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[ Friday, December 09, 2005 ]
Whiskey Before Breakfast Tab
Winfield Winners, is a book full of transcriptions of recorded versions of tunes that helped some great flatpickers win the flatpicking contest at Winfield. These are contest arrangements, which I happen to like because of their complexity and surprises, but some folks find them tiresome. Some of the arrangements are better than others as well, with a few leaving you with a “guess you had to be there” feeling.
The bad news about the book is that the transcriptions are just terrible, as though a non-guitar player did them. In fact, as with Mark O’Connor’s Dixie Breakdown, it sometimes seems that the better the phrase, the worse the transcription, so you miss all the really cool stuff. I dunno, maybe it’s just me. The good news about the book is that it comes ... Read More
Winfield Winners, is a book full of transcriptions of recorded versions of tunes that helped some great flatpickers win the flatpicking contest at Winfield. These are contest arrangements, which I happen to like because of their complexity and surprises, but some folks find them tiresome. Some of the arrangements are better than others as well, with a few leaving you with a “guess you had to be there” feeling.
The bad news about the book is that the transcriptions are just terrible, as though a non-guitar player did them. In fact, as with Mark O’Connor’s Dixie Breakdown, it sometimes seems that the better the phrase, the worse the transcription, so you miss all the really cool stuff. I dunno, maybe it’s just me. The good news about the book is that it comes with a CD of these tunes, some of which might be hard to find otherwise. This alone is worth the price of the book. One tune that really struck me was Mike Whitehead’s (1994 Winfield winner) arrangement of the venerable Whiskey Before Breakfast. This Scottish-Irish tune is already good by dint of the title alone, and then also by the many, many versions that have been recorded over the years. Mike’s is played out of D position with a dropped low D string (my all-time favorite guitar tuning), and it is just a pleasure to play and to listen to, and it’s fairly straightforward, and it sounds good even if you can only play it slowly.
I was reminded by a post on Flatpick-L regarding WBB that I had (properly) transcribed the tune myself last year, but I never prettied it up for posting. Today, I added some rhythm chords and fixed up the intro and outro a bit (these should really be played slowly and freely - I skip them, myself). Anyway, here is the transcription the way Mike actually plays it on the CD.
I have included an exported MIDI of the tab below. It sounds better than when the tab is played directly in TablEdit, but again, it is still nowhere near the actual sounds of guitars. I have included a fictitious second rhythm guitar track just to put the melody in context.
Play MIDI of the tab
Download: WBB tab here (Note: If you have not downloaded this tab since 12/9/05, you do not have the latest version)
(in TablEdit Format, which you can download a free viewer for)
Enjoy!
Guitar & Banjo • Tablature • Comments and Trackbacks (2) • Permalink
[ Sunday, November 20, 2005 ]
Impulsive Tab (Grier/Smith)
The Flatpick Guitar Magazine DVD, Rice, Grier & Smith Live!, is yet another incredible offering from some of our very best flatpickers. I just can’t get enough of these things. The great David Grier, (son of banjo great, Lamar Grier), is playing here with master of taste, Kenny Smith, and with Wyatt Rice, brother of Tony and wonderful picker his own self.
I hadn’t watched this DVD for a few months, and someone on a forum mentioned it, so I hauled it out. I had forgotten how much I like a bluesy, modal, and just plain bitchin’ tune. Today, that would be the David Grier tune, Impulsive. And these guys just tear this thing up. Oh, man! So, I sat down and transcribed it today. It’s a little funky, so I doubt you’ll be trotting it out in a jam, but it just sounds and feels so good to play! And it’s not as hard as it sounds.
I have included an exported MIDI of the tab below. It sounds better than when the tab is played directly in TablEdit, but again, it is still nowhere near the actual sounds of guitars. I have included a fictitious second rhythm guitar track just to put the melody in context.
