Rudi

Shakedown Street - Grateful Dead

Rapping still going on? Have they got around to 6/8 yet?

It probably isnt the right place, but I dont know what the right place is. I had a listen. Thanks.

Any guitar will do. Good ones make playing easier. They are just tools. I dont want any more guitars.

Sing the song. Record it. Find a site to host it. Post a link to the song here. I'll offer you a couple of chord patterns to fit. Maybe someone else will too.

I'll do it for £330 per gig in Hampshire. Any further, add on travel & accomodation.

1:50 is F#11 2:05 is a single A note (...and this is difficult? )

There no substitute for practice. Keep going over the songs you have trouble with. Record if needs be to check your progress. If time is tight, better get busy! Put all the hours in you can.

Im no bassist, but I use one fo recording. Fingering feels best, but lately have been compelled to use a pick to produce the sound I need.

Elvis Costello Roddy Frame Bob Dylan Joni Mitchell Robert Hunter

Mikes advice is best. If you want to try something simple, read on: If you insist on working to a chord pattern (applying melody to pre defined chords): To change the way the melody sounds, a simple device is to stagger the relative timings. To do this, 1/ record your chord pattern. 2/ make any melody to go with it. It doesnt matter too much how uninspired it seems. 3/ record the melody in isolation to the chords (so when playing back, you hear no chords at all). 4/ cut and paste your melody to begin later in the chord sequence. Try advancing it by 2 or 3 beats. It will sound very different. It may not always be what you want, but it will take you out the rut you're in. A new approach would be to begin with a melody and work out the chords afterwards. Dont settle for the first set of chords you think of. Try another couple of options. eg: If the chords are C, G, Am, then change the chords to C, D, F instead (Dont go altering the melody! Not until your sure you can reproduce the original melody correctly). All of the above will work best with common chord combinations (C, F, G) or (C, Em, Am, G) etc. In other words, something where a regular scale will not create dischord instead of harmony. At the moment I am trying to come up with alternative chords for a well known song. Give that a try maybe.

None of those things are drivers for me. I dont have much choice about it. I just need to make music. Some of what you mention may be considerations after the music is made. I usually dont know what to do with it after its done. No. However, radical arranging is a fun game. Production is usually a nuisance.

Hi Nizar, Welcome. PS -You might want to leave 'Circle' for last. Happy listening.

Re: ReBirth of the Cool Sometime in the 70’s I decided that the word ‘cool’ had become a casualty of terminal abuse. As it had come to mean anything to anyone, it had also come to lose any mutually agreeable meaning. Therefore ‘cool’ had pretty much become ‘uncool’ and was a dead word. Until this year that is. I had seen the film ‘The Boat That Rocked’, and found Bill Nighy enjoyable for no discernible reason at all. It happened again when I saw him in ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The only word that seemed to fit him was ‘cool’. This needed thinking about. I came to these conclusions: 1/ A person cannot be aware of their ‘coolness’. If they do, their coolness instantly evaporates. For this reason, it is essential nobody tips off Bill Nighy. 2/ The essence of ‘coolness’ is elusive. 3/ And there’s probably a third reason too. Bill has been in ‘Pirates of Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest’, ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and lots of other stuff. Ok. If I’m wrong about all this, I am probably on the right track. Views, anyone?

oh yes.... A Bird in the Hand - Ice Cube ( Box Top s to Ice Cube)

{snigger }The more obscure, the better the link is 'message' to 'notes' (message in a bottle - h melvin & the blue note s) not as deep as Tom imagined. Hey, I should just pick out any old thing & let Tom explain it.

Interesting. Always good to know how things appear stateside. In the UK, country is generally not well liked. Having said that, I have little idea of what is current though. Popular music seems to largely consist of a dozen people all singing one bland song. They manage about half a line each. Bizarre.

Dont Leave me this Way - Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

no particular order. By the Light of the Moon - Los Lobos : It is so eclectic, it almost sounds like a compilation album. Country, Rock, Nortena, soul, latin etc. and all of it is blisteringly good. It came out in 1987, and I never tire of listening to it. Live Dead - Grateful Dead : I wore out two vinyl copies of this double album and had to buy a 3rd before finally getting it on cd. Village Voice critic Robert Christgau wrote: "Side two of this four-sided set contains the finest rock improvisation ever recorded". Free Somehow - Widespread Panic: The first time I heard this I knew the lead guitarist was neither Michael Houser nor George McConnell. It was the first time I had heard Jimmy Herring. It was wonderful. It still is. Some of the bands finest songs on here too. Rosemary Lane - Bert Jansch : 1971 solo album. This is truly solo. No guests, no double tracking, no loops. Just one man and his guitar. This kind of thing is extremely consuming and difficult. There is folk, blues, classical and blending all styles in there. It’s quiet, reflective & beautiful. The musicianship is exceptional. ‘Tell me What is True Love’, ’Sarabanda’, ‘Reynardine’ are peerless. Paris Concert – Circle: (another live double album) A free form jazz group. You might wonder whether every piece here was improvised. It isn’t. There are studio versions of these tunes to bear this out. String bassist Dave Holland & drummer Barry Altschul are my favourite jazz players. This group features them with Anthony Braxton (sax) & Chick Corea (piano). Its pretty heavy going stuff, but brilliant. The Dancer with Bruised Knees - Kate & Anna McGarrigle : The Canadian sisters 2nd album. ‘First Born’ could only have been written by a woman “That first born son I always the one, the first to be called and the last to come…†The harmonies sometimes sound like clever mice. It can be strange in parts and folksy most everywhere else. A couple of the songs are sung in French. I adore this album. Kiko - Los Lobos : The moment when the eclectic stylings came together in new and original ways. It took years for this to happen. When it did, it was acknowledged by everyone who was paying attention. The Lobos have (so far) made ten albums since this one. Good though they are, none equal this 1992 masterpiece. Segovia Plays Bach - Andres Segovia : Segovia invented the ‘classical guitar’ all by himself. These old recordings feature complete performances of some of his very best JS Bach arrangements. The analogue distortion of the Spanish acoustic guitar actually sounds good. Some of these interpretations are breathtaking. One of these pieces is forever ingrained into my mind. Ry Cooder – I Flathead : 2008. I have all of Ry’s many albums. This is my favourite. My pal wrote a review of this on play.com. This is part of it- “Ry has adopted an alter ego to write & perform all the songs here. This is Buck Cash, a blue collar salt of the earth type with a passion for driving. Buck has recorded this album to pay the garage bill on his car. He wants you to listen to these songs with the volume turned up while driving.†When I Woke – Rusted Root. The opening track comprises of just drums, but it’s a great opening track all the same. The bands best known song, ‘Send Me On My Way’ is here too. This album somehow captures the energy usually only found on a live performance. I wish I knew how that can be done.

happy Yuletide to one and all.

Ahh... always a fine passtime.

What creative expression other than music, do you do? Mine is art / photography / BTW I'm convinced they are all related.

Shady Grove - Quicksilver Messenger Service

Mine sometimes get a little sore after a gig, but thats about 90 minutes minimum. Try not to let it bother you. Like Jim says, bear with it, it will become easier.

thanks for chiming in Harrison. I still have not bought my keys; and I should have done by now. I will get there in 2013.