Topic: John Miller Website

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I hope that you're doing well. I wanted to let you know that the Song of the Month lesson fro February, 2021 at my website is Memphis Minnie's "Drunken Barrelhouse Blues", a driving piece she played in G position in standard tuning. It's one of the relatively few solo numbers she recorded and really showcases her stellar guitar playing. The lesson includes her intro solo, verse one accompaniment and later solo. Here is Memphis Minnie's performance of "Drunken Barrelhouse Blues":



For the month of February, the lesson can be ordered for $35.00, for which you receive a TAB transcription, sent as a .pdf, and separate talk-throughs of each section of the transcription, sent as .mp3s. To order the lesson, go to: http://www.johnmillerguitar.com/teaching.html , and follow the instructions for making payment via www.paypal.com. I hope you'll take the opportunity to learn this exciting piece.

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
The Song of the Month lesson for March, 2021 at my website is Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie's song, "Joliet Bound". The lesson focuses on Minnie's lead guitar part, played in Spanish tuning. This is a ripping piece, with interesting and unusual phrasing. The lesson teaches the song's intro and verse accompaniment, which is the subtotal of the rendition, instrumentally, for it is a set piece after the intro, confining itself to the same verse accompaniment for the remainder of the rendition. Here is "Joliet Bound":



Cost of the lesson is $35.00, during March 2021, for which you receive a .pdf of the transcription and a very thorough talk-through of the intro and verse accompaniment. Payment can be made in accord with the procedures outlined at:
http://www.johnmillerguitar.com/teaching.html . I hope folks will take advantage of the opportunity to learn this tremendous piece.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that the Song of the Month lesson at my website for April, 2021 is George Torey's "Married Woman Blues", one of the most exciting 8-bar blues (with tag) ever recorded. George Torey, who only ever had two titles released, accompanied himself out of E position in standard tuning for the song. I've long intended to figure it out properly, and yesterday did so. Here is George Torey's "Married Woman Blues":



For the lesson, I have transcribed his extended intro, his verse one and two accompaniments and his coda. For the month of April, 2021 only, a lesson will be offered for $35.00, for which you'll receive the transcription in TAB plus thoroough talk-throughs of the piece. To place an order, follow the instructions in the Teaching section at my website, johnmillerguitar.com .

I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity to learn this terrific number..

All best,
John

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that the Song of the Month lesson for May, 2021 at my website will be Honeyboy Edwards' version of "Spread My Raincoat Down", an exciting blues in E position, standard tuning that he recorded for the Library of Congress in July of 1942. Here is his performance:



The lesson has Honeyboy Edwards' rendition transcribed from beginning to end, with intro, three solos, and five verse accompaniments. The song is an unusual mix of exciting, flashy playing and a realy "country" approach, in that Honeyboy did not maintain a consistent structure in his different passes through the form, choosing instead to play the song however he was feeling it in the moment, an approach he was to maintain throughout his very long playing life. Transcriptions of his songs are quite rare, and I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity to pick up on some of his ways of playing an E blues.

As is usual with the Song of the Month lessons, in addition to the transcription itself, you'll receive very thorough talk-throughs of each pass through the form, and the lyrics to the song. Cost of the lesson during May, 2021 is $35.00, and after May, the price will go to the normal $55.00 price for a lesson on the song. Payment for the lesson should be made in accordance with the procedures outlined at johnmillerguitar.com in the Teaching section.

Thanks for your time and I hope all is going well for you.

All best,
JohnM

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that the Song of the Month lesson for July, 2021 at my website is Kid Prince Moore's "Mississippi Water", a really nice, raggy tune which the obscure Carolina musician played out of C position in standard tuning. Here is Kid Prince Moore's rendition of "Mississippi Water":



For the month of July, 2021 only I'm offering a lesson on "Mississippi Water" for $35.00 U. S. The lesson includes a TAB transcription of his intro, verse one and two accompaniments and his solo, along with very thorough talk-throughs of the transcription and the lyrics to the song. You can make payment in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Teaching section of my website, johnmillerguitar.com.

I hope that you're doing well and will take advantage of this chance to learn a song that very few people play, despite its considerable charm.

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For the Song of the Month lesson in August, 2021 at my website, johnmillerguitar.com, I have selected Larry Johnson's version of "Ragged And Dirty", which he played out of D in standard tuning. One of the hallmarks of Larry's style was that even when playing Blues warhorses like "Ragged And Dirty" or "Two White Horses", and never played a recreation of another musician's earlier version of the song--he always came up with his own way of playing the song. Here is Larry's arrangement of "Ragged And Dirty":



Because Larry played the song (at least in this recorded version) very much as a set piece with minimal variations, the transcription that accompanies this lesson is relatively short, with his intro and verse one accompaniment. The verse is a long form, by the way, with 23 bars. If you order the lesson, you'll receive the TAB transcription and very thorough talk-throughs of Larry's intro and verse one accompaniment. For the month of August, 2021 only, I'm offering this lesson for $35.00. To order it, go to www.johnmillerguitar.com , in the Teaching section, and follow the instructions for placing a lesson order. I hope folks will take advantage of this opportunity to learn this strikingly original arrangement of "Ragged And Dirty".