Play MIDI of the tab
Download: Impulsive - Grier/Smith tab here (Note: If you have not downloaded this tab since 11/19/05, you do not have the latest version)
(in TablEdit Format, which you can download a free viewer for)
Enjoy!
The Flatpick Guitar Magazine DVD, Rice, Grier & Smith Live!, is yet another incredible offering from some of our very best flatpickers. I just can’t get enough of these things. The great David Grier, (son of banjo great, Lamar Grier), is playing here with master of taste, Kenny Smith, and with Wyatt Rice, brother of Tony and wonderful picker his own self.
I hadn’t watched this DVD for a few months, and someone on a forum mentioned it, so I hauled it out. I had forgotten how much I like a bluesy, modal, and just plain bitchin’ tune. Today, that would be the David Grier tune, Impulsive. And these guys just tear this thing up. Oh, man! So, I sat down and transcribed it today. It’s a little funky, so I doubt you’ll be trotting it out in a jam, but it just sounds and feels so good to play! And it’s not as hard as it sounds.
I have included an exported MIDI of the tab below. It sounds better than when the tab is played directly in TablEdit, but again, it is still nowhere near the actual sounds of guitars. I have included a fictitious second rhythm guitar track just to put the melody in context.
Play MIDI of the tab
Download: Impulsive - Grier/Smith tab here (Note: If you have not downloaded this tab since 11/19/05, you do not have the latest version)
(in TablEdit Format, which you can download a free viewer for)
Enjoy!
Guitar & Banjo • Tablature • Comments and Trackbacks (0) • Permalink
[ Friday, November 11, 2005 ]
Forked Deer Tab (Hurst/Stafford)
The Flatpick Guitar Magazine Records CD, Hot and Spicy, is an incredible collection of tunes from our very best flatpickers. Some of it may even be a little over the top in the taste department, but what do I know? But, I do know that every time I listen to it, the tune, Forked Deer (pronounced Fork-Ed Deer) just stands out as the most tasteful music on the CD, to me. The other stuff will knock your socks off, but Forked Deer you just want to listen to, though it does go on some. As soon as you realize that it is Tim Stafford and Jim Hurst playing it, that’s all you need to know. The guys are just too good to be true.
Last January, I took to transcribing the four Stafford breaks because I wanted to learn them. He’s capoed to the second fret. Yesterday, I decided to finish the project off be transcribing the three Hurst breaks - he’s not capoed. The thing is, there’s a break for almost every key you can think of. Even if you just pick one break, you learn a lot about how the greats play the guitar. At least, I do.
I have included an exported MIDI of the tab below. It sounds better than when the tab is played directly in TablEdit, but again, it is still nowhere near the ... Read More
The Flatpick Guitar Magazine Records CD, Hot and Spicy, is an incredible collection of tunes from our very best flatpickers. Some of it may even be a little over the top in the taste department, but what do I know? But, I do know that every time I listen to it, the tune, Forked Deer (pronounced Fork-Ed Deer) just stands out as the most tasteful music on the CD, to me. The other stuff will knock your socks off, but Forked Deer you just want to listen to, though it does go on some. As soon as you realize that it is Tim Stafford and Jim Hurst playing it, that’s all you need to know. The guys are just too good to be true.
Last January, I took to transcribing the four Stafford breaks because I wanted to learn them. He’s capoed to the second fret. Yesterday, I decided to finish the project off be transcribing the three Hurst breaks - he’s not capoed. The thing is, there’s a break for almost every key you can think of. Even if you just pick one break, you learn a lot about how the greats play the guitar. At least, I do.
I have included an exported MIDI of the tab below. It sounds better than when the tab is played directly in TablEdit, but again, it is still nowhere near the actual sounds of guitars. I have included a fictitious third rhythm guitar track just to put the melody in context. It may be confusing what the chords actually are, since I write them referencing the soloing guitar, so Tim’s Capo 2 D chord is written as “C” since it is out of C position. Anyway, it ain’t that hard.
