Hey Duke! What great licks -- that phrasing is so simple and yet so evocative. The lick in the second phrase where it bends on the 7th fret and alternates with the 9th fret kind of reminds in phrasing me of that T-Bone Walker lick that Chuck Berry borrowed, bending up to the unison. Anyway, please let me know how I'm doing! Thanks! Bruce

My pleasure, Clive. The 2 CD set is well worth owning. I was listening to it today, and almost every track is killer.

Hey Duke! Here, "for educational purposes only" is the Freddie King version of "Use What You've Got" from the excellent "Complete King Federal Singles" set. Great tune! Thanks, Bruce

Thanks, Duke!! That's really great to hear! With your guidance I'm having more and more FUN playing guitar; I guess that's coming through. And I *LOVE* this Les Paul. My wife asked me, "Isn't it heavy?" and I started singing The Hollies song back to her, "It ain't heavy, it's my Les Paul!" :-) Thanks again, Duke. 

Hey again, Duke! So here's another take, more appropriate tempo and now with singing. There is something so hypnotic about the JLH thing. I can't keep that groove completely locked down yet, but it's been a lot of fun working on it. Thanks! Bruce

That's a great story about your 1st guitar, Duke! I imagine you must have a special place in your heart for Teles, like a first love. My first electric was a red '69 Harmony Rocket. Pretty awful, but I wish still had it! I think the was a place called "The Cantab Lounge" where I used to see Hutto. It was across the street from Cheapo Records. I'm had to dust off a few brain cells to find that name! Well, like Bob Hope used to sing, thanks for the memory, Duke! :-) Nice to hear the real story after all this time. 

Not the Speakeasy. I saw you at the Speakeasy with Roomfull many (*many*) times. I used to bombard you with requests for Guitar Slim, because nobody but you could play it like him. ;-) It was someplace right in Central Square, downstairs. I went several times and was always the only white guy in the audience, which frankly thrilled me to no end. I moved to Boston in '74 from Indiana where I was born and raised, and lived there till 2000 when I became a Californian. I lived in Attleboro for a long time and actually played with a guy from Woonsockett who said he knew you in school. He was a drummer named Chico; a nickname for Richard Charbonneau. I was telling him once about this guy I used to see all the time in Boston, who was the greatest guitar player I ever saw, and he said, "Oh, that's Mike! Mike Robillard! I went to school with him. He made a guitar in wood shop." So Duke -- was that true? Did you make a guitar in school? I've always been curious to know! I sure know that feeling of it being like yesterday and a milion years. I was just watching the video on YouTube where you were talking about meeting Count Basie. I loved that. "Play it....don't say it.". That was great. ;-) Thanks so much, Duke, for doing this. I feel very fortunate indeed to be able to tell my friends that I'm taking guitar lessons from Duke Robillard! 

Thanks a lot, Duke! As usual, you have (and I mean this in the most flatteringly way possible) tremendously big ears. Boogie Chillin' is much more familiar to me and was very much in my mind. The other JLH groove that I just melt for is his "I'm In The Mood For Love". I remember the first time I heard both these songs: Early 70s, I was 18 and had just moved to Boston from Indiana and I went down the Cheapo Records and bought the LP. I also used to go see J. B. Hutto all the time at that club he played at a lot on Mass Ave. I forget the name of it. Seems like yesterday! Anyway -- thanks for the feedback. I'll listen again to "Want Ad" and see if I can't get that groove a bit more on target. Take care! Bruce

Hey Duke! Wow, I never imagined trying to play a John Lee Hooker song! That technique is definitely a lot harder than it looks to set up just the right bounce to the rhythm. Sound like I'm on the right track? Fun lesson, thanks!! Bruce

Hi Duke! So, I've been giving your comments a lot of thought. There are a few clams (Mmmmmm, clams.....), but is this closer in phrasing to what you are advising? I was thinking about something Monster Mike advised, which was to make sure I cleanly ended my phrases. I think what I was doing was always holding notes down while thinking about where to go next, like saying "Ummmmmm" when you are talking and don't want to be interrupted. So what I'm trying to do now is make cleaner statements in each phrase. Better?  I hope so! ;-) Thanks Duke!  And thanks, Peter, for the kind words!

