On Practicing Guitar

Heading to Memphis, Mississippi & Nashville

Tomorrow we will leave town and head to Memphis, TN for a much needed vacation. From there we're going to Clarksdale, MS (pictured above - the Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale) and we'll also hit Nashville before returning to Memphis and then heading home. It's long been a dream of mine to visit these music meccas, so I'm really excited. Stay tuned...

 

Key Strumming Pattern in Dead Flowers

In classical music there are pieces called Etudes, which embody a specific technique within a musical framework. I like to use that approach in teaching techniques that are used in rock, folk and other styles. The song Dead Flowers, by the Rolling Stones, is a perfect vehicle to learn one of the most important strumming patterns. I used to call it the ‘back beat rhythm,’ because of the two upstrokes that come right in the middle of the pattern, but a more appropriate (but less catchy and fun) name might be, ‘basic syncopated strum.’

  

 The pattern consists of five strums – two downstrokes, two upstrokes and one more downstroke or Down-Down-Up-Up-Down. This can also be sung as Long-Short-Long-Short-Long. You can see it written out on the first line of the chart below and in Example 1. 

Example 1

One thing that you will notice is that there is no strum on beat three. This is where the syncopation comes in, as the note that is begun on beat 2 & ½ is held over through the first half of beat three. No need to get all technical though, take a look at the video. You may also notice that the downstrokes focus more on the bass notes while the upstrokes hit more of the upper strings.

I like to point out that the right hand is always moving, what I call the ‘Constant Motion Principle.’ For instance, in between the two upstrokes, there is a downward motion to get back into position to play the second upstroke. None of the strings are struck. Sometimes, it’s about what you don’t play instead of what you play. Here there is space or, a continuation of the previous chord. The hand moves down, up on each beat of the 4/4 time – eight movements in all. But only five chords are struck.

Why is this strum used? It fits in with the melody of the song. Many of the notes that Jagger sings fall neatly into the rhythm pattern of the strum. This strum is often used for brisk tempos where quarter and eighth notes dominate and there is little room for sixteenth note activity.

The chart below represents two full verse/pre-chorus/chorus repetitions. Note the repeat signs at the beginning and at the end of the second line. Then, the entire page is repeated with the second ending at the bottom of the page. I heard the Stones use this ending on a great bootleg called “Leed Stones,” from one of their gigs at Leeds University in England. It’s very simple, utilizing a Dsus2 chord to add a melodic element to the last three chords. Another detail is the D7 chord before the chorus. I added that in to give it a little extra push into the chorus. It also makes it a tiny bit harder and illustrates a basic function of seventh chords. Check out the audio to hear how the whole piece works together (link is at the bottom of the page). 

Download DEADFLO

 

Anodyne Blues Band Live at the Wild Horse Tavern

We finally made our debut at the Wild Horse Tavern this past Sunday, July 19^th on the Upper East Side and it was worth the wait. An earlier show had been cancelled but this one more than made up for it. The Wild Horse is a sleek bar/restaurant that seems to be new or at least has been extensively renovated. There is a small stage in the back and it’s obvious that the owners love music, especially classic rock, because of the enlarged and perfectly lit photos of the Stones, Janis, Bob Dylan and George Harrison, et al.

An expert sound man was engaged for the night, and he provided a mix that worked well for both the performers and the audience. Amps were angled in towards the stage to act more as monitors and to keep the sound level down in the room. The result was a highly rocking stage sound that I imagine was comfortable in the relatively small room and not too difficult for the neighbors. I know that the band was totally jazzed by it and the audience's response seemed to confirm that.

We performed as a trio with myself on guitar and vocals, Dave Gerstein on bass and Chris Trotta on drums. Here is the set list:

She’s Telling Me Off – original

Drunk Dialer – original

Lonely Girl – original

Crossroads – Robert Johnson via Clapton/Cream

Sad to Be Lonesome – Sonny Boy Williamson

Malted Milk – Robert Johnson arranged by Chris Botta

Just Ain’t Right – original

Hey Joe – Jimi Hendrix

There was an appreciative crowd and a couple of groups and solo artists played before and after us, mainly acoustic driven sounds. This is a really hip spot and we’ll be returning on Sunday August 9 at 8:45. Thanks to Sid Moskowitz for bringing us in here and for providing the terrific Roland Blues Cube amp – made me realize how much I miss my echo effects! Also thanks to Melissa Hazim and Michael “Max” Schrader for providing the photos and cozy spirit.

Chris Squire – A Remembrance

Chris Squire passed away on June 27^th, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 67, as reported in theguardian and other publications. Squire was among a small group of dominant bass players that came out of the ‘60s rock music scene. The four top bassists – to my ears and in no particular order – are Jack Casady of the Jefferson Airplane, John Entwistle of the Who, Squire, and Jack Bruce of Cream. With Squire’s passing, only Casady remains.

From the first notes of “Beyond and Before,” a repeated and resounding D4 played way up at the 19^th fret of Chris Squire’s bass, from Yes’s eponymous first album, the rock world of 1969 should have known – a star was born. It took Yes several more LPs to gain traction on the charts and in the concert halls, but the counterpoint was there from the beginning, with Squire and Jon Anderson respectively holding down the lower and the upper voices of what would become an epic progressive rock sound. A perfect example of this highly original approach can be found on the verses of “No Opportunity Necessary, No Experienced Needed,” the first track on Time and a Word, their ambitious sophomore effort.

When I saw Yes live at Madison Square Garden in 1977, the two band members that stood out most for me were Squire and Rick Wakeman. Yes was a band that featured only top flight players. Yet it’s a difficult fact of music performance that sometimes even superstars such as the extraordinary guitarist Steve Howe can be overshadowed. Squire was attired in the jagged, graphic suit that you see above, and his rocking stage presence seeming to resonate into infinity.

Wakeman, on the other hand, melted into his keyboards while attired in a sparkling cape with his long blond hair hanging over his face, absolutely killing the Hammond solo on Close To The Edge. Donovan opened the show but was sadly heckled. I remember a fan of his, who makes me smile to this day because he sported a T-Shirt that said on the back, “Nostalgia Now.” Although the crowd may not have made the connection back to Donovan’s heyday, it was a vertiginous, psychedelic concert. The last thing I remember was the entire building shaking as Yes played “Starship Trooper.”

I’ve been thinking about Chris Squire a lot recently, although I have never stopped listening to Yes, especially the first five or six albums, with a more recent emphasis on the first two. But I was shocked to hear that he had passed away. For those who would like to glimpse another side of him, I suggest that you listen to an interview he gave regarding the first time that he saw Jimi Hendrix perform in London, when Squire’s band, The Syn opened up for The Experience. He was a good storyteller with a sense of humor, in addition to being a great musician.