@Alex Thanks Alex :) You're version is great too ! I think this song must be played hundred times to get the good feeling and improvise on it and don't losse the groove. My epiphone is a PR100 from korea i've bought 40euros on ebay. I like it but it stay in my classroom usually but i took it for the hollidays and i can let her in open Em.
@Dave Nice version too ! It's cool to see who guitarist play the b section and the rest :) "Different folks, Different strokes" as i've heard somewhere !
Hello Corey, i've try to post a video faster this time ! i don't know if you've seen the "Keep your lamp" and "Kind Hearted" vdo i've posted last week ? So it's the first time i post a work in progress video. I didn't pay attention to the singing at this time.
The variations on the main riff are not so easy and i'd like to get your choke at the 8m38 on the second video lesson !
I also go to fast but i was nervous for this video. But in fact my tempo speed is a real problem for me. When you work in solo you have to pay more attention to the tempo speed even if you're nervous.
this is a smooth version of the song. I was sick today but i don't know when i could record another video. So i've made a try. I don't dare many variation as usual, i try to get your tricks and then make my won later.
But i've remark that i improvise less with fingerpicking (and slide too!) because it's hard to keep the tempo with the thumb and improvise. When you only play a solo in band it doesn't matter if your out of time for a little moment and it could be fun but in this fingerstyle picking if i make a mistake the whole song fall because the thumb move ! Maybe in a year i will be more confortable :)
this my try for Kind Hearted Woman. Last week i was working on" Keep your lamp burning" with my little Gretsch Dobro (cheap and fun) and then i played "Kind hearted Woman". I remembered that i like the bright metallic sound of Johnny Shines so i used thumpick to play this tune. But don't worry i'm still working my thumb with your technique and i'm gonna get it !
As usual i tried to play the whole song even if it is in my high range and not in my confort zone. But my voice is changing so i don't care for now. I sang "Running and hidding" in C but finaly i've discovered that it's better in E and i feel real confortable now ! And i will play it in public.
Yes your voice is a muscle ! As singin a lot for 4months i've notice many things change : i'm getting higher and lower register and getting more confident. Like a instrument i explore my register differently. My teacher and some guitarist friends who took lesson said that it take 3 years to feel good and make real progress with you voice. So the thing is too sing over and over and looking back you see the progress :) as a teacher i always say too my students to not focus on result because what you learn today is going to be assimilate in six month but today you can see that you've get the things we've worked six monthe ago.
Thanks for your wonderful website Mike and thanks for you lesson and you advice Corey.
Thanks for the kind word in french Corey :) I'm now working the singing part as you said and focuses every note and phrases. I've made this video when i had the guitar OK for me and approximative singing. Now i'm getting deeper the singin. Singing and fingerpick is very hard ! And i've notice that in your record you sing an octave higher than this video !! The high G is too high for me and i'll stay at the lower register i think ;)
For the small change, i can do it at this point of my journey but if i improvise the guitar, i loose the singing ;) I just can make big change on the guitar solo part.
When i feel stronger in singin and playing, i'll get more personnal :) But it take time and now i'm in candy store with all your lesson here ! And i want to eat them and digest all before i find my style. But fingerpicking blues affects me a lot in other style : i play more with my bare fingers now :)
Wow i love this song too ! There a lot of African feeling in it ! I've discovered the great Ali Farka Toure (that you have so much chance to play with him!!) before country blues. I've played with a Mauritanian singer friend long time ago but i wasn't so much in fingerpicking, i used flatpick more and that wasn't the same feeling. No i feel ready to explore african music again with a new approach. But i haven't so much time while getting older ;). But your lessons are the perfect way to learn Blues and African music ! I still have, Keep your lamp and Kind hearted woman to post but i'll do this song !!!
For me Skip Jame is an "OVNI" in blues. His voice, lyrics, tuning and style is unique ! in a way his was one of the greatest i think. I said Ovni because is doesn't feel like traditionnal blues for me. He have is own world and style. i've heard that John Hurt who played with Skip James at folk blues festival said that he considerated himself like an entertainer and Skip James like a genius ! I thinkSkip James is less known because is style is very hard to dig and play ! And his singin too is hard to imitate...
