Topic: John Miller Website

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that the Song of the Month lesson for April, 2022 will be my own version of "Titanic", from my first album, "First Degree Blues". I played the song in D in Dropped- D tuning, using Leadbelly's version for the melody, but making up my own guitar part. Here is the performance:



For the lesson I've transcribed the intro solo, verse accompaniment and the complete long solo later in the rendition, which goes five times through the form. IN addition to the transcription, you'll receive very thorough talk-throughs of each section of the piece. Cost of the lesson in April, 2022 only is $35.00, and you can make payment at paypal.com by making a deposit to my account, which is the same as my email address, john@johnmillerguitar.com . I hope you'll take advantage of the opportunity to learn this driving rendition, which is hugely fun to play.
All best,
John

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that I have selected Scrapper Blackwell's "Penal Farm Blues" as the Song of the Month lesson for the month of May, 2022 at my website, johnmillerguitar.com . Scrapper recorded the song at his first solo session, in 1928, and the approach he took to playing in E position in standard tuning was very unusual at that time, almost orchestral-sounding, with big moving chords. Here is his "Penal Farm Blues":



For the lesson, I have transcribed Scrapper's intro and verse one, two and five accompaniments (he took no solos on the song). In addition to receiving the TAB transcription, if you order the lesson you'll receive thorough talk-throughs of each section of the transcription. Cost of the lesson during the month of May only is $35.00, with U.S. residents having the option of purchasing a hard copy version for $45.00. To place an order, go to johnmillerguitar.com , in the Teaching section, and the method for making payment is described there. I hope folks will take advantage of the chance to learn a trail-blazing performance in E that was to prove to be very influential on later players in the style.

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that the Song of the Month lesson at my website for June 2022 is John Hurt's 1928 version of "Ain't No Tellin'", which he was to record as "Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor" in the 1960s. The '28 version is one of the most stellar recordings of a Country Blues in C position, standard tuning that has ever been done. Here is his performance:



The TAB transcription that comes with the lesson has his intro, verse one and two accompaniments, a solo, the verse three accompaniment and another solo. In addition to receiving the transcription, if you order the lesson, you'll receive thorough talk-throughs of each section of the transcription, with fingering and picking tips. Cost of the lesson during June, 2022 is $35.00. To order the lesson, go to johnmillerguitar.com in the "Teaching" section and follow the instructions there for making payment. I hope folks will take advantage of the opportunity to learn to play this version, for it has many fascinating licks that John Hurt would never record again in his later versions.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that the Song of the Month lesson at my website for July, 2022 will be Bo Carter's "My Little Mind", Bo's version of the song more commonly known as "You Don't Know My Mind". Bo played the song in E position in standard tuning, which he seemed to reserve for his most low-down accompaniments. Here is "My Little Mind".



The TAB transcription that comes with the lesson includes Bo's intro, verse one and two accompaniments, solo and coda. In addition the lesson includes thorough talk-throughs of each section of the transcription. It is available for the month of July only for $35.00. To order the lesson, go to johnmillerguitar.com, in the Teaching section, and follow the instructions for making payment there. Thanks for your attention and I hope you'll take advantage of the opportunity to learn this terrific Bo Carter number.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that the Song of the Month lesson at my website for September, 2022 is Bo Carter's terrific tune in A in standard tuning, "Bo Carter's Advice". Here is his performance of the song:



In the lesson, you'll receive a TAB transcription with his intro, verse accompaniment, solo and coda, as well as through talk-throughs of each section describing his fingering in the fretting hand and picking. Cost of the lesson during the month of September only is $35.00. To order the lesson, go to my website, johnmillerguitar.com, in the Teaching section and follow the instructions for making payment shown there. I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity to learn yet another stellar song from Bo Carter.

Incidentally, I was surprised to see that we did not have the lyrics for "Bo Carter's Advice" transcribed and entered in Weeniepedia, so here they are:


INTRO

Now just listen here, men, what Bo Carter say for you to do, mmmmm
Eh just listen here now, men, what Bo Carter say for you to do
Say don't you never let none of these old triflin' women, man, never worry you

I mean, they'll keep you worryin', they'll bother you all the time, mmmmm
I mean, they'll keep you worryin', they'll bother you all the time
Say they'll take some other man and leave you, after you give them your last dime

I mean, they'll fuss, they'll squabble, man, the whole night through, mmmmm
I mean, they'll fuss, they'll squabble, man, the whole night through
Just let you know they want some other man now, oh in the bed in the place of you

SOLO

Says when you say you're gonna leave 'em, they'll beg you the whole night long, mmmmm
Says when you say you're gonna leave 'em, they'll beg you the whole night long
Say they'll tell you that they're gonna do better, they'll swear they're gonna stay at home

Now just listen here, men, won't you take Bo Carter's egvice [sic], mmmmm
Now just listen here now, men, won't you take Bo Carter's egvice [sic]
Just learn to live a bachelor, and you'll play safety first

CODA

Edited 9/1 to pick up correction from Blues Vintage

All best,
Johnm

[Blues Vintage]

The sound quality is beautiful, especially from this time period.


One minor thing for the lyrics,

I think it's worryin' instead of "worried" in the 2nd verse.

[Johnm]

I'll make the change, Blues Vintage--I just thought Bo had a cold.

