This one has really been fun to work on! It's surprising how tricky it is (for me anyway) to do the boogie-woogie part; hard to keep the pulse going completely steady. Just more practice needed. There are so many great riffs in this solo! Lots of good stuff to harvest. ;-)
I was playing along with Charlie Christian's version, and I hear one bit slightly differently from Paul. I hear that last closing riff done in the 1st position, down the neck at the 1st fret over F. It feels a lot more natural to me down there, and I think it sounds a bit more like Charlie's version but of course that's so subjective.
Thanks so much, Duke and Paul! Feedback, as always, would be most welcome.
Wow, Chris, that's an amazing lesson. I had never considered how much something like the angle of the pick would affect tone and also the physical way one would phrase differently because of it. But you're right, I can hear and feel the difference immediately, and I can hear how you could really utilize this to give your tone a lot more color. However, I suspect learning to attain that level of control is easier said than done. ;-) I love the examples, and the way you wove the discussion of picking technique into picking on White Dove. Thanks so much for this really valuable lesson! Regards, Bruce
I started working on this solo last week, though it turns out to be easier than I thought (now that I've watched this lesson) because I was trying to avoid using the open string. I thought that would be cheating somehow. ;-) So I'm very pleased to see it, because it sure is a whole lot easier to play this way! I love playing this on my old Epi. I just got some work done on it and it's got 12s on it now, so it sounds great and sure feels "authentic" when I try to do a bend!
I'm really trying to stay relaxed, and I think it's helping. I've been getting that reinforced from Chris' lessons too! How's it sound? I'm feeling much more confident and "certain" (hard to think of exactly the right word) about what it is I'm trying to play. This is such a great tune to work on. Thanks for it!
Hi again, Chris! I've really taken your commments about singing and "telling a story" to heart. To be honest, my singing has traditionally been greeted by almost universal calls for silence. ;-) So I realize now that I've been holding back emotionally in my singing, probably for decades. But I was greatly moved and encouraged (and amused) by your statement "Go ahead and feel the lonesome", which is such a wonderful way to say it! So here's a first attempt at really putting myself into the song. In my head, I'm going for a Merle Haggard style phrasing, because, well, Merle's singing is just about the best there is, as far as I'm concerned, at least in the country-ish genre. I've greatly simplified the guitar part so that I could focus on the singing until I get that part solid. Or as solid as I can get it. ;-) Thanks again! Each one of your insights has really helped so much. Regards, Bruce
Hi again, Chris. Here's another go with your suggestions in mind and some more practice time! I *mostly* remember to cup my fingers so they don't hit the pickguard. It's funny how my voice gets quiet sometimes in the middle of a phrase. I think it's when I'm thinking about something coming up on the guitar and I lose focus on what I'm doing with my voice. Anyway, much improved, I think. Thanks again! Bruce
Bruce, great improvement! In subsequent lessons we'll add more layers to the song, but for now you're doing great! I'd keep focusing on keeping the groove consistent between melody and rhythm playing, and really telling the story of the song. Go ahead and feel the lonesome as you sing the song.
one important note: the chords on the chorus are identical to those in the verse. Specifically, they both end "D - A - D - D" as opposed to "A - A - D - D"
Great tune! A regular smorgasbord of pathos! ;-) I've never tried playing bluegrass licks before. I stole some ideas from "Norwegian Wood"! I really have to stop banging my fingernails on the pickguard. It's a very bad habit. Anyway, this is what I've come up with so far. If you have any feedback, it would be very much appreciated! Thanks, and I'm really trying to think about relaxing!
Hey Bruce, great job! And way to embrace the pathos! Bluegrass, and especially the music of the Stanley Brothers, has it in spades.
A few things that immediately jump out:
--when you played the solo it appeared that you were playing the notes very hard and almost snapping your whole forearm (as if flicking water off your hands) to get them to jump out. This has the effect of making things louder, but the guitar really gets overdriven, and it can play havoc with your internal groove. Try lightening up and focus on playing the solo with good, clear tone. i.e. no buzzing or rattling. It will be quieter, but that's ok. In later lessons we'll explore more effecient ways of driving an acoustic guitar, so that you get more sound with less effort.
--Secondly, your singing sound really good, but you might experiment with letting the last words of your phrases sustain longer. This is not a universal "rule", but it might provide nice variety in the phrasing.
--To avoid fingernails on the pickguard I often lightly curl my middle, ring and pinky fingers in towards my palm. I'm not making a fist, and it's still totally relaxed, but it can help with the clicking.
