I play guitar. It's still my best, and favorite, instrument.
So much of this post will make sense only to guitar players.
I learned to play entirely by ear. In ninth grade, I'd put my guitar on the floor next to my chair as I did my homework and put KFYR - the closest we had to a rock and roll station in the middle of North Dakota. If a song came on that I wanted to learn, I'd grab the guitar, figure out what key the song was in and the chord progression, and start playing along. I learned hundreds of songs that way.
But over the years, there've been a few songs that consistently eluded me - songs, or parts of songs, that I had to work for years to conquer, practicing madly or merely waiting for a blazing flash of epiphany. Bit by bit, I usually solve any problem that isn't a matter of pure speed (I've never been a "fast" guitar player, so shut up about your Yngwie Malmsteen parts). Frequently, the hard part isn't the overall chords or key or structure of the song; it's the little subtle things; the voicing of that accursed "D" chord in Richard Thompson's Shoot Out The Lights (he reaches his thumb around to hold a low F# under a first-position D) was one that nagged me for a while, for example.
Another was the the dobro part in Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits. It flummoxed me for years. I thought I'd cracked the code when I started playing acoustic guitar in open tunings; I thought I'd cracked the code by playing the signature line in open "G".
Happy happy happy.
Until I saw this vid of Dire Straits performing (an unnecessarily slow, dirge-like version of) the song live during their commercial heyday.
It's like hearing Walter Peyton was on steroids, or that Kirby Puckett threw games, or that Marisa Tomei is a guy.
No, I know - a capo is a perfectly fine technique. I never got used to using 'em.
Blah.
I'll recover.
Posted by Mitch at
October 12, 2006 06:07 AM
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Comments
Get over it, Mary. If you've got a better way to take advantage of open voicings in keys that don't have a lot of open strings available, we're all ears.
Personally, alternate tunings (other than conanical ones especially open ones) make less sense to me than using a capo.
Posted by: Brian Jones at October 12, 2006 07:51 AM
I never liked capos because on my guitars, they always crimped the tone. I'm sure on a better guitar it's less a problem.
I have a hard time playing an acoustic guitar in regular tuning anymore. Acoustic guitars just sound bigger, fuller, cooler in open tunings - I usually do open E, open G and Drop D. I just love 'em. Not on electric, though, for some reason...
I hear ya - there's something about physically using a capo that seems to inhibit the freedom of just picking up the axe and letting it rip.
Alternate tunings are like that in my mind, too. But I cheat. If I'm going to play slide, rather than go whole-hog and tune to G, I just drop the high E string down to D. That way, I can still understand where the chords are on the bottom 5 strings, and I don't have to be so careful with the high E for slide. I don't like thinking about stuff whilst playing. Too much like work, ya know.
I'm somewhat OCD so if I started getting into alternate tunings, I'd have to buy a new guitar for each tuning mastered. My marriage would end, my kids would starve, and I'd never get laid again. FIE, I say, on alternate tunings.
Posted by: Brian Jones at October 12, 2006 09:21 AM
Albert Collins, "The Master of the Telecaster," "The Iceman," and "The Razor Blade," used a capo. How dare you denigrate the Iceman!!
In another shocker, today Mitch learned that they have these things called tuners that allow you to bring your instrument to concert pitch!
Think of the time this will save you.
PS
You were flummoxed by the D with an F# in the bass, commonly known as the AC/DC chord?
What does that sound like on the bagpipes?
Posted by: jb doubtless at October 12, 2006 02:27 PM
"In another shocker, today Mitch learned that they have these things called tuners that allow you to bring your instrument to concert pitch!"
And in still ANOTHER shocker, JB misses the point entirely!
Tuning a guitar is no big thing, with a tuner or without. It will no doubt amuse you to know that I also used to tune pianos. It's been a while though.
No, I was talking about open tunings (DGDGBD, EBEAbBE, DGDGBE and DADGBE), and my difficulty not in *playing* D+F#, but hearing it in the voicing on the record (by Richard Thompson, who *is* by the way the world's greatest living guitar player).
Posted by: Brian Jones at October 13, 2006 08:03 AM
Capo or not, Knopfler's still an amazing player.
How is that new album with Emmy Lou?
