To any beginners out there, bookmark this video. Pete just gave you a treasure trove of information to become an accomplished guitarist.

Another trick that has helped me over the years is to learn the bass line (or acoustic, if any). For some reason my brain can hear the guitar parts much more clearly when I'm focused on learning another instrument's parts. Then when I go back to learn the guitar parts, half the work is done, and the brain quickly zeros in.

Pete I have a gig on May 1 with 2 rehearsals prior to that. I’m going to use your techniques to learn the songs prior to the first rehearsal !

Every time I watch one of these videos I think, where was Pete when I was coming up! But I think we are around the same age so he was fumbling with cassettes and records and living in the dark ages as well. I love this video series Pete, very helpful no matter where someone is in their career.

I've used transcribe for many years as a song learning tool. It's also great for pitching a song up to standard tuning, instead of having to have a guitar tuned to Eb. Nice to see someone else who uses this program!

This video is just a perfect demonstration of professionalism, not just because of the main topic discussed in the video, but also the fact that Pete is showing all of us and teaching in such detailed manner, I guess a magician can reveal his tricks after all. Thanks, Pete! p.s. I need to get back to learning songs this way, used to do it when just starting out and definitely worked wonders for me.

09:15 "Check this out, what it sounds like slowed down to 50%." Sounds like me at regular speed. Seriously though, it is remarkable and perspective-changing to see someone like Pete Thorn going to these lengths on behalf of his craft. Thanks for sharing, Pete. We tend to forget that "people like you" actually slow down and loop other people's parts.

You are not a poor reader Pete, you are a great internaliser and delivery man. I once watched a video where classical musicians who read like hawks , but are riveted to there seats and sheet music. Imagine being an actor and playing your part with the script constantly in your hand. Liberation is what we want to aim for.

The Tascam portastudio! Still have my Portastudio 246 from 1986 or 87; countless hours slowing down music to transcribe, ah the good ol days lol!! This is fantastic Pete, what a great lesson, a wealth of information for all of us, bravo!

Saints and Sinners! The material in this video is worth a private lesson. Memorizing songs has been a lifelong struggle. I've gone back to learning the progression and counting. Many thanks for your time to post this video.

Transcribe is great. I use it every day!

Pete I admire your work ethic and talent, I learn as much from you as I do from Tim Pierce and we all know how much he has to teach.

DW.. Pete, Hi I cut my teeth on 80's music (new wave dance) As I learned the songs in my set list I would take bits of a song and play it over and over. You nailed it.... Songs in whole have a lot going on in them! If I focused on my part in the song (over and over bit by bit) my ears and brain start to click. I could here my part so clearly like slow-mo it will just happen. I have applied these principal's for decades and it works. Over time I have developed an ear for tone as well as playing my part in the song. I hope to all your readers this was helpful.

Love all you do Pete! Transcribe is a godsend when it comes to learning new tunes. Great call out! Wish it existed back in the 80's and 90's!

Whether I have to learn one song or a group of them, I do much of my blocking, memorizing, and structure memorization without my guitar in sight. I let go of all casual music listening. My listening world becomes only the songs I'm learning. I do a tremendous amount of learning a song just listening while I commute in the car. By the time I do pick up my guitar, I'm more than half way there. I'm a vocalist too so that's double the homework. Vocal inflections stick in my brain like landmarks on a road trip. The last piece of advice I can say is something I don't easily follow; don't procrastinate. Waiting and cramming can work but it's not the easiest way. Pete, you're just awesome. Thanks for all your thoughtful videos and immense talent!

Great,... when I was trying to play, I used to ffw rww an audio cassette, and struggled to make it right, then I used to play along with any other music on fm radio, than recorded again on cassette and listen to it,... developing inner ear, improvising in different situations... That helped allot, more than tablatures and note scripting.... Best regards Pete, you're great!!!

