Home › Forums › Active Melody Member Challenge Response Submissions › October 2020 Challenge Response, Don D.
- This topic has 68 replies, 34 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 5 months ago by Don D..
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October 31, 2020 at 11:46 pm #217285
This is on my regular guitar, a 2014 Guild Savoy with flatwound strings.
I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s songs. By the way, I won’t be able to start consolidating till Monday evening at the earliest.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 2:00 am #217342
Well Don I just loved the sound of your Guild guitar and I liked the variation in styles that packed into those 4 minutes or so. I noticed that there were some interesting titled blues songs on your soundcloud that I would like to re- visit.
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November 5, 2020 at 9:53 pm #219102
Thank you Phil, I appreciate you starting this off with your kind words. I want to start polishing up some of those other songs, make them worth your while.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 2:39 am #217362
Don, you have a strong recognition value in your playing with an always dynamic attack of the strings. I’ll say – pure cool blues. Thumbs up.
Play guitar just like you live; don't get bogged down in theory, it's just a tool without feeling.
Wilfried
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November 5, 2020 at 9:55 pm #219103
Thank you Wilfried, I appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 3:02 am #217370
Love your attack on the strings Don. Very authentic and raw approach. It was if you were sitting in the corner playing. Absolutely fantastic, a stand out performance for me. All the best!
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November 5, 2020 at 9:55 pm #219104
Thank you Garry, that’s exactly what I was doing, sitting in the corner and playing.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 3:26 am #217381
Very nice and exquisite old style blues! Very well played. It brings up back at the original blues roots! Love also the old blues guitar tone of your Guild.
Guido
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November 5, 2020 at 10:00 pm #219105
Thank you Guido! I appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment. I’m still a ways from what I want to play, but I’m getting closer.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 3:49 am #217390
Listening to your challenge reminds me of why I started to play guitar all those years ago. A natural acoustic blues shuffle, it doesn’t get any better than that. Thanks Don….
Richard
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November 5, 2020 at 10:01 pm #219107
Thank you, Richard, for taking the time to listen and comment. That’s my feeling too, what I’m going for.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 4:21 am #217405
Great blues sound. Love the tone from your guitar.
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November 5, 2020 at 10:03 pm #219108
Thank you Dave, I appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 4:31 am #217413
Yep you sure got the blues , that chugged along nicely the classic shuffle is always a safe bet . Well played .
Martin
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November 5, 2020 at 10:04 pm #219109
Thank you Martin, I am glad to hear that! I appreciate your comment!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 4:56 am #217425
Classic Don…foot tapper at its best.
..Billy..
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November 5, 2020 at 11:08 pm #219110
Thank you for listening and commenting, Billy. that’s what I was hoping!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 5:22 am #217432
Hey, Don. Haven’t heard you for a while. You still got that sound, Man. Really swings and rocks. Great playing!
Larry-
November 5, 2020 at 11:40 pm #219111
I’m glad to hear that from you, Larry! Thanks for listening and commenting.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 5:44 am #217445
Nice shuffle Don. Straight forward reminds me of Jimmy Reed. Good stuff!
JFL
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November 5, 2020 at 11:42 pm #219112
Thank you for listening and commenting, JFL! I have been listening to Jimmy Reed, particularly those low guitar parts. I still have a ways to go.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 6:15 am #217463
Really wonderful sound of your Guild and nice groove in your playing, Don!
Lights.-
November 6, 2020 at 12:16 am #219113
Thanks Lights, it’s good to hear that from you. I appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 8:48 am #217573
Fantastic!
Live on planet Earth ? You got the blues.
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November 6, 2020 at 3:26 pm #219153
Thanks for taking the tome to listen and comment, Mike!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 8:57 am #217585
Great to hear you again Don. That built up beautifully in your trademark style to a great ending.
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November 6, 2020 at 3:28 pm #219154
Thank you for taking the time to listen and comment, Satellite! I’m trying to trade a little style for a little technique, slow but sure I’m getting there.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 9:04 am #217600
Very bluesy n love the sound of the Guild.
