So last night, after a couple games of Scrabble with the family and what not, it turned midnight and I found myself in my chair with the Tele right beside me. It was about midnight, so I knew it was going to be a short session. I jumped right into some songs.
People say that the tone is in the fingers. I fully understand that concept and can practice it. It's one of the key lessons I've learned here. Anyhow and more on that in a second.....
I've got the Squire Tele tuned up and ready to roll. First stop on Roy's whirlwind of songs before bed was "Lola" by the Kinks. We'd heard that on XM while playing scrabble an hour earlier, so I decided to hit it. I then went on to fame an fortune with "Angie", "Down By The River", "Heart Of Gold", "Knocking On Heaven's Door", "Hey Joe" (EZ Version) and a couple of other ones I cannot remember. This was one of those good nights. I was really grooving. The chord shifts were all perfect and timed right, the right hand was was in a league of it's own strumming or hitting partial chords with whatever emphasis I desired. Accent strikes were dead perfect in timing and in voicing. My hands were gold. It was one of those nights.
Then I ask my wife what to play next. She said something to make her sleepy. That was an about-face to what I was doing. I played "Sing Me Back Home", which is, for those that don't know, a slow country song that can be done even slower for more dramtic effect. This is how I do it.
Well, I had the hardest time getting slow and soulful, and when I got there, I had the hardest time staying there. It was the worst effort of that song I have ever done. I did it a second time with only little improvement. I could have done a normal slow song alright, like Wild Horses or Angie, but this one and how I play it is another notch slower.
Well, that's it. No questions really. Just sharing my late night guitar adventures.
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
my signature on my soundclick site is 'if you can't play fast, play slow'. it was Miles Davis who said that.
playing slow takes practice. the mistakes and lack of feeling stand out like crazy. I think to really succeed one has to immerse themselves deeply into the song. the outside world should disappear.
a slow note ain't a one-night-stand. it's a commitment.
-=tension & release=-
I did forget to mention that I can normally do this song with desired feel. Last night I couldn't.
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 think it's more difficult to play slow & with feeling than it is to play fast.
Dan
"The only way I know that guarantees no mistakes is not to play and that's simply not an option". David Hodge
Maybe it was just your mood at the time? Sounds like you were all about rocking out that night, but when it came to something real slow it just didn't happen to fit the mood you were in so you just couldn't get into it. It can be difficult to just switch your mood on the fly like that. But that's what performers have to do I guess. Seems it's kind of like acting in a way. You have to kind of get into a song the way an actor gets into his or her character.
Regards,
Mike
"Growing Older But Not UP!"
