-= Building a Guitar from Scratch with Absolutely No Woodworking Experience =-

welcome to the CF Rocksmith 2014 Championship

-= Week 174 =-

 

READ THIS FIRST =>> How and Why to Join the Championships

Read this second =>> Rocksmith 2014 Championship Rules

 

Last weeks winners:

• Lead:

Beginner:        @mackaybre
Intermediate:   @MonstaS4
Advanced :     @MaZtoR
MasterClass:   @JokerTheAnarchist

 

GOG:   NW

• Rhythm:

Beginner:        @missis sumner

Intermediate:   
Advanced:      @Mortalo
Masterclass:    NA

• Bass: 

Beginner:           @Riffengud

Intermediate:     

Intermediate 2:              

Advanced 2:        @missis sumner   
Masterclass:      @JokerTheAnarchist

 

Congrats to all winners. Well done!

 

 

This week songs are

 

 

Lead Path:

Beginner:         Fountains of Wayne - Stacey's Mom  (3) choosen by 

Intermediate:    Yellowcard - Always Summer          (5) choosen by @Vodka

Advanced:        RHCP - Dani California                    (7) choosen by @lduperval

MasterClass:    Blaze - Stare at the Sun                   (9) choosen by @Mortalo

 

Rhythm Path:

Beginner:           Fountains of Wayne - Stacey's Mom  (3)

Intermediate       Yellowcard - Always Summer          (4)

Advanced:         Metallica - The Thing That Should Not Be   (6) (Dstd) (@Nacholede`s version.

Masterclass:      Blaze - Stare at the Sun                  (8)

 

Bass Path:
Beginner:            Fountains of Wayne - Stacey's Mom  (3)

Intermediate :      Yellowcard - Always Summer          (6)

Advanced:          RHCP - Dani California                    (7) 

Masterclass :     Blaze - Stare at the Sun                    (9)

 

 

Da capo Lead path  songs from 58th week  : Metallica - The Thing That Should Not Be (7-8) (@Nacholede`s version.

 

GOG:   NA

 

Share with us your opinion on this weeks songs difficulty scores (1-10).

 
Exercise Challenges:

1st Exercise: Blues Comping 1 in A major shuffle
2nd Exercise: Blues Comping 2 in A major - straight 8ths
3rd Exercise: Blues Comping 3 in G major (funky)
4rd Exercise: Blues Comping 4 in E major (shuffle)

Everyone can bring up new scores that will be added to the  exercises scoreboards
  
Honorable list Diehard Member:

(draft)

• bruce717
• Fraggle Baggle
• fraMTK
• Gamut
• Hawckins
• Hughmonty
• iminashi
• JokerTheAnarchist
• klaw
• MaZtoR
• missis sumner
• MonstaS4
• Mortalo
• Nacholede
• oler1970
• Rcrai
• RealityPixels
• Rodman
• six_string_ninja
• sushicat2112
• Telboy13
• ThugRaven
• tupoloflyer
• Vodka

Classless, Fearless FreeBird Members in their endless battle with the fb police:

• 2groggy
• fripponomic
• NoonyDeloony
• Steven Briquette

 

P.s. Please, see changes in Championship Class Lists!

 

Rock On!

@shaggy_malagy    Looks like you edited your post on week 172 with the updated score, that is a bad idea since there is a big chance that the organizers miss that.  Its better to just make a new post.

I'm absolutely full of cold.  I managed to stop sneezing long enough to do this:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B49Qq-EFnmrKeGRqQnRqc1hGRjA/view?usp=sharing

 

 

Dani California - Bass

98.01 % - 207 streak - 1,153,850

 

http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/172664267729179501/6FBDAB8AC60E39B2A31AE5B4D6D5DF5E85992F5F/

With that section of Stare At the Sun, I'd agree that the way it's charted is roughly the best way to play it (I might disagree about some of the fingerings, but that's another thing). If the 11-16 stretch is a bit much I'd probably either try moving it to the E string (16-21, or if you don't have a 21st fret barring the 16th and playing the high note there). It's a fairly tricky riff, but it's mostly in the handshaping (which most bassists aren't especially used to) since the plucking pattern is fairly simple and familiar (root-fifth-octave then mostly raking). Anyway, here's my best go at it, after a bit of practice on that riff:

 

 

I like your shifting the whole sequence 1 string lower to the E-string and moving everything from frets 16-21. My Strat has 21 frets so it works for me. Being less familiar with basses than guitars, is it unusual for basses to have less than 21 frets? I never knew that bass players weren't particularly keen on handshapes. Would you go as far as to say that there should be no handshape in a bass arrangement and that I should remove it? I really felt it was simpler to play and sight read this way, but not being a bassist, I can certainly be wrong.