Play MIDI of the tab
Download: Forked Deer - Stafford/Hurst tab here (Note: If you have not downloaded this tab since 11/11/05, you do not have the latest version)
(in TablEdit Format, which you can download a free viewer for)
Enjoy!
[ Sunday, November 06, 2005 ]
Jerry’s Breakdown Revisited Tab
They don’t make a guitar genius any better than Jerry Reed. If you don’t believe me, just try to write anything as good as any of Jerry’s tunes. No, just try it 
. Anyway, in 1972 he wrote Jerry’s Breakdown, a great tune full of banjo like rolls, but played on guitar in the key of E. When I first heard that, that very year, I thought “that’s exactly the tune I would have written if I had had the talent.” In 2002, Jerry released the hard-to-obtain-now CD called Finger Dancing. On it he included a totally re-written Jerry’s Breakdown, even more bitchin’ than the first one! It’s really just some very cool variations, I suppose, but whatever it is, I love it. He recently released a new CD, shown to the left, that has pretty much the same version on it.
I had a little free time yesterday, so I finally bit the bullet and made the essentially superhuman effort to transcribe this monster in full.
I have included an exported MIDI of the tab below. It sounds better than when the tab is played directly in TablEdit, but again, it is still nowhere near the actual sounds of guitars. I have included a rhythm guitar track just to put the melody in context. This is a fingerstyle tune, but it is a single note line, so flatpickers could bust their knuckles crosspicking it if they ... Read More
They don’t make a guitar genius any better than Jerry Reed. If you don’t believe me, just try to write anything as good as any of Jerry’s tunes. No, just try it . Anyway, in 1972 he wrote Jerry’s Breakdown, a great tune full of banjo like rolls, but played on guitar in the key of E. When I first heard that, that very year, I thought “that’s exactly the tune I would have written if I had had the talent.” In 2002, Jerry released the hard-to-obtain-now CD called Finger Dancing. On it he included a totally re-written Jerry’s Breakdown, even more bitchin’ than the first one! It’s really just some very cool variations, I suppose, but whatever it is, I love it. He recently released a new CD, shown to the left, that has pretty much the same version on it.
I had a little free time yesterday, so I finally bit the bullet and made the essentially superhuman effort to transcribe this monster in full.
I have included an exported MIDI of the tab below. It sounds better than when the tab is played directly in TablEdit, but again, it is still nowhere near the actual sounds of guitars. I have included a rhythm guitar track just to put the melody in context. This is a fingerstyle tune, but it is a single note line, so flatpickers could bust their knuckles crosspicking it if they had a mind to.
Play MIDI of the tab
Download: Jerry’s Breakdown Revisited tab here (Note: If you have not downloaded this tab since 11/6/05, you do not have the latest version)
(in TablEdit Format, which you can download a free viewer for)
Enjoy!
Guitar & Banjo • Tablature • Comments and Trackbacks (0) • Permalink
[ Wednesday, July 27, 2005 ]
Stafford’s Stomp Tab
Discerning bluegrass guitar flatpickers will immediately recognize both Jim Hurst and Tim Stafford as national treasures. Their musicality makes up for an awful lot of mindless deedling coming from many others. Jim wrote the tune Stafford’s Stomp in honor of Tim, and he has Tim playing a break on it. The tune shows off both Jim’s Jerry Reed-esque hotness sensibility and also lends itself to Tim’s cool rolling style. To use Jim’s phrase, these two guys just “wear it out.”
I dig this tune so hard that I had to transcribe the whole thing and study what these two acoustic guitar greats were up to. The first three breaks I transcribed were Hurst - Stafford - Hurst from the version on Jim’s CD Second Son. The fourth through sixth breaks ... Read More
Discerning bluegrass guitar flatpickers will immediately recognize both Jim Hurst and Tim Stafford as national treasures. Their musicality makes up for an awful lot of mindless deedling coming from many others. Jim wrote the tune Stafford’s Stomp in honor of Tim, and he has Tim playing a break on it. The tune shows off both Jim’s Jerry Reed-esque hotness sensibility and also lends itself to Tim’s cool rolling style. To use Jim’s phrase, these two guys just “wear it out.”