I'm very excited about this lesson, especially all the discussion about learning to relax. It's a recurrning theme I hear from Duke, i.e. "You need to relax a little", and "You need to relax a little more". ;-) So I will be following your lessons with great enthusiasm.
Thanks, Duke! As my technique builds with each of the lessons, I'm feeling closer and closer to being able to just relax and play -- but obviously not quite there yet! You, Mike and Paul do a terrific job in teaching tunes which work on a variety of techniques and challanges. Each lesson teaches so much more than just another song. My friend, listening to my playing recently, remaked on the improvement, and said, "Wow, thank God for Duke Robillard!" But I'll just thank you directly, Duke, et. al. ;-) These lessons really mean a lot to me.
And thanks for the kind words. Working on this song is really pushing my playing up a notch, and I'm watching you very closely, Mike, stealing as much as possible. ;-) I'm very intrigued by the way you approach a note, I guess what you are calling the attack. You do those great rakes that make that first note of the phrase so compelling and set up a percussiveness to the entrance of the phrase.
Anyway, I'm sure getting a lot out of this lesson and having a lot of fun.
Thanks, Mike! I see what you mean about space; I'm doing a "California 4-way stop" (slowing down but never actualy come to a full stop) and blurring the phrase a little bit. I will keep that in mind, thanks again!!
Oh, one more question: Now that I've got a guitar that's usually in open A, I'm looking for more songs to do in that tuning. Could you kindly point out some ot your other lessons utilizing that tuning? Mike: it would be neat if there was a way to do a search for that on the site. If there already is, my apologies for missing it.
Hi again, Corey. Here's another version watching out more for the tempo and string control (muting). I think it feels much better, or at least, I feel much better about it. ;-) Thanks again for your insights. This is a great one that I'll be happy to keep playing as part of my repertoire.
Thank you, Corey! I will endeavor to incorporate your suggestions! I can definitely hear that it sounds rushed. In regards to your prior comments, I did try the slide on my little finger and I found it uncomfortable, but this may be a factor of finding the right slide. My fingers are kind of short, and it seems like most slides I try are meant for folks blessed with longer fingers. It may be worth spending some time at the music store playing with different slides, because I can see the advantage of having that other finger free. Again, many thanks for the inspiring lessons!
How's this sound? I probably ought to learn the words a bit better, but over I think the feel is ok with occasional lapses in accuracy. But this music shouldn't be *too* polished, right? :-) I miss that incredible bass by Willie Dixon on Muddy's version. Would be a lot of fun to play with a guy doing that part!
Still working on getting to that ending without it sounding too abrubt. Very enjoyable lesson, thanks very much for it.
Greetings I see you have made steady progress and you are playing more confidenly here. I would encourage you to try slowing it down a little bit as it sounds a little rushed. Take you rtime on the strings and try and minimize playing the open srings...experiment with damping and muting the strings and that give you a more dynamic sound. I like the way you ended the song. Thanks for posting.
Thank you, Corey! I will endeavor to incorporate your suggestions! I can definitely hear that it sounds rushed. In regards to your prior comments, I did try the slide on my little finger and I found it uncomfortable, but this may be a factor of finding the right slide. My fingers are kind of short, and it seems like most slides I try are meant for folks blessed with longer fingers. It may be worth spending some time at the music store playing with different slides, because I can see the advantage of having that other finger free. Again, many thanks for the inspiring lessons!
Now that I've recorded my own backing track, here's another stab at the melody! I imagine we'll do the next two A's as improv and then back to the melody in the bridge and out on the last A? Looking forward to seeing the next lesson!!
Again, nice! Maybe a little more space between phrases? Your playing fits over the changes and isn't "wrong," but a lot of those phrases might sing more if you give them an extra breath before playing them.
Thanks, Mike! I see what you mean about space; I'm doing a "California 4-way stop" (slowing down but never actualy come to a full stop) and blurring the phrase a little bit. I will keep that in mind, thanks again!!
Finally got around to learning the chords, and I was knocked out how much fun the rhythm is to play. It was also a lot of fun playing along with the track. Thanks a lot for it!
How does it sound? I think I'm rushing a little in first chrorus, but it feels to me like I'm locking in okay on the second chorus. It felt really "cozy" playing it.
This one has really been fun to work on! It's surprising how tricky it is (for me anyway) to do the boogie-woogie part; hard to keep the pulse going completely steady. Just more practice needed. There are so many great riffs in this solo! Lots of good stuff to harvest. ;-)
I was playing along with Charlie Christian's version, and I hear one bit slightly differently from Paul. I hear that last closing riff done in the 1st position, down the neck at the 1st fret over F. It feels a lot more natural to me down there, and I think it sounds a bit more like Charlie's version but of course that's so subjective.
