I don't mean to flatter you too much but It's a pleasure to hear and see a real musician, I mean never reciting his grids, doing solos always related to the song, eloquent (to me Jerry Douglas has the same rare quality on the dobro). That being said, do you sometimes think in terms of pentatonic scales ?
I'm glad you show us something by Jerry Reed, whose name was first introduced to France and probably Europe by the late Dadi, who put Blue finger and The claw in his third record. In the first record of Chet Atkins with Jerry there is a stunning version of Tennessee Stud where Jerry does wonders with his "banjo roll", and funky rocking solos on a classical guitar.
His first appearances on US tv are exceptional, like this one where he plays Ray Charles in 1969 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUXAbyNsSK0
Thank you again,
Jack.
PS : could we consider that the presence of C chords and F chords are explained by the fact that they are chords of blue notes, the minor seventh and the minor third ?
Thank you for the kind words! I do definitely use pentatonic scales. Quite a lot actually. I guess I don’t really think of it in terms of “now I will play a pentatonic scale” but a lot of my favorite players and favorite music are built around the pentatonic scale, so that sound is very much in my ears. And I’ve definitely spent time mapping that sound out all over the fingerboard: playing it vertically in all the various positions where you can play it, as well as playing it horizontally (from low frets to high, high to low on one or two strings), and then trying to mix those approaches so that those notes (or sounds as I tend to think about it) are “available” to me wherever I am on the guitar. That is basically the same approach I use for triads as well as regular scales though too. You just have to spend some time mapping them out for yourself so that you can use them fluently and without thinking about it.
And yes, the C and F chords are definitely coming from the blue notes!
Absolutely, definitely a desert island album. At the same time virtuoso and peaceful, harmonious, with a beautiful voice. A folk flavor. Another desert island record to me is Elementary Doctor Watson, with a great version of last thing on my mind, finger style by the late Doc. Any old time could be a good idea for a request, with fine blues breaks. But let's keep that secret, It's gonna be one day a surprise for our respected professor.
The difference between a peaceful meditative beginning and then a more powerful music is beautiful.
Imho it is great of you to propose non traditional or strictly bluegrass tunes like that, because we are all guitar lovers, and it's interesting to expand the scope and learn all sorts of things (bluegrass, Greensleeves, silent night, ... all that is wonderful). It's a great choice to me, not too difficult and a good way to practice the melody and accompaniment technique.
Thank you again for a great help and motivation, and a nice tune.
PS : you are Tonyricing us. I was more in Watson, I've just bought TR's cds, among others Manzanita and Church Street Blues, and I am amazed.
Absolutely, definitely a desert island album. At the same time virtuoso and peaceful, harmonious, with a beautiful voice. A folk flavor. Another desert island record to me is Elementary Doctor Watson, with a great version of last thing on my mind, finger style by the late Doc. Any old time could be a good idea for a request, with fine blues breaks. But let's keep that secret, It's gonna be one day a surprise for our respected professor.
Happy new year Chris, full of personal and professional satisfactions.
Thank you for your invaluable lessons, for your will to transmit what you know (and you know a lot) instead of showing off your skills as you could do.
I'm looking forward to discovering each one of them.
Hello Chris, great lesson to me, all the more so since I was just wondering why we had this C sharp in the B section. Now I understand we are in the key of D for a little while, with F sharp and C sharp ( the G chord actually being the 4 chord of D,, as you say).
The same for the B major chord instead of minor, introducing a leading tone with D sharp, that really wants to go to E. That way the ending B major E minor is very convincing. Very convincing but maybe more modern, psychological. To me B minor E minor is very beautiful too, different, maybe more interesting, sounding more ancient, solemn, mysterious, noble.
Anyway thank you a lot for those explanations very important, I really feel I need to understand how it works (which is nor the case now) to play and learn the music.
Your ending variation is great too, I will try to catch it, even I am not good at that, but you play slow and neat, it should be possible.
Hello Chris, one more interesting lesson, like so many with you. A nice way to play melody and chords, as we did before, and as we can do with Red haired boy, Imho.
I only knew this song as Greensleeves until I heard it beautifully sung by the Judds, as a Christmas song.
Merry Christmas to you, dear over the ocean professor,
Hello Chris, one more time a beautiful tune to learn, this one interestingly different, a melancholic folk ballad. Frankly Chris, I’m amazed at the quality of what you do for us. When I see the pedagogical way you conduct this course, from the fundamentals with so many pieces of advice : playing what we can sing, no tension, your clear explanation of the Jimmy martin strumming, … I am so glad I know this site. I don’t want to torture your modesty but I wonder if there is something as good in any official conservatory, and actually I don’t think so. Also the dedication and will you have to transmit what you know, the beauty of your music,(everything you do in Tennessee waltz is stunning, any solo sounds like a musical meditation to me), Madre mia, que belleza ! Thank you for that and in everybody’s interest, and especially mine, please take care of yourself, dear Chris, and be well. From France, with warm friendship and respect, Jack.
