Hey Sonic Junction -
I'm back again. This week we'll be doing verse three of "Bo Dee's Bounce" and first of all, I've gotta tell you - I go back and watch these lessons before I write these little email descriptions, and when I did that this time, I gotta admit I was a little bit impressed with the lesson myself! There's a lot of good stuff in here! I addressed the value of playing without a lot of force - utilizing very little air, thus attaining better control, while still maintaining a focused, clear tone. I stressed (one more time), the importance of being in the pocket - of feeling that groove to the maximum. I talked about and demonstrated the use of ghost notes and about using three blow as a kind of springboard. There's all that and a lot more. This lesson oughta keep you busy for a minute. Anyway, have fun with it, and if you feel like it, let me know what you think. See you next week.
Rick
Topics and/or subjects covered in this lesson:
Chicago Blues
Print Chords & Tab
A Harp in the Key of E.
Loop 0:00 Breakdown of First 4 Bars
Loop 4:12 IV Chord Breakdown
Loop 5:57 V Chord Breakdown
Loop 6:31 Slow Practice Loop of 3rd Verse
Loop 7:02 Ending Breakdown
Loop 7:53 Slow Practice Loop of First Verse
Loop 8:28 Review and Closing Thoughts
Comments
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I've gone back to Jerry's instructional CD. He has some great bending exercises that I think are going to help a lot in the long run. Jerry does a lot of the 3-hole bends puckered. Are you doing that lick tongue-blocked?
This is a great and fun lesson
Thanks Boyd!
And thanks for the continued reminders of responsibility to the band of holding down the groove. There's a lot to think about and remember but that's one to tattoo on the palm of your hand.
All you can do, is do your best to be as deep in the groove as you can get at all times.
Hey Rick,
The phrase on the 5-chord is kicking my butt. You used a very similar but not identical phrase on the third verse of Half Steppin' and I never felt like I had that quite down. This is maybe more challenging because it's a quicker tempo. It's jumping from the 4 draw back to the three draw bent and having enough of a grip on that note to articulate the second half of the phrase that keeps tripping me. When you play it slow you articulate the bent and natural notes on the 3-draw, almost staccato, both times. But when you play it closer to speed it sounds like the second time it's a smoother transition between those two notes. Getting it right seems to depend on nailing that bent note coming off the 4 draw. It's a really expressive phrase that departs sharply from all the play on the 2-hole draw, but if it's not right it just doesn't have the impact. I'm feeling like I get it about one out of five times.
I hope you're getting the hang of that lick. These different transitions between different bent and unbent notes are gonna prove to be real helpful once you get 'em down.