years after having developed this inadequacy was impressed by my ability to play Buzzcocks and Stooges covers with my friends, I still feel inadequate in the presence of “Blackbird.” It represents too many avenues I simply chose to avoid.
“Blackbird” isn’t a love song – it’s an exhortative “rise up against the odds” song. Somewhat trite and precious, but both the Beatles and Paul have done worse.
Listening to Keith Emerson makes me feel inadequate as a keyboard player. I have to live with the fact that I’ll never have his ability, even if too often his mad skills were put in the service of empty prog bombast.
Oh, and the clip of the small child on the guitar makes me feel inadequate too. And I don’t even play guitar.
I haven’t played in years, and played classical piano to boot, but Professor Longhair makes me feel inadequate.
I learned to play “Blackbird” starting out on the guitar, and it sounds more impressive than it really is: just a simple exercise derived from a classical-sounding chord progression. Often used to show off for non-guitar players (like playing the intro to “Roundabout,” “Stairway to Heaven”).
I have nothing against the song–I like McCartney’s understated vocal.
Richard Thompson plagues my conscience: turn down the distortion and play clean leads. But Jimmy Page always lures me back to the dark side.
Mod, does this all have something to do with your groin pull? Hey, everybody, can we organize a group hug for the Big Guy and let him know that It’s Gonna Be All Right and that It’s Ok and We Value You for What You Are and We’re Sure Your Wife and Family Think You’re Just Great and all that Happy Stuff?
Anyway, I can’t think of any music that makes me feel inadequate, but I’ve never had aspirations to be a musician.
I’ve been trying for about 15 or 20 years to play that classic rock guitar riff that goes “deedley deedley dee”. Richard Lloyd plays it at the end of the See No Evil lead. I understand HOW to play it but I can not execute it for the life of me.
My grandmother had no idea who Led Zeppelin was and I doubt she had never heard Stairway to Heaven. She was, however, fully aware (thanks to my brothers) of the fact that I could never sort out how to play that song on the guitar and she was not above busting my balls about it.
Blackbird reminds me of a time when I did learn all of the “obvious” songs on guitar (the fancy intros). My summer camp was filled with musicians and we all learned how to play Alice’s Restaurant, Closer to the Heart, Blackbird, Stairway….good times (and this was in the mid 80’s)
Later I tried to teach them to some of my guitar novice friends. We named the “TAKE these BROKEN wings, LEARN to FLY” chords “Fred” and “Ethyl” since I had no idea what they were called. I still sing “Fred, Ethyl, Fred,Ethyl” to mysef when I play this song.
The ones I never learned were the basslines for Led Zeppelin songs. Jammming with guys who knew them note for note did make me feel inadequate at the time, but now I see that I spend my time properly developing my own style rather than aping other players…. who wants to play the middle part of Dazed And Confused note-for-note anyway??
Mr. Mod I hope you are resting that groin pull for the playoffs.
I spent twenty years trying to figure out any of the notes in any of the chords Jimmy Page is playing in Kashmir, let alone how to play them. Even when I found out it’s in an open tuning I still couldn’t get close. Still can’t. I tried to copy a Robert Fripp run the other night, and it didn’t even sound as if I was playing the same instrument.
Oh well, back to jamming with our daughter on Kumbaya…
You know it, funoka. If the playoffs started today I wouldn’t be able to spring out of my seat and high five my fellow Phillies fans. I need to get better by this weekend!
I need to know whether I, too, can deedley deedley dee. Can you name some more songs where it makes an appearance?
I had a fascinating moment of rock inadequacy the other night as I sat there listening to, and playing along with, Carlos Santana. I’ve been playing guitar for 31 years now, and — if only for that reason — I’m a pretty good (not great, but pretty good) picker. I knew all the solos I was listening to by heart (off of the “Moonflower” LP, which I played to death in junior high). This was going to be easy.
As a 16 year-old guitar player, I would try to play along with this album, to go “tweedley tweedley twee” along with Carlos — and I couldn’t. I just didn’t have the chops. The other night was probably the *first time* I re-approached that music with my 31 years of playing experience under my belt. I really expected to be able to at least muddle along. I mean — leaving aside the issue of how well I knew the solos I wanted to ape — Carlos Santana ain’t no Eddie Van Halen. He ain’t fast, and he ain’t overly complex.