I use Audacity (free software) to slow down music and keep it on pitch as I'm learning a new piece. I hadn't used it to learn music, but you had mentioned slowing the music with software to learn licks. Thanks for all your tips, Pete.

The solid wisdom and experience of Pete Thorn for all to see. Thanks man you truly ROCK on multiple levels!

I used Transcribe for 7 years and never suspected the existence karaoke mode lol...

Amen on Transcribe, man!! I’ve been using that for a few years and it’s such a phenomenal tool. I won a copy at a Jennifer Batten clinic, and it’s been invaluable to me. “I’m the One,” “Shy Boy,” “King of the Monsters,” et al, have all come within reach. Not to mention hearing chord voicing sad they go by because I have time to really listen. I bought another copy for my laptop as well. Thanks again for the wonderful insights, Pete.

This is a very valuable video. Being able to learn songs note for note will put you on a path that leads to work.Back in the late eighties and early nineties I bought tab book for Van Halen 1. Sometimes I would work on one measure at a time or just a couple notes. Slowly you'd string it all together and you were playing VH like the record. Really had to take it slow to learn it right. Love listening to EVH slowed down, always makes me feel like Im finding a missing treasure.

The slow down and keeping the pitch is a godsend. I always remember how the hell did Guthrie Govan transcribe Shawn Lanes Get you back for a guitar magazine back in the 90’s.

Fantastic as always! Fellow Canadian here (Edmonton). The trick I discovered that changed thinsg by leaps and bounds was visualization. If I don't have my guitar, or even if I do, I just listen and see my hands playing the parts. It was hard at first but got easier. It tied my ear training to my muscle memory. I can virtually learn a song without playing it in some cases. I have a friend who tells me that this works because the nervous system can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality. If you imagine it, the sub conscious thinks it's real. Don't know if that's true but it really works for me. The only thing I ever learned that was more important was the pentatonic scale when I was 12. (BTW, I was one of those guys in the tribute bands back in the eighties down at the CI West and the Back Bumper Cabaret...).

Hey Pete! Been following your series since Ep.1, and...it's great! Your videos are gold, your advices are useful for everyone, they're thorough, clear and insightful! The thing that struck me the most is that nowadays you find a lot of accomplished musicians holding on to their "secrets" because they're "afraid" of the new generations...and then here you are, with all the tips and tricks that landed you a lot of jobs, available for everyone! So, again, thank you so much, you're a great musician but, most of all, a great human being for doing this!

I already know I'm gonna get some priceless insight here! Thank you for always sharing , Pete. Also, like everyone else, big fan of your playing, lol.

Damn! Perfect timing for this video. I just joined a new band and im at the process of learning 60+ songs in a short time. Thank you so much for this Pete. Always great advice and motivation. Keep up the good work!

Guitar Pro 7 and Ultimate Guitar Tabs can be a shortcut when someone has already broken out a song. Neither are perfect, but can get you close. I am enjoying your videos! It's nice to hear the pros have mere mortal needs, even if they are super guitarists!

Nice tip with Transcribe! Exactly what I've been missing. I used to use Logic Pro to change the pitch of songs, and then I bought a Digitech Drop to learn stuff 1/2 step down, but none of it worked nearly as well as Transcribe. So freakin easy. Worth every penny. Such a great series of knowledge drops. Thanks for sharing, Pete. You're a class act.

KZfaq is actually a great tool. You can speed it up or slow it down. You can just tap to move forward or backward.

This is great, thanks Pete! The breakdown of how many parts, how many songs and how many days is a really useful framework.

the playing the material like you're going to be performing it is the most important part of this video. IMO sitting down in a comfortable chair with your headphones on learning is great, but you have to practice it live and loud to backing tracks etc. I bombed an audition one time because I failed to believe that it matters. I just showed up and thought "oh I know how to get a good amp sound etc." but when you're "on the spot" out of your comfort zone your mind can start racing and then your screwed. it's different like swimming in your own heated swimming pool all by yourself as opposed to swimming in the ocean with sharks in the water.