Hello Chris, this is Jack. I stumbled recently upon your lessons on line, and I am so glad I did. I’m one of those guys you describe working with tabs, not being really able to sing what they do, maybe not hearing first before playing. I think you may be the one able to put me on the right track, the track of music.Your method is brilliant, starting from a simple and beautiful song like White dove, and building up on that. Learning things in a context. Thanks to the late Marcel Dadi I discovered Doc Watson years ago, saw him in Paris in the 80s, and at the Merlefest 2001. On that instance I met and talk to Chris Thile, Merle’s widow, Jerry Douglas, … I saw performances by Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, Dolly Parton accompanied by Chris and Doc, unforgettable. Having listened to Doc for years I realised now that I have this repertoire in my head, making your lessons very precious. As for rest strokes, very interesting subject. In classical, while doing an arpeggio they rest the ring finger, making the melody (usually played by this finger) stand out. They never rest the thumb, flamenco players always do. It gives their bass notes a power and depth remarquable. Slight remark for the singing of White dove : it took me a little while to get that it begins on beat 3 : White on beat three, dove on beat one.
Very warm regards to you from France, and to this very likeable music community.
PS : sorry for so long a message, I won’t do it again.
Jack, so nice to have you here in our community and thank you for this post! I was also at Merlefest in 2001 - that was where/when I reconnected with Tony Rice. I have great memories from that festival. Cheers!
The mother of all quotes !
Great quote !
Jerry was always composing, and rarely taking great care of the thing afterwards.
One day Jean-Philippe Lalanne, good fingerstyle player who knew Jerry played something in front of him.
Jerry said "very nice tune, who composed that ?"
Jean Philippe said "you did"
Ha! I love that!
Hello Chris, great song and great solos as usual.
I don't mean to flatter you too much but It's a pleasure to hear and see a real musician, I mean never reciting his grids, doing solos always related to the song, eloquent (to me Jerry Douglas has the same rare quality on the dobro). That being said, do you sometimes think in terms of pentatonic scales ?
I'm glad you show us something by Jerry Reed, whose name was first introduced to France and probably Europe by the late Dadi, who put Blue finger and The claw in his third record. In the first record of Chet Atkins with Jerry there is a stunning version of Tennessee Stud where Jerry does wonders with his "banjo roll", and funky rocking solos on a classical guitar.
His first appearances on US tv are exceptional, like this one where he plays Ray Charles in 1969 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUXAbyNsSK0
Thank you again,
Jack.
PS : could we consider that the presence of C chords and F chords are explained by the fact that they are chords of blue notes, the minor seventh and the minor third ?
Hi Jack,
Thank you for the kind words! I do definitely use pentatonic scales. Quite a lot actually. I guess I don’t really think of it in terms of “now I will play a pentatonic scale” but a lot of my favorite players and favorite music are built around the pentatonic scale, so that sound is very much in my ears. And I’ve definitely spent time mapping that sound out all over the fingerboard: playing it vertically in all the various positions where you can play it, as well as playing it horizontally (from low frets to high, high to low on one or two strings), and then trying to mix those approaches so that those notes (or sounds as I tend to think about it) are “available” to me wherever I am on the guitar. That is basically the same approach I use for triads as well as regular scales though too. You just have to spend some time mapping them out for yourself so that you can use them fluently and without thinking about it.
And yes, the C and F chords are definitely coming from the blue notes!
Cheers,
Chris
Hello Chris, hello everybody. Great song, great version ! I hope you will show us those wonderful solos you do.
Great, great lessons you give, huge luck we have.
Very warm regards,
Jack.
Thanks Jack!
Hello Chris, I had not seen this lesson, very interesting and precise.
With a very nice surprise to boot. Your mother is a fine lady, It shows.
Please give her my best for the new year, and thank her for a pleasant visit,
Jack.
Absolutely, definitely a desert island album. At the same time virtuoso and peaceful, harmonious, with a beautiful voice. A folk flavor.
Another desert island record to me is Elementary Doctor Watson, with a great version of last thing on my mind, finger style by the late Doc.
Any old time could be a good idea for a request, with fine blues breaks.
But let's keep that secret, It's gonna be one day a surprise for our respected professor.
Hello Chris, one more interesting lesson.
The difference between a peaceful meditative beginning and then a more powerful music is beautiful.
Imho it is great of you to propose non traditional or strictly bluegrass tunes like that, because we are all guitar lovers, and it's interesting to expand the scope and learn all sorts of things (bluegrass, Greensleeves, silent night, ... all that is wonderful). It's a great choice to me, not too difficult and a good way to practice the melody and accompaniment technique.
