Wow really great !! 

stevieboy IS my first name!

Sort of.

Corey's the featured artist this week on Dan Aykroyd's Blues Mobile Radio Show.  Corey's on the show talking about his new album: Fulton Blues and Sonic Junction.

If you go to 9:10 on the player below, you can hear Corey talk about Sonic Junction and great in-studio recording of Fulton Blues.

Enjoy the show and congratulations to Corey! 

We're going to be updating our lesson page design in the over the next couple weeks.  The current items on our list are:

- better chord charts (likely going to standardize to a two measure format)

- enable printing of chord charts / tab

- extend tab to right and get rid of lesson menu (so the tab isn't as broken up)

- move backing track to just under video recorder (so you can press record and then start the track easily)

- add slow down control to loop points ... so you can slow down the video right from the tab

- add slow down control to backing tracks (so people can practice them slowly)

- replies / nested comments ... so the discussions are more organized

- like's on videos (so people can give a shout out / thank you if they're not sure what to say)

- removing search and right hand lesson menu (focus the use case on learning)

Other items we're considering are

- sharing videos out to Facebook (so you can record a video and share it)

- audio recording (for people who would rather not post videos)

It would be great to get people's input.  To structure it a bit, the most helpful way to comment would be:

1. My three favorites from your list are XXX, XXX and XXX

2. The thing that frustrates me the most is XXX and what would help is XXX 

For the second one, it's very helpful for us to know both the frustration / issue and the solution.  Understanding the "pain point" enables us to come up with multiple (and possibly better) solutions.

Finally, we can't guarantee that everything will be implemented in this update (or ever).  One of the most important design considerations is to keep things simple, focused and clean.  What we can guarantee is that every suggestion will be considered.

Thanks for being a part of Sonic Junction and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Hey Corey, I know you may not stop everywhere on this site so I wanted to invite you to hear my rendition of Catfish Blues.  It has been a blues favorite of mine forever, but just now adapting your style to it.  And the way you play it is so pure and just good to my ears.  I love your playing.  And it is so nice that you would take the time for guys like myself looking to communicate with a great well respected musician (as you are).  It is an honor to be here with you.

Now for the music...let's get into it.  I would like to know how you feel I am doing.  I am playing with my fingers (I usually use a pick for electric guitar), and I am playing a $250 Fender dobro.  I really like the guitar, and I think it gives good tone for delta blues styles.  So take a listen, I kind of stretched it out a bit i my own way to by maybe phrasing some things slightly different.  But you know, at the end of the day you always end up with something that is yours.  Influence is the key however, and you are influencing me in a big way right now.  I plan to move on to some of your other stuff soon.  But Catfish for right now.

Thanks so much for listening and for your feedback.

Brian Kinder

Tony

I exclusively play tongue block. initially I had no choice I couldnt seem to get a single note lip purse method. Tongue block is completely natural to me so that was the way I had to go. Bending has been a chore but 3 years on things are easier

regards

Ed

Request for Frankie And Johnny Boogie. Thanks!!

@ken...yes that's about right.  I play with 1 and 2 and use 3 and 4 to rest on guitar body.  sometimes I use my middle finger as the lead picking finger, especially when I am also playing bass notes with my thumb at the same time.  If I want to get better attack or dig into the strings a bit for more volume then I use my index finger more.  I hope that helps.  Thanks for posting.

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!

We're Among Friends Here ... First Names and Profile Picture Improvements

Here at Sonic Junction, our goal is to give you a direct, personal connection with Music Legends and peers.  To make our conversations here more intimate, we're introducing a few improvements:

1. First Name Basis

To enable authentic conversation -- like talking with friends at a Master Class or Blues Jam, we'd like to move everyone to using first names.

If you're currently using an alias/username, please change it this week to your first name at: My Account > Edit Accout. (see diagram below)

2. Profile Pictures

It's now easier to express yourself -- use the new Profile Window to upload your personal photo for your profile.  Or choose one of the new stock images to best represent yourself.

To set your Profile Picture, go to: My Account > Edit Profile.  (Once there, you will see the window below)

We feel these improvements will make your Sonic Junction experience more intimate and rewarding.  If you have any questions or feedback, you can post them here.