WRONG! Boy, was he talented and/or did I suck! After about three songs of inept doodling, I set the guitar aside and apologized to my wife for totally underestimating Carlos’ chops. I was made to feel wholly inadequate, and I went back to playing along with some old Fab T-Birds albums. My raging guitar hero boner totally wilted; it was sad.
Sometimes part of a song just pops out when I sit down at an instrument but I’m too lazy to figure out the rest. Intros to Bowie’s “Time” and “Lady Stardust” come to mind. The piano equivalent of “Blackbird” might be “Martha My Dear.” Saw a friend, who does not really play, sit down at play “Martha” and I felt inadequate – he just took the time to work it out and I never have and it’s not high on the priority list.
It also happens at the end of the lead for We’re an American Band by Grand Funk Railroad. It’s really a stock, 70’s guitar god move, so I’ll try to think up other examples.
And “deedley deedley dee” isn’t really accurate. It starts with a bend on the g string and then goes into a repetitive cycle of “deedle a da, deedle a da…”
Your Martha experience is more like mine with Blackbird. I’ve seen guys pick up an acoustic and play Blackbird to impress people, but they literally could not play any other songs. This does not make me feel inadequate.
I play rock drums fairly adequately, but I can’t really play a shuffle properly. So when I hear someone who really knows how to play a shuffle (that guy in the T-Birds comes to mind) I feel inadequate as a drummer. I can’t really do a press roll either. Hey, this thread is making me feel inadequate!
I think what you’re talking about is what i think of as ‘the Chuck Berry lick.’ You bend the G string up a full step to the point where it equals the note you’re holding down on the B string, but you’re also holding down the E string in the same position as the B string. Does that make sense? It’s basically the same riff Chuck Berry plays in between singing “Go Johnny Go,” but tarted up with repetition and distortion.
I think what cdm is referring to also includes a hammer-on on the B string. Ace Frehley did a lot of this.
That’s a cool story. I hadn’t thought about the equivalents of “Blackbird” on other instruments.
Doesn’t that move you’re describing signal the final frontier of the “Freebird” ending solo?
I know that Chuck Berry riff and abuse it quite frequently. HVB is correct, it has a hammer-on the b string but first you bend the g up to the same pitch as the e. And yes, Ace did it a lot. That may be where I first became enamored with it.
Mod, I don’t think I can sit through that entire lead in order to confirm your suspicion. I can’t think of a specific song but Angus Young must play that riff at some point.
i stopped focusing on learning other people’s stuff pretty early on in my musical life. i can play guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and some other instruments and i can sing too. I’m not that great at any of them, but i’m ok with that. However, any form of bluegrass makes me feel like a non musician. not only could i never play any of that stuff, i don’t even know where it’s going. i can’t even really tap my foot to it with any confidence. therefore, i fear it.
If it makes you feel any better, Fripp also uses an alternate tuning. Of his own invention, even!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_standard_tuning
I like “Blackbird”…just sayin’.
I never learned to play guitar properly. When I was first learning, I’d announce to people I wanted to play the acoustic guitar part at the end of “Sister Disco” (3:36 in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz3gpKCjRTM). I never got there and regret it every time I hear this song.
Franz Listz makes me feel inadequate. There is a huge difference between “hard to play” and “hard to learn”. If the effort is made, hard becomes easy. Even after years of learning, “Liebestraum” is still hard. It just is. I’d give my right nu… er.. arm to be able to hear in my minds ear the things he wrote.
Stevie Wonder also makes me feel inadequate as a songwriter. Not because he’s a great songwriter (he is) but because he’s a great singer. I’m not. If I had his voice it would be an awesome tool for songwriting. Luckily, I realize if I had to sing what I wrote, it would dramatically hurt my writing. Better to write for others who can sing.
I should also give props to Sungha, I’m so inadequate.
You learn Blackbird, I’ll take the time to learn Martha. Why not take this on and get over it?
Note to Mod and RTH lexicographers: please add “raging guitar hero boner” to list of sanctioned RTH vocabulary.
PIece of cake! Next…