 

I suppose for people with smaller hands I can create an alternate version of my custom using your E16-21 idea.

 

Not sure I understand "or if you don't have a 21st fret barring the 16th and playing the high note there"

 

I am curious, with my current authoring, what is your preferred handshape. I am guessing using the ring finger to barre the D and G string at the 13th fret, and using the pinky for the G15 and G16 notes.

@@Berneer - When I was talking about handshapes, I wasn't necessarily talking about the handshape function in Rocksmith, but rather handshaping as in getting specific fingers to specific frets and keeping them there. On bass you can play probably 99% of things while only knowing and using the power chord handshape (especially common in Iron Maiden stuff). It's pretty unusual to have to use anything other than that. I think having the handshapes makes things a bit easier to read (not necessarily sightread, but digest when you're going through it more slowly when in riff repeater).

 

That said, when you're getting used to playing bass in Rocksmith there can definitely be a bit of a freakout moment when you see arpeggios or handshapes for the first time (I remember my reaction when playing the solo section of The Trooper), but I think almost everyone would agree that once you get used to them they're very helpful. Put an alternate way, they might make a sightread somewhat harder for some people, but they make mastering the song much easier.

 

As for basses having fewer frets I think there are a fair number of pretty common models that only have 20 frets (jazz bass, precision bass, Rickenbackers, to name a few everyone will know). By barring the 16th fret I mean playing the high B at the 16th fret of the G (which would be the only real way to play it on a 20 fret instrument up there, as it doesn't seem very feasible to fret it another way ).

 

For my preferred handshape, I think I held the power chord shape with 1-2-3 and then used my pinky to reach the high notes. If I barred with my middle finger my ring finger had a tendency to get in the way (otherwise that probably would have been my preference), and of the other configurations I found it most natural that way when having to "pivot" to make the stretch to the 16th fret and return from it. I wouldn't be very surprised if other people disagreed, though.

Thanks so much for that info @@albatross213!

 

This morning I prepared two alternate versions but I'll only have time to test them tonight to make sure nothing got inadvertently broken when I made the changes. I did load them and look quickly in-game and the revised sections seem free of errors. Deeper check tonight. In case anyone would like them now, here they are.

 

Like this the bassist can choose her/his preference.

 

Sorry, if I am hijacking the thread for other than scores. I just want you guys to have a great time with it.

hope I'll find some time this week for playing any of the songs, cool choices

Yo, back ;)

 

Poor me was stuck high alpine snowboarding with stunning weather but neither guitar nor internet for the week... ^_^

 

http://up.picr.de/28388315ob.jpg

 

Still the first in over 135 weeks i didn´t post my scores [nodshead]

 

Here is delayed last weeks leaderboard update

 

 

-= weekly leaderboard update =-

 

leader changes:

@@MonstaS4 - Int Lead

 

Great playing everyone!

 

http://up.picr.de/28388419fq.jpg

Let us rock!!!

 

http://i.imgur.com/xt96Zo7.jpg

Not that easy.

 

http://i.imgur.com/UsrL9Cr.jpg

Octave chord won't register. I blame the muted D string in the middle, it was always causing recognition issues.

 

http://i.imgur.com/gJQvMEY.jpg

I played it few times in Rock Band, as my cousin is RHCP fan. It wasn't unenjoyable on plastic guitar, it is on real one.

 

http://i.imgur.com/KKZ09Dl.jpg

!

 

http://i.imgur.com/x6d4Ykl.jpg

Yay! More time and I will 100% it. Way to go is to memorize the pattern and play with looking on the fretboard (crazy, right?).

Hi all,

Is anyone having trouble with the Yellow card lead ?

 

I can't get any of the A Dx G chords to register, I think it starts on the 7th fret.

 

I've tried everything but can't get the bugger to register.

 

Good song though.