Posted by: Badda-Blogger at October 13, 2006 02:08 PM
I'm'a keep a capo count at the Richard Thompson show. Hey, what if he uses one on '52 Vincent Black Lightning? That Shot in the Dark you hear is Mitch's head exploding, if it's dark.
Posted by: Brian Jones at October 13, 2006 02:12 PM
Hee hee.
I've seen Thompson three times. I never saw him use a capo once (although he changes tunings nearly every song), including twice when he played "Vincent".
Get over it, Mary. If you've got a better way to take advantage of open voicings in keys that don't have a lot of open strings available, we're all ears.
Personally, alternate tunings (other than conanical ones especially open ones) make less sense to me than using a capo.
Posted by: Brian Jones at October 12, 2006 07:51 AMI never liked capos because on my guitars, they always crimped the tone. I'm sure on a better guitar it's less a problem.
I have a hard time playing an acoustic guitar in regular tuning anymore. Acoustic guitars just sound bigger, fuller, cooler in open tunings - I usually do open E, open G and Drop D. I just love 'em. Not on electric, though, for some reason...
Posted by: mitch at October 12, 2006 08:20 AMI hear ya - there's something about physically using a capo that seems to inhibit the freedom of just picking up the axe and letting it rip.
Posted by: PaulC at October 12, 2006 09:00 AMAlternate tunings are like that in my mind, too. But I cheat. If I'm going to play slide, rather than go whole-hog and tune to G, I just drop the high E string down to D. That way, I can still understand where the chords are on the bottom 5 strings, and I don't have to be so careful with the high E for slide. I don't like thinking about stuff whilst playing. Too much like work, ya know.
I'm somewhat OCD so if I started getting into alternate tunings, I'd have to buy a new guitar for each tuning mastered. My marriage would end, my kids would starve, and I'd never get laid again. FIE, I say, on alternate tunings.
Posted by: Brian Jones at October 12, 2006 09:21 AMAlbert Collins, "The Master of the Telecaster," "The Iceman," and "The Razor Blade," used a capo. How dare you denigrate the Iceman!!
Go to your room right this moment.
Posted by: Eracus at October 12, 2006 09:46 AMDidn't denigrate Collins!
Just the capo. For me.
Your mileage may vary.
Posted by: mitch at October 12, 2006 09:47 AMIt is funny to compare pictures of Mark Knopfler then with now - on his album with Emmy Lou. But, I guess we have all aged.
And I'm not certain that the studio version uses a capo on the dobro part. Doesn't sound right. But, what do I know?
Posted by: Patrick at October 12, 2006 10:11 AMIn another shocker, today Mitch learned that they have these things called tuners that allow you to bring your instrument to concert pitch!
Think of the time this will save you.
PS
You were flummoxed by the D with an F# in the bass, commonly known as the AC/DC chord?
What does that sound like on the bagpipes?
Posted by: jb doubtless at October 12, 2006 02:27 PM"In another shocker, today Mitch learned that they have these things called tuners that allow you to bring your instrument to concert pitch!"
And in still ANOTHER shocker, JB misses the point entirely!
Tuning a guitar is no big thing, with a tuner or without. It will no doubt amuse you to know that I also used to tune pianos. It's been a while though.
No, I was talking about open tunings (DGDGBD, EBEAbBE, DGDGBE and DADGBE), and my difficulty not in *playing* D+F#, but hearing it in the voicing on the record (by Richard Thompson, who *is* by the way the world's greatest living guitar player).
But thanks for playing.
Posted by: mitch at October 12, 2006 06:16 PM/e is seeing Richard Thompson in concert 10/23. My second time.
http://tickets.meltingpointathens.com/
Oh, yah.
Posted by: Brian Jones at October 13, 2006 08:03 AMCapo or not, Knopfler's still an amazing player.
How is that new album with Emmy Lou?
Posted by: Badda-Blogger at October 13, 2006 02:08 PMI'm'a keep a capo count at the Richard Thompson show. Hey, what if he uses one on '52 Vincent Black Lightning? That Shot in the Dark you hear is Mitch's head exploding, if it's dark.
Posted by: Brian Jones at October 13, 2006 02:12 PMHee hee.
I've seen Thompson three times. I never saw him use a capo once (although he changes tunings nearly every song), including twice when he played "Vincent".
But on the other hand...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sxSCJpnojuM
One just can not win.
Posted by: mitch at October 14, 2006 06:14 AM