A Big Oops and "Hip" Chords

No wonder my rhythm is so bad.  Apparently I can't count.  Even though my last post was titled "Lesson Number Three," it was actually lesson number two.  It was post number three.  I'll try to keep better count of which is which from now on.  Oy.

It normally takes me a day or two to digest my lesson before I blog about it and this week is no exception.  I am late however, because of the Super Bowl.  Well . . . a Super Bowl party and the way I felt on Monday morning--d'oh!  I would not have been the optimum student on Monday and John was gracious enough to reschedule me for Wednesday.  Thanks, dude.

I got a little frustrated during practice last week, which is not the point of taking these lessons.  My fingers stretched out nicely but I started stressing about little things like not resting my fingers on the pick guard while strumming the two-string songs and trying to control my fingers better on Smoke on the Water.  When I voiced my concerns, John settled me down and didn't make a big deal of either issue. 

I also needed to work on my chord changes.  Now, keep in mind I learned these chords back in the Dark Ages (i.e. before Van Halen) and the popular music in Huntington, West Virginia during that time was what one would call "Country Rock" or "Southern Rock."  Some of the bands I'm talking about were Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, early Eagles, 38 Special, Charlie Daniels--you get the picture.  I learned to make basic chords with traditional fingering.  So when John said he would show me the "hip" way to make C, G and E minor, I was all for it!

A self-taught guitarist learns to make chord changes the fastest way they can, and I'm sure there are others who have done a better job of it than I ever did.  I was already making a G, in certain circumstances, using my 2, 3 and 4 fingers, so I guess John figured I could handle what he was getting ready to show me.  Starting with the G in that configuration, move finger 2 to the 5th string for C, and use finger 1 on the same string in the fret above for E minor.

What a revelation!  This has made all the difference, especially the change between C and G.  I mean, I finally got the fluidity I've needed between the intro and the verses of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here.  Wheeeeee . . . ! E minor has never been a big deal to me, but even that's easier in songs like Violent Femmes' Blister in the Sun and Green Day's Good Riddance.

For this week's neck work I have Black Sabbath's Iron Man riff, which I'm doing all right with, though I still have to work on that visual problem I had last week.  John also gave me chords for the Eagles' Hotel California, for which (so far) I'm finding traditional fingering might be the best.  We'll see about that.  My brother-in-law is supposed to be working on this song too, but I just may be able to pass him up if I work hard enough.

I'm psyched again--no more stress!  This is supposed to be fun and that's what it's gonna be. 

Last Friday the North Mississippi All Stars opened up for Robert Plant and his Band of Joy at the Performing Arts Center.  Man, the NMAS rock the blues and I'm not kiddin'!  For being just one guitar and a drummer onstage, their sound was amazing. 

I was prepared to hear the more folksy, country sound of Robert Plant and Band of Joy, so I wasn't as surprised as some people seemed to be.  Plant's signature voice hasn't lost a step. His  harmonies with Patty Griffin and the rest of the band were rich and full, and Buddy Miller's guitar work seemed effortless as he switched from rock to country, folk to bluegrass to gospel.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss more songs from Plant's solo career as well as Zeppelin, but this incarnation presented an opportunity I'm glad I didn't miss.