I've looked at this 100's of times. Studied it and learned most of it (I think) except the majority of what I assume is Chris improvising which is fun to try and play also. Fun for the entire family. Happy 4th of July everyone ... be safe.
Cool picking ... I'm still having post traumatic stress symptoms from trying this way to early in my evolution. I agree completly about Chris and Julian ... so lucky to have seen them here when they passed through earlier this year.
Ok man ... I see what you're saying and understand the C section jumping ahead 2 beats twice and the early by an 1/8th note between the C and D parts. I also know what you mean by adding the extra phrase and the Dm instead of a G. I'm a little confused at the end of the D section ... needing an extra beat ... do you mean just pause a while longerand as usual thanks for all the help. I think I'm heading over the Cherokee Shuffle.
Thanks Chris that is awesome and really helps. I'm gonna dig in and see what you're talking about and if you have time to post a video (I know your schedule has heated up again) that would be great. Thanks again ... I love the tune and it's really fun to play.
I can't seem to get through this tune without blowing a tire along the way ... my dog Digger decided to play a little percussion at the start when he scratched at his collar which gives me pause to post this, but the reality of it is this is probably my best take of the afternoon. I don't know when I'll get another free afternoon to play around so here it is.
On one hand I think I'm making some progress but on the other hand sometimes I feel like I don't have a clue comparativrly speaking to kids half my age. Flat picking the guitar is still an enjoyabe endeaver for me so drive on.
Kip, sounding good. If you keep Digger around you can save yourself some money on hiring a tambourine player.
There's a boatload of stuff in here and you've done a very fine job of internalizing it! Over the course of the three and a half minutes there are just a handful of spots to be addressed:
There are a few spots in the C section where your are jumping ahead on the beat. Namely at 1:00 (2 big beats ahead), 1:06 (same 2 big beats ahead), and 1:10 (the seam between the C and D sections - you are getting ahead by an 8th note).
Also, you are getting ahead by 2 big beats at the end of the D section at 1:27. THE SONG HAS AN EXTRA BEAT HERE which is odd and which I didn't properly explain in the video. I'll post a video shortly explaining how it works. You got it right on the end of the second D section right before returning to the beginning of the melody but down an octave.
On the second time through the form when you're down an octave, everything sounds great, including the C section. The number of beats are correct this time! The only thing is that the chords go Am - Dm - E - Am rather than Am - G...
At 2:46 before going into the last D part you add an extra end phrase which adds a couple of beats. At 2:50 the C chord is coming one beat too early, BUT the timing of the phrase is correct. The chord occurs on the downbeat where you play an E note (2nd fret, 4th string). At 3:05 the beginning of the repeat of the D section is coming in just a little early. Again, I'll explain how the timing works here in a short video because it's a little unusual.
Thanks Chris that is awesome and really helps. I'm gonna dig in and see what you're talking about and if you have time to post a video (I know your schedule has heated up again) that would be great. Thanks again ... I love the tune and it's really fun to play.
Ok man ... I see what you're saying and understand the C section jumping ahead 2 beats twice and the early by an 1/8th note between the C and D parts. I also know what you mean by adding the extra phrase and the Dm instead of a G. I'm a little confused at the end of the D section ... needing an extra beat ... do you mean just pause a while longerand as usual thanks for all the help. I think I'm heading over the Cherokee Shuffle.
no, seriously, i'd like to teach all of the bits i just played. is there any riff in particular that you're looking for? i definitely want to be sure you get what you're after here!
thanks for tuning in and checking in...you know i appreciate it,
After struggling for a week and doing some scale exercises and whatnot, I've got this B Part video. It isn't up to speed or flawless but I thought worthy of a check in - check out. I have a tendency to add notes, miss notes and make up my own notes so before I get too far along I'm posting. The goal being to put all of the parts together and play the tune as a whole. Yea ... thats the goal. Sorry about the knees.
Kip, you got it. Those were all the notes that I was playing. I do think that you could relax a bit more on the slides/jumps, where you are going from one part of the neck to another. You're playing the notes right but see how relaxed you can feel as you land the notes. I think that if those slides were a bit more relaxed then the rest (which already seems pretty relased) will get better.