Edging closer:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B49Qq-EFnmrKLUctXy1Md0gxeU0/view?usp=sharing

 

This song isn't really a 7, though, is it? ;)

I've got serious work to do this week if I'm going to hit 97%! Only hitting 57.7% in LOS (without much in the purple)! =)

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0ChgIR6P5iyS3VvQXY0XzI1ZWs/view?usp=sharing

So I had a playthough of all arrangments on both alternate versions of Stare at the Sun, due to the bass slight variances I made and mentionned earlier and posted in post #32. For Alternate 1 (6-fret sections - same frets, different fingering) I noticed this morning one odd, accidental, addition of an E6 amidst a bunch of repeated A2's. So I fixed that and replaced the link. I see one person downloaded it, so you'd best re-download. Sorry. I had to rush to get it out. Should be good now.

 

I regressed on my CS playthough's on Lead and Bass, but improved on Rhythm....  I need a day off work to really improve my score... :)

 

http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Berneer/CustomsForge%20Championship/Week%20174%20-%20Ending%2025Feb2017/Blaze%20-%20Rhythm%20-%20Attempt%202_zpsv660bijq.png

http://i66.tinypic.com/2hczyhk.jpg

 

http://i68.tinypic.com/slsccj.jpg

 

good evening

http://i.imgur.com/YIM0fhM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Li0pjPN.jpg

First scores of the week.....

 

Staceys Mom..... thanks for choosing my song this week,

 

 

 

 

this wasn't an easy song, but i  hope to get better but no time this week as i'm going away for the weekend.

Next on to Yellow Card,

 

i have never heard of these until @@Vodka mentioned them a few times, i love this track but i'm struggling with the octave chords in the lead arrangement....they won't bloody register...

 

 

 

given time i think i could nail the bass and rhythm ......

 

 

 

but that might have to be another time......

 

nighty night

OMG, I just rented a United States Fender Precision Bass just for fun. Brought my score down by 7%  in Stare at the Sun for Bass. 

 

But it was fun to play this behemoth instrument with huge fret separations and put my every fret change into question.

 

I could definately see now the appeal of playing bass, and of playing those sick galloping Steve Harris baselines like a badass!

 

After playing Stare at the Sun my strumming fingers feel absolutely exhausted LOL.

 

Well, now I know what my next purchase is going to be! And it is nice and slim enough to hide under the sofa when my wife ventures close-by .... 'Oh no honey, it's something RS calls "emulated base". Still my same ol' guiitar. Cool huh?'

 

Took her 6 months to notice my Line 6 Helix effects pedalboard while vacuuming. Then I giddily scolded her for waiting 6 months to pass the vacuum cleaner under the sofa. Ah love and the games we play... nothing must get in the way of music.

@@Berneer that's the power of Championship. We WILL make you buy the bass! :lol:

 

PS. I'm too sane to play Steve Harris basslines with fingers.

@@Berneer didn't take long to get the Epiphone Thunderbird bass once I joined the championship..... never looked back

My scores for this week:  Always Summer, and Stacy's Mom.  I'll try and improve on Summer later today or tomorrow.  

 

For some reason, my dog started licking my foot about half way through playing Stacy's Mom.  Not sure if she was trying to help me or if she was trying to distract me.  Or maybe she just doesn't want me to play that song anymore?      

http://i.imgur.com/sSC87OP.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/fHZjSpZ.jpg

If I've had played with pick I would score better, but if you want any kind of fun playing RHCP, you need to play bass with fingers. But where are all those slaps that you would expect from Flea?

 

 

 

If I've had played with pick I would score better, but if you want any kind of fun playing RHCP, you need to play bass with fingers. But where are all those slaps that you would expect from Flea?

 

No slaps from me but plenty of thumping plucking fingers.  And my fingers are sore.  I've had to play everything else this week with a pick.  :lol:

 

Mind you, should "Dosed" actually be played with a pick anyway?

Lol sore fingers here too!   :D  Since I'm making zero progress on Dani California (a song I already play every day so I've plateaued) I've started attempting some of the slappier RHCP songs (very, very badly!).  All the popping though....I've worn through three fingers! :o  :lol:

 

@@Berneer  Welcome to the phat end!  Glad you see why we love it so much, emulated just doesn't compare does it? :)