Topic: Blues everywhereI go

[Richard]

Now the attached lo-fi offering is what I think the back porch is for, since this is definetly a work in progress!

Relatively recently and not without with some encouragemnt our very own dj (moderator) took up lap slide
guitar. Inevitably, if not fatally he contracted the dreaded Casey Bill Weldon virus, so together with what
notes (there's a pun there) I had, we ended up collaborating on the transcription a song or two. It's fair to
say that dj is a more disciplined muscian than I am, so between his precision and my hands-on approach
we have dissected a ton of CB's playing. It was a lot of work and has helped us both, dj's playing is coming
on and for my part I can now visualise what is going on even if I can't allways play it. 

All that aside we discovered CB would move\transpose his stock picking patterns, yes picking patterns as
well as licks all over the fretboard. On a 12 bar he wouldn't generally play much more than the I chord and
that it would be left to who ever was backing him to fill in. It was his subtle touch of putting in just one or two
notes that gave the impression he was playing the full sequence as we might generally expect.

If you haven't listened to very much CB, then do so. Admittedly some of his last recordings are a bit samey,
but nevertheless he was an extremely inventive and accurate player, with (as the actress said to the
bishop) an absolutely tremendous trill! and a great singer. On the few numbers that verge towards towards
jazz he really swings proving he was far more than a basic blues merchant.

After that build up, now for the excuses for my poor perfomance so don't get too excited becase my
rendition of this song has several glaring faults. First, I more or less committed to memory the 4 sheets of
dots so it ain't perfect. Then, it's in C (one of his favourite keys) but  high for my singing (singing?) and at
times there are a lot of words in those first 4 bars. I've had to add some very al-fresco rhythm to hang it all

together since I don't have any backing. From a technical point of view, CB used a single cone which had a
bit more bite than my tricone and that I do tend to slide between some notes around fret 19 as I can't
always pick them as quickly and cleanly as I should be.

Hopefully we will soon have the CBW fan club established     and my thanks to dj for sticking with it, who
know's we might even do some more!

[attachment deleted by admin]

[dj]

Bravo, Richard.  Very nice playing on that one!  It's come a long way, eh?

[Parlor Picker]

Nice job, Richard! Especially the "tricky bits".

[blueshome]

Progress indeed! It is very recognisable as Mr.Weldon and you have a really nice touch with the bar.

"it's in C (one of his favourite keys) but  high for my singing (singing?)"

Why not transpose it to Bb, you still stay on the fret board with closed positions.
Also, what happened to the backing track you had laid down? You need to get with the technology and learn to record multi-tracks (shouldn't have flogged the Zoom!) or a least put a click in some headphones. I think that would help you feel there was a bit more space both to lay back a little on the guitar but to fit in those compressed lines of vocal.

Please keep at it, you're one of the few play CBW and we need to hear more.

[Blues Vintage]

sweet, love your slide sound

[Blue in VT]

thats some Raw lowdown blues all right....

Just the way I like it!

Cheers,

Blie

[Richard]

Thanks people, having got the gist of this in the brain I will try and do a 'picked take' which should be closer (and more difficult) to the original. Watch this space

Phil, I can't cope with the written solo chorus to an unforgiving recorded backing, but playing with somebody yes. Those last 4 bars of the solo are bad enough without trying to keep with up 'something'. That said the rest of the song I can happily play with backing - practice I think is the word!

As for the singing\key, well yes and no! I take your point, but For me the absolute epitomy of CB is when he goes from the C chord to the top C, or I suppose technically he goes from the I chord to his version of the IV chord! It just lifts the song and suits the guitar - I have attached a little something to highlight the point. I suppose it's a bit like you doing all your Tampa Red stuff in open G tuning, similar but different!   

[blueshome]

But you'd surely just be doing the same thing but 2 frets to your left to play in Bb.

Talking of Tampa, I've just inflicted a Tampa song on the public.

[dj]

But you'd surely just be doing the same thing but 2 frets to your left to play in Bb.

I can't speak for Richard, of course, but as his "partner in crime" I can say that the object for me was to learn how Casey Bill used the fretboard.  As such, I was more interested in learning to make that A at the 19th fret than in being able to sing comfortably.  If I were ever to prepare the song for public performance, I'd transpose down.   