I dig this tune so hard that I had to transcribe the whole thing and study what these two acoustic guitar greats were up to. The first three breaks I transcribed were Hurst - Stafford - Hurst from the version on Jim’s CD Second Son. The fourth through sixth breaks are Hurst - Stafford - Hurst from the DVD Hurst, Stafford, Sutton Live in Nashville. If you have any interest in this kind of music, I would buy both of those items right away, and I would have an ambulance standing by for when you watch the DVD, since adding Bryan Sutton to the whole show is almost inhuman.
I have included an exported MIDI of the tab below. It sounds better than when the tab is played directly in TablEdit, but still nowhere near how the actual tune sounds on guitar. Also, I have tabbed it at a slightly slower tempo than those two beasts actually play it.
Play MIDI of the tab
Download: Stafford’s Stomp tab here (Note: If you have not downloaded this tab since 8/1/05, you do not have the latest, greatest, updatedest version)
(in TablEdit Format, which you can download a free viewer for)
Enjoy!
Guitar & Banjo • Tablature • Comments and Trackbacks (4) • Permalink
[ Sunday, April 24, 2005 ]
Professors of Bluegrass
In May, 2004, I received an email about the possibility of getting an old band of ours, The Helium Brothers, back together to play a renuion gig. Miraculously, we were all able and interested - that gig took place, and a good time was had by all, but especially by the band.
By the time the four hour rehearsal and the three hour gig were over, I had actually worn a good deal of the twenty-five years of rust off of my playing, and some old abilities had begun to resurface.
Then in January, 2005, I got an email from the same person, who lives in Texas, that a local (to me) Yale bluegrass band, The Professors of Bluegrass, were looking for a banjo player to finish forming the third incarnation of this popular band. The trouble with Yale is that students actually graduate and move on, and the junior faculty, well, let’s just say they generally move on as well. So, it’s tough to keep a band together for very long.
Anyway, it turns out that the Professors of Bluegrass accepted me into the fold, and I am having a great time playing a little real bluegrass for a change.
The band has a new website, for anyone interested in checking it out:
The Professors of Bluegrass
In May, 2004, I received an email about the possibility of getting an old band of ours, The Helium Brothers, back together to play a renuion gig. Miraculously, we were all able and interested - that gig took place, and a good time was had by all, but especially by the band.
By the time the four hour rehearsal and the three hour gig were over, I had actually worn a good deal of the twenty-five years of rust off of my playing, and some old abilities had begun to resurface.
Then in January, 2005, I got an email from the same person, who lives in Texas, that a local (to me) Yale bluegrass band, The Professors of Bluegrass, were looking for a banjo player to finish forming the third incarnation of this popular band. The trouble with Yale is that students actually graduate and move on, and the junior faculty, well, let’s just say they generally move on as well. So, it’s tough to keep a band together for very long.
Anyway, it turns out that the Professors of Bluegrass accepted me into the fold, and I am having a great time playing a little real bluegrass for a change.
The band has a new website, for anyone interested in checking it out:
The Professors of Bluegrass
[ Sunday, April 10, 2005 ]
The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise Banjo Tab
The other day, a fellow musician asked me if I could tab out some old banjo music by the great Walter Hensley. There are some really nice tunes Hensley has put together. Here is the tab for The World is Waiting for The Sunrise. I tabbed out the first break, then a break with two banjos in harmony, and then the last break. It makes for a nice little banjo tune!
Download: The World is Waiting for The Sunrise tab here
(in TablEdit Format, which you can download a free viewer for)
Play MIDI
Enjoy!
