Bill Blatner

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Fattening Frogs for Snakes Second Vocal Verse Breakdown Mar 11, 2018

I'm definitely appreciating the details and the little variations. Keeping the groove going during the vocals is also tricky because this song is wordy and has some awkward consonant combinations. SBW2 was a master of self accompaniment - you've really captured it.

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Mar 11, 2018

Thanks Bill - SBW2 was definitely a master at accompanying himself. I do what I can. Stick with it. Continue to develop that inner-metronome. You have a good, natural groove - Just keep on cultivating it.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Fattening Frogs for Snakes Second Verse Breakdown Mar 04, 2018

I don't have any questions at the moment. Your demonstration/explanations are really revealing. I just have to listen alot to get the timing. Thanks.

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Mar 04, 2018

Cool. Have fun.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Fattening Frogs for Snakes Second Verse Breakdown Mar 03, 2018

After about 15 listens I have figured out the difference between what you played at the start and what you played at the end 😁  I love both versions. Thanks for the two for one.

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Mar 03, 2018

Hi Bill - sometimes it’s a kinda tough to remember exactly what I did, but it really is a little bit like a two for one - Plus, if you have any questions about either, I’m glad to try and explain whatever I‘m doing.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Fattening Frogs for Snakes First Verse Breakdown Feb 25, 2018

Yeh. I guess it's just a cool variation. No need for theory but I figured I'd ask. I think I probably learned that 2-3 blow combo from you and it's pretty much part of my vocab now. 

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Fattening Frogs for Snakes First Verse Breakdown Feb 25, 2018

OK, I'm going to take you up on the offer.  At several points you're going down from the root, either 3-blow or 2-draw, to the 5 of the scale on the 1 draw.  Sometimes you go 3-blow, 2-blow, 1-draw, and sometimes you go 2-draw, 2-draw-whole-step-bend, 1-draw.  It's a subtle difference in the sound of it, tonally I guess you'd say.  The 2-blow, which I guess is the 6 of the scale, has a more country feel to my ear while the 2-draw-bend, which is the flat7 has a bluesier feel.  It's sometimes hard to hear these little differences when you're listening to a recording made 50 years ago.  Is there any rationale for when to use one or the other?

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Feb 25, 2018

I’m probably mostly using the 3 blow, 2 blow, 1 draw sequence for the tag at the end of the verse.  I play that tag like that simply ‘cause I hear Rice Miller do it, using those notes in that sequence. I also do it like that ‘cause I don’t hear many other people play that tag in that way - even when they’re approximating SBW2’s style. Generally, and especially with Rice Miller’s style, my approach is more from feel, instinct and habit than it is from conscious, theoretical intent. SBW2 sometimes used the 2 draw to the bent 2 draw to the 1 draw to end a verse, in a variation of that tag. I’m not sure I even answered your question - Maybe a more honest answer would’ve been, I don’t know. For some reason, in my mind, using that 2 blow in that lick really makes it feel like it’s definitely the end of the verse.

 

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Fattening Frogs for Snakes First Verse Breakdown Feb 24, 2018

This is definitely the shizzle:)

So many little things I would never have picked up just listening to the performance. Thanks.

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Feb 24, 2018

Glad you’re diggin‘ it, Bill. And you’re right, there’re a lot of small details - As always, feel free to ask me about about anything.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Fattening Frogs for Snakes First Verse Breakdown Feb 24, 2018

This is definitely the shizzle:)

So many little things I would never have picked up just listening to the performance. Thanks.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Fattening Frogs for Snakes Performance Feb 17, 2018

Hey Rick,

Nice timing dude! I've been listening to Sonny boy a ton lately and spent a ridiculous amount of time on your Nine Below Zero lesson. Hopefully this will help me bring it up a notch or two. Thanks.

Bill

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Feb 17, 2018

I hope it helps too! Keep me posted.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: First Class Performance and Introduction Dec 18, 2017

Now that I've listened to it about 20 times and toyed a little with it I'm seeing some other notes.  I'm not ready for overblows, though I now have some incentive to work on the high end blow bends in anticipation of working more with first position.  Thanks.

Dennis Gruenling
Dennis Gruenling Dec 18, 2017

Glad you are working more with his and feel inspired! There's so much to do without overblows that people haven't even explored really yet anyway...!

