Topic: Introductions: When the Roll is called...

[Slack]

Welcome to WeenieCampbell Greg.

I thought you were posting a video of yourself and thought Greg was an unusual name for a girl.   

[mutantmoose]

I should go ahead and introduce myself - my name is Mark, I live in Davis, CA, teach 3rd grade, and play guitar. For the last couple years, my focus has been on learning Hawaiian Slack Key and country blues guitar, with an emphasis on open tunings. (It's really fun to see the similarities between the two.)

However, I've become rather obsessed with learning the style of Mississippi John Hurt lately. I am fortunate to have a friend who grew up in New York in the 60's, and who spent time with MJH and learned from him. The little corrections are pretty amazing, and I seem to finally be getting the hang of it.

[GhostRider]

Welcome:

(Canadians love moose!)

When you "get the hang of it", please teach it to me.

Alex

[mutantmoose]

It's no big deal - I just have to get the strength to hang in the G key without cramping up, get perfect rhythm, and learn how to sing along with the syncopation. Should only take 20 years...   

[highway66blues]

mutantmoose & missouritiger-
I hear ya...i'm not much of a singer, I get too lost in what i'm tryin' to learn that I don't think about tryin to sing along with myself not to mention lately,i sit down with the intent to learn somethin' that I just heard and end up goofin' around & comin' up with my own stuff that I make up for some reason instead of gettin' on with what I wanted to learn in the 1st place

[Rivers]

If you watch those vids of John Hurt on Rainbow Quest doing Spike Driver and Lonesome Valley watch how he puts his shoulders, head and back into the song, it's like he's dancing a boogaloo on the backbeat while sitting down.

Since I noticed that quite recently I've tried it and it works. It made me realize how static I am usually when playing. Not only does it draw in the audience it helps with the time, and, since we're nominally supposed to be enjoying ourselves while we do this, smiling occasionally is also a huge plus!

[BizzyB]

Hi there. New to the board - blues obsessed. Nice to be around like-minded folks.

[east]

Hi,
  I've enjoyed reading posts here for awhile now, so I thought I should join. Over the past few years I've been slowly learning some blues on guitar - some Tommy Johnson, Robert Wilkins, Blind lemon Jefferson, Mississippi John Hurt, etc., and it's been great to pick up some further insight here.

[Slack]

A belated welcome to BizzyB and East!

[wreid75]

Terryj welcome to the forum hope you enjoy it here.  Word of advice, lay off of RJ photos and don't rock the boat too much.  Oh crap too late.  Sorry pal.

[Rivers]

LOL!

[bluenote]

hi, fellow country blues lovers.
Just introducing myself. i am a 41 year  old dutch guy and living in cape town. I played some guitar the last 20 years on and off, mainly off. starting playing again and l learning now the very basics of the country blues. This is a very nice website and I am happy that I found it.
Greetings,
Bluenote

[Johnm]

Welcome to Weenie Campbell, Bluenote!
All best,
Johnm

[sabocat]

Good Morning.  Thought I would just say hey.

Not much to say about myself.  Being a geezer my story is pretty typical.  I started off as a folkie and then drifted into the blues when I stumbled across a 78 rpm of Victoria Spivey and Lonnie Johnson's "Toothache Blues" while going through a friend of my father's record collection looking for folk songs to tape on a reel to reel.  That voice and that guitar - like nothing I had ever heard.  I spent the better part of a year taping everything in his collection from Tampa Red to Lawyer Houston to Lucille Bogan.  I then spent many more  hours backing the tape up over and over again trying to figure out what the guitar was doing while I sat there with an old arch top a friend of the family had given me.

I got sidetracked for a bit after seeing the Beatles on the Sullivan Show with those electric guitars.  Man, I had to get me one of those.  Spent a  lot of years dividing my time between a  journeyman streamlined Chuck Berry-esque blues rock band and acoustic blues outfit.  The rock band got paid in real money.  The blues band generally in free food.

These days I limit myself to some sitting in and putting together something to play at this or that benefit.
In the past 50+ years of playing I have managed to make it all the way up to Advanced Hack.

[Slack]

Welcome sabocat!