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November 6, 2020 at 4:58 pm #219166
Hey John, thank you for taking the time to listen and comment!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 9:53 am #217638
Beautiful Don! Love the rawness of this – so pure. Great playing man… from the soul!
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November 6, 2020 at 5:00 pm #219167
Thank you for listening and your kind words, Brian! And thank you for the inspiration and guidance!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 10:17 am #217667
Good to see you submission, Don. Am I right that we haven’t seen that for sometime? Anyway, you are my favorite blues guy in the AM community. Your style reminds of a lot of (professional) Chicago blues guys and gals around here. Most of them use fingers, and their tone is soooo raw! Do you know Lurrie Bell? He is one good example.
Hidetada Shimizu
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November 6, 2020 at 5:11 pm #219168
Thank you for listening and taking the time to comment, Hide! It’s nice to hear you like my playing. Slowly but surely, I’m getting somewhere, but I don’t think I’ll ever get near the Chicago guys—they could play anything.
Lurrie Bell is one of my favorite guitarists. When I saw him 2 or 3 years ago, he was my favorite for a month or two after. If I saw him again, it would probably happen again. He’s phenomenal. I made a playlist of his music, live videos are first. Check the Description area for albums and other related info (if you have any trouble accessing the Description, just let me know, I’ll paste it in a message).
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 10:25 am #217676
yeah Don very Bluesy ………..great playing
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November 6, 2020 at 5:12 pm #219169
Thank you for taking the time to listen and comment, Bill!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 11:07 am #217710
No mistaking who is playing this authentic blues style. It’s the blues historian Don! Great to hear you again.
James
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November 6, 2020 at 5:14 pm #219170
Thank you James, I appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 11:28 am #217732
Great solid blues Don.
That Guild sounds really good.AndréM
AndréM
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November 6, 2020 at 5:15 pm #219171
Thank you for listening and your kind words, André!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 11:49 am #217747
Back to the roots.
Very Good to listen at.Where does the white go when snow melts?
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November 6, 2020 at 5:17 pm #219172
Thank you for listening and commenting, Phil!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 12:15 pm #217772
Hey Don, that was awesome! Great sounds coming out of that Guild, solid rhythm. Who could ask for more? Shame on you for not posting your playing more often!
Sunjamr Steve
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November 6, 2020 at 5:24 pm #219173
Hey Steve, thank you for listening and your kind words! I like to think I’m leaving the time for others when I don’t post. 🙂 I know the 7 minutes was kind of long, but the others had even more errors.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 2:10 pm #217871
Down-home roots from the heart. Love it!
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November 6, 2020 at 5:26 pm #219174
Good to meet you, Frank! Thank you for taking the time to listen and comment!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 2:24 pm #217893
You have created a great vibe on this. Just a raw blues, nothing like it!
Guitar sounds great.BTW, Thanks for the work you put in to consolidate the videos. Very helpful.
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November 6, 2020 at 5:32 pm #219177
Thank you Richard! It’s great to hear that from you!
Consolidating the posts is my pleasure. It’s usually easy, but I was busy and sleep-deprived this time, and there were so many posts, this month it really was a challenge, but JoLa gives me all of the information about new people, how many participants, etc., the things that make it interesting. She should get a lot of the credit.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 4:03 pm #218044
Don D – great job! Think Drop D and go for it! Your vibe is awesome! Bob
Bob U. (aka Bobby Ut)
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November 6, 2020 at 5:34 pm #219178
Hey Bob, thank you for taking the time to listen and comment!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 4:06 pm #218047
Very cool Don, you were in the pocket on this one….very entertaining acoustic blues…
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November 6, 2020 at 6:01 pm #219179
Hey Bruce, thanks for listening and your kind words!
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 4:30 pm #218075
Hey Don, always a pleasure to listen to your playing, your sound is authenticly yours which is something many players never achieve. Well done man! thanks for sharing.