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: First Class Performance and Introduction Dec 16, 2017

Hi Dennis 

This is the first time I've tried anything in first position. In the first and second octaves the flat third isn't available- is that right? You still make it sound bluesy - wow! What a devilishly tricky instrument. The major pentatonic falls very naturally - are those the main notes you're  working with?

This is expanding my world - thanks!

Dennis Gruenling
Dennis Gruenling Dec 17, 2017

Hi Bill -

Yes, the flat third (b3) is not available unless you overblow, which I don't go into and I don't recommend until you really master playing and using the "regular" bends. But as you can hear, you can still make 1st position bluesy.

The Major Pentatonic is easy in the middle octave, but in the bottom octave one of the notes is the 3 draw whole step bend, which is tricky to always hit in pitch. I don't use the complete Blues Scale (the b3 is not easily attainable) but I also don't use only the Major Pentatonic either (not bluesy enough for our purposes), so I use most of the blues scale with the natural 3 and a few other notes here and there.

Glad you are digging it!!

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Sloppin' and Slidin' Performance Nov 29, 2017

I think it's interesting that the direction is to stick to instrumentals.  I really like the lessons you did on Getting Out of Town and Nine Below Zero. Other artists on the site are doing songs.  I would love it if you mixed in some lessons that included vocals, especially vocals and harmonica with no other accompaniment.  It really makes you think about your breathing and sustaining the groove.  Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Sloppin' and Slidin' Fifth Verse Breakdown Nov 17, 2017

My favorite verse (so far)! Definitely not too dirty for me. God bless James Cotton!

 

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Nov 18, 2017

Yeah man - If it wasn’t for Cotton, I might’ve spent my whole life wondering what I was supposed to be doing. His playing had a profound effect on my development. His five cuts on volume 2 of Chicago The Blues Today - a couple albums that he cut with Otis Spann - the LP he did with Johnny Young - and Cotton’s first Verve album - There are tools I picked up from those records, plus, the visceral feeling I was able internalize from listening to, and living with those recordings, those things have carried me a long way.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Sloppin' and Slidin' Third Verse Breakdown Nov 04, 2017

Hi Rick,

Maybe you're going to pick this up on the next lesson but I think this verse ends, sort of as a turnaround, with a blast on the 6-hole draw.  It's not an after thought.  That blast makes a huge statement!  And I'm not sure how you finish it off.  Is it just bending the 6-draw over or do you bend it over and into the 5 draw?  (Sorry, but you may have to go back to the performance again to hear it :)

Thanks.  I'm digging every note.

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Nov 04, 2017

Hi Bill  - I‘m sure I bend that slashing 6 draw note at the end and trail it off into the 5 draw a little. I‘m surprised I didn’t mention it. Maybe I talk about it next week. It’s sort of another way of switching gears, or announcing that there’s about to be a departure from an established theme.

 

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Sloppin' and Slidin' Second Verse Breakdown Nov 02, 2017

Well thank you for checking.  It really feels like time well spent trying to reproduce all the sutleties.  There's definitely a distinct change in tone when I go from the grip of bending to the completely unbent note.  It's almost like it's being held, held, held and then it suddenly floats free.  I go back to past lessons of yours sometimes just to listen to the three-hole sounds.  So much to mine there.  Thanks again.

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Nov 02, 2017

Hi Bill - Thanks! That “held, held, held, and then it suddenly floats free” is a perfect description. I never thought of it in words like that, but that’s exactly the impression I’m trying to convey.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Sloppin' and Slidin' Second Verse Breakdown Oct 28, 2017

I can play all the notes, but your tone and especially the way the last note in each phrase ends is so expressive when you do it. I have a tendency to play those notes too hard I think.  Probably because the notes sound aggressive, but actually playing too aggressively blows my control.

Also, on the first two licks, when you do the drawn out bend on the 4-draw, it doesn't just get louder.  The tone changes.  It seems more pronounced on the performance than in this lesson.  Are you changing the shape of your mouth cavity, or maybe it's just when you land on the unbent note there's a more relaxed resonance.  Hard to describe in words.

Thanks as always.