I've been lurking in the back since you came onboard at the Sonic Junction trying to figure out if I want to learn the songs you're teaching on the Uke or the guitar. In a way I'd like to learn a new instrument but to be honest I love the feel of an acoustic guitar in my hands. I'm not much of a picker but there is something about the sound coming from wood and steel strings ... IDK.
I want to hear the full story about how you found and rescued that Guild guitar ... what kind of garbage can ... what condition was it in ... what did you have done to it? How old is it? Very cool man.
The Rock Island Line ... you just gave the fundamentals of Rock n Roll Lesson. Beauty.
Anyway, I take flatpick lessons from Chris .. from scratch ... I've been pretty much a strummer and finger picker my entire life and decided at the age of 59 I wanted to learn a whole new method and genre of music. I feel like I've made a little progress over the past year or so with his help, ... so I want to say to your students that one of the most important things anyone can do is lose the fear of recording themselves and go ahead and submit videos regarless of where you are in your journey. A video of a riff or half a song or whold song. Getting feedback from your teacher really helps. Chris is a great great picker but takes all the time in the world with me and all of his students. We're lucky to have such renowned teachers. I can tell you are the same way. It is social music afterall.
greetings kip! i really appreciate hearing from you (and everyone else out there) it definitely makes the lessons more meaningful when i have a sense of who's checking them out...
the guitar was in a beat up case on top of a pile of about 20 black plastic trash bags on atlantic avenue. i've seen plenty of cases in the trash before but never with guitars in them...until now! it needed one tuner and a set of strings. i was able to date it as a 1960 guitar. older than me but only by a year. and it's full of songs.
i totally agree with you about overcoming the fear of making videos. electronic media has taken away so much of the music making in our society but it also has the potential to really help so many of us become better musicians! so let's all commit to that concept and see what happens!
i appreciate the good words and look forward to seeing what you're up to.
thanks again for checking in man...and i'm in complete agreement with you about chris's lessons. they're awesome!
I do feel more relaxed but it's a constant effort to try to be relaxed instead of a natural relaxed ... especially when playing new things or things I find to be difficult (for me) like this but I sure do love this tune.
the other crisspicking lesson to go along with this tune seems to be really tough for me as is anything moving about the neck but I have my sights on that as well
Hey Chris - I don't know for sure what the deal was but I finally got it uploaded. A little slower tempo than I'm ultimately aiming for and the double stop portion needs work. Thank you!
Kip, sounding really good as usual! You've got the melodic contours down really well.
One thing that I notice is that you are playing pretty hard which creates a situation where the notes come out sounding a bit choppy. Try playing it again where you don't worry about volume at all, but instead you are just going for a smooth, flowing, legato sound. If that means that it is whisper quiet - and I'm not saying that it needs to be whisper quiet, but if it is - then so be it. I just want you to really relax and look for the resonance between all of the notes.
I uploaded a video of where I'm at with this particular lesson and I think it disappeared into never never land - it didn't appear like it usually does so I'm going to do it again. If a video of me playing this lesson appears multiple times on here somehow or I crash Sonic Jnction or there is a black out on the east coast it's not my fault.
Fun lesson - am I on the right track with it? Oh yeah .. I capoed up to save a little stretch stress on the hand.
This is one heck of a lesson that is packed with a ton of skills stuff to work on. I feel like by trying to play and practice this particular lesson it should really help me with the 4 fingers for 4 frets approach - left hand technique, etc., etc. I'm trying really hard to fix my fretting hand which is easier said than done at my age. I'm interested to know how easy or hard this lesson is for other players. It is obviously difficult for me but I don't think out of reach (at least the A section) Thanks!
New Territory Alert .... (for a guitar picker of my level) ... and this assignment/lesson applies directly to my life time death grip - thumb grasp post last week. It is impossible to play this set of notes or scale holding the guitar neck the way I do. Even if it is the "easiest" position on the guitar it will be tough for me until I break the habit of curling the thumb over the top. I look at your grasp of the guitar and can't see your thumb combined with the fingering ... 4 fingers for 4 frets as opposed to index/ring finger ... ugh-a-thon ... my mind running the show vs my fingers running the show .... ha ha ... so develop a new way to grasp the guitar ... become familiar with the notes ... noodle around ... and play Ol' Grimes in the new position. Ok, the next time you see me I'll have a grey beard. Great lesson and challenge for me and should really help.