This my version of Bumble Blues, not perfect but i try my best. Singin was hard too. I'm 10 BPM points over you but i guess i'm going quicker after each take: it's the almost the 12th take. The first takes were slower but not good.
This the one of the last attempt. It was hard to remember all the parts ! I try do play close to you, and when i'll got the song in my pocket in few months (i hope) i'll take more liberty. It's was harder to sing and play than running and hidding but i like it a lot.
The singin on the A7 part is quite hard and i have to work the independance on this part. And singin but it will come one day ;)
@Mike, thanks for the compliment ;) You are progressing too, and singing is good too ! There's a lot of emotion in your singing ! The best advise is too sing and sing again to train your voice and have confidence in it. You also may breath more i think. Taking more air and breath with your belly (i don't know how to call in english this kind of respiration). As said Corey even if your voice is like a stella guitar you can put a lot of feeling in it :) ! This advice make sense for me and i'm less affraid of singin now !
Hello Corey, thanks for the bass technique at the end, exactly what i was searching ! Actually i was muting with my palm always on the strings !
By the way i've download your album in mp3 format on CD Baby.It's really a good album !! It's nice to hear the song we work here in a new rendition like Catfish or Devil Got my woman. I love the "That will never happen no more" with the vocal intervention "à la Blind Blake" ;) And your voice sound better in Bb like the original. You have a very high vocal range like the falsetto on the C# in this Kindhearted woman, Wow !
I bough the CD version when you came to France for a concert and hope i had a dedicace :)
@ Corey thanks for your response. As watching your video i see that your hand is not so close to the saddle when you mute strings. Your thumb is near the fingerboard. So i guess you always mute after the stroke. But thank for this advise i'll try to do it !
@ Alex Well thanks for compliments. You're right it's hard to sing in englsih for us ;) And it's harder for french because of our accent is on the last syllable;) Italien are more on the middle Syllable so it's more a singing language than french. But Corey in another lesson said me to have confidence in our voice like it's possible to make good song with bad guitar it's possible to put feeling in every voice. So i get more confident. I'm taking singing lesson but i sing in french because i just began. Your voice is good too and sound confident. Just like i don't plan to be a internationnal blue star but just want to sing alone with my guitar in bars or street for fun. i'm tired to just being a soloist or comp singers. It was cool too but i need change and blues call me for a long time ;)
i have a question about your Lyrics. The Lyrics from Fred Mc Dowell says "Here i Stand with my soul and my heart" but i don't understand what your singin ?
I'm not soo good in English (like a lot of french) so it's hard to get all the lyrics. I transcribe the Blind Willie Johnson too but i don't understand the "here i stand" part that you sing.
I also here "Keep all" in your version and "Keepin" in BBW and all the Lyric says just "Keep"
Nice Job Alex :) ! And very peacefull voice that sound good here. Even in this first try i can hear Corey's Lick on the D and E for example. Sometimes I can hear that in my playing too and say where i got that :). i'll try to post something on this lesson if i can. I'm workin old songs of Corey's lesson but i'm stuck with singin too... But i keep working the guitar of course. But my challenge is too have the guitar and the voice if i can ;)
Corey could you help me with the bass ? It seemed that you don't mute every time ? And you seems too play strongly not slapping but almost ? Am i wrong ?
I know you play with a lot of dynamic maybe it's the answer : Sometimes mute, sometimes no, then slap or not...
I really don't know where to mute. When i start blues i muted only on the saddle, know i'm more on the middle of the string but it's very muted (but i like it too) and i only slap the firts beat of the fifth measure..
Hello Corey, here's my attemp after one hour of takes. I give you a slow version because i know i usually play too fast. I know John Jackson version is quite quick on "don't let you deal go down" but i tried to slow it down.