B

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Oct 30, 2017

Hi Bill - Once again, you made me go back and take a closer look at some of the things I just automatically do and don’t really think about when I’m playing. When I release the bend, I do open up a little and slightly increase the size of the oral cavity. Hopefully that‘ll help. Keep the questions coming! You help keep me honest!

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Sloppin' and Slidin' First Verse Breakdown Oct 20, 2017

Hi again,

So I'm noticing that the guitar line has a minor feel and you never hit the 3-draw natural, even over the 1 chord.  Is that right?  You can't do the 3rd of the scale over a minor chord?  That's what gives it the spooky feel I think.  This is important for me, alluding to my previous question because I'm also working on a minor blues in A and if I don't get that bend it really sounds off.

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Oct 20, 2017

Hi Bill - You are correct. The bass line does have a semi-minor, or “blues“ minor feel and sound, so you can hit the major 3rd, (the unbent three draw) on the V chord, but not on any other change.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Sloppin' and Slidin' Performance Oct 19, 2017

Huh!  Scale down the focus and magnitude of he compression.  I would have thought the opposite.  Thanks - that's definitely something to explore.  Yeh, Sonny Boy does some things, like Do It If You Want To, on a high F harp that would be good to revisit.

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Oct 19, 2017

Like I said, it’s hard to describe (at least for me) - But the key is usually finesse rather than muscle. 

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Sloppin' and Slidin' Performance Oct 18, 2017

Hi Rick,

Good to virtually see you again.  I like the guitar line - spooky without being cheesy.  Not an easy feat.

I love your ideas.  Seems like every verse I think I know where it's going and then you come up with a surprise that really grabs me.  I'm hoping to have the first verse or two more or less together and the rest of it in my head by next week. 

I find that it's easier to bend notes, especially the 3-hole draw bends, on an A harp than on a higher pitched harp like a D.  Any thoughts on that? Could it be the particular harp or is that normal?  Are there any ways to alter the technique or do I just have to wear out a few more D harps until I get the feel for it?

Thanks,

B

 

 

Rick Estrin
Rick Estrin Oct 18, 2017

Hi Bill - Glad you like the piece. Rusty tells me that by me being such a primitive guitar player, I sometimes come up with some cool “ignorant“ bass lines that a real guitar player or bass player probably wouldn’t think of.

The adjustment you‘re asking about is difficult to describe, but when you’re playing higher pitched harps, it’s like you need to scale down the focus and the magnitude of the compression you’re using to get your handle, or your grip on the reed. I don’t know if that makes any sense at all to you, but I’m just trying to describe what will have occurred anyway after you “wear out a few more D harps“ and “get the feel”.

It is a different feel - I’d suggest maybe listening to, and trying to replicate some Sonnyboy II stuff where he’s using higher pitched harps.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Keep The Change Sixth Chorus Breakdown Oct 04, 2017

I think this is something I don't quite understand.  It's the 3rd of the B major scale right?  So when you're on a chord, you can play any note in the scale that has that chord as the root?

Grateful but confused,

Bill

Dennis Gruenling
Dennis Gruenling Oct 04, 2017

Not exactly...

It's the 3rd of that key. Not of the "major" or "minor" scale...just of that key. The minor scale or chord would include the b3rd (flat third) and NOT the natural 3rd. There are many different types of scales and this is where some basic music theory comes in handy...though nothing too complicated.

Suffice to say that the 3rd in any scale (be it the natural 3rd in this case, or the flat 3rd in the case of a minor key) is always OK to play since it is one of the notes that actualy makes up the chord. The natural 3rd has a more melodic sound, the flat 3rd has a meaner/dirtier/sadder sound. You do not want to play a natural 3rd over a minor chord, but it is OK to play a flat 3rd over a natural chord, as long as you want to get a sadder/meaner type of mood from the note.

Bill Blatner
Bill Blatner commented on: Keep The Change Sixth Chorus Breakdown Sep 29, 2017

Hi Dennis,

Can you fill in a little theory on why the 2-draw half-step bend works over the 5-chord?  That's the major 7th of the scale and the 3rd of the B major chord?

Totally cool riff.  This lesson is giving my bends a workout.

Thanks,

Bill

Dennis Gruenling
Dennis Gruenling Oct 03, 2017

That note is just part of the chord (the 3rd of that scale). Unless you are playing a minor chord, that note (the 3rd) will work with any chord.

 
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