Topic: Pete Harris - Jack Of Diamonds

[bayrum78]

I worked pretty hard on this one to get a similar feel to the original. For some reason I had a really hard time hearing some of the notes he was playing especially the lick that follows the end of the verses. The phrasing seemed irregular in parts and hearing the varying points of entry into the underlying pattern took me time to identify and execute. I chalk it up to a lack of experience playing slide guitar with blurred tones and tackling what is imo is a hard song. Bear with me as I work this slide thing out! The tuning is Vestapol. It's funny how once you know how to play something how  much easier it seems than when you're in the weeds sorting out the bewildering sounds and fearing it will never come together.

[Johnm]

Hi Nate,
You sure pick great tunes to play.  In re-listening to Pete Harris's version for the ending lick you mentioned, it sounds like he slides to the fourth fret, rather than the fifth fret of the first string, slides off it to the open first string and then slides into a unison with the first string at the fifth fret of the second string.
Apart from getting tone and intonation where one wants it with the slide, it seems to me the trickiest aspect of Pete Harris's version is the way his vocal is phrased just a tad in front of where he plays the melody, like the guitar is a little bit late.  This kind of simultaneous "two versions of the same thing at once" is really challenging.
All best,
Johnm

[uncle bud]

I agree, you sure can pick 'em. I agree that it's a hard song too, very idiosyncratic and loose while driving along steadily at the same time. One thing that occurs to me as well in listening to the Pete Harris version alongside your version is that you may want to damp the lower non-melody strings a little more occasionally. Not so much that it starts to sound clean and technique-y, but maybe a little more here and there.

As for having a hard time hearing what Harris is doing, if you haven't heard it, the version of the tune included on the Deep River of Song - Black Texicans CD in the Alan Lomax Collection is somewhat easier on the ear, though still a very rough record.

[bayrum78]

If I had to pick one song to play a straight cover of, JOD would be at or near the top of the list. So, thanks very much for listening with a critical ear and for your suggestions which will surely help me get closer than before to the original sound.

UB - I appreciate the vamping suggestion. Harris' performance has more "punch" in the bass than mine and I think vamping is the reason why. The vamping texture will contrast nicely with the more freely reonating melody notes. It will also enable me to expand on and  better punctuate/accent the right hand rhythms.

John - It took me a while to hear how much he was playing that 4th fret F#)on the first string. Initially I was playing the F note (3rd fret, 1st string)which, although bluesy sounding, misses the mark. I can't tell for sure whether he sometimes sings a note other than what he plays on guitar. If that is the case that would explain why I had such a hard time hearing the notes. At any rate, there is some fairly fast moving and subtle slide playing happening around the 4th fret.

As far as song selections go I suspect many of our favorite CB songs and artists  overlap. I don't know about you guys, but even within Country Blues which is my favorite genre of music, I am quite finnicky about what I will listen to more than once or twice. There are many artists and styles within the genre that I choose not to listen to at all and for some only a track or two. Then there are artists like Pete Harris who just blow me away and who I will listen to exclusively for days on end.