I have about 40 tunes to learn in the next few weeks. Most of them were recorded before tuners became popular, so they’re mostly not at concert pitch. Pete’s tip about Seventh String Transcribe software is gonna make my task much easier. Thanks Pete!!!

This is the best series out there. I'm learning so much. Thanks Pete!!!

Really excellent strategies Pete! That’s how I used to learn too! By ear and slowing down in a tape deck that had half speed on it 😃 great memories and training for my ear and learning how to learn songs quickly! That’s how I learnt much of the George Lynch songs and especially the style of playing that I used to teach on KZfaq - it allowed me to learn off of the very very fine detail and get the sounds and inflections. And watching the hands on video ( VHS At the time) was such an amazing resource! The amount of info you can pick up just by watching is pretty amazing. And final point taking breaks - this is so something that I teach my students all the time. The brain is like a sponge but it can only absorb so much - once it’s saturated it stops taking in and processing info. So when we take breaks, everything that we have been learning has time to absorb, process and be understood by our minds, which is why it seems easier to play when we go back let’s say the next day 😊 and the music starts to slow down too as we are more familiar with its and don’t have to actively listen out for the notes - we already know them and have internalised 😊🤟🙏awesome info! Thanks again man! You rock. Have an amazing day!

Another great set of insights Pete...many thanks. I play in several cover bands and find Transcribe invaluable. Your advice on hunting down live versions of songs you might wish to play is priceless because I have found that, from time to time, the original artist struggles to recreate the studio recording complexity, at which point it is time to select another song to cover in order to save a lot of heartache 😀

I have been studying my ass off for the bar exam and other assorted professional tests (ask Lari Basilio, she knows it SUCKS! hahaha), and because of that I'm having veeery little time to learn/practice songs or even simply picking up my babies to give them some hard and loud love. These videos have been amazing, but this #5 right here is just GOLD, was needing this one. Thank you so much for the great advices, Pete! Cheers from Brazil :D

These are the words of a great and wise musician! Thank you Pete for sharing your experiences with the Tube and I really wish one day I can shake your hand and say thank you personally. Happy music, man!

Solid advice! New method for me to learning songs for gigs is lining up the whole set to logic in .mp3 or whatever. Then over those tracks recording in small fragments what would be the ideal perfect take to do every particular song live and then learn that. I always knew this was the best way do it but was too afraid to put in the work, however now I think it might be the quickest and most effective way. Really helps to FEEL what it's like to play a perfect part with varying dynamics, patch changes and all.

I had to learn Steve Vai's solo in Elephant Gun by David Lee Roth as part of my final essay at university. I put that straight in the amazing slow downer, and by the time I worked it out I could hear every note perfectly, so I absolutely know what you mean in point #2. I would say something to do with being able to predict the notes makes it seem slower? Who knows. Great vid man!

One of the best music channel on YT!

young people have such an advantage with people like Pete and Rick B as teachers...gotta love youtube, even now I learn new stuff after 50 years of playing.

Again, 100% agree. I was born in 1965. So i´ve been thru the Tascam Speed Trick as well :) Few years ago, i did my homework for a gig. Everything was in my brain. But i did a big fault. Learned the complete show at bedroom level. Not a good idea. When i went to the first rehearsal, i was blown away by the volume level. Well, i´m used to play with loud bands. But in this case it would have been much better to practice the songs by myself as well in louder circumstances. Headphone or practice room. Thanks and greetz.

