Wanna Learn How to Play "Need You Now" by Lady A? READ ON.

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OKay, First of all. There's your cheat sheet down below if you don't wanna stop and start their CD 20,000 times in each minute. Thank God we don't have to do that with cassette tapes anymore. Well, unless you're Mr. T's cousin or something.

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/l/lady_antebellum/need_you_now_crd.htm

Anyway, bad 80s joke. MOVING ON!

heheh.

So this song shifts back and forth from "F (major)" to "Am (minor)" but it's a little different than other hit songs or smash singles in that - it doesn't have 4 chords for the VERSE of the song. It's simply relying on all the other lead guitar and maybe a Rhodes piano lightly following along with the chord structure.

So play the INTRO with all the filler music along with the CD to get the starting point down solid. Usually, what I do with a cover song when I'm working it out for the first time is:

1) Get used to "the way the chords feel" as they change on the tips of my fingers.
2) You're trying to develop a) muscle memory & b) "sight/eyes" on the left hand.
3) I only STRUM each chord once...
4) Divide your concentration 80% on your left hand 20% for your right hand. Rhythm is secondary to being ON BEAT.
5) On the other 3 beats in a 4/4 time signature - i sing the lyrics real SLOW...
6) Next I process half or all of the next line's LYRICS...
7) Once I get familiar with the VERSES - I practice the 4th verse line and then 1st CHORUS line.
8) After that, I'll "PALM MUTE" the verses and develop a nice, FULL strumming pattern. This ACCENTS and SEPARATES your  structure of the cover.
9) Remember to KEEP YOUR TONE and vocal style.
10) Right hand rhythm DETERMINES your GENRE. (more blogging on this later!)


11) FINALLY, use tricks like STACCATO to beef up your full renditon!  

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