I've been working on the "A" and "B" parts of Ol' Grimes.
A couple thoughts, when I play I have noticed that I have a death grip on the guitar ... the neck sits way back in the palm of my hand and my thumb almost always hangs over the top. I went back and checked out one of your Fundamental lessons where you talk about this ... I'm finding my way isn't an easy habit to break even though theoretically keeping a gap or space between the neck and hand allows for the fingers to more easily move around. Same goes for the thumb ... mine is over the top when it should be midway behind th neck. Just another thing to work on I guess but it's tough. It feels like I don't have control of the guitar.
Secondly, in the first half of the "B" part it's a challenge to keep the notes smooth and ringing as opposed to choppy and short. Smooth and ringing really makes the "B" part rock and it's very iffy for me but I'm cognizant of of how crucial it is to be smooth and ringing.
Kip, it sounds really good. For what it's worth, I'm not actually hearing much of a difference between the A and B parts.
It sounds like you have identified a big source of difficulty in where you are holding your thumb. By having your thumb up over the neck while you are doing big stretches you are almost guaranteeing that you will hold the guitar too hard because with your thumb up you don't have any natural leverage. You wind up having to make up for the lack in leverage with muscle strength. So long story short, get that thumb down into a better position and it'll make your life easier! :-)
Thanks for the back story ... just do that Critter crosspicking thing ... classic. It is very pleasing to the ear, mesmerizing and fun to watch you play it. I'd be 112 years old before I could play that but thanks for showing it.
I've looked at this 100's of times. Studied it and learned most of it (I think) except the majority of what I assume is Chris improvising which is fun to try and play also. Fun for the entire family. Happy 4th of July everyone ... be safe.
Cool picking ... I'm still having post traumatic stress symptoms from trying this way to early in my evolution. I agree completly about Chris and Julian ... so lucky to have seen them here when they passed through earlier this year.
Ok man ... I see what you're saying and understand the C section jumping ahead 2 beats twice and the early by an 1/8th note between the C and D parts. I also know what you mean by adding the extra phrase and the Dm instead of a G. I'm a little confused at the end of the D section ... needing an extra beat ... do you mean just pause a while longerand as usual thanks for all the help. I think I'm heading over the Cherokee Shuffle.
Thanks Chris that is awesome and really helps. I'm gonna dig in and see what you're talking about and if you have time to post a video (I know your schedule has heated up again) that would be great. Thanks again ... I love the tune and it's really fun to play.
I can't seem to get through this tune without blowing a tire along the way ... my dog Digger decided to play a little percussion at the start when he scratched at his collar which gives me pause to post this, but the reality of it is this is probably my best take of the afternoon. I don't know when I'll get another free afternoon to play around so here it is.
On one hand I think I'm making some progress but on the other hand sometimes I feel like I don't have a clue comparativrly speaking to kids half my age. Flat picking the guitar is still an enjoyabe endeaver for me so drive on.
Kip, sounding good. If you keep Digger around you can save yourself some money on hiring a tambourine player.
There's a boatload of stuff in here and you've done a very fine job of internalizing it! Over the course of the three and a half minutes there are just a handful of spots to be addressed:
There are a few spots in the C section where your are jumping ahead on the beat. Namely at 1:00 (2 big beats ahead), 1:06 (same 2 big beats ahead), and 1:10 (the seam between the C and D sections - you are getting ahead by an 8th note).
Also, you are getting ahead by 2 big beats at the end of the D section at 1:27. THE SONG HAS AN EXTRA BEAT HERE which is odd and which I didn't properly explain in the video. I'll post a video shortly explaining how it works. You got it right on the end of the second D section right before returning to the beginning of the melody but down an octave.
On the second time through the form when you're down an octave, everything sounds great, including the C section. The number of beats are correct this time! The only thing is that the chords go Am - Dm - E - Am rather than Am - G...
At 2:46 before going into the last D part you add an extra end phrase which adds a couple of beats. At 2:50 the C chord is coming one beat too early, BUT the timing of the phrase is correct. The chord occurs on the downbeat where you play an E note (2nd fret, 4th string). At 3:05 the beginning of the repeat of the D section is coming in just a little early. Again, I'll explain how the timing works here in a short video because it's a little unusual.
