Heres the piece http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1En-gChizE
Ok. So I've done wild shred and intricate classical but this song by Chet is just obscenely difficult to me :evil: :evil: :shock: :x !!!
Im using the tab from this website (theres a link too to the free tab reader also)
http://www.frettedinstrumentsnyc.com/
Now how exactly am I expected to play the mutted notes that are all over this piece? Iv just been ignoring them and still finding this unbelievably hard...Iv never attempted anything like it before so I guess im jumping into the middle of the ocean nevermind the deep-end. But still...Any tipsadvice would be very welcome! :cry:
Chet Atkins was a guitar god before Clapton. I love watching him play.
he was a brilliant player, bringing country western swing and jazz together
with that trademark thumbpick bass line.
to be sure he palm mutes. he might be muting with the left fretting hand too.
the combination of bare finger and pick he used also was used by Merle Travis.
Atkins used more fingers also like jeff beck does today.
I don't think Atkins is using the thumb pick to mute. pedal steelers do.
they call it pick blocking.
props for wanting to play like Chet.
great videos. I love that stuff.
the hay bales and cowboy/cowgirl outfits.
and great musicians.
Man, he sure was something. His album with Mark Knopfler is an absolute treasure. Two very smooth tones just feeding each other from beginning to end.
This video always amazes me. He appears to be touching the fret board like a butterfly would land on a feather. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smplqf0FYCk
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
i would approach that by playing the fretboard randomly for a very long time. you know what they say about a thousand monkeys and hamlet.
To me, seeing Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed play together is a dream.
yeah i kinda rememberedworked out that the muted notes were of course the base note pattern of:
D------x------- -x-------
A---------- x---------x--
E---x---- x---- x---x----
etc that would keep a rhythm in much of that kinda music...Its pretty hard it to keep it together along with the melody when you've never done it before.
Im trying to muddle through his arrangement of Mr Sandman to start with cos its a little more manageable when I break it down in to bits, then practice each bit on its own. Humeresque will hav to wait.
I saw some 12 year old girl on youtube playing a load of his stuff...Thats my motivation - If a damn kid can do it perfectly, then I sure as hell can with enough practice! lol
What do you guys think - Is this music just obscenely hard, or is it just cos Iv never done this kinda thing before? In other words - would someone like Chet have found an Yngwie Malmsteen shred song as dauntingly hard as I find Chets music? Is it really harder or just different?
it's just different. i'd work on keeping the bassline solid first, and then playing a very very simple melody while you keep it going. after a while, you'll become more comfortably playing in that style, to the point where the bassline is actually keeping your timing in sync.
This ain't by no means a "country Cat"...but I had some time to kill in Nashville...so I went to see Chet Atkins. Later, I didn't want to take my own guitar out of its case for like a week. Words fail what I saw him do!
Cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
Chet made everything look graceful and usually somewhat easier than it was/is ( oh no!). Such timing, phrasing and touch! Always worth a listen.
-=tension & release=-