[Stuart]

Excellent choice, John. But it's a lot easier to play "Bo Carter's Advice" than it is to always heed it.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that the Song of the Month lesson at my website for the month of October, 2022 is Son House's "Depot Blues", recorded for the Library of Congress in 1941. This is one of the truly seminal blues in E position, standard tuning to come out of Mississippi. Here it is:



The lesson includes a TAB transcription of Son House's intro solo and his verse accompaniment, and thorough talk-throughs describing fingering, picking, etc. It is available from my website for $35.00 during October, 2022. If you'd like to order the lesson, follow the instructions for making payment outlined at johnmillerguitarcom in the Teaching section.
All best,
Johnm 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that I'm offering two Song of the Month lessons for the price of one in November. Both songs are by John Lee Hooker, and are ones that he played in Spanish tuning. They come from his great acoustic album, "Jack o' Diamonds". Here is "Rabbit In A Log":



The second song is "Six Little Puppies And Twelve Shaggy Hounds", and here that is:



The TAB transcriptions that accompany the lessons include intros, solo and verse accompaniments for several verses. Included in the lessons are thorough talk-throughs describing fingering and picking. The combined cost for the two lessons is $35.00, the normal Song of the Month cost for one song. To order the lessons and make payment, follow the procedure outlined in the Teaching section of my website, johnmillerguitar.com.

I hope folks will take advantage of this opportunity to learn from one of the masters of Spanish tuning and Post-War blues, John Lee Hooker.

All best,
Johnm 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that I have selected Robert Belfour's version of "Black Mattie" for the Song of the Month lesson for December, 2022 at my website, johnmillerguitar.com. Robert Belfour played the song in Spanish tuning, and it was one of his strongest numbers. Here it is:



The transcription that accompanies the lesson includes his intro solo and verse one accompaniment, which come to almost three pages. The lesson includes thorough talk-throughs of the transcription, describing fingerings and economies of motion in the fretting hand. Cost of the lesson during the month of December is $35.00. To place an order, follow the instructions for making payment in the "Teaching" section of johnmillerguitar.com.

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Happy New Year!
I wanted to let you know about the Song of the Month lesson I'm offering for January, 2023. It is "Indian Squaw Blues" by Freezone, one of the real mysteries of Country Blues guitar, who only recorded this one song. It's an excellent blues in E position, standard tuning, and the lesson transcription has Freezone's intro solo, verse one and two accompaniments and his later solo. Here is a link to his performance of "Indian Squaw Blues":



For the month of January, 2023, I'm offering a lesson on "Indian Squaw Blues" for $35.00. In addition to the TAB transcription, you'll receive thorough talk-throughs of each pass through the form of the song. To order the lesson, go to johnmillerguitar.com, in the Teaching section, and follow the instructions there for making payment via paypal. Thanks for your time, and I hope that you'll want to learn this terrific piece.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that the Song of the Month lesson at my website this month is Clifford Gibson's "Keep Your Windows Pinned", a beautiful piece in EAEGBE tuning. Here is his performance of "Keep Your Windows Pinned":



Clifford Gibson was one of the major stylists in EAEGBE tuning, and this song really showcases his imagination and sound. The transcription that comes with the lesson includes his intro, verse one, two and three accompaniments, solo and coda. Also included in the lesson are thorough talk-throughs of each section of the transcription and the lyrics. During the month of February, 2023 only, I'm offering the lesson for $35.00. To order the lesson, go to my website, johnmillerguitar.com, in the Teaching section, and follow the procedure for making payment outlined there. I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to learn this beautiful piece by one of the masters of EAEGBE tuning.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that I have selected Larry Johnson's "Seaboard Train Blues", a terrific East Coast blues in A position, standard tuning for my Song of the Month lesson for March, 2023. Here is Larry Johnson's performance of the song:



The TAB transcription that comes with the lesson has Larry's intro, his one-line verse that opens the song, his verse one accompaniment, solo and coda. Each section will have a thorough talk-through describing fingering, picking, etc. Price of the lesson during the month of March, 2023 is $35.00. The TAB transcription will be sent as a .pdf and the talk-throughs as .mp3s. To order the lesson, go to my website, johnmillerguitar.com, in the Teaching section, and follow the instructions for making payment that are presented there.

I hope that folks will take advantage of the chance to learn this song by one of the last of the great East Coast Blues players.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that I am offering a series of Zoom group classes, “Expanding Your Blues Vocabulary”.  The sessions will each be one hour  long, and I will be offering the first session at 10:00 AM PDT on Saturday, April 8, 2023.

So much of what the historic Country Blues guitarists played tended to be key or position-specific, and was played in only one place or in one key on the neck, where it sat very naturally and might be considered “low-hanging fruit”. But there is always the potential to move licks or chordal positions around, to different keys and places on the neck, if you know how to do that. That is precisely what the first lesson will be focusing on: how to move chordal positions and licks across and up and down the neck. Understanding how to do that is hugely liberating, and equips you to play licks or re-arrange tunes, putting them in keys or places on the neck that they were never played previously on recordings. The musical result: you can end up having your own sound, rather than always playing a recreation of someone else’s sound.

Cost of these group lessons will be $40.00 per one-hour session. Payment can be made by making a deposit to my account at paypal.com, which is the same as my email address: john@johnmillerguitar.com. When I receive notification that a payment has been made, I will send a link that will provide admission to the Zoom session. Attendees will not be visible, and will be muted. The last ten minutes of each session will be devoted to questions and answers, which will be operated via the chat function. Attendees should be comfortable playing fingerstyle blues with alternating and monotonic bass, and be open to thinking about understanding how and what to play, rather than focusing solely on where to put your fingers. At the session, I will be using a whiteboard occasionally to communicate important points. I will be recording the sessions as well, for attendees who would like to be able to review the session later.

If this sounds like something you’d like to pursue, I look forward to offering you the first lesson next Saturday, April 8, 2023 at 10:00 AM PDT. Thanks for your time.

All best,
John Miller