I'm a Believer and other songs - when I play they're not sounding like recording?

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I know I’m just learning and all, but I feel pretty good about playing the Monkees - I’m a Believer.
The thing is, when I play with the actual recording, my guitars don’t sound the same! I’ve double checked my tunings, and how other people are showing people how to do it, but the guitar sounds are definitely different! (Acoustic and electric)
Same thing when I play Beatles - Can’t Buy Me Love- my playing is just great with Justin’s app version, but when I play along with the recording it’s like they are playing different instruments. I can hear my C7 and F7 ring out fine, but the general rhythm guitar is just…not what I’m playing. Is it their Amp? Setting up my Amp to sound different?
How do I find out how to best sound right?
For example, when I play Eagles - Best of my Love, I can nail it. It sounds like it should. Same thing with Eagles - One of these Nights.
Yet I try simple Monkees or some early Beatles and I’m thinking I’ve got the wrong instrument!
Using “Tabs and Chords” (used to be called Ultimate Guitar) fit for my chord info.
Love your insight!!!

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So are the chords you see in ultimate guitar the same as in Justin’s app? There’s definitely some of the songs in his app that have been recorded in a different key to the original to make them easier to play. That would make them sound off if played alongside the original.
I’ve no idea if that’s the problem you have here or not though. It might be something else

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You’ll never sound like a carbon copy of a professional recording for several reasons. The easiest difference to overcome is when a tab or some other source is notated in a key different from the original. Then you just need to transpose what’s written and you’re good.

However, it’s very difficult (sometimes impossible) to know how the sound of a given recording was achieved in the studio. It was not uncommon to overdub a guitar part several times to beef up the sound. Or to pop a capo on the guitar. The 1960s was also the time when production techniques in popular music became more elaborate, e.g. varispeeding (speeding up or slowing down the tape when recording to arrive at a different pitch upon playback), ADT (automatic double tracking), the using of limiters, flanging, phasing, backmasking and so on. Lots of things. And of course, professional recording studios - unlike a simple bedroom at home - are acoustically treated rooms designed to record a variety of different instruments alone (e.g. a lone acoustic guitar) or together (like a 100 piece orchestra) and are also adaptable to different needs to some extent.

So don’t get too hung up if you get the notes right but you don’t sound exactly like the recording.

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Thanks for the help.
I guess I will have to remember that some songs just won’t sound the same and I’ll have to do my own “version!”.
Now if I could just sing. I’ve been all through the forums and the consensus seems to be if your want to learn to sing you need to get a personal trainer, and stay away from online lessons.
Too bad.
Joe

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For singing , some people recommend Discover Your Voice

If you want to play and sing one should be automated first :slight_smile:

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Some members here did online courses from Chris Liepe and seemed to be pretty satisfied. Enter Chris Liepe into the search function and you’ll find a few threads, maybe you can get something out of those?
If I remember correctly, @TheMadman_tobyjenner and @DavidP have done them.

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