Trippin' Billies Nature Intro "Cheat"

[charliemike]

For those of you that cannot make the stretch, I just figured something out and it is exactly the same notes.

I'd still recommend that you learn to make the stretch because Dave does that a lot with songs like Satellite, for example.

Anyway ... on to what I tried. If this has been posted before well, my apologies for stating the obvious.

So, normally the intro is played like this:

Code: Select all

E:-------------------------------
B:-------------------------------
G:-6------4------6------4---6/7--
D:-2------2------2------2---x----
A:-x------x------x------x---x----
E:-5------5------5------5---5/7--

Here's what I suggest for people still learning the stretch (like me):

Code: Select all

E:-------------------------------
B:-------------------------------
G:-6------4------6------4---6/7--
D:-x------x------x------x-------
A:-7------7------7------7-------
E:-5------5------5------5---5/7--

Now you're probably wondering WTF?

Basically here's how the hand is setup:

Index on 4th Fret G-String
Middle Finger on 5th Fret E-String
Ring Finger on 6th Fret G-String
Pinkie on 6th Fret A-String

Then all you have to do is slide the Middle and Ring fingers to the 7th fret on their respective strings ... The pinkie will mute the D-String if you lay it right ... the only concern may be the B- and E-Strings (High E) ringing but you can mute them with the index finger ... Kanter has the A- and D-strings muted but listening to the song, I'm not so sure Dave does.

Again, this is not the proper way to play it but it's a shortcut til you get it down if you want ... The reason, I think, that Dave plays it the way he does is not to be "cool" or overly difficult, but rather that it sets up his hand to jump right to the intro on the 2nd fret.

Also: For the verse, you don't need to make that stretch.

Instead of going down to the 2nd fret ... just go to the 7th on the A-string. It's the same note.

Feel free to comment, criticize, lambaste, ridicule, or perhaps even use this cheat

[Macht]

I don't know I mean... sure it has the same notes, but tis a totally different finger exercise, it won't really help the stretch.

people having trouble witht the stretch part (if you will) just pratice, thats all I can say. But if you want to play it, play open A chord and...

but this suggest different postioning and can (and possibly will) make people a bit more lazy

[charliemike]

I don't know I mean... sure it has the same notes, but tis a totally different finger exercise, it won't really help the stretch.

people having trouble witht the stretch part (if you will) just pratice, thats all I can say. But if you want to play it, play open A chord and...

but this suggest different postioning and can (and possibly will) make people a bit more lazy

Perhaps it will ... however if they've got the whole song down but the nature intro and want to play it for people, this allows them to do it and then practice the correct way at home.

I can only offer options but I can't make people un-lazy

[Willin]

What is the "nature" intro? Thanks for info.

[Brock]

What is the "nature" intro? Thanks for info.

Dave uses two different intros for Tripping Billies. The first is the Nature intro (TAB HERE), and is often used when the song is played solo or Dave+Tim (you can hear it on Live@Luther College). The other intro doesn't have a particular name to my knowledge, and is most often used full band (although this tour they have played Nature Intro a few times) and is the chords from the chorus in a different order. It goes straight into the song, while the Nature intro is more gradual.

[filmdude100cms]

I don't know I mean... sure it has the same notes, but tis a totally different finger exercise, it won't really help the stretch.

people having trouble witht the stretch part (if you will) just pratice, thats all I can say. But if you want to play it, play open A chord and...

but this suggest different postioning and can (and possibly will) make people a bit more lazy

Perhaps it will ... however if they've got the whole song down but the nature intro and want to play it for people, this allows them to do it and then practice the correct way at home.

I can only offer options but I can't make people un-lazy

if they can play every part of billies except the intro, then thats not possible, the verse and the nature intro are the basically same thing.

[GSR]

What is the "nature" intro? Thanks for info.

Dave uses two different intros for Tripping Billies. The first is the Nature intro (TAB HERE), and is often used when the song is played solo or Dave+Tim (you can hear it on Live@Luther College). The other intro doesn't have a particular name to my knowledge, and is most often used full band (although this tour they have played Nature Intro a few times) and is the chords from the chorus in a different order. It goes straight into the song, while the Nature intro is more gradual.

he's right!

[charliemike]

I don't know I mean... sure it has the same notes, but tis a totally different finger exercise, it won't really help the stretch.

people having trouble witht the stretch part (if you will) just pratice, thats all I can say. But if you want to play it, play open A chord and...

but this suggest different postioning and can (and possibly will) make people a bit more lazy

Perhaps it will ... however if they've got the whole song down but the nature intro and want to play it for people, this allows them to do it and then practice the correct way at home.

I can only offer options but I can't make people un-lazy

if they can play every part of billies except the intro, then thats not possible, the verse and the nature intro are the basically same thing.

Not necessarily ... If they start in the intro position to do the verse, then yeah that's the case ... however, you don't need to do that if your hands are fast enough Plus it's a 5-2-4 fingering with a slide from 4-6 and not a 5-2-4-6 like the intro ...

But I'm arguing semantics

[c_tietze]

You could just play:

0 0
2 0
2 2
2 2
0 0
x x

and it sounds slightly similar, but still it's obviously not how Dave plays it. Take it for what you will.

CJT

[sacdeez]

You could just play:

0 0
2 0
2 2
2 2
0 0
x x

and it sounds slightly similar, but still it's obviously not how Dave plays it. Take it for what you will.

CJT

thats what i play

[tjmac66pc]

You could just play:

0 0
2 0
2 2
2 2
0 0
x x

and it sounds slightly similar, but still it's obviously not how Dave plays it. Take it for what you will.

CJT

thats what i play

cheater! 8)

[c_tietze]

Cheat cheat never beat.

[Snyder]

if they can play every part of billies except the intro, then thats not possible, the verse and the nature intro are the basically same thing.

That's what I was going to say. If you can't make the stretch for the Nature intro, you can't make the stretch for the rest of the song.

[i am sam2]

ok i just learned billies (i suck at it but i can make it out) and the intro...and i see this alternate version of playing the nature intro...but i dont understand why you would do the one listed in this post, the alternate method that is.

if you want to do an alternate method, make an A barre chord shape and instead of using your pinky to make the octave, hold it over the 9th fret of the same string(D) for the second chord, muting the G string.

Code: Select all

E--x---x
B--x---x
G--6---x
D--x---9
A--7---7
E--5---5

doing this way is much easier and requires little stretch.

the only reason i mention this is because the way it was written as the "alternate" way to play on the main site didnt sound anything like it to me so i did this.

its probably buried in another post but this is a reasonable thread to put it in.

[charliemike]

I don't know ... I was thinking it made sense at the time.

I don't have my guitar in front of me to play and figure out what I was trying to do

A year is a long time

Plus I flat out could not make that stretch. Now I can do it most days ... I still have some discomfort when I try to make the stretch but not always. It was definitely easier on my 912c than my LoPrinzi though.