good stuff Pete! Thought this may help someone out there... Something I do that helps me is I print out a set of lyrics that matches my reference material. I do one run thru without guitar in hand just making notes on the lyrics. How many beats or bars an intro/pause is, solo break, or iterations of a riff. I'll make note of things that don't start on a '1' beat, like maybe a pickup note, etc. The time (m:ss) each verse, chorus, bridge, solo, interlude, pause starts, so I can quickly access it later. I'll make special marks like '*' or something against a lyric word or spot where maybe a signature lick or motif is heard. I may note when one guitar may lay out, or some special instrument or temporary effect/sound is heard. After I've marked up the page, I write the summarized structure down at the top for easy reference, like... I(10) - V1 - C1 - V2 - V3 - C2 - KS(C16)- V4 - C*3 - C4 - OS(V) which reads as, in my shorthand = Intro (10 bars) - Verse#1 - Chorus#1 - Verse#2 - Verse#3 - Chorus#2- Keyboard Solo (16bars using 'chorus form') - Verse#4 - Chorus#3 (with *='different format') - Chorus#4 - Outro Solo (verse form as backing chords)... I find writing it down helps me internalize the arrangement faster, and gives me a cheat sheet to refer/return to a day or two later, when my memory might be getting fuzzy.

I use a combination of Riffstation and KZfaq videos to learn songs. Riffstation also allows you to slow down and isolate parts without changing pitch. It also has a tuning function so I'm able to get tracks in tune. I've found that a lot of classic rock music isn't exactly in tune. Thanks for the video Pete, another great one.

I use Anytune Pro on my Ipad. Itunes songs are automatically available for Anytune. Like this.. You can slow down, change the pitch, witch is really cool for those "in between" tunnings.. Old AC/DC, Some Van Halen. You don't have to keep changing the tuning of your guitar. Repeat parts.

Nice job Pete. It’s great today that we have better tools to slow things down. It was a bit of a pain back in the day. You tube is also a great tool to learn songs.

Transcribe. I've been looking for something like this for a while. Cheers, you are the Man.

Funny you mention that about cover bands, I started out doing cover band material in the 80s then into the 90s went into what i call my weird era where i threw all that out of my mind for more odd and strange and creative bands and projects. So i kind of straddled both decades and incorporated both of those eras that you mentioned into my way of doing things!

Second time I've heard the Transcribe software mentioned, first time I've heard it working. Thanks, I'll give it a go.

Thanks so much for these vids! You are clearly a meticulous, thoughtful person and an excellent teacher. It's terrific that you're so generous with your time and knowledge trying to make the world a more musical place.

This is really good advice. I'm in the same boat regarding reading vs. ear and I started in 1978. Imprinting the song into your memory bank is key. For those just starting out, check out your favourite songs on KZfaq. Happy pick'n. :)

If you are on a budget and use a Mac. Check out Slomo. Slomo has the features Transcribe has that matter for $9.99 in the App Store. On my iPad or iPhone I've used MimiCopy for years.

Another excellent program to learn material is Amazing Slow Downer. It does a lot more than the name suggests. We also use it to find alternate keys to sing in, and try out various tempos for songs we're writing, etc.

I don't know if there is enough work for covers bands in the day and age of dance-clubs and predominantly electro-pop based entertainment BUT I suggest being in a covers band as mandatory for any musician wanting to develop ear training, gain hands on experience and forge the requisite mindset and discipline as both player, performer and writer. In the UK back in the 60's, 70's and my era 1980's we had hundreds of Union-based working mens clubs that served as the perfect training ground for aspiring bands and performers, sadly now these venues are almost extinct, young bands have no opportunity to hone their craft without paying to play or doing one show every six months. I would be interested to know if this situation is the same in other countries!! 🙏 x

Thanks Pete! Recording into a Tascam is really friggin smart and inventive. Your tips were dead on with how I learn music too and years ago we didnt have software to slow stuff down, so a side effect is i was able to develop my ear before these types of tools came out. But great advice! You've got to know your limits and learn in small chunks. Agree with the above commenter for newer musicians, bookmark this video! Excellent advice.

It’s so nice to see how you are enjoying the transcribe software 🙂

Once again Pete, your best video series yet! A treasure trove of knowledge. This episode got me really inspired to learn new songs. Thank you Pete! 😁

First gigging band I ever played in, thirty years ago, age 22, our singer said something one day at rehearsal that I've never forgotten. She played basketball in high school and told us that her coach used to say, "You're going to play in the game the same way you practiced." Take practice and preparation seriously, folks. Also, as a musician who has always struggled with nerves on stage, I can tell you, having all your practice and preparation to fall back on is key to performing well.