Thanks so much, Duke and Paul! Feedback, as always, would be most welcome.
Regards,
Bruce
Wow, Chris, that's an amazing lesson. I had never considered how much something like the angle of the pick would affect tone and also the physical way one would phrase differently because of it. But you're right, I can hear and feel the difference immediately, and I can hear how you could really utilize this to give your tone a lot more color. However, I suspect learning to attain that level of control is easier said than done. ;-) I love the examples, and the way you wove the discussion of picking technique into picking on White Dove. Thanks so much for this really valuable lesson! Regards, Bruce
Hello Paul and Duke --
I started working on this solo last week, though it turns out to be easier than I thought (now that I've watched this lesson) because I was trying to avoid using the open string. I thought that would be cheating somehow. ;-) So I'm very pleased to see it, because it sure is a whole lot easier to play this way! I love playing this on my old Epi. I just got some work done on it and it's got 12s on it now, so it sounds great and sure feels "authentic" when I try to do a bend!
I'm really trying to stay relaxed, and I think it's helping. I've been getting that reinforced from Chris' lessons too! How's it sound? I'm feeling much more confident and "certain" (hard to think of exactly the right word) about what it is I'm trying to play. This is such a great tune to work on. Thanks for it!
Bruce
Thanks, Chris!!
Hi again, Chris! I've really taken your commments about singing and "telling a story" to heart. To be honest, my singing has traditionally been greeted by almost universal calls for silence. ;-) So I realize now that I've been holding back emotionally in my singing, probably for decades. But I was greatly moved and encouraged (and amused) by your statement "Go ahead and feel the lonesome", which is such a wonderful way to say it! So here's a first attempt at really putting myself into the song. In my head, I'm going for a Merle Haggard style phrasing, because, well, Merle's singing is just about the best there is, as far as I'm concerned, at least in the country-ish genre. I've greatly simplified the guitar part so that I could focus on the singing until I get that part solid. Or as solid as I can get it. ;-) Thanks again! Each one of your insights has really helped so much. Regards, Bruce
Yeah man!!! This is a fantastic improvement! I can really feel it...
Great job.
Thanks, Chris!!
Hi again, Chris. Here's another go with your suggestions in mind and some more practice time! I *mostly* remember to cup my fingers so they don't hit the pickguard. It's funny how my voice gets quiet sometimes in the middle of a phrase. I think it's when I'm thinking about something coming up on the guitar and I lose focus on what I'm doing with my voice. Anyway, much improved, I think. Thanks again! Bruce
Bruce, great improvement! In subsequent lessons we'll add more layers to the song, but for now you're doing great! I'd keep focusing on keeping the groove consistent between melody and rhythm playing, and really telling the story of the song. Go ahead and feel the lonesome as you sing the song.
one important note: the chords on the chorus are identical to those in the verse. Specifically, they both end "D - A - D - D" as opposed to "A - A - D - D"
Thanks very much, Chris!
Thanks very much, Mike! Very kind of you to say.
Great tune! A regular smorgasbord of pathos! ;-) I've never tried playing bluegrass licks before. I stole some ideas from "Norwegian Wood"! I really have to stop banging my fingernails on the pickguard. It's a very bad habit. Anyway, this is what I've come up with so far. If you have any feedback, it would be very much appreciated! Thanks, and I'm really trying to think about relaxing!
Nice Bruce. I especially enjoyed your singing. Made my day.
Thanks very much, Mike! Very kind of you to say.
Hey Bruce, great job! And way to embrace the pathos! Bluegrass, and especially the music of the Stanley Brothers, has it in spades.
A few things that immediately jump out:
--when you played the solo it appeared that you were playing the notes very hard and almost snapping your whole forearm (as if flicking water off your hands) to get them to jump out. This has the effect of making things louder, but the guitar really gets overdriven, and it can play havoc with your internal groove. Try lightening up and focus on playing the solo with good, clear tone. i.e. no buzzing or rattling. It will be quieter, but that's ok. In later lessons we'll explore more effecient ways of driving an acoustic guitar, so that you get more sound with less effort.
--Secondly, your singing sound really good, but you might experiment with letting the last words of your phrases sustain longer. This is not a universal "rule", but it might provide nice variety in the phrasing.
--To avoid fingernails on the pickguard I often lightly curl my middle, ring and pinky fingers in towards my palm. I'm not making a fist, and it's still totally relaxed, but it can help with the clicking.
Keep it up!
Thanks very much, Chris!
