GLEN CAMPBELL CHATS AND PICKS WITH STEVE LUKATHER. (BONUS CLIP WITH JERRY REED)

Without belaboring the point, I'll admit upfront that Steve Lukather is not one of my favorite guitarists. Regardless, in his role here asking Glen Campbell questions about guitar and sessions in the old days, he acquits himself adequately. He's obviously a serious player.

I haven't watched this in depth yet, but it's essential viewing for me because of Glen's comments about his work on Beach Boys sessions. It's only really a minute or less of valuable material on that topic, but I'm always fascinated to learn even a tidbit about who played which guitar part on those records.

A few other highlights from me skimming it--

1. Glen Campbell couldn't remember the name of the instrumental "Raunchy," although he could play the sax part from it. Steve Lukather had evidently not heard it before.

2. Lukather asked about the rumor that Glen had played the McGuinn 12-string intro on "Mr. Tambourine Man." I had never heard this rumor. The other parts were played by session guys, I believe. Campbell played great 12-string elsewhere, but according to him the Roger McGuinn part was played by McGuinn.

3. Early in the clip, Glen plays some burning solos on a country progression. It's a little sloppy, maybe, but it's a quick little lesson on how Glen can tear it up in one position. Then he has some flashy position shifting licks. (It's good to be able to work in both of those ways. Basically, you play hot in one position, then play hot while you're shifting to another, then play hot in the next position. It really is that simple!)

4. Glen plays some of the chord voicings from "Lovin' Feeling."

Here's a bonus, