Topic: John Miller Website

[Johnm]

Thanks to you too, Joe.  It's been great to have a reason to immerse myself in Buddy Moss's music.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For any of you who might be interested, I've added a number of transcriptions recently that are available for lessons and not yet listed on my website:
   * "Pretty Baby" and "Country Fool" from Bo Carter
   * "Greasy Greens" from Pink Anderson
   * "You Got To Move" from Rev. Davis
   * "Shorty George" and "Wonder where My Easy Rider Gone" from Mance Lipscomb
   * The version of "Rope Stretchin' Blues" from my "First Degree Blues" album on Blue Goose, "Cool, Baby, Cool" from "This Old Hammer" and for a Jazz Standard, "Hey There" from by CD of the same title.

For the complete list of tunes available for lessons and information on how to order lessons go to the teaching area of my website, www.johnmillerguitar.com.  Thanks for your time.
All best,
Johnm 

[eagle rockin daddy]

Really nice stuff John, I missed this thread earlier, perhaps you could add the link to your signature so it shows up when you post?

I was the dishwasher at the caffe lena in the late 60's, and I always looked forward to the rare times when the Down City Ramblers would show up.  You were in that band?  I knew you as the bassist for Country Cookin, and when i first heard your solo album, especially your version of 'Rope Stretchin'
Blues' I was blown away.  I spent a lot of time with Blake, and thought that tune was unplayable.  You just nailed it, so I figured it could be done, and it inspired me to work harder.  Someday I'll get to Port Townsend and meet you.

Mike

[Johnm]

Thanks for the good words, Mike.  I wasn't in the Down City Ramblers, though my friend Tony Trischka was.  I auditioned at Cafe Lena one time, it was kind of a hike from Ithaca, where I lived at the time.  I was well received and Lena said I needed to do it again since there weren't enough people there.  I thought, "I don't think so, one freebie is enough."  That evening, Tom Winslow, a very nice preacher who made a record for Biograph played some songs.  He was/is a great singer.  His little daughter who was there, Thomasina, now plays and sings sometimes with Nick Katzman, and she's a really nice singer and player.  Time goes by.
Thanks for the tip for putting a link to my website on my posts.  I will have to learn how to do that.  I do hope you make it to Port Townsend some time.  I think you'd have a great time.
All best,
Johnm
 

[Mr.OMuck]

Head up to Bah Habah (I mean Bar Harbor) this summer Mike and Catch John teachin' up there.

[frankie]

perhaps you could add the link to your signature so it shows up when you post?

the site is linked from his profile:



if you see the little "world" icon below the name on someone's profile, it means they specified a website with their profile.  In John's case, it's linked to http://www.johnmillerguitar.com/ - in mine to http://donegone.net - in yours to http://www.myspace.com/eaglerockindaddy - in O'muck's to http://www.myspace.com/mromuck

It can't hurt to have a signature as well, but I thought I'd point this out because it may be that some of us aren't aware of that little "feature."

this nerd moment was brought to you by....  frankie 

[eagle rockin daddy]

I wonder if I was there that night, I remember Tom well, and of course Tomasina who I knew as a young child with pig-tails then.  Tom like my version of 'How Happy I Am' and I tabbed it out for him.  We saw him at Lena's a year or so ago, and he remembered those days.  He is a great singer, and Tomasina is wonderful.

I know I would love pt, I also would really like to get to Maine, also to meet Ernie, and  of course see my old friend Martin Grosswendt, who lived in town back then as well.  I don't think this year would work, but perhaps next year.  Oh yeah, Martin also recorded a killer version of 'Rope Strechin' Blues'