Best Regards,

Mike

gday cory, just joined sonic junction, I really enjoy your video lessons. probably this has already been requested but could you do a short vid on whats happening with your right hand in catfish blues. or maybe you could reply and give me a short written explanation. it looks like you pick mostly with 1 and 2, and your 4 is resting on the guitar body with your 3 sort of crossed over it. 

cheers

ken

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

styles of playing are quite alike.

@Corey...grazie.....In Blck Rag I can hear the influence of Blind boy fuller.....:)

for the advices on singin...I take them too as I would really like to improve....I don't really like my voice...To me it's anonymous..For istance .It doesn't have much vibrato but I think I have a problem of havin ear for singin,too...don't know if there's this expression in English...in Italian it's like..."avere orecchio per il canto"....Through the years I improved a lot...at the beginning I used to sing with the throat and after a while it started to hurt me...now I'm doin it with the belly but also with the head and many times with the nose...having that really bad sound...and another problem for me and JD too is also pronounciation...exspecially with vowels and H aspired...which is a sound that we dont' have in Italian and French....Would be really usefull to know more about singin... 

@Mike...another note about vocals is that when you sing make sure that you are singing from your belly (diaphragm) and not just from your throat or chest.  Draw your breath from your belly and your voice will sound deeper.  Also do not sing with your mouth totally open but rather partly open.  In this way your head will resonate and amplify your singing.

@alex...Tallahatchie is a river in Mississippi that runs through many towns including Money, Mississippi, the hometown of Sonny Boy Williamson and also where Emmit Till was murdered back in 1955.  The song is about the murder.

@daddyray...Thanks for checking out the video and I am glad that you like it.

@Mike...yes there was a time when I was feeling tentative with my singing.  I just sang as often as I could and listened to myself singing.  Gradually over time I would edit out the things that I did not like about my singing and added what inspired me.  It was really a long process of trial and error, always being willing to change things up.  So sing as often as you can, and when you do, give it your all without inhibitions.  Then listen honestly to yourself and ask if YOU are moved by what you are singing.  If it moves you, it will move someone else.  If you are not really moved by what you are doing, be willing to change constantly until you do something that does move you.

Hi Paul,

Welcome to Sonic Junction and sorry for the issue.  Can you please email me at

mike @ sonic-junction.com

letting me know a little bit more about your system

1. PC or Mac

2. Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox or Safari

3. Cable, DSL, modem internet connection

... and we will get it solved.  Thanks!

Your video of catfish blues doesn't run properly, everytime I go to watch it, it keeps on cutting out. Is there anything you can do to help?

Hi Thomas ... we don't offer that yet.  The way people are doing it is

1. recording the audio on their PC or Mac

2. uploading it via the Upload Video button (it takes audio too)

If you have a Mac, Quicktime is a great, easy tool for making audio or video recordings.  On a PC, there is usually a Windows or Webcam program that will record video / audio too.

We'll look into having the webcam recorder do audio only if a majority of people would like it.

Thanks for the feedback and question.

Hi Lou,

Welcome to Sonic Junction!  Yes, we should make finding lessons easier and we're looking at new designs right now.  

In the mean time, you can find an entire list of each Artists lessons on the lower right hand side of each Artist Hub page.  So if you click on "Duke Robillard" at the top and then scroll down and look at the left hand menu ... you will find all 5 of Duke's How Long Blues Lessons.

thanks for sharing this stuff with us.....the hotel room (I am gonna assume by the decor) playing is terrific. 

Hi Corey .. I love your singing and playing on the album.  

Was there ever a time when you were tentative with your singing?  If so, how did you break through it?

I'm asking as your vocals just seem to come from such a deep place ... and I would love to get my singing 1/10 of the way there.  Thanks!

Hi all,  I am new to the site, I was searching for lessons, found How long blues in my search but it is not shown in the list and I was wondering is there a complete iisting of all the lesson on the site, I am not sure if I am doing something wrong

EHarp,

Begin at the beginning with the lesson on "Chord Rhythm" and work your way up through the basic techniques before you begin the song breakdowns. Make sure you can play single notes with clarity. Also, listen to classic blues harmonica to hear the classic players and styles and get a sense of the idiom and it's conventions.