Home › Forums › Showcase Your Playing › A little Monday morning blues in A…
Tagged: #BluesInA #SoloGuitar
- This topic has 20 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 8 months ago by Don D..
-
CreatorTopic
-
July 25, 2016 at 8:44 am #46265
Here’s something that came to me over the weekend while I was working on a few other things, titled it “I Heard Ya” and edited my post to include that. Thanks for listening!
It’s downloadable, needs organ and drums and a lead line (I would re-record my part and hand some of the notes I’m playing to the organ if that ever comes to happen).
Here’s another recent blues in A, “Boojie Soozie.”
Don D.
-
CreatorTopic
-
AuthorReplies
-
-
July 25, 2016 at 8:51 am #46266
-
July 25, 2016 at 2:00 pm #46284
Don,
If you are looking for people to lay some tracks over it you might post this in the Site Member Collaboration Forum here: https://www.activemelody.com/forums/forum/site-member-collaborations/
Nice job on this.
-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska -
July 25, 2016 at 2:16 pm #46287
Thank you, Bryce! That’s right, I know better.
I’m going to clean it up a little bit before I repost it. By clean it up, I mean play it a few more times—this one just dawned on me yesterday and I started recording from the first time I played it. It’s based on the opening phrase of Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say,” but harmonized in thirds.
Don D.
-
July 25, 2016 at 5:57 pm #46300
Hi Don,
These are both really cool. You have shown here that you can take a twelve bar blues and do something really different with it! I like the laid back unplugged feel to it.
I also like the fact that it is in A, my favourite key! I am inspired now to jam over “Boojie Soozie” very soon!
Cheers for posting,
Rich F
-
July 25, 2016 at 6:09 pm #46301
Don,
You were in the groove. Sounds really good. I like the percussive effects you added in.
Tim -
July 25, 2016 at 10:20 pm #46305
Hey Don, love your style man, glad you decided to hit record as you are definitely feeling it! Well done.
Scott
-
July 26, 2016 at 1:19 am #46307
I liked it Don. It sort of reminded me of a guitar version of a Herbie Hancock head, Circe Watermelon Man. Your timing was a bit angular, but it fit here.
-
July 26, 2016 at 4:23 am #46308
Great job, VERY soulful!!!!!
-
July 26, 2016 at 12:24 pm #46319
Thank you to all of you for listening and for your kind comments. I really appreciate your taking the time to say something.
Duffy, I play “Watermelon Man” pretty frequently (in F, love it), so I’m not surprised if something of it got into my playing, but I just heard “Circe” for the first time this morning—nice tune, but no relation. I started with the first four notes of “What’d I Say” moved up a fourth and harmonized in thirds (didn’t harmonize the 5 on any of the chords, it didn’t sound “right” to me); come to think of it, the “hey, watermelon man” phrase is also harmonized in thirds.
When I practice, I sometimes use backing tracks and try to adhere to their time (and doubly important when I’m trying to record something that someone else is going to use), but when I’m walking down the street humming, or just playing, I can’t help but let my time creep a little.
I’m going to rerecord “I Heard Ya” and replace the SoundCloud file with a longer downloadable version. I’ll mention it in the collaboration topic when I do. In the meantime, I attached take 4 (from Sunday) here; in some ways it’s better than the one I uploaded, seems more solid to me today.
Don D.
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files. -
July 26, 2016 at 1:16 pm #46322
Hey Don,
You’ve got a cool blues groove going there. It’s a fresh unique style and sure reflects some of your old blues influences so could become your signature sound man!………What guitar are you using?
Cheers Bri -
July 26, 2016 at 2:04 pm #46332
Hi Bri, thank you for listening and your kind comments.
It’s the unamplified 2014 Guild Savoy strung with Thomastik-Infeld flatwounds, .011-.047—all except for the G string, which is an .022 D’Addario flatwound (been breaking the Gs too frequently to replace the whole set—why doesn’t anyone sell single strings anymore? not a real question, but does anyone know of online vendors who sell individual strings? that leaves me with a growing number of 5-string sets).
In a way, style is defined by our technical limits; where my skills end, that’s where my style begins. It’s also true that my imagination is shaped by what I listen to, and I’ve been dipping pretty consistently into that deep and satisfying well of the blues for a while now. Beyond taste and style, I even think that shapes who I am, so yes, what I play is becoming my signature sound.
I’m also learning to play electric. Last weekend I played a for a couple hours with headphones and about an hour with the amp, and I’m getting used to the sound coming from the amplifier, so I’m on my way. I bought a TS-808 reissue on Sunday, that makes me sound better than I otherwise would by blurring the notes together.
Don D.
-
July 26, 2016 at 5:17 pm #46344
Pretty cool! Even just a drum track would do the trick.
Sunjamr Steve
-
July 26, 2016 at 5:36 pm #46345
Yes! Very cool groove, liked that very much Don.
You leave lots of room for some nice fills as well.
Rob -
July 26, 2016 at 5:48 pm #46346
Don, Circe is a typo, or a bad correction by auto correct. I meant to say “circa” which just means around that time. I couldn’t think of the other song from the same album that it reminded me of. Of course, its Empty Pockets:
and the third in that so cool trilogy of blues is Cantaloupe Island:
-
July 26, 2016 at 6:48 pm #46348
Thanks, Duffy, if only! These are some really nice tunes—been a while since I heard them too. At one time, I listened to a lot of Uncle Herbie, so I guess some of it could have found its way into my makeup.
Funny coincidence that Herbie Hancock was associated with one called “Circe” (Wayne Shorter actually wrote it, but when I saw V.S.O.P., I thought that was the one you meant).
Speaking of harmonized thirds, I see you brought some harmonic knowledge to the forum a minute ago. Here I come.
Don D.
-
July 28, 2016 at 5:18 pm #46414
Hi Don,
I have just had fun jamming over your “Boojie Soozie”. Hope it’s OK!
Cheers,
Rich F
-
July 28, 2016 at 11:01 pm #46444
Hi Rich, thanks for sharing that. There are some nice moments, I especially like the “stabbing” notes around 2 minutes in.
Don D.
-
July 29, 2016 at 12:00 pm #46472
Don, really well made.
You’ve definitely found your own style, I think. You play with a particular Groove. You must have the in the blood.
Well done!!!Wilfried
Play guitar just like you live; don't get bogged down in theory, it's just a tool without feeling.
Wilfried
-
July 30, 2016 at 5:01 pm #46548
Thanks Don.
I really enjoyed playing over your groove! Great fun!
I was wondering whether you would like to collaborate on this Slow Blues Jam track that I have created:
Cheers,
Rich F
-
July 30, 2016 at 5:32 pm #46556
Hi Rich, thanks, I’ll let you know if I come up with anything but, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have the best setup for recording over backing tracks. I may figure something out soon because I have the Elmore James lesson (for July Challenge) and the “Crosscut Saw” backing tracks that I need to record over. Nice minor picking patterns in your playing.
Don D.
-
-
AuthorReplies
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.