This is my first time seriously trying to do a slide tune. I've had a slide for years but always gave up after five minutes. Even though I've never played in open A, it feels surprisingly like an old friend. My slide vibrato technique needs a lot of practice, obviously, but I hope I'm moving in the right direction with this. Thanks for the many insights! Would deeply appreciate any feedback.
Greetings and thanks for posting. Your finger picking sounds solid here so you have already cleared a hurdle that many find difficult. I would say that you are moving in the right direction. I think you should try playing with a lighter touch on your slide hand. Also, have your tried putting it on your pinky finger? It might give you more control. Your slide sounds good already, just work on your vibrato, like you say and it will be even better. Thanks...
Great lesson! Thanks Mike and Duke! I feel like I'm making progress. Feedback as always would be very much appreciated. I was going to try to copy that thing where Mike wiped his brow before playing the lick. I don't know if it was intentional, but it looked very cool. ;-) Thanks again!
Nice! For maximum authenticity on the brow wipe, record yourself in a room with bright lights and no air conditioning! I like your vibrato and attack; it's got its own thing while being pretty true to B.'s vibe.
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 so much, Duke! It's great to hear that. I have a friend who plays a mean guitar with whom I share some of my videos, and for quite a while he's been saying, "You really ought to try and get some vibrato going". So thanks also for the challenge on this one!! ;-)
It must be incredibly frustrating not to be able to play yet, like an itch you can't scratch. Ooops, now I've got Slim Harpo going through my head. But I do love that song anyway. "Now you're doin' that chicken scratch!"
Anyway -- thanks and continued best wishes for a speedy recovery!
So here's my best so far. My vibrato is still very wonky. At this point in my guitar development, I don't think I have a "natural vibrato". ;-) So here I am with my unnatural vibrato. Any feedback would be most welcome and appreciated!
When I was a youngster learning jazz piano, one of my teachers was listening to me play some 40s standard, I forget which one. He kept complaining about the way I was phrasing it, but couldn't put his finger on what he didn't like. He said, "Learn the words to this song and play it for me again (not sing, just play) next week", which I did and then I played it correctly. The musical phrase was built around the phrasing of the words, but if you'd never heard the words, the phrase was not self-evident.
And I just realized that this is why Duke's suggestion of listening to BB's original singing version of this song is so important. It's the same thing my piano teacher told me; understanding BB's phrasing in his singing will help to understand his phrasing in his guitar playing because that was so much a part of his playing, unlike say… Jimi Hendrix.
Sorry, I'm having musical epiphanies listening to your playing and they are spilling out of my head. ;-) Great lesson! Thanks Mike and Duke for all the inspiration!
That is some fabulous guitar playing, Mike! I'm completely knocked out by your balance of raw blues feel and amazing chops. I've ripped my poor index finger to shreds trying to figure out how to play that BB vibrato! You really sound great on that and also your accuracy of pitch on bends is pretty impressive. And somewhat intimidating. ;-)
I'm spending a lot of time at 50% on this one, trying to cop the nuances that you are throwing in that makes this simple melody so special. The phrasing is shaped by the way you approach and leave a note; it gives that note context in the phrase. How you go from note to note determines the "intelligibility" of the phrase. It's like knowing how letters go together into words. If someone said "Howco meyou don'tunder standme?" you wouldn't easily know they meant "How come you don't understand me?" And another example of the white space being as important as the notes in creating a phrase.
Hey Monster Mike, great tune and lesson! All the vibrato in this tune will *definitely* be a challenge for me. But I will get it eventually! Like this new t-shirt I got says, I have a plan. ;-) Good to see you again, and thanks.
Here's my go at this. I love that very simple opening statement, but it has to be phrased *just* right, and you sound great on it, Paul. Mine lacks the confidence that the phrase really requires, but I hope it's too not bad. Great lesson! Thanks a lot! Bruce
This lesson has been great. I've not really listened to enough Barney Kessel in the past, and so I have an entirely new appreciation for him.
Mike, here's a correction on the transcription for the 2nd to the last measure. The 4th note (on the 8th fret) should be on the G string, not the B string.
