seth
MM Forum Member
Posts: 10
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Post by seth on Mar 4, 2018 8:12:23 GMT
Good Morning all. I have just got my MM14 And am looking for.. feeling bad blues from crossroads. I have looked on you tube .found a couple of tutorials which don't seem to be that clear. Where would be the best place to look for a dummmys guide to this great song Thanks
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Post by Michael Messer on Mar 4, 2018 10:16:36 GMT
Hi Seth,
My advice is to tune your guitar to open D and then to listen and watch.
What Ry Cooder is playing is beautiful, nobody can question that. However, the palette that he is drawing from is very much a basic set of notes (a scale) and moves that appear in numerous pieces played in open D tuning.
This music that we all love draws from a few simple scales and patterns of moves, but with folk music (which is what we are discussing), the music comes from touch, soul, feel, tone, rhythm and a deep understanding of the music being played. It does not necessarily comes from physical dexterity.
Here are two scales for you to experiment with. If you are a beginner, do not rush through these lessons / practice sessions, spend a lot of time just getting these simple basics right.
Tune your guitar to open D >(DADF#AD) and on the top string (the top E string, which is now tuned down to D) get to know these two scales.
Major D scale - play > open string / fret 2 / fret 4 / fret 5 / fret 7 / fret 9 / fret 11 / fret 12 (those notes are - D >E >F# >G >A >B >C# >D)
Blues pentatonic D scale - play > open string / fret 3 / fret 5 / fret 7 / fret 10 / fret 12 (those notes are - D >F >G >A >C >D)
Play these notes ascending and descending / play them as sweet as you can, try to make your neighbour's dog cry / then after a while try playing these scales with your thumb playing some kind of rhythmic pattern on strings 6 and 4. Maybe just start with your thumb on string 6, which is the bottom string (the lowest note).
Doing these scales with a slide and making them as sweet as possible, try to work on your vibrato and touch. Vibrato should make a note sing, it should not make a note wobble. The amount of pressure you apply with the slide is something that every player finds themselves; you need to press down a little, but not so it bangs the frets. Be very relaxed while playing. Being tense will not give you the correct sound, it really is about being relaxed.
With the major scale, try playing some simple melodies and making them as sweet as possible. With the blues scale, play the blues!
I hope that is helpful.
Shine On Michael
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Post by leeophonic on Mar 4, 2018 11:22:46 GMT
Somewhere in my pile of stuff (crap) I think I have this on tab from a copied guitar player magazine or something like that I will have a look tomorrow.
Lee
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Post by jono1uk on Mar 4, 2018 11:36:28 GMT
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Post by bonzo on Mar 4, 2018 11:38:31 GMT
Hi Michael, excellent reply! You've summed up in a few paragraphs what can take an age to get a handle on! Scales have always put me off, but the way you have explained a couple of basic ones make them understandable and easy to follow. As I'm typing this I'm thinking, ' wouldn't it be great if Michael could do something like this regularly' I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one to enjoy it!
Best wishes to you all,j Joh
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Post by Michael Messer on Mar 4, 2018 11:52:23 GMT
I am sure the TAB for Feeling Bad Blues is fine (Although the writer seems to think it is called FEENG BAD BLUES. I hope his understanding of the music is better than his spelling), but in my opinion, for a beginner it is more complicated to learn from the TAB than it is from watching and listening.
You should always use the original as your benchmark, but if there are well played and easy to see versions, then use those too.
Here is a video of Feeling Bad Blues by forum member, 5slide. It is well played and easy to follow.
....and here is Ry Cooder playing it.
Personally, I find it easier to listen to Ry's recording and copy that, but as a beginner you will probably need the visual guidance too.
I hope all this is helpful
Shine On Michael
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Post by jono1uk on Mar 4, 2018 11:52:39 GMT
Hi Michael, excellent reply! You've summed up in a few paragraphs what can take an age to get a handle on! Scales have always put me off, but the way you have explained a couple of basic ones make them understandable and easy to follow. As I'm typing this I'm thinking, ' wouldn't it be great if Michael could do something like this regularly' I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one to enjoy it! Best wishes to you all,j Joh Michael use to have a tuition DVD ... there was a talk i thought of a re-run .. any chance please Michael?
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Post by rpsayles on Mar 4, 2018 12:10:13 GMT
Hi Seth There is no dummy lesson option. It takes great technique and skill to play and compose music like this.
You've clearly done your research on resonator guitars now do the same with slide technique, damping ,open tunings and basic harmony(chord and melody) paying particular attention to chords 1, 4 and 5 and the scales Michael mentions above.
When you feel able to sit down with your guitar and a cd and work through the piece understanding how it functions then your ready to play it. If not try something simpler.
It's the best way to learn rather than relying on YouTube and learning parrot fashion.
Good luck
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Post by Michael Messer on Mar 4, 2018 12:28:54 GMT
rpsayles is right, there is no dummy option. You have to learn to play, not learn to copy things parrot-fashion. That is the reason I posted those two scales. Almost everything you are trying to learn is in those scales.
Shine On Michael
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2018 12:54:16 GMT
I'd say forget tab for slide--ears,eyes and good vibrato are what is required. (Oh and patience)
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 4, 2018 13:02:22 GMT
And, (most important of all) get a big Fender amp with rev.and trem.!
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Post by creolian on Mar 4, 2018 13:51:54 GMT
One thing never learned from a book or video is rhythm...
I spent years copping licks and chord changes, noodling while ignoring rhythm and my playing, especially with others suffers for it...
You will find beau coups tutorials on the web and from teachers like Michael but there is no substitute for Intentional practice. Lots of practice.
Most importantly, Have Fun !
All best, jeff
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Lessons?
Mar 4, 2018 14:13:23 GMT
via mobile
Post by bonzo on Mar 4, 2018 14:13:23 GMT
Hi Jeff, having Dr John and friends playing locally to you would help in the acquisition of rythmn I dare say! Oooh I feel discombobulated just thinking about it! Best wishes to you all, John
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Post by Michael Messer on Mar 4, 2018 14:42:55 GMT
Jeff is correct about rhythm. In its basic form it is not something that you can be taught, it is something you have to feel and practice. I am much more rhythmic when I am playing a lot because that 'groove' or whatever we call it, is running through my veins. Making complex rhythms and playing in time signatures that we are not used to, are things that you can be taught. But you still have to have that basic groove rhythm thing inside you. I could make rhythms before I could play a guitar. As a young child I was always drumming and clapping to music. There were a few stringed instruments at home and I used to scrub rhythms out on dampened strings and dance around the room. I would say I did this from around six years old. 55 years later I still do it and people pay me to do it! I have just learnt a few chords and scales to make it a bit more musical. We don't change much do we.
There are no short cuts, you just have to become obsessive about learning to play. I am still as obsessed as I was and I am still learning. Most days or evenings I sit down and try to learn something new. Even if it's a tiny fragment of something I already play, I still try to improve it and learn something. These days I tend to do this in the evenings because hours go by without me realising it and the next thing I know it is 3am and time to stop.
I am currently going wild about Doc & Merle Watson's incredible guitar duets, and Buddhadev Das Gupta's amazing sarod playing. Doc Watson's flat picking is about as American as you can get, but it also incredibly close in sound, style and technique to Indian sarod playing. Music is a wonderful thing and it brings us all closer together.
Shine On Michael
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Post by bonzo on Mar 4, 2018 14:52:45 GMT
Michael, a delight to read your insights as always! Best wishes to you all,John
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