Topic: Delta Blues Lessons on Youtube

[blah148]

Hello all,

I've started posting some Delta blues lessons on Youtube.
They include tunes by Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Son House and Willie Brown...I've got more coming, too.

Here's the lesson for High Water Everywhere by Charlie Patton:


Thanks for checking them out! 

PS: I understand that the members here are a lot more experienced than the average viewer so sorry if the explanations seem a bit basic at times!

[GhostRider]

Hi:

One quick comment. When teaching a song in Spanish, where you have so many duplicated pitch strings (3-Ds and 2-Gs) it might be easier to refer to the strings by number (1-6) rather than pitch.

Alex

[Johnm]

Hi blah148,
One suggestion I would make is to name fret numbers relative to the capo placement.  That way if someone wants to move or get rid of the capo to accommodate a different vocal range than Charlie Patton, the fret number designations that you've given in the lesson will still work.  Naming the fret numbers in an absolute sense only works if the piece is always played capoed to the same place you played it.
All best,
Johnm 

[yogi]

Good stuff Blah! I too think you should name the strings by numbers and count the frets from where the capo is.
I love it when people publish lessons like this, sometimes I use them myself and if not, it pleases me that they're made available for people who otherwise wouldn't be aware of the music or how one can actually play it.
Looking forward to more lessons from you!
 /Yogi

[blah148]

Thanks for watching and for the input!
I'll definitely start calling the strings by number rather than pitch and take into account the capo, as well. I'll be uploading a lesson on Spoonful Blues tonight, too! 

[Michael Cardenas]

I enjoyed the contrabass work on the channel as well, Jaco and Cliff Brown in particular, the Future Blues is fun because you're capable on the bass instrument as well which helps in translating the strong pulls

[Slack]

Apologies blah148, sometimes we get off on tangents.    Keep on doing your lesson thing - you've got a good start on it.

I've split and moved the topic to Jam Session - with an off the cuff topic title - which I'll revise if someone can come up with something better.

[Stuart]

Hi Blah:

I agree--after watching a couple of your videos I'd say that you're definitely off to a good start. You're probably going to have to tighten up the explanations a bit, perhaps by having a guitar playing friend "proofread" them, pointing out places where they might be unclear and where you stumble a bit  before they go up on YT. We tend to be our own worst proofreaders, if only because our mind tends to fill in as well as compensate for our shortcomings. Obviously, you're sharing what you know at this point with others who want to learn, and not releasing the ultimate final and polished version of a commercial product, but there's always room for improvement and refinement. And don't mistake critical evaluation for personal negative criticism--there's a big difference. Our critics are our best friends.