Very cool! This will be a very interesting challenge. Fortunately for me, you didn't pick Barney's "Gypsy In My Soul". I'm still trying to retrieve my jaw from the floor after watching him play this. Thanks Paul and Duke!
Wow, you've given me a lot of things to consider! Thanks a bunch, Duke! I'll definitely try it at the 11th fret. That opening riff does make me very nervous! Sometimes when I go to play it, my fingers freeze up with tension -- and then I have to have a little chat with them; tell them stories, give them cookies, that sort of thing. ;-)
But I really want to give this one my best rather than just say "oh, it's good enough", and move on to the next tune like I usually do. I think that's one of my "barriers to break through" with guitar. Thanks again for the advice and encouragement! My fingers thank you and I thank you.
I've been working and working on this one. It's still a little stiff sounding, but it's better each week. My poor wife has heard me to this thousands of times by now, but she's a very good sport about it. ;-)
I think I've got it to the point where I'm ready for some feedback. It's not my absolute best yet, but it does represent a lot of effort. Thanks Duke!
Wow, as Peter said, that is indeed a stretch! Great tune and sweet arrangement, Paul!
Duke, I was absolutely delighted to read on Facebook that all went well with your operation. Continuing to send good vibes your way, hope to hear you playing that axe again soon!
I assume you don't mind a little reharmonization on my part on the bridge. Can't help myself, even if I could be taking the time to relax my hand before that next Bbm!! ;-)
Hi Corey -
This is my first time seriously trying to do a slide tune. I've had a slide for years but always gave up after five minutes. Even though I've never played in open A, it feels surprisingly like an old friend. My slide vibrato technique needs a lot of practice, obviously, but I hope I'm moving in the right direction with this. Thanks for the many insights! Would deeply appreciate any feedback.
Regards,
Bruce
Greetings and thanks for posting. Your finger picking sounds solid here so you have already cleared a hurdle that many find difficult. I would say that you are moving in the right direction. I think you should try playing with a lighter touch on your slide hand. Also, have your tried putting it on your pinky finger? It might give you more control. Your slide sounds good already, just work on your vibrato, like you say and it will be even better. Thanks...
Great lesson! Thanks Mike and Duke! I feel like I'm making progress. Feedback as always would be very much appreciated. I was going to try to copy that thing where Mike wiped his brow before playing the lick. I don't know if it was intentional, but it looked very cool. ;-) Thanks again!
Nice! For maximum authenticity on the brow wipe, record yourself in a room with bright lights and no air conditioning! I like your vibrato and attack; it's got its own thing while being pretty true to B.'s vibe.
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 so much, Duke! It's great to hear that. I have a friend who plays a mean guitar with whom I share some of my videos, and for quite a while he's been saying, "You really ought to try and get some vibrato going". So thanks also for the challenge on this one!! ;-)
It must be incredibly frustrating not to be able to play yet, like an itch you can't scratch. Ooops, now I've got Slim Harpo going through my head. But I do love that song anyway. "Now you're doin' that chicken scratch!"
Anyway -- thanks and continued best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Bruce
So here's my best so far. My vibrato is still very wonky. At this point in my guitar development, I don't think I have a "natural vibrato". ;-) So here I am with my unnatural vibrato. Any feedback would be most welcome and appreciated!
Yeah, like I said on your other video, I like your vibrato and attack quite a bit!
[ continued ...]
When I was a youngster learning jazz piano, one of my teachers was listening to me play some 40s standard, I forget which one. He kept complaining about the way I was phrasing it, but couldn't put his finger on what he didn't like. He said, "Learn the words to this song and play it for me again (not sing, just play) next week", which I did and then I played it correctly. The musical phrase was built around the phrasing of the words, but if you'd never heard the words, the phrase was not self-evident.
And I just realized that this is why Duke's suggestion of listening to BB's original singing version of this song is so important. It's the same thing my piano teacher told me; understanding BB's phrasing in his singing will help to understand his phrasing in his guitar playing because that was so much a part of his playing, unlike say… Jimi Hendrix.
Sorry, I'm having musical epiphanies listening to your playing and they are spilling out of my head. ;-) Great lesson! Thanks Mike and Duke for all the inspiration!