This was fantastic! Thank you Pete!

That software is absolutely killer Pete. Thanks for taking the time out to demo it for us!

great vid. ironically aiding in my procrastination to learning 12 songs for next friday haha.

Really dig this series. Besides learning stuff it also brings back memories. Way back when my band decided to cover Crazy Train as the lead guitarist could play it dead on (actually just watched him play it again the other day). Back then I was always broke and couldn't get a tape nor was waiting for KLOS to play it a viable alternative. So my drummer had a friend who had a tape of an album but no direct connection to the tape machine so they taped the tape of the album off the speaker. That's what I was supposed to learn the lyrics from! A few gigs later another local but bigger band saw us play and the lead singer comes up to me and says, "You guys sounded great on Crazy Train but where'd you get the lyrics from? They're all wrong!" (well, I had the obvious lyric right but every verse had some wrong lyrics. But the song story still made sense at least.)

Tremendous share Pete thorn thank you for your time and offerings to your fans.

As an alternative to Transcribe, I've been using the free version of VLC Media Player for a long time. Just as easy to set up loops and you can reduce speed by 10% at a time while keeping the original pitch!

That Robben Ford Telecaster in the bckground!!! :)

Ah man! Now ya tell me. LOL. Here I've been doing it the hard way all these years. I'd kinda heard of phrase trainers but just thought they were more for novices or would just be a pain in the ass. Transcribe looks like a really decent tool. Great vid, once more, Pete. Thanks man.

Nice advices, Pete! That I have been following for few years. As well, you have Music Speed Changer , a free app for smartphones with what you can slow on the tempo and make loops, but it's only a spare app which works good. I own Transcribe too, and for years, I've been learning songs so much!

Pete's a professional so he can get 3 or 4 songs done in just one day. For a lot of home players 3 or 4 in a month would be pretty great!

I was kid in the sixties and ,as a drummer, i learned from records and the radio. I was a real fast learner but was cocky.boy i,m all over it !!! One listen or from the start i,d know where it was going. Thennnnnnnn. Cream came out or the who them mahavishnu showed me ,,,,, gotta work harder.

That phenomenon you mentioned around the 5:50 mark, I totally get it! When I first learnt the opening lead to Metallica’s Fade To Black, the part where Kirk Hammett plays I think a Bm7 arpeggio, i always thought was really fast. And even as I moved on to pieces by Yngwie Malmsteen, everything was still sounding really fast to me. Then I read this great article in Guitar World about using a metronome and start learning licks at a slower beat count and then gradually speed up while focusing on playing cleanly. Then one day I decide to play along to the Metallica Fade to Black track and like you said, it “sounded” slower. I actually thought the track I ripped from my CD had been ripped to a slower speed and had to check my CD. As you said, I had internalised the song to the point where it wasn’t anymore a fast difficult lick. And now when I play on stage I have to remind myself it’s not as fast as I keep thinking it is and that I can play those fast parts with almost a legato like feel. Awesome video too! Just what I needed as I’m planning to get back on the stage as my daughter is old enough now that I can commit time to playing at night and not worry about my daughter missing me or needing me. And I’ve been struggling to attack all these songs in one go. I’ll follow the great advice in this video for sure.

What a fantastic series! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us Pete!

I'm loving this series! Thank you so much! So much vital information. I'm looking forward to more "So You Wanna Be A Pro Musician" videos.

Great timing Pete! I've been doing a ton of different fill in cover gigs lately and this helps a lot! You rock man!

I've been looking for this video for years!

Wonderful, Pete!

Hey Pete, this is absolutely awesome!! Quick request for something similar on improving and training your ear. I don’t aspire to be a pro but want to get to be a decent player and this is something I’m struggling with.