[Johnm]

Hi Richard,
Your timing/phrasing on the song sounds really good--you have a nice rocking backbeat.  Keep going, it's a good track.
All best,
Johnm

[Richard]

John, thanks - I will do!

Phil, whilst I take the point, I tend to side with dj on this in that I wanted to know CB strung things together.

I can say that the object for me was to learn how Casey Bill used the fretboard.  As such, I was more interested in learning to make that A at the 19th fret than in being able to sing comfortably.

[Richard]

And here it is, the amost picked first chorus, I should add that I have plonked in a few beats of rhythm to keep it going rather than the pauses.

I must say posting here does make one practice and think it's time to open a bottle of something

[attachment deleted by admin]

[blueshome]

Better than not bad.....

[Norfolk Slim]

I like.

Now what I need to do is to buy some Casey Bill and work out whether the sound I hear is uniquely CBW, uniquely Richard, or (most likely) the unique bastard child of the two!

[dj]

With great trepidation, but in solidarity with Richard, here's my version of Blues Everywhere I Go.

Richard and I worked out the notes, barring, and phrasing by sending tablature and recordings across The Atlantic.  It was fun.  I recommend such collaboration.

We thought it might be interesting to some of you to compare the similarities and differences of the versions that arise from such a collaboration.  The first thing you'll notice is that Richard owns a proper microphone and I don't, I'm just recording through the built-in mic and sound card of my laptop.  The second thing you'll notice is that we have very different guitars.  I'm playing my c. 1930 Stella Hawaiian.  It sounds really nice, though you'd never know it from this recording.

Here it is, warts and all.  The only wart I'll apologize for is the tempo, which I dragged a bit so I could get through the whole thing in a fairly presentable manner. 

[Richard]

I have to say it's not every morning I rush to the back porch before 8am, but how could I resist!

I don't want to turn this into a congratulationary topic between the two of us, nor sound like the master of the instrument 'cause I ain't! That said, I think that's a really good effort particularly when you consider the short time you've been playing lap and that you've had to suffer my diy video instruction instruction course 

NS, whilst here I think a high proportion of the sound\fills is\are CB and that was the intention. If you want I'll rip you a CD and you can judge (latent pun) for yourself 

[blueshome]

It's spreading like the plague! They'll all be at it soon - Hold that guitar properly Smith Minor!

Nice work dj you really caught that swing. Now try it 2 frets to the left

BTW, just played your track again on the iPlayer and it was followed at random by Ed Bell's Snigglin Blues, the phrasing on the intro to that was so similar to CBW's (your's) that it took me until the vocal to realise that it was a new song.

[Johnm]

Thanks for posting, dj.  Your tone is especially nice.  You're getting a good clean sound with your bar and it all sounds like it's working right.
All best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

Sounding good, Richard and dj both. I have dabbled in lap style as a rank beginner myself though have let it slide lately as I continue to wreak havoc on a banjo. But I'm curious how you got going on this much more lap slide-y Casey Bill style material. Just all by ear? Did you have any learning resources to get you going at lap style?

[dj]

I have dabbled in lap style as a rank beginner myself though have let it slide

 

Did you have any learning resources to get you going at lap style?

I used the Richard Thomas instructional DVD series (with special bonus scene "Recovering From The Household Flood") for basic lap steel technique, then a lot of listening.  Also, Richard and I tabbed out all of Blues Everywhere I Go, exchanging our tabs in progress.  I count 15 iterations before we got to a final version, and easily twice as many emails, plus some little audio snippets demonstrating licks.  One of the things that I like is that after all that, we end up playing versions that are very similar and yet quite different, which goes to show how much personal style is involved.

The whole tabbing thing was incredibly fun and enlightening, much more useful than just buying a tab book or cadging something off the internet.  I must have listened to that song hundreds of times at varying speeds while we were doing the tab.  Having two people involved kept our noses to the grindstone!   

[Richard]

Oh bugger.... the video secret is out 

I rather took the view that I whilst may not be able to play it all well enough to give a perfect demonstration, I can get the gist of what should be happening over. For the technically minded the said dvd's were done in one take with expletives to suit