Mike

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For any of you who might be interested, I've recently transcribed the following tunes and have added them to the list of tunes available for lessons at my website, www.johnmillerguitar.com.  You can go to the "teaching" section of the website to see the whole list of tunes available for lessons and the lesson policy.  I'll also transcribe songs for you.  Here are the new ones:
   *  from Pink Anderson--"I Got Mine", "I'm Going To Walk through The Streets of the City", "Ain't Nobody Home But Me", and "Every Day of the Week"
   * from Bo Carter--"She's Gonna Crawl Back Home To You" and "She Keep On Spending My Change"
   * from Willie McTell--"Dark Night Blues", "Love Talking Blues" and "Razor Ball".
Unlike the lessons on the Weenie site, these lessons include TAB, as well as a detailed talk through on a compact disc.  I offer Skype consultations and trouble-shooting now, too.
All best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

   *  from Pink Anderson- "I'm Going To Walk through The Streets of the City",
   * from Bo Carter-- "She Keep On Spending My Change"

I really like Pink's version of I'm Going to Walk Through the Streets of the City. So relaxed and heavy at the same time. The Bo Carter tune is one of my favourites from him as well. I love how calm and humourless he is on it. Not a dull pencil or fruit basket in sight.

[Johnm]

Hi uncle bud,
I agree with you about "She Keeps on Spending My Change".  It's also interesting for showing a marked Lonnie Johnson influence, though Bo maintains his own individuality much more in his playing than some players do when utilizing Lonnie's ideas.  The song has a couple of those epic solos by Bo where the scale of what he's expressing seems to exceed the possibilities implicit in the form.  What an imagination he had--whew!
I'd listened to Pink Anderson's music for years without ever really transcribing any of it, and it has been an ear-opening experience working out a number of his songs.  It has been interesting figuring out what he did in his approach to playing to achieve such a pronounced rhythmic "snap".
All best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

I agree with you about "She Keeps on Spending My Change".  It's also interesting for showing a marked Lonnie Johnson influence, though Bo maintains his own individuality much more in his playing than some players do when utilizing Lonnie's ideas.  The song has a couple of those epic solos by Bo where the scale of what he's expressing seems to exceed the possibilities implicit in the form.  What an imagination he had--whew!

I hadn't ever noticed the Lonnie Johnson style before, associating the song more with the Sheiks/Chatmon group of songs in D position like Overtime Blues or Church Bell Blues, but now that you point it out, I see what you mean. Interesting! I wouldn't have thought to put those two names together.

[Johnm]

Hi uncle bud,
I should give Karl Guillard, for whom I've been doing the Bo transcriptions, credit for picking up on the Lonnie Johnson influence in "She's Gonna Crawl Back Home To You" and "She Keeps On Spending My Change".  I had heard neither of these tunes before he brought them to my attention.  I've always been of the opinion that the more a player recorded, the less important it was to hear everything he/she recorded, figuring on a fair amount of repetition (in some instances, a great deal) in the repertoire.  Bo's an interesting case, though, in that he was hugely prolific and had a long recording career, but continued to have so much variety in what he did.  Not that he didn't re-use ideas to a degree, but self-plagiarization is a pretty minor sin for a composer, and I keep hearing stuff from him that I missed on first involvement in his music.  I'm more and more feeling like I'm going to need to hear all his songs at least once.
All best,
Johnm

[frankie]

I offer Skype consultations and trouble-shooting now, too.

Wow!!! that's super-ultra modern!!!!   

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I have the language for Skype lessons up on my site now, at www.johnmillerguitar.com, in the "teaching" section, also over 100 Country Blues songs transcribed that I teach lessons on, as well as doing custom transcriptions.  Take a look if you'd like, and thanks for your time.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For any of you who are interested in such things, I purchased a scanner yesterday and figured out how to use it this morning, so I will now be able to do the lessons from my website, www.johnmillerguitar.com over the internet altogether, sending a pdf of the TAB transcription and an mp3 of the talk-through.  This will allow those who go for this option to receive lessons sooner and avoid any problems with having lessons damaged in transit, lost in the post, etc.  I currently have close to 200 Country Blues songs transcribed in the "Teaching" section of the Website, and perform transcriptions of Country Blues and arrangements of Jazz Standards for interested parties.  If you're in the market for remote lessons, please visit my website.
All best,
Johnm