Thanks for this. Oh, and I really like your Pete Thorn II album man! It sounds very uplifting and fresh. With great tone.

Killer info. Thanks, Pete!

fantastic advice from a pro...priceless thanks Pete, nobody does it better...

Hang 'em High is one of my favorite songs ever!

Awesome! Thanks so much Pete!

simply excellent...thank you!

I was waiting ansiously for this next episode #5. Thanks Pete. You're the man!!!!

So awesome, Pete! Totally validates the same methods I’ve been using for the past 10 years!

Pete, incredibly timely release! I am prepping for an audition next week, so this is invaluable! Thanks man!

Thanks Pete. Your videos are always informative and incredibly useful. I'm lucky I have a good ear and when using KZfaq as a resource I can tell pretty quickly if it's correctly played. (been playing for a very long time). I always learn new things from you and I'm grateful for the time and energy you spend to help others out.

I play in a couple of cover bands, but I learn stuff that I really like as well...there is this solo in STP's song Lady Picture Show...and I thought I had that solo down note for note, but then listened to it again later, and was like "You know what, I have it close, but just not quite NFN". So I looked up on youtube if there was a way to slow a video down, and there is, so I did that to hear what Dean was doing, worked on it, and now have it down...I can't sweep pick or speed pick though, even if my life depended on it...the advantage of new digital "slow it down so I can hear what is going on" vs old school "put it in my analog 4 track to slow it down" is that it stays to pitch on digital slow downs...no more having a designated guitar tuned down so the pitch would match when you are playing your vinyl at 16 2/3rds speed, hahaha!

Another awesome video, Pete! Very insightful and tremendously helpful. Your real world examples are great as well. Cheers! Neil

I got !Transcribe on your recommendation and it works great! Cheers Pete! :)

Amazing Pete, so useful, thanks a million 🙏

Great video Pete!!! extremely good info! Unfortunately for me I can't play by hearing alone, I need tabs to help me out so I bought the Guitar Pro Tab app for my PC. It's great, you visually see the notes (or in my case tab) where you can highlight sections and loop them. I use this to basically get the basics down. However I also often watch the guitar cover video of a song to help with watching and paying attention to how they strum or pick. The downside to the tab music sheets from the internet is they really vary. I usually play what feels right. And of course, if I can i will what a Marty Schwartz video too. Like Marty or not, one good thing is how he breaks down the music in to small eatable sections, even if you do not like how hey PLAYS a song, you can always get something out of the video like strumming/picking and the rhythm!

Awesome Video and advice. Thanks Pete!

Thanks Pete! I've been playing a long time, but still picked up some tips.

Great advice and the transcribe software sounds awesome thanks for sharing

I used to sit with my guitar in front of my CD player/radio (Even recording radio songs to tape.. I'm a 90s child) and just play along for hours with whatever came up. Being classically trained on other instruments, I usually ended up trying to compensate for multiple guitar parts within the same song/lick. Not necessarily a bad thing, but you have to adjust when playing with another guitarist in the ensemble. Since the internet became a thing, I've used KZfaq's slow down features even with my band students when learning a new song or working on a harder passage. If you played piano or another band/orchestra instrument, you've been schooled on practicing something slowly before speeding up once it "gets under your fingers". With phrase trainers, you can do that by ear now, which is something that wasn't easily done in my youth. Like I tell my students at school, you have all of the tools to learn literally anything (in any subject) now with Google and the rest of the internet if you have the will to do so.

Great stuff Pete, love your videos as usual! Love transcribe too, it's great!

Great advice Pete, this will come in handy when i'm learning songs for my KZfaq videos.

Great advice Pete. Try learning a song on a record player. What fun that was. No computers, internet, etc.

Wow! I didn't know about these features in Transcribe! I use it on your song "Monster Movie" in my regular practice routine...

you can use you tube as a quick phrase trainer, it has different playback speeds just go in settings then speed.