Scott
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November 6, 2020 at 6:13 pm #219180
Thank you Scott, that’s kind, I appreciate you listening and commenting.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 4:45 pm #218092
So good, Don! There is something very authentic in your playing, I love the roughness of it and super steady shuffle and attack. It takes me to another era and a different neighborhood instantly, I listened to it twice already before posting this comment.
I also have flatwound strings on my archtop guitar, they are very different and I like them! They seem to be easier on my fingers and they don’t squeak which is the main reason I picked them for this month’s challenge.
🎸JoLa
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November 6, 2020 at 6:18 pm #219181
Thanks for taking the time to listen and comment, JoLa! I don’t think I could hope to have a better effect. I appreciate your assessment.
There’s another thing you can do when you have flatwounds if you want to bend the G string. Most flatwounds come with a wound G of about .018 or .020. If you replace it with an unwound G of .020 or even .024, it’s easier to bend—and less likely to break.
Don D.
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November 1, 2020 at 4:48 pm #218098
Great stuff DD. Bob
Bob U. (aka Bobby Ut)
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November 1, 2020 at 8:24 pm #218241
I liked this a lot, Don. You are playing with confidence, and I don’t hear any of the rushing, almost nervous quality that I used to. It had a real shuffle feel and sounded authentic. You still add a beat here and there, most notably on the turnarounds – but so did Lightnin Hopkins and nearly all of the early blues guys. With the assurance that you are playing with, it sounds like you have absorbed the style, and not like you have just made a mistake. Really good stuff here.
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November 8, 2020 at 1:42 pm #219288
Hi Duffy, thanks for taking the time to listen and comment. When I play with other people, I try to be much more careful (I still can’t count without getting confused, so I play less), but playing solo I just try to make sure all the parts fit together smoothly. In about 4 years, I hope to have advanced to the point that putting a hat out will yield some duckets.
Don D.
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November 2, 2020 at 1:02 am #218324
Well that was special, some down to earth blues, roots and all. So authentic and captured the essence of early blues. Toe tapping, finger clicking it was. Applause.
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November 8, 2020 at 1:44 pm #219289
Thank you for taking the time to listen and comment. When I’m playing for others, applause are always appreciated. A bow in your direction!
Don D.
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November 2, 2020 at 7:25 am #218466
So many replies, thanks to all of you. I’ll reply individually as soon as I finish up the consolidation of Challenge posts. I started yesterday, but today is going to be a busy day, so I might not get them done till tomorrow sometime.
Don D.
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November 3, 2020 at 2:54 am #218788
Great raw driving sounds loved it
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November 8, 2020 at 1:45 pm #219290
Thank you Greg, I appreciate you listening and commenting!
Don D.
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November 4, 2020 at 10:02 am #218944
Cool! Another Don D. original. There is no other guitar with that sound on this forum and I mean that in a good way. And it’s a great finger-snapping toe-tapping rhythm. I couldn’t help but grab my acoustic and play along in E. I am glad you made it to the challenge!
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November 8, 2020 at 1:50 pm #219291
Hey Kevin, I appreciate that coming from you! Thank you for listening and commenting, and especially for joining in. Maybe we could work something out where we play “together.” I’ll send you a message.
Don D.
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November 5, 2020 at 3:41 pm #219044
That’s Blues! You nailed it! I can imagine the fun you had by playing this beautiful piece. Thanks for sharing.
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November 8, 2020 at 1:55 pm #219292
Thanks for your kind words Sebastian! It is fun, I try to make sure that I’m learning and playing what I like. I appreciate you taking the time to listen and comment.
Don D.
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November 5, 2020 at 7:34 pm #219072
Get R Done! Sounded like your were really enjoying what you were playing. Nice job and I mirror what Duffy said. Cheers. Pap
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November 8, 2020 at 1:59 pm #219293
Thank you for listening and commenting, Pap! The 5+ years I’m back to playing and coming to Active Melody have been a lot of fun!
Don D.
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