Nice work!
Thanks Chris that is awesome and really helps. I'm gonna dig in and see what you're talking about and if you have time to post a video (I know your schedule has heated up again) that would be great. Thanks again ... I love the tune and it's really fun to play.
Ok man ... I see what you're saying and understand the C section jumping ahead 2 beats twice and the early by an 1/8th note between the C and D parts. I also know what you mean by adding the extra phrase and the Dm instead of a G. I'm a little confused at the end of the D section ... needing an extra beat ... do you mean just pause a while longerand as usual thanks for all the help. I think I'm heading over the Cherokee Shuffle.
Waaaaay Cool - do ya think you can teach me how to play that : )
hey there kip!
i think i did just teach it to you!
no, seriously, i'd like to teach all of the bits i just played. is there any riff in particular that you're looking for? i definitely want to be sure you get what you're after here!
thanks for tuning in and checking in...you know i appreciate it,
yr pal,
dan
Oh man - congratulations - it's a beauty and sounds great. Thanks for sharing.
Great pickin' James but tell me about your new friend. What do you have there - looks and sounds sweet.
After struggling for a week and doing some scale exercises and whatnot, I've got this B Part video. It isn't up to speed or flawless but I thought worthy of a check in - check out. I have a tendency to add notes, miss notes and make up my own notes so before I get too far along I'm posting. The goal being to put all of the parts together and play the tune as a whole. Yea ... thats the goal. Sorry about the knees.
Kip, you got it. Those were all the notes that I was playing. I do think that you could relax a bit more on the slides/jumps, where you are going from one part of the neck to another. You're playing the notes right but see how relaxed you can feel as you land the notes. I think that if those slides were a bit more relaxed then the rest (which already seems pretty relased) will get better.
Dan -
I've been lurking in the back since you came onboard at the Sonic Junction trying to figure out if I want to learn the songs you're teaching on the Uke or the guitar. In a way I'd like to learn a new instrument but to be honest I love the feel of an acoustic guitar in my hands. I'm not much of a picker but there is something about the sound coming from wood and steel strings ... IDK.
I want to hear the full story about how you found and rescued that Guild guitar ... what kind of garbage can ... what condition was it in ... what did you have done to it? How old is it? Very cool man.
The Rock Island Line ... you just gave the fundamentals of Rock n Roll Lesson. Beauty.
Anyway, I take flatpick lessons from Chris .. from scratch ... I've been pretty much a strummer and finger picker my entire life and decided at the age of 59 I wanted to learn a whole new method and genre of music. I feel like I've made a little progress over the past year or so with his help, ... so I want to say to your students that one of the most important things anyone can do is lose the fear of recording themselves and go ahead and submit videos regarless of where you are in your journey. A video of a riff or half a song or whold song. Getting feedback from your teacher really helps. Chris is a great great picker but takes all the time in the world with me and all of his students. We're lucky to have such renowned teachers. I can tell you are the same way. It is social music afterall.
That's all I got ...
greetings kip! i really appreciate hearing from you (and everyone else out there) it definitely makes the lessons more meaningful when i have a sense of who's checking them out...
the guitar was in a beat up case on top of a pile of about 20 black plastic trash bags on atlantic avenue. i've seen plenty of cases in the trash before but never with guitars in them...until now! it needed one tuner and a set of strings. i was able to date it as a 1960 guitar. older than me but only by a year. and it's full of songs.
i totally agree with you about overcoming the fear of making videos. electronic media has taken away so much of the music making in our society but it also has the potential to really help so many of us become better musicians! so let's all commit to that concept and see what happens!
i appreciate the good words and look forward to seeing what you're up to.
thanks again for checking in man...and i'm in complete agreement with you about chris's lessons. they're awesome!
dan
I do feel more relaxed but it's a constant effort to try to be relaxed instead of a natural relaxed ... especially when playing new things or things I find to be difficult (for me) like this but I sure do love this tune.
the other crisspicking lesson to go along with this tune seems to be really tough for me as is anything moving about the neck but I have my sights on that as well
Thanis for the help.
