daddyray - great stuff; thanks for posting!

Duke Robillard - Thanks for the kind feedback!

@Peter Wolf...thanks for posting the video.  You are very creative...I dig the cricket and nature sounds.  Happy New Year.

@Daddy Ray...nice harp playing.  Didn't know you could play that too.  I dig the first piece the most....

Surly-Mac, Nice "Lonesome" sound! Like the combination of instruments. good bluesy harp Love the uke! Duke

Dave Stephens, Cool jazz playing man and what a cool axe! Duke

Hi Peter Wolf, Interesting piece with cool visuals and even thunder and crickets! Wow, Love it!Duke 

Hey Alex SJ, Nice haunting piece. What model guitar is that? Duke

Hey Daddyray, Great preformance! Good tone and fingerpicking technique also. It's a good habit to play with a metrrnome also. Duke

Hello Floridaskater, Very moving song and performance. Duke Robillard

Hey Dave, Sounds great! Duke Robillard

Rip Torn the actor...I use that everywhere. 

@Jerry Portnoy - Thanks so much for taking the time to listen, comment & even update the post.  Man, it's a thrill to get some input from a blues icon...  Thank you.

Thanks Corey....Happy new year to you all, Gordon Chris and the rest of the band from Semi and me...and can't wait for the new album and the book about Ali Farka!!! ;))

A presto

Un abbraccio

Alex

I would also like to be able to print the lesson.

I don't play while sitting in front of my computer.

So... I write the tabs out with pensil.

Great lesson! Thank you!

@floridaskater - Steve - I really like your songs & was particularly moved by "Thirteen".  Nice..

@Mike...harmonica sound good.  how long have you been playing?

@Daddy Ray...sound real nice.  Is that a Triolian?  I dig how you playing it.  Thanks for sharing.

@Alex...Nice version and that guitar sound good too.  Happy New Year to you and yours...

I studied for a while with Joe Filisko at Old Town School of Folk Music but as I said I am painfully rusty. Perhaps Joe would not like me admitiing that since my control is so poor.. ; )

Also in "real life" I am a hot electric guitar player. In the vein of the so called west side style ala Otis Rush Magic Sam n Luther Johnson (the guy who first inspired me to play music).  

Hey Mike - Great job on Silent Night! Very pretty.

@Surly-Mac - I really like how relaxed and unhurried you are. I dislike frantic playing and frantic sounding music. Your notes on the harp are nice and clear and the occasional tongue-blocking sounds good too! 

I keep a handkerchief handy, tea with honey to soothe the throat, and do the best I can. The show must go on!

thanks Jerry...if I may dare make an excuse I have a rather tough little cough and I cannot keep my breathing stright so I chumped some parts. I do not play much harp these days so I am very sloppy I know. 

What do you do when you get a cough or cold and have to play a gig? 

The first little rhythm piece, ala Sonny Terry, is excellent. Good beat and timing and a nice full and rich sound on the chords. The second piecce where you're playing a boogie pattern is not as successful but you're on the right track. Sometimes the note selection doesn't work musically because I think you're not comfortable inserting bent notes where they should be and are more at ease playing a straight note that sometimes doesn't quite fit. But overall a good job. Keep working on getting stronger and more precise with the bends.