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For the Song of the Month lesson for September, 2021 at my website, johnmillerguitar.com, I have chosen Lonnie Johnsons's "Life Saver Blues", one of his songs that he accompanied himself out of D position in DGDGBE tuning. Lonnie's performance showcased his always-beautiful tone and a lot of interesting ideas for chord voicing. Here is his performance of "Life Saver Blues":



The transcription you'll receive if you order the lesson includes his intro, verse one, two and four accompaniments, his solo and his coda, as well as thorough talk-throughs of each of those parts of the transcription. For the month of September, 2021 only, I'm offering the lesson for $35.00. To order the lesson, go to www.johnmillerguitar.com , in the Teaching section, and follow the instructions for placing a lesson order. I hope folks will take advantage of this opportunity to learn a song by one of the most influential of the early Blues guitarists.
All best,
Johnm 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
For the Song of the Month lesson of October, 2021 I have chosen Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis' version of "Two Trains Running", a hypnotic piece for which he accompanied himself out of E position in standard tuning. It's a performance that perfectly exemplifies the call-and-response of voice being answered by guitar that is at the heart of the blues sound. Here is his performance:



INTRO

But I love, love my baby, woman, then I tell all, world I do,
Baby, and I try so hard, little girl, gon', try to get along

I said, baby, two train a-runnin', babe, ain't nar' one,  goin' my way
Baby, there the one run at midnight, other one,
(guitar) sure 'nough it do (guitar) go where my (guitar) sure 'nough I'll

I say how, how her love, somebody help me, with those blue',
'Cause I'm in love with a little married woman, but, but now, woman, I hate to (guitar)

I been a crazy, child, I been a fool, I been a-grievin', whoa, all of my life
Baby that I fell, fell in love with, (guitar) sure 'nough I do (guitar) I love her

I say, oh, oh, she don't talk, but she can weep now, willow tree
But I love, love that woman, but it's, Lord (guitar) sure 'nough it do (guitar) uh, oooo (guitar) ow (guitar) ow (guitar (ow) 

 For the month of October only, I am offering a virtual lesson for $35.00 which includes a TAB transcription of his intro and verse one and two accompaniments, and very thorough talk-throughs of each section of the transcription. To order the lesson, go to www.johnmillerguitar.com , in the Teaching section and follow the instructions there for making payment. U. S. residents also have the option of ordering a hard copy version of the lesson for $45.00. I hope folks will take advantage of this opportunity to learn this exciting piece.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that I have selected William Harris' "Keep Your Man Out of Birmingham" for the Song of the Month lesson at my website. The song is a striking one, played out of Spanish tuning, capoed up. Here it is:



The transcription that accompanies the lesson has William Harris' intro and verse one and two accompaniments. Each section of the transcription includes a thorough talk-through describing fretting hand economies of motion, the picking attacks, etc. Lyrics of the song are sent as well. Cost of a virtual lesson, sent as attachments to emails, is $35.00 during the month of November, 2021 only. U S. residents may order a hard copy version of the lesson for $45.00. To order the lesson, go to my website, johnmillerguitar.com, and follow the instructions in the "Teaching" section for making payment.

Thanks for your time, and I hope you'll take advantage of the opportunity to learn this exciting song.

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I've decided to add a special Song of the Month lesson for November, and it is on my own arrangement of Kid Bailey's "Rowdy Blues". "Rowdy Blues" was recorded as a duet, and I wanted to do a solo arrangement that captured all of the movement in both the treble and the bass of the original performance, and I believe I succeeded. The song is played out of E position in standard tuning, and the arrangement is just one time through the form, matching the set piece arrangement of the original recording, which you can hear here:



Price for the lesson during the month of November is $35.00. You'll receive a TAB transcription of the arrangement and a very thorough talk-through of it when you order the lesson. To order the lesson, go to johnmillerguitar.com , in the Teaching section and follow the instructions there for making payment.
All best,
Johnm 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know about the Song of the Month lesson for December, 2021. It is Bo Carter's "County Farm Blues", an exciting tune that he played in his favorite DGDGBE tuning. And the tune provides a primer in understanding how Bo worked in this tuning, and will make countless others of his performances in that tuning available to you as well. Here is his performance of the song:



The County Farm Blues
Provided to YouTube by The Orchard EnterprisesThe County Farm Blues · Bo CarterBo Carter, Vol. 5 (1938-1940)℗ 1991 Document RecordsReleased on: 2014-01-06Mus...
youtu.be

