New blues jam - Am this time

That's funny because I'd never call Knopfler an influence if somebody asked me. He has that thing where he will play quiet and calmly and build it up until you are blown over. I definitely incorporate that into my playing - still working toward the "blown over" part though :-). Telegraph Road is a perfect example of that. Huh!

He also does the country picking hammer on/pull off thing that has been sneaking into my playing. That just came to me one day as a way to add some speed.

I'd love to listen to anything you can record. Everybody here I'm sure would be interested! You've been practicing, so I'm sure you've improved.

Originally Posted by: maggiorThat's funny because I'd never call Knopfler an influence if somebody asked me. He has that thing where he will play quiet and calmly and build it up until you are blown over. I definitely incorporate that into my playing - still working toward the "blown over" part though :-). Telegraph Road is a perfect example of that. Huh!

He also does the country picking hammer on/pull off thing that has been sneaking into my playing. That just came to me one day as a way to add some speed.

I'd love to listen to anything you can record. Everybody here I'm sure would be interested! You've been practicing, so I'm sure you've improved.

Thanks. I'll try and work out the tempo for two of my riffs that I think would go well together. It shouldn't be that hard to figure out the tempo, so I'll try and do it whenever I have the time and opportunity to sit with my guitar and computer. I've got plenty of riffs and ideas, so if I can just figure out the right tempos, I'll have enough material to jam away for hours. Obviously, some of them sound cooler than others, so those will probably be recorded first (heck, I might even just record them without caring about tempo for now, just to get them down for future reference)...

Funny thing is, since my last recording, I've focused a lot more on improving my bends, and for some reason, they're more accurate when I don't look at the guitar than when I do look. When I look at the guitar, I automatically pay attention to where the string is bent to, but when I don't look, I have to hit the right note spot on, which somehow becomes easier... Weird...

You know, this is not much different than my little conversation with that Blues Guitarist/Singer I talked to last Saturday. His band was actually pretty awesome, although they lean more on Blues and Country than most bands I listen to... Well, always nice with some variation :)

It doesn't surprise me that your bends are better when you don't look at the fretboard. When you aren't looking, you are focusing with your ears, which is exactly what you should be doing :-).

Sometimes I have trouble hitting the wrong string with riffs that change strings a lot. The middle part of Day Tripper and the solo are a good example. I found that not looking down at the guitar gets me to about 99% accuracy. If I start messing up, I look up. Very counter intuitive, but it works...and I just go with it.

When my bends get pitchy, taking it another step and closing my eyes helps too, or I stare at the floor, or lean my head toward my amp so I can really focus on the sound of the bend.

See all of this great stuff we are learning!!

Thats awsome rich!
Your kick in your blues playing.
Man it don't get better then that. I really digged everything you put up on the lisenting post!
Man im stocked to hear it with your band behind you.
Your gonna rock it bro. Best to ya!

Originally Posted by: haghj500Maggior
"Hopefully it wasn't a fleeting moment of inspiration. ""

We both know better than that. Inspirations come from inside right? Just let it out again. Take the risk.

Have you ever checked out Jose Feliciano?

Watch the first one all the way through, my dad called me in the house when I was young and Jose was playing on some TV verity show. I can still remember how astonished I was that a blind person could totally own the whole guitar neck the way he does. The links are not what I think of as his best stuff, rather a glimpse of his range.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKgM6OMRqZ0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnT-QGIMrZE

Jose has been around for, I don't 40+ years. Hope you enjoy.

I've heard of him, but never heard his music. He pulls off "The Thrill is Gone" off as well a BB himself. Wow.

This is awesome stuff!!! First time I've heard blues done in Spanish. Love those double stops he does!!

Never heard Bing Crosby sing blues either!!

Thanks for these links.

Originally Posted by: axe2Thats awsome rich!
Your kick in your blues playing.
Man it don't get better then that. I really digged everything you put up on the lisenting post!
Man im stocked to hear it with your band behind you.
Your gonna rock it bro. Best to ya!

Thanks Axe! I'm really looking forward to it, I really am!

I was about 8 or 9 when I saw him on TV that night, it was watching Jose that got me trying to play with my eyes closed. That is true for any instrument I've tried to play since. When your mind can trust your body(hands) to do what they need to with out ever having to question if they will. They are one, allowing other things to flow because doubt has been removed.

My wife can tell if my eyes are closed when I am in the room practicing. But then we've been married for just over 34 years now. She has logged a lot of hours listening to me.

She got to hear us play a school dance not long before the band broke up.