I'm based on John Jackson chord version because i had a video with him and work both with your version and his version. I take his version because that the version i had on my mp3 reader and in my head. This song is not so easy because of the 6/4 measures so i stay with my version although i like your bridge with the F chord ! And it's you who inspired me to work on this beautiful song !
It takes a long time to master a song, i'm still working on That never happen no more and working bumble bee and keep your lamb. I think it's 6month (or more) to get confortable with a song maybe i'll repost other version this summer ;)
I've seen the guitar JWmurphy guitar hope i'll can try one one day in Fenton ! The one you use with your jazz trio is awesome (by the way your drummer too ! Mark ride's drive his incredible and Brad Hallen groove's too of course !).
I wanted to tell you that i also teach to my student all the things between the notes you tell in your lesson when i came to blues guitar with them. I put one chicago bues in E in my french guitar method (because i want rocker to play blues !) and now i have a lot of story about string gauge, quickchange "error" on second measure (cf the chicago lesson with brad) and many things like that. And of course i quote you and tell about Sonic Junction and tell your youtube video.
It's incredible to learn from you and Corey and exchange with you !
Duke, i'm just passing to say your lessons are great ! And your too modest your a great soulful guitarist !!
I'm working fingerstyle with Corey because that's what i'm in now : playing alone and singing old blues. But i always pick riffs from your video :) ! But not enought to upload a complete video so i wanted to thanks you for my trick bag even if i don't post video !
And i also love your guitar collection !! For info i got a old gibson l-50 with dearmond rythmn chief 1000 :) Love that guitar too ! What is it ? And what amp do you use for you video ?
@Alex Thanks Alex :) You're version is great too ! I think this song must be played hundred times to get the good feeling and improvise on it and don't losse the groove. My epiphone is a PR100 from korea i've bought 40euros on ebay. I like it but it stay in my classroom usually but i took it for the hollidays and i can let her in open Em.
@Dave Nice version too ! It's cool to see who guitarist play the b section and the rest :) "Different folks, Different strokes" as i've heard somewhere !
Hello Corey, i've try to post a video faster this time ! i don't know if you've seen the "Keep your lamp" and "Kind Hearted" vdo i've posted last week ? So it's the first time i post a work in progress video. I didn't pay attention to the singing at this time.
The variations on the main riff are not so easy and i'd like to get your choke at the 8m38 on the second video lesson !
I also go to fast but i was nervous for this video. But in fact my tempo speed is a real problem for me. When you work in solo you have to pay more attention to the tempo speed even if you're nervous.
Hope i'll post a more finished version soon :)
Thanks for you help,
cheers
JD
Hello Corey,
this is a smooth version of the song. I was sick today but i don't know when i could record another video. So i've made a try. I don't dare many variation as usual, i try to get your tricks and then make my won later.
But i've remark that i improvise less with fingerpicking (and slide too!) because it's hard to keep the tempo with the thumb and improvise. When you only play a solo in band it doesn't matter if your out of time for a little moment and it could be fun but in this fingerstyle picking if i make a mistake the whole song fall because the thumb move ! Maybe in a year i will be more confortable :)
See You,
JD
Hello Corey,
this my try for Kind Hearted Woman. Last week i was working on" Keep your lamp burning" with my little Gretsch Dobro (cheap and fun) and then i played "Kind hearted Woman". I remembered that i like the bright metallic sound of Johnny Shines so i used thumpick to play this tune. But don't worry i'm still working my thumb with your technique and i'm gonna get it !
As usual i tried to play the whole song even if it is in my high range and not in my confort zone. But my voice is changing so i don't care for now. I sang "Running and hidding" in C but finaly i've discovered that it's better in E and i feel real confortable now ! And i will play it in public.
Things are coming and i'm reallly happy !
Bless you Corey,
JD
Yes your voice is a muscle ! As singin a lot for 4months i've notice many things change : i'm getting higher and lower register and getting more confident. Like a instrument i explore my register differently. My teacher and some guitarist friends who took lesson said that it take 3 years to feel good and make real progress with you voice. So the thing is too sing over and over and looking back you see the progress :) as a teacher i always say too my students to not focus on result because what you learn today is going to be assimilate in six month but today you can see that you've get the things we've worked six monthe ago.
Thanks for your wonderful website Mike and thanks for you lesson and you advice Corey.
Bless
JD
Thanks for the kind word in french Corey :) I'm now working the singing part as you said and focuses every note and phrases. I've made this video when i had the guitar OK for me and approximative singing. Now i'm getting deeper the singin. Singing and fingerpick is very hard ! And i've notice that in your record you sing an octave higher than this video !! The high G is too high for me and i'll stay at the lower register i think ;)
For the small change, i can do it at this point of my journey but if i improvise the guitar, i loose the singing ;) I just can make big change on the guitar solo part.
When i feel stronger in singin and playing, i'll get more personnal :) But it take time and now i'm in candy store with all your lesson here ! And i want to eat them and digest all before i find my style. But fingerpicking blues affects me a lot in other style : i play more with my bare fingers now :)
Bless you Corey and happy belated birthday !
JD
Wow i love this song too ! There a lot of African feeling in it ! I've discovered the great Ali Farka Toure (that you have so much chance to play with him!!) before country blues. I've played with a Mauritanian singer friend long time ago but i wasn't so much in fingerpicking, i used flatpick more and that wasn't the same feeling. No i feel ready to explore african music again with a new approach. But i haven't so much time while getting older ;). But your lessons are the perfect way to learn Blues and African music ! I still have, Keep your lamp and Kind hearted woman to post but i'll do this song !!!
For me Skip Jame is an "OVNI" in blues. His voice, lyrics, tuning and style is unique ! in a way his was one of the greatest i think. I said Ovni because is doesn't feel like traditionnal blues for me. He have is own world and style. i've heard that John Hurt who played with Skip James at folk blues festival said that he considerated himself like an entertainer and Skip James like a genius ! I thinkSkip James is less known because is style is very hard to dig and play ! And his singin too is hard to imitate...
@Alex... Wow you've got it cousin ;) The bass sound good and powerfull now, nice job !! I'll post a non-singin version next week i hope !
Ciao
JD
Hello Corey,
This my version of Bumble Blues, not perfect but i try my best. Singin was hard too. I'm 10 BPM points over you but i guess i'm going quicker after each take: it's the almost the 12th take. The first takes were slower but not good.
This the one of the last attempt. It was hard to remember all the parts ! I try do play close to you, and when i'll got the song in my pocket in few months (i hope) i'll take more liberty. It's was harder to sing and play than running and hidding but i like it a lot.
The singin on the A7 part is quite hard and i have to work the independance on this part. And singin but it will come one day ;)
Thanks Corey
JD
@Mike, thanks for the compliment ;) You are progressing too, and singing is good too ! There's a lot of emotion in your singing ! The best advise is too sing and sing again to train your voice and have confidence in it. You also may breath more i think. Taking more air and breath with your belly (i don't know how to call in english this kind of respiration). As said Corey even if your voice is like a stella guitar you can put a lot of feeling in it :) ! This advice make sense for me and i'm less affraid of singin now !
Best
JD
Hello Corey, thanks for the bass technique at the end, exactly what i was searching ! Actually i was muting with my palm always on the strings !
By the way i've download your album in mp3 format on CD Baby.It's really a good album !! It's nice to hear the song we work here in a new rendition like Catfish or Devil Got my woman. I love the "That will never happen no more" with the vocal intervention "à la Blind Blake" ;) And your voice sound better in Bb like the original. You have a very high vocal range like the falsetto on the C# in this Kindhearted woman, Wow !
I bough the CD version when you came to France for a concert and hope i had a dedicace :)
@ Corey thanks for your response. As watching your video i see that your hand is not so close to the saddle when you mute strings. Your thumb is near the fingerboard. So i guess you always mute after the stroke. But thank for this advise i'll try to do it !
@ Alex Well thanks for compliments. You're right it's hard to sing in englsih for us ;) And it's harder for french because of our accent is on the last syllable;) Italien are more on the middle Syllable so it's more a singing language than french. But Corey in another lesson said me to have confidence in our voice like it's possible to make good song with bad guitar it's possible to put feeling in every voice. So i get more confident. I'm taking singing lesson but i sing in french because i just began. Your voice is good too and sound confident. Just like i don't plan to be a internationnal blue star but just want to sing alone with my guitar in bars or street for fun. i'm tired to just being a soloist or comp singers. It was cool too but i need change and blues call me for a long time ;)
Hello Corey,
i have a question about your Lyrics. The Lyrics from Fred Mc Dowell says "Here i Stand with my soul and my heart" but i don't understand what your singin ?
I'm not soo good in English (like a lot of french) so it's hard to get all the lyrics. I transcribe the Blind Willie Johnson too but i don't understand the "here i stand" part that you sing.
I also here "Keep all" in your version and "Keepin" in BBW and all the Lyric says just "Keep"
Thanks for help
JD
Nice Job Alex :) ! And very peacefull voice that sound good here. Even in this first try i can hear Corey's Lick on the D and E for example. Sometimes I can hear that in my playing too and say where i got that :). i'll try to post something on this lesson if i can. I'm workin old songs of Corey's lesson but i'm stuck with singin too... But i keep working the guitar of course. But my challenge is too have the guitar and the voice if i can ;)
Thank you Alex your compliment makes my day :)
Well, i wont try to sing this one ;)
Corey could you help me with the bass ? It seemed that you don't mute every time ? And you seems too play strongly not slapping but almost ? Am i wrong ?
I know you play with a lot of dynamic maybe it's the answer : Sometimes mute, sometimes no, then slap or not...
I really don't know where to mute. When i start blues i muted only on the saddle, know i'm more on the middle of the string but it's very muted (but i like it too) and i only slap the firts beat of the fifth measure..
Thanks for help Corey and for your lesson too !
Bless
JD
Hello Corey, here's my attemp after one hour of takes. I give you a slow version because i know i usually play too fast. I know John Jackson version is quite quick on "don't let you deal go down" but i tried to slow it down.
I'm based on John Jackson chord version because i had a video with him and work both with your version and his version. I take his version because that the version i had on my mp3 reader and in my head. This song is not so easy because of the 6/4 measures so i stay with my version although i like your bridge with the F chord ! And it's you who inspired me to work on this beautiful song !
It takes a long time to master a song, i'm still working on That never happen no more and working bumble bee and keep your lamb. I think it's 6month (or more) to get confortable with a song maybe i'll repost other version this summer ;)
Regards
JD
You deserve the kudos Duke :) !
I've seen the guitar JWmurphy guitar hope i'll can try one one day in Fenton ! The one you use with your jazz trio is awesome (by the way your drummer too ! Mark ride's drive his incredible and Brad Hallen groove's too of course !).
I wanted to tell you that i also teach to my student all the things between the notes you tell in your lesson when i came to blues guitar with them. I put one chicago bues in E in my french guitar method (because i want rocker to play blues !) and now i have a lot of story about string gauge, quickchange "error" on second measure (cf the chicago lesson with brad) and many things like that. And of course i quote you and tell about Sonic Junction and tell your youtube video.
It's incredible to learn from you and Corey and exchange with you !
Hope you'll come to France soon
Greetings
JD
Duke, i'm just passing to say your lessons are great ! And your too modest your a great soulful guitarist !!
I'm working fingerstyle with Corey because that's what i'm in now : playing alone and singing old blues. But i always pick riffs from your video :) ! But not enought to upload a complete video so i wanted to thanks you for my trick bag even if i don't post video !
And i also love your guitar collection !! For info i got a old gibson l-50 with dearmond rythmn chief 1000 :) Love that guitar too ! What is it ? And what amp do you use for you video ?
Best regards
JD