I was wondering if you could do a lesson on Ali Farka Toure as your

styles of playing are quite alike.

Greetings Tom and thanks for the request.  I really am not qualified to teach Ali Farka Toure's music, but thanks for the compliment.  I am still learning myself!

Hi Corey , hope this finds you well

Just been listening to your album Between midnight and day and love the slide version of it hurts me too.

wondering if you would have time to teach us that song some time in the future .

Thank you for all previous lessons as well, you have really open up the guitar for me and given me a so much joy though playing .

Cheers again David

Mr. Harris--Although I am rythymically challenged, I can manage the technical aspects of the music.  I would like the chance to really butcher " If You Leave Me Now".  Hopefully you will take the time to challenge all of us with this fun and interesting song of yours.

Thank you,

Steve

@Steven...do you mean "If You Leave Me Baby"?

Hi Corey

New to Sonic Junction and enjoying getting to grips with some of the great songs youve covered. Catfish Blues lesson in particular.  One of my favourite songs i've discovered is Charley Patton's Pony Blues and especially your version on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpSHTU3ZjyU. Would love it if you could one day post a lesson on this. Rich

@ Richard Capps...thanks so much for checking the lessons out and I am glad you find them useful.  I will in future post a lesson on Pony Blues.  Look forward to seeing you post a video when you are ready.  Best....

Correction. What I meant to ask was if you would consider a version of Brownie Maghees Born / living with the Blues.

Thank you

Greetings Harry...I love that song.  Thanks for the suggestion.  I will check for that one.

Hi Corey. Want to pass on my appreciation for posting the Pony Blues lesson.  So looking forward practicing over the coming weeks. Cheers Rich 

thanks Richard I am glad that you like it.

Corey:  I know you get a lot of requests, but I wonder if you feel comfortable ever doing something in R.L. Burnside's Hill Country style?  Looks simple but strumming-dampening-rythms are very tricky.  I can get close but no cigar, as they say.  A lot of the same notes you hear from John Lee Hooker but somewhat different style.  I love this house party dance music; people can listen to it all night long.  A song in Spanish tuning; although I know he played in other tunings as well.

Vinny that is a good suggestion.  I knew R.L. and we toured together in the US and Europe.  He would slay them with a smile every time.  Tell me a song that you have in mind.

Great, so glad you agree.  For some reason I did not get a notice by email that there was a reply here, so I just read your message.  I like this groove he hits in Poor Black Mattie, Jumper on the LIne, Shake em on Down.  He plays slide too, but I love these songs just with this synchopated boogie beat in open G.  It's sort of  a doorway to a whole world of songs in that style, including John Lee Hooker.  And while we're on the subject, I don't know if you ever heard of Jennie Mae Hemphill.  I found only one example of her on YouTube and I don't think she was ever recorded.  Not a famous player, but from the same area as Burnside.  Her family were fife and drum players and I think her grand father was recorded by the Library of Congress.  But there is this rather low key documentary made in the 90s where she plays this song "You Can Talk About Me" - and her playing of this song is absolutely deadly.  This music is so elegant and simple and perfect in a way.  If you have not seen it, this is a very unique.  I think it's in Open D, down tuned a bit. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T8T0pcCxLw                 1:31 into the video she plays.

My bad on the spot where Jennie Mae Hemphill appears - it's about 18:12 into the video which is 1:31:14 long.

Hi Vinny.  Apologies for jumping in. But wanted to thank you for introducing me to that Jennie Mae Hemphill track.  As you say 'deadly'. Echoes of Hooker and Burnside. What a groove. Would be great to get that down!

No apologies necessary.  I'm glad you found it as appealing as I did. And the community here is a great resource; I enjoy it. I was really taken by the song and her great vocal delivery.  And this was a little known artist just carrying on a tradition.  So economical and perfect.  The groove is something you can listen to indefinitely.  And she has that great confidence in the music that she knows you are going to listen without playing a lot of notes or getting loud.  That's one thing I really admired about Hooker, is that he could just with absolute confidence play a couple of notes and just sit there and people would immediately start listening.  Somebody who played with him said that when they would start and it was very noisy in the crowd, instead of upping the volume to get their attention, he would go down, way way down in volume, and start playing those notes, and every time the crowd would quiet down and strain to hear and start listening.  Jennie Mae Hemphill, before that track, says "you want to hear me put the blues down now?  I can put em down now, I can put em down. I can get you to put on your walkin shoes."  It just reminds me of what the music is about.  Not just strats, les pauls, big amps and recycled riffs.

Seems like we are like minded! Agree with your thinking. Sometimes less is more and Jennie Mae Hemphill proves that. Regards

There is another track I found you might like too.  Another talent that was not a big headliner because of the decline in audience of blues in general in the 80s and 90s.  I recently saw an old interview with Buddy Guy, and he was asked what his worst experience in music was; and he answered that his kids did not know who he was until they got old enough to go to a club because they had stopped playing blues on the radio.  Lean times for blues musicians.  This is of James Son Thomas on a tour in Europe, singing his song "Beef Steak Blues".  He only recorded one record, I think.  There is very little video of him around, but I found this song and it really got to me.  I have been playing it for a while; not exactly the same but pretty close to the right groove.  It also has a couple of great lyrics: "beef steak when I'm hungry, whiskey when I'm dry; beef steak when I'm hungry, whiskey when I'm dry; a pretty woman while I'm livin', and heaven when I die."  This is a bit easier to figure out, it's in standard played in E.  What I find is, when you really hit this groove right, people start tapping their foot and dancing.  Here is is on the bill with a couple of very good bands, but he still lays it down.  It's also very cool because the lyrics start pretty much on the IV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg6XG0WGFr8                         17:47

Vinny...just seen the video on youtube...that bluesman playin robert johnson...if I had possession over judgement day and come on in my kitchen....there's no video of Robert playin the guitar....but if i could imagine the way he used to play, this musician really "reminds me" robert...not talkin only about his incredible technique, but the way he's feelin what he's playing...looks like he's possessed by the soul of RJ....I don't remember now his name. If I remember well he died relatively young...overdose!!??!!!?

That guy was also great -- but he had a very interesting evolution - he was playing somewhere and met a very lovely white banjo player who was interested in slide guitar - they got married and formed a musical partnership.  And they are always touring. They are fantastic - not just blues but what we call here roots music.  Sparky and Rhonda Rucker

http://www.sparkyandrhonda.com/

They do a lot of old time music, ala Woody Guthrie era.  Here's a clip on YouTube of Spary playing spoons, Rhonda playing banjo doing "Which Side are you On?"  An old union song about organizing coal miners in Appalachia. 

No overdose here.  And you're right I zoned in on his blues playing too - fantastic talent.  Gave it up for a woman though, not drugs.  He still does play some blues.

Hi Cory,

Thanks for all the great lessons. I wonder if you would ever do a lesson on Runaway Man Blues by Floyd Council.

Thanks!

Hi Corey, I love your intro to If You Leave Me but am having difficulty in working out the subtleties of it. The finese is just beautiful. I feel it would help me improve a lot understanding how you do it. If you have time it'd be great.

Also....please come to Australia one day........ :( You are missed

That's great news. you've just made my day. very exciting :)) 

i I just love that song (well, everything you do) but the way you begin that song with the thumps and then this beautiful run at the start. I'd love to see this slowed down. I feel just learning something like that will also help me develop better finger picking. thanks Corey. only if you have a moment.

Pat 

Would you consider doing Hesitation Blues?