The other day, a fellow musician asked me if I could tab out some old banjo music by the great Walter Hensley. There are some really nice tunes Hensley has put together. Here is the tab for The World is Waiting for The Sunrise. I tabbed out the first break, then a break with two banjos in harmony, and then the last break. It makes for a nice little banjo tune!
Download: The World is Waiting for The Sunrise tab here
(in TablEdit Format, which you can download a free viewer for)
Play MIDI
Enjoy!
Guitar & Banjo • Tablature • Comments and Trackbacks (1) • Permalink
[ Sunday, December 12, 2004 ]
Stumpwater Guitar Tab
Back in 1970, Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins won a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance for their album, “Me and Jerry.” This was a great album, especially for guitar cognoscenti, who recognize Atkins’s remarkable talent, musical mind, and marketing sense, and Reed’s unparalleled guitar genius. On that album was a guitar tune by Reed called Stumpwater. What a great name, just to start with, I mean, really! And then it is just so cool, I still can hardly stand it, especially when they play it.
So, yesterday, someone emailed me that they liked my arrangement of Stumpwater that I recorded on solo steel string guitar many many years ago in my living room. He wanted the tab for it. Well, I learned this one the year the album came out, back when I could learn music without writing it down. And back when I was 16, so maybe I didn’t get it exactly right. A few years ago, a guy showed me an arrangement that he said is how Craig Dobbins transcribed the tune, and I believe it is much closer to the actual Reed version. But people seem to like my version too.
Mine approaches the tune the way a banjo player would (seeing as how I was mostly a banjo player back then). The notes are similar, but the fingerings are different ... Read More
Back in 1970, Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins won a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance for their album, “Me and Jerry.” This was a great album, especially for guitar cognoscenti, who recognize Atkins’s remarkable talent, musical mind, and marketing sense, and Reed’s unparalleled guitar genius. On that album was a guitar tune by Reed called Stumpwater. What a great name, just to start with, I mean, really! And then it is just so cool, I still can hardly stand it, especially when they play it.
So, yesterday, someone emailed me that they liked my arrangement of Stumpwater that I recorded on solo steel string guitar many many years ago in my living room. He wanted the tab for it. Well, I learned this one the year the album came out, back when I could learn music without writing it down. And back when I was 16, so maybe I didn’t get it exactly right. A few years ago, a guy showed me an arrangement that he said is how Craig Dobbins transcribed the tune, and I believe it is much closer to the actual Reed version. But people seem to like my version too.
Mine approaches the tune the way a banjo player would (seeing as how I was mostly a banjo player back then). The notes are similar, but the fingerings are different, as are the right hand roll techniques. So, today, I sat down to tab it out. First I did the Dobbins version (one A part, one B part in the tab), and then mine (the second A and B parts and ending). Of course, on mine, I added a second guitar part with some chords I’d figured out to the thing also long ago (may be wrong too), so naturally, it sounds more kick-ass 
, if you play the MIDI (even though TablEdit MIDI’s don’t sound all that great under any circumstances). Anyway, I thought I would post this tab, as people have been requesting it for many years.
I have included a link below to the original mp3 of me playing this tune. The fidelity is bad, and it is solo, so you can’t really get a feel - like in the first part of the MIDI - but I can see that this will be right up there on the list of tunes to re-do, multitrack digital, at home sometime soon. Can’t wait. Jerry Plays it on gut string guitar of course (okay, nylon). But maybe you can get some idea from all this stuff how Jerry Reed evokes a totally cool swamp vibe with this tune, at least that’s what I get. If you dig this at all, you can get a double CD of Chet and Jerry’s stuff, including this one, and if you like guitar, you won’t reret it.
Download: Stumpwater tab here
(in TablEdit Format, which you can download a free viewer for)
Play MIDI of the tab
Enjoy!
Guitar & Banjo • Tablature • Comments and Trackbacks (2) • Permalink