Starting this new tune and tried to incorporate the assignment of finding the notes elsewhere within the scale
Kip, you are just killing it! You've made such enormous strides in the last year. It's so awesome. Sounding great here - keep up the good work!
Peek in the woodshed ... watching Preds vs Ducks and sawing wood.
Kip, you sound much more relaxed on this one, which is great! How does it feel?
Thanks Chris ... i was thinking it was a choppy performance as well and have been wood shedding it and will try to post again later in the week.
Hey Chris - I don't know for sure what the deal was but I finally got it uploaded. A little slower tempo than I'm ultimately aiming for and the double stop portion needs work. Thank you!
Kip, sounding really good as usual! You've got the melodic contours down really well.
One thing that I notice is that you are playing pretty hard which creates a situation where the notes come out sounding a bit choppy. Try playing it again where you don't worry about volume at all, but instead you are just going for a smooth, flowing, legato sound. If that means that it is whisper quiet - and I'm not saying that it needs to be whisper quiet, but if it is - then so be it. I just want you to really relax and look for the resonance between all of the notes.
I uploaded a video of where I'm at with this particular lesson and I think it disappeared into never never land - it didn't appear like it usually does so I'm going to do it again. If a video of me playing this lesson appears multiple times on here somehow or I crash Sonic Jnction or there is a black out on the east coast it's not my fault.
Fun lesson - am I on the right track with it? Oh yeah .. I capoed up to save a little stretch stress on the hand.
Hi Kip, I'm not seeing the video. Did you try reuploading it?
Chris -
This is one heck of a lesson that is packed with a ton of skills stuff to work on. I feel like by trying to play and practice this particular lesson it should really help me with the 4 fingers for 4 frets approach - left hand technique, etc., etc. I'm trying really hard to fix my fretting hand which is easier said than done at my age. I'm interested to know how easy or hard this lesson is for other players. It is obviously difficult for me but I don't think out of reach (at least the A section) Thanks!
New Territory Alert .... (for a guitar picker of my level) ... and this assignment/lesson applies directly to my life time death grip - thumb grasp post last week. It is impossible to play this set of notes or scale holding the guitar neck the way I do. Even if it is the "easiest" position on the guitar it will be tough for me until I break the habit of curling the thumb over the top. I look at your grasp of the guitar and can't see your thumb combined with the fingering ... 4 fingers for 4 frets as opposed to index/ring finger ... ugh-a-thon ... my mind running the show vs my fingers running the show .... ha ha ... so develop a new way to grasp the guitar ... become familiar with the notes ... noodle around ... and play Ol' Grimes in the new position. Ok, the next time you see me I'll have a grey beard. Great lesson and challenge for me and should really help.
yeah, having your thumb lower on the neck really is HUGE for facilitating being able to play deftly up the neck.
I've been working on the "A" and "B" parts of Ol' Grimes.
A couple thoughts, when I play I have noticed that I have a death grip on the guitar ... the neck sits way back in the palm of my hand and my thumb almost always hangs over the top. I went back and checked out one of your Fundamental lessons where you talk about this ... I'm finding my way isn't an easy habit to break even though theoretically keeping a gap or space between the neck and hand allows for the fingers to more easily move around. Same goes for the thumb ... mine is over the top when it should be midway behind th neck. Just another thing to work on I guess but it's tough. It feels like I don't have control of the guitar.
Secondly, in the first half of the "B" part it's a challenge to keep the notes smooth and ringing as opposed to choppy and short. Smooth and ringing really makes the "B" part rock and it's very iffy for me but I'm cognizant of of how crucial it is to be smooth and ringing.
Kip, it sounds really good. For what it's worth, I'm not actually hearing much of a difference between the A and B parts.
It sounds like you have identified a big source of difficulty in where you are holding your thumb. By having your thumb up over the neck while you are doing big stretches you are almost guaranteeing that you will hold the guitar too hard because with your thumb up you don't have any natural leverage. You wind up having to make up for the lack in leverage with muscle strength. So long story short, get that thumb down into a better position and it'll make your life easier! :-)
Thanks for the back story ... just do that Critter crosspicking thing ... classic. It is very pleasing to the ear, mesmerizing and fun to watch you play it. I'd be 112 years old before I could play that but thanks for showing it.