Thanks Duke! Ok, I have reflected upon this and here is another version. Please let me know what you think! Bruce

I just wanted to second Duke's comments. I *really* enjoyed this! I especially like the 2nd chorus; the opening and the use of the "sliding 6th" on the IV chord is very cool, and the arpeggios in the 3rd chorus are very effective. That really builds it up nicely there. Very nice! I'm (almost) as excited to see progress in someone else as I am to see it in myself, so this is great to hear. Really, nice job, Peter, well done! 

Hey Duke! For this one, I just did my own thing -- ended up being mostly just a better version of the one I did last week. Still a little rough around the edges, but I'm feeling a bit more fluid in my phrasing. I've also just sort of figured out this whole guitar neck thing recently. I was finally able to see it's just a repeating set of patterns, up and down the neck. So different from piano. It's rather beautiful, the neck and the patterns, strings like silver highways. Anyway! ;-) Thanks again for the great lesson. I love that finish on that guitar! Best, Bruce

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Thanks a lot, Duke! I *LOVE* this Les Paul. It's a '75 Deluxe that was made with standard size humbuckers and came with the "Standard" truss rod cover even though the neck is stamped as a Deluxe. I found it about 6 weeks ago. I had been struggling to play first finger vibrato since Monster Mike's last lesson and the first time it kicked in was when I first picked up this guitar in the shop, and I knew it had to be mine! It needed a lot of TLC, some of which is only partially done. Some idiot broke the stem of the tone pot to be able to put Telecaster knurled knob on it. It had some mods for boost and phase -- not sure if I want to keep that or not. But the neck is just so sweet and comfortable. I haven't been able to play any of my other electrics since I got this one. 

Thanks for all the feedback and advice, Duke! I really do feel so much more comfortable and I'm having a LOT more fun playing thanks to your lessons.

Bruce

Hey Duke! Wow, it seems like you are making a wonderful recovery; you look great and your playing sounds fantastic! I've been really enjoying this tune and learning a lot! Thanks! Best, Bruce

Hello Duke! These swing chords were completely new to me when I first came to SJ, but they are beginning to feel like familiar friends now. However, it's still not always easy for me to mute that 5th string properly, so I find it easier to play the strings with my fingers and doing a lot of palm muting. I can get a much more clean and consistent tone across the notes. Maybe it comes from being a piano player; my right hand is perfectly comfortable plucking a few strings at a time.

Peter, I don't know if this technique would work for you or not. I'm almost always playing the 6th string with my thumb, my first finger on the D string and middle finger on the G string. And I bring in my ring finger to catch that raised 5th to make the augmented chord on the B string. 

I didn't try to make a perfected take, so there are a few boo-boos. ;-) It's hard to keep that groove locked down tight when it's so slow, but I used your image of the drummer's swishing sound to inspire me, and that was really helpful. Thanks for the great lesson!

Bruce

Thanks, Duke! Means a whole lot to me! I'm working on an original blues number for the Sonic Junction open mic at the moment. The lyrics are *very* tounge-in-cheek because I'm just too happy to write a really good blues number! ;-) Thanks again! Bruce

Hi Duke -

Here's my version of this one. Just an audio file this time, because I was multi-tracking on my laptop to play the bottom part, top part and sing. I'd love to hear what you think of this one! I feel it shows some real improvement in my technique. 

Thanks,

Bruce

Duke - I'm having trouble with the audio upload, so here's a youtube version. (actually, now it appears to be working...)

Thanks, Duke! I was more pleased with the next version with the solo & vocal. I definitely plan to work on more of Corey's lessons in future as time allows, though my primary interest is in the stuff you do. Thanks again for the feedback! Be well! Bruce 

Hey, thanks a lot, Mike! Good to know I have a fan. :-)  

And thanks Marty! I loved your version; you have a really nice facility and fluidity up and down the neck that I'm still working on.