Hi Chris -
I'm very excited about this lesson, especially all the discussion about learning to relax. It's a recurrning theme I hear from Duke, i.e. "You need to relax a little", and "You need to relax a little more". ;-) So I will be following your lessons with great enthusiasm.
Thanks!
Bruce
Ha! Good! It bears repeating because it FEELS counterintuitive a lot of the time.
Thanks, Duke! As my technique builds with each of the lessons, I'm feeling closer and closer to being able to just relax and play -- but obviously not quite there yet! You, Mike and Paul do a terrific job in teaching tunes which work on a variety of techniques and challanges. Each lesson teaches so much more than just another song. My friend, listening to my playing recently, remaked on the improvement, and said, "Wow, thank God for Duke Robillard!" But I'll just thank you directly, Duke, et. al. ;-) These lessons really mean a lot to me.
And thanks for the kind words. Working on this song is really pushing my playing up a notch, and I'm watching you very closely, Mike, stealing as much as possible. ;-) I'm very intrigued by the way you approach a note, I guess what you are calling the attack. You do those great rakes that make that first note of the phrase so compelling and set up a percussiveness to the entrance of the phrase.
Anyway, I'm sure getting a lot out of this lesson and having a lot of fun.
Hi Duke! I've been working on this for a while now, and I think I'm finally getting a handle on this. Really pretty arrangement and fun to play.
I thought I ought to get this part together before moving on to the next part of this lesson, so I've been working on this one for weeks and weeks!!!
Hope the recovery is going well. Best Regards, Bruce
Thanks, Mike! I see what you mean about space; I'm doing a "California 4-way stop" (slowing down but never actualy come to a full stop) and blurring the phrase a little bit. I will keep that in mind, thanks again!!
Oh, one more question: Now that I've got a guitar that's usually in open A, I'm looking for more songs to do in that tuning. Could you kindly point out some ot your other lessons utilizing that tuning? Mike: it would be neat if there was a way to do a search for that on the site. If there already is, my apologies for missing it.
Hi again, Corey. Here's another version watching out more for the tempo and string control (muting). I think it feels much better, or at least, I feel much better about it. ;-) Thanks again for your insights. This is a great one that I'll be happy to keep playing as part of my repertoire.
Thank you, Corey! I will endeavor to incorporate your suggestions! I can definitely hear that it sounds rushed. In regards to your prior comments, I did try the slide on my little finger and I found it uncomfortable, but this may be a factor of finding the right slide. My fingers are kind of short, and it seems like most slides I try are meant for folks blessed with longer fingers. It may be worth spending some time at the music store playing with different slides, because I can see the advantage of having that other finger free. Again, many thanks for the inspiring lessons!
Hi Corey -
How's this sound? I probably ought to learn the words a bit better, but over I think the feel is ok with occasional lapses in accuracy. But this music shouldn't be *too* polished, right? :-) I miss that incredible bass by Willie Dixon on Muddy's version. Would be a lot of fun to play with a guy doing that part!
Still working on getting to that ending without it sounding too abrubt. Very enjoyable lesson, thanks very much for it.
Bruce
Greetings I see you have made steady progress and you are playing more confidenly here. I would encourage you to try slowing it down a little bit as it sounds a little rushed. Take you rtime on the strings and try and minimize playing the open srings...experiment with damping and muting the strings and that give you a more dynamic sound. I like the way you ended the song. Thanks for posting.
Thank you, Corey! I will endeavor to incorporate your suggestions! I can definitely hear that it sounds rushed. In regards to your prior comments, I did try the slide on my little finger and I found it uncomfortable, but this may be a factor of finding the right slide. My fingers are kind of short, and it seems like most slides I try are meant for folks blessed with longer fingers. It may be worth spending some time at the music store playing with different slides, because I can see the advantage of having that other finger free. Again, many thanks for the inspiring lessons!
Now that I've recorded my own backing track, here's another stab at the melody! I imagine we'll do the next two A's as improv and then back to the melody in the bridge and out on the last A? Looking forward to seeing the next lesson!!
Again, nice! Maybe a little more space between phrases? Your playing fits over the changes and isn't "wrong," but a lot of those phrases might sing more if you give them an extra breath before playing them.
Thanks, Mike! I see what you mean about space; I'm doing a "California 4-way stop" (slowing down but never actualy come to a full stop) and blurring the phrase a little bit. I will keep that in mind, thanks again!!
Finally got around to learning the chords, and I was knocked out how much fun the rhythm is to play. It was also a lot of fun playing along with the track. Thanks a lot for it!
How does it sound? I think I'm rushing a little in first chrorus, but it feels to me like I'm locking in okay on the second chorus. It felt really "cozy" playing it.