For the first time, I will be offering the lesson in two different formats. As in the past you can do a virtual lesson for $35.00, for which you receive the TAB transcription, which has Bo's intro, verse one and three accompaniments, solo and coda, sent as a .pdf and thorough talk-throughs of each section, sent as .mp3s.. For the first time, and for the same $35.00 cost, you can choose instead to get the lesson in a Zoom lesson presentation by me. The Zoom lesson will be offered once only, at 10:00 AM, PST on Saturday, December 11. At the lesson, I'll demonstrate the song and walk through the TAB, indicating the best fretting and picking options, and working on timing. The lesson is scheduled to run for one half-hour.
When you make payment for the lesson, please indicate whether you would like the virtual format or would prefer the Zoom lesson. For persons choosing the Zoom lesson option, I will send the link to get into the lesson after I receive payment and will send out the TAB the day before the lesson. In either case, payment should be made by making a deposit of $35.00 to my account at paypal.com, which is the same as my email address, john@johnmillerguitar.com .
Thanks for your time, and I hope that all is going well for you.
All best,
John

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Happy New Year! I wanted to let you know that the Song of the Month lesson for January, 2022 is Pink Anderson's song, "Sugar Babe", a one-of-a-kind 16-bar blues that he played out of E position in standard tuning (tuned a whole step low). Here is Pink's performance of the song:



INTRO

Take your arm from 'round my neck, Sugar Babe
Take your wing from 'round my neck, Sugar Babe
Take your arm from 'round my neck, you just only a Georgia fake
I'm gon' send you right back to Georgia (guitar finishes line)

I bought you clothes in the latest style (guitar finishes line) (Spoken: Yeah, I did!)
I bought you clothes in the latest style, Sugar Babe
I bought you clothes in the latest style, here you is, just runnin' wild
I'm gon' send you right back to Georgia (guitar finishes line)

I've got enough of your baby talk (guitar finishes line) (Spoken: I have)
I've got enough of your baby talk, Sugar Babe
I've got enough of your baby talk, here's your fare, and you don't have to walk
I'm gon send you right (guitar finishes line)

You runnin' 'round here, your head's so hard (guitar finishes line) (Spoken: Sugar Babe!)
You runnin' 'round here with your head so hard, Sugar Babe
You runnin' 'round here, your head's so hard, b'lieve I'm gon have to use my rod
I'm gon' send you right back to Geor', Sugar Babe

CODA

The transcription that accompanies the lesson includes Pink's intro, his verse one and two accompaniments and his coda. In addition, I supply very thorough talk-throughs of each section of the transcription and a play-through as well, along with the lyrics to the song. Payment can be made by making a deposit of $35.00 to my account at paypal.com , which is the same as my email address: john@johnmillerguitar.com .

I realized when deciding on what Song of the Month to feature in a lesson as we begin 2022 that I have under-represented Pink Anderson in my Song of the Month selections. He was a terrific player, with a lot of original ideas and ways of getting around, so I welcome finally giving him his due, and I hope folks will take advantage of the opportunity to learn one of his outstanding songs.
All best,
Johnm   

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that I have selected Big Bill Broonzy's "Long Tall Mama" for the Song of the Month lesson for February, 2022. This is one of the greatest performances ever in C position in standard tuning by a Country Blues guitarist. Judge for yourself:



For the lesson, I have transcribed Big Bill's intro solo, verse one accompaniment, and all four of his later solos, so you'll receive a host of ideas and licks to play in C. In addition to the transcription, you'll receive thorough talk-throughs of each pass through the form. Cost of the lesson is $35.00 during February, and U.S. residents can order a hard copy version of the lesson for $45.00. Payment can be made by making a deposit of $35.00 to my account at paypal.com, which is the same as my email address: john@johnmillerguitar.com .  I hope you'll take advantage of the opportunity to learn this incredibly infectious number.
All best,
John

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that I've selected Blind Boy Fuller's "Big Leg Woman Gets My Pay" for the March 2022 Song of the Month lesson at my website. Fuller really outdid himself for this lively tune in E position, standard tuning--it must be one of the most exciting and lively East Coast blues ever recorded. Here is his rendition:



The transcription that accompanies the lesson includes his intro solo, verse one and two accompaniments and the "Lord, Lord" sections that follow verses one and two (he took no solos on the piece after the intro). In addition to the transcription, you'll receive thorough talk-throughs of how to play each section of the transcription. Price of the lesson during the month of March, 2022 is $35.00. To order the lesson deposit to my account at PayPal, which is the same as my email address: john@johnmillerguitar.com . I hope that you'll take advantage of this opportunity to learn this terrific number.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I realized that I've never made a point of featuring my own arrangements and compositions in the lessons I offer at my website. Apropos of that, I decided to feature my arrangements that I've transcribed from my first album, "First Degree Blues". The arrangements that are featured, along with the playing position/tuning for each of the songs, are a follows:
   * I Never Cried--Spanish tuning
   * Spanish Breakdown--Spanish tuning
   * Mistake In Life--Cross-note tuning
   * Shady Lane--Spanish tuning
   * Dirty Deeds--A position, standard tuning
   * Who's Been Here--Spanish tuning
   * Rope Stretching Blues--A minor and C positions, standard tuning
   * Titanic--Dropped-D tuning
   * Chester County--Open G minor tuning
If you've never heard these performances and are curious, they've all been posted on youtube and can be found via a search there. For more information or to order lessons, go to the Teaching section of my website, johnmillerguitar.com . Thanks for your time.
All best,
Johnm