Thank you again for a great help and motivation, and a nice tune.
PS : you are Tonyricing us. I was more in Watson, I've just bought TR's cds, among others Manzanita and Church Street Blues, and I am amazed.
Church Street Blues is one of my desert island albums. Masterpiece from start to finish.
Absolutely, definitely a desert island album. At the same time virtuoso and peaceful, harmonious, with a beautiful voice. A folk flavor.
Another desert island record to me is Elementary Doctor Watson, with a great version of last thing on my mind, finger style by the late Doc.
Any old time could be a good idea for a request, with fine blues breaks.
But let's keep that secret, It's gonna be one day a surprise for our respected professor.
Happy new year Chris, full of personal and professional satisfactions.
Thank you for your invaluable lessons, for your will to transmit what you know (and you know a lot) instead of showing off your skills as you could do.
I'm looking forward to discovering each one of them.
Be well maestro !
Jack.
PS : this lesson is great.
Thank you so much Jack and may you have a fulfilling and happy 2018 as well!
A guitar made with a box of Ibold cigars from Cincinnati.
The cigars are probably better than the music.
Jack.
Amazing find!
Hello Chris, great lesson to me, all the more so since I was just wondering why we had this C sharp in the B section. Now I understand we are in the key of D for a little while, with F sharp and C sharp ( the G chord actually being the 4 chord of D,, as you say).
The same for the B major chord instead of minor, introducing a leading tone with D sharp, that really wants to go to E. That way the ending B major E minor is very convincing. Very convincing but maybe more modern, psychological. To me B minor E minor is very beautiful too, different, maybe more interesting, sounding more ancient, solemn, mysterious, noble.
Anyway thank you a lot for those explanations very important, I really feel I need to understand how it works (which is nor the case now) to play and learn the music.
Your ending variation is great too, I will try to catch it, even I am not good at that, but you play slow and neat, it should be possible.
So see you next year maestro,
and thank you again,
Jack.
Hello Chris, one more interesting lesson, like so many with you. A nice way to play melody and chords, as we did before, and as we can do with Red haired boy, Imho.
I only knew this song as Greensleeves until I heard it beautifully sung by the Judds, as a Christmas song.
Merry Christmas to you, dear over the ocean professor,
Jack.
I'm from Lyon. Do you know the city ?
Hello Chris, one more time a beautiful tune to learn, this one interestingly different, a melancholic folk ballad. Frankly Chris, I’m amazed at the quality of what you do for us. When I see the pedagogical way you conduct this course, from the fundamentals with so many pieces of advice : playing what we can sing, no tension, your clear explanation of the Jimmy martin strumming, … I am so glad I know this site. I don’t want to torture your modesty but I wonder if there is something as good in any official conservatory, and actually I don’t think so. Also the dedication and will you have to transmit what you know, the beauty of your music,(everything you do in Tennessee waltz is stunning, any solo sounds like a musical meditation to me), Madre mia, que belleza ! Thank you for that and in everybody’s interest, and especially mine, please take care of yourself, dear Chris, and be well. From France, with warm friendship and respect, Jack.
Hi french buddy ;)
Where are you from ?
I'm from Lyon. Do you know the city ?
Ok. Never'been in Lyon. I live in Tours.
Cheers :)
Jack, thank you so much for these kind words. It’s a wonderful community that we have here and I feel lucky to be a part of it!
cheers,
Chris
Hello Chris, this is Jack. I stumbled recently upon your lessons on line, and I am so glad I did. I’m one of those guys you describe working with tabs, not being really able to sing what they do, maybe not hearing first before playing. I think you may be the one able to put me on the right track, the track of music.Your method is brilliant, starting from a simple and beautiful song like White dove, and building up on that. Learning things in a context. Thanks to the late Marcel Dadi I discovered Doc Watson years ago, saw him in Paris in the 80s, and at the Merlefest 2001. On that instance I met and talk to Chris Thile, Merle’s widow, Jerry Douglas, … I saw performances by Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, Dolly Parton accompanied by Chris and Doc, unforgettable. Having listened to Doc for years I realised now that I have this repertoire in my head, making your lessons very precious. As for rest strokes, very interesting subject. In classical, while doing an arpeggio they rest the ring finger, making the melody (usually played by this finger) stand out. They never rest the thumb, flamenco players always do. It gives their bass notes a power and depth remarquable. Slight remark for the singing of White dove : it took me a little while to get that it begins on beat 3 : White on beat three, dove on beat one.
Very warm regards to you from France, and to this very likeable music community.
PS : sorry for so long a message, I won’t do it again.
Jack, so nice to have you here in our community and thank you for this post! I was also at Merlefest in 2001 - that was where/when I reconnected with Tony Rice. I have great memories from that festival. Cheers!