Hi Brian,
I am a long time fan of yours. I have two questions for you.
Where can I get the lyrics for Kix Are For Kids and if you
don't read music how do you learn the songs? Do you make up
leads as you go? I wish I understood more about playing by ear.
Thanks for any info you can give me.
A fan...
—Dave Wilson
Dave,
If you go to The Ultimate Kix Site lyrics page, you'll find the lyrics to Kix Are For Kids. The only problem is they aren't right. I'm assuming these lyrics were taken from the Japanese import CD that are so wrong it's hilarious. You'd probably be better off figuring them out on your own.
As far as playing by ear... it all comes with experience. I listen to a song or piece of music and first of all figure out what key it's being played in. I can hear by the tone of the notes where it's being played on the neck. If it's simple rhythm guitar, I just find the root note of each chord then decide if it's major, minor, or a 7th chord or whatever. It's kind of hard to explain playing by ear without demonstrating it. It's not that hard if you've been playing for a while and know your chords and scales. For solos it's the same thing, if you're learning someone else's solo. For my own solos I play whatever comes to me at that moment. I have my reflex licks and lead patterns that I follow but ultimately if I'm feeling inspired, it comes from the heart.
— Brian