Get ready to learn Kleptomaniacrow by Madilyn Mei!
In the above tutorial I'll show you everything you need to know in order to play this song correctly and get it down as quickly as possible! The tutorial includes a detailed 20-minute lesson as well as a full play-along. If you'd like to download and print the tabs for free you can grab those below
Let's begin by taking a look at the overall structure of the song:
Verse
Pre-Chorus
Chorus
Repeat (previous three sections)
Outro
As you see, the overall structure of this song is pretty straightforward! You will simply play through the first three sections (Verse, Pre-Chorus & Chorus) and then repeat them a second time. After the second time through you will head straight into the Outro where the song will conclude!
It's also important to know that this song is built from only four phrases! Each of the four phrases include three variations, however the variations are only slightly different from the primary phrase. In most cases only a couple of notes at the end of the phrase are changed. Piece of cake!
Give Yourself a Head-Start by Learning the "Open F Major Scale"
All of the phrases of this song come right out of an open F major scale (capoed at the 4th fret). That being the case, you will give yourself a huge head start by getting this scale under your fingers. In the above tutorial I walk through how to descend and ascend the scale properly. Simply begin with the lowest note (indicated in red) and play the notes in order from low to high--and don't forget the open strings! After you are able to ascend the scale easily, be sure to practice playing the notes in reverse beginning with the highest note and descending to the lowest. Here is a chart of the scale:
Make it Swing
In order to get the right sound when playing Kleptomaniacrow you have to play with a "shuffle feel". In the above tutorial I demonstrate the difference between a "straight feel" (which is feel we normally use) and the "lopsided" nature of the shuffle feel. In short, when playing with a shuffle feel the downbeats (beats 1, 2, 3, and 4) steal a little bit of time from the upbeats so that the downbeats last a little longer than normal (and the upbeats are shortened). Instead of the down and upbeats being perfectly even (e.g., 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &), they are uneven (1 &2 &3 &4 &). This has a "sway" (or swing) to it that is particularly characteristic of musical styles like the blues. If this is a little confusing, don't worry--adapting to the shuffle/swing feel happens pretty naturally. It's more important to "feel" the swing than to understand it!
Watch out for the Ritardandos!
This song makes frequent use of a musical device called the ritardando (or "ritard" for short). A ritardando is a musical term that means "to gradually slow the tempo". This effect is most often applied to the ending phrase of a song. In doing so, the notes in the bar will be played increasingly slower--often coming to a full "stop" (especially when applied the end of a song). This abrupt slowing of tempo creates suspense which catches the listeners ear and adds an extra dramatic effect. Interestingly, Madilyn Mei uses this effect throughout Kleptomaniacrow including at the end of the song as seen here:
Use the Play-Along for Mastery
Ready to take the song on the road? The play-along is the perfect way to practice putting the phrases together (not to mention the fact that play-alongs are extremely fun!). As always, I recommend having the phrases more or less memorized before jumping into the play-along which will give you the best chance of keeping the train on the tracks! ...And feel free to use the speed controls in the settings of the video player to slow the song down as needed!
I hope you have as much fun learning Kleptomaniacrow as I have! If you have any questions are comments feel free to leave them below!
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David Osborn is the founder and head teacher at Kids Guitar Academy. David has been teaching guitar professionally for over 20 years, specializing in guitar studies for kids & teens. Aside from teaching, David enjoys spending time with family & friends, fishing, and playing electric guitar in his church's worship band.
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