That is some fabulous guitar playing, Mike! I'm completely knocked out by your balance of raw blues feel and amazing chops. I've ripped my poor index finger to shreds trying to figure out how to play that BB vibrato! You really sound great on that and also your accuracy of pitch on bends is pretty impressive. And somewhat intimidating. ;-)
I'm spending a lot of time at 50% on this one, trying to cop the nuances that you are throwing in that makes this simple melody so special. The phrasing is shaped by the way you approach and leave a note; it gives that note context in the phrase. How you go from note to note determines the "intelligibility" of the phrase. It's like knowing how letters go together into words. If someone said "Howco meyou don'tunder standme?" you wouldn't easily know they meant "How come you don't understand me?" And another example of the white space being as important as the notes in creating a phrase.
Thanks so much, Duke!
BTW, Sonic Junction Mike (as opposed to Monster Mike), the 3rd to the last chord of the B section should be E7/B, not Eb7/B.
Thanks Bruce --- you're right --- fixed.
Hey Monster Mike, great tune and lesson! All the vibrato in this tune will *definitely* be a challenge for me. But I will get it eventually! Like this new t-shirt I got says, I have a plan. ;-) Good to see you again, and thanks.
Here's my attempt. When I initially listened to Paul play this, I thought it'd take me years to learn all those notes! Thanks again!
Great stuff! Thanks Paul and Duke. Hoping to have a video later today.
Mike -- a couple of transcriptions errors:
Bar 7 of the B section. The last note should be on the 1st string, 6th fret, not 2nd string as marked like so:
And in the 4th bar of the last A section, the last note should be on the 3rd string, 5th fret, not the 2nd string as indicated, like so:
Thanks,
Bruce
Thank you, Duke! That makes my week!
Here's my go at this. I love that very simple opening statement, but it has to be phrased *just* right, and you sound great on it, Paul. Mine lacks the confidence that the phrase really requires, but I hope it's too not bad. Great lesson! Thanks a lot! Bruce
This lesson has been great. I've not really listened to enough Barney Kessel in the past, and so I have an entirely new appreciation for him.
Mike, here's a correction on the transcription for the 2nd to the last measure. The 4th note (on the 8th fret) should be on the G string, not the B string.
Thanks Bruce --- we've updated the tab.
Great stuff. I'm phrasing the last bit of the B section a bit differently than you, Paul, but it seems to work out.
I feel like my swing phrasing has improved a bit on this -- hope you think so too! ;-) Looking forward to the improv section!
Thanks Paul and Duke!
Bruce
Here's my take on this. Definitely looking forward to hearing your soloing ideas on this one! Thanks Paul and Duke!
Very cool! This will be a very interesting challenge. Fortunately for me, you didn't pick Barney's "Gypsy In My Soul". I'm still trying to retrieve my jaw from the floor after watching him play this. Thanks Paul and Duke!
Wow, you've given me a lot of things to consider! Thanks a bunch, Duke! I'll definitely try it at the 11th fret. That opening riff does make me very nervous! Sometimes when I go to play it, my fingers freeze up with tension -- and then I have to have a little chat with them; tell them stories, give them cookies, that sort of thing. ;-)
But I really want to give this one my best rather than just say "oh, it's good enough", and move on to the next tune like I usually do. I think that's one of my "barriers to break through" with guitar. Thanks again for the advice and encouragement! My fingers thank you and I thank you.
I've been working and working on this one. It's still a little stiff sounding, but it's better each week. My poor wife has heard me to this thousands of times by now, but she's a very good sport about it. ;-)
I think I've got it to the point where I'm ready for some feedback. It's not my absolute best yet, but it does represent a lot of effort. Thanks Duke!
Bruce
Wow, as Peter said, that is indeed a stretch! Great tune and sweet arrangement, Paul!
Duke, I was absolutely delighted to read on Facebook that all went well with your operation. Continuing to send good vibes your way, hope to hear you playing that axe again soon!
I assume you don't mind a little reharmonization on my part on the bridge. Can't help myself, even if I could be taking the time to relax my hand before that next Bbm!! ;-)