Playalong this week - 042620 - Raindrops

This selection just seemed to fit the season, the times - everything!

Arrangement is picked out melody on guitar with strumming on uke.

So 3 tracks: 1. pick + strum, 2. pick only, 3 strum only.

I sketched out my own lyric sheet with uke chords - jpg linked in  HERE. Hope you can read them. These aren't full chords. They're just the basics to allow for changes in time with the tune.

I sound a bit spastic but i'll leave the wonkiness in. Shows some spasticity can still sound ok.

Remember to turn your volume down. I do mix these low, but the end result sounds really loud to me.

"Did me some talking to the sun, said that I didnt like the way he got things done, sleeping on the job..."

Track Links

1. Pick + Strum

2. Melody only

3. Strum only.

Simple Gifts

This finger-style variation is from the RCM Gr2 curric for classical guitar.

A pretty version with drop D tuning. Satisfying to play, but can break your heart with its deceptive simplicity. To extend the piece, it works to just go back to the top and run thru again. Or you can asterisk the chorus, and just go back there. It seems to work to start slow top to bottom, then do a more lilting rhythm for the chorus repeat.

I wanted to post this in time for Easter, because of course this is also known as 'Lord of the Dance.'

The recording is a bit fuzzy, but hey, i'm lucky to get a minute in the studio without dog waterbowl slurping noises in the background.

I noodled around with a strumming line. It works to do D, D, G, A, D, D, G, A, D-A-D for both the verse and chorus.

Since you're in drop D, you need a different fingering for G chord. Since you will have dropped your lowest note E string a couple of semi-tones to G, that means low G note will be at the 5th fret. That can be a bit rough to form. For these tracks, i went with bass note E at 2nd fret, 6th string. So for G chord (without changing the drop D tuning), do index and  tall boy fingers on 2nd fret on strings 6 &5 with pinky finger on 3rd fret, string 1. Or standard G formation avoiding playing the lowest string 6.

So there are 4 tracks in total: 1. picked only, 2. strummed only and 3. pick with strum so you can see how the tracks sound together. Picked and strummed are synched, 4. is an extended pick + strum version with strum added in as a 2nd variation type of thing. The miracle of Garage Band, I tell ya!

Happy Easter friends! Keep the faith. We will get thru this - and maybe even become slightly better guitar players by the end :)


LINK

Guitar, fingerpicked only

Guitar, pick + strum

Guitar strum only 

Guitar pick + strum extended

Play-along this week (Apr. 3,2020, covid era): Home on the Range

From old Mel Bay uke book

I heard this recently a scene in Coen Bros 'Raising Arizona' this week. Cowboy classic. Public domain folk song. Pop culture relevant. Nice tune for new learners as has a couple of 7th chords that spice up the tune a bit.

So I've done these tracks: 1. uke strum, 2. guitar pick simple, 3. guitar pick with harmony at end, 4. mandolin pick 5. guitar strum only (which is timed to the guitar pick track), 6. guitar pick & strum together.

Simple guitar pick most closely matches the strum line. (Note to self - worked well to record melody 1st, copy to ipod, listen to this thru headphones, strum and record on another phone to the same rhythm.)

Guitar end harmony has a ritardando/slowing down element at end. This is a good exercise in  going off rhythm to follow your band leader or soloist.

Mando pick also slows down a bit at the end. It might sound quasi bluegrass with a guitar strum line (vs uke).

At risk of crv, HERE'S a shot of the sheet music from my ancient uke book  that's the base of this play-along. So i used this for guitar and uke chords, and all instrument picking lines. It shows that it totally works to use the basics from one weird instrument (here uke) as a reference point for parts of other instruments  to adapt or join in and jam.

*Edit - My apologies - the guitar pick track has a weird rhythm. I think what happened is i edited out some notes i felt ran too long, but they should have stayed long to match strumming.

Oh well, a good exercise in playing along with a picking learner. I found what helped was at the G7s, just do one long strum rather than the 3 strums per measure shown on the sheet (linked in above). Then you have to listen for where the melody comes back in. When you hear it, skip that downbeat, and play 2 more strums to get yourself back in rhythm and keep the overall rhythm of the piece in sync.

This strategy might help you sync-ing strumming to the mandolin and guitar harmony tracks if you want to try them with your strumming :D

Finally, if there's a tune you'd like me to try to work up for a playalong -  either for kids stuck at home, or adults looking for something to do, feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line. Cheers!


LINKS TO TRACKS (turn vol down - they run loud in the Google Player app)


Guitar strum and pick together (to hear what it should sound like)

Strum line - uke

Melody - guitar pick simple

Melody - guitar pick harmony end
(track is mislabelled 'strum'. )

Melody - mandolin pick

Strum line - guitar
(This track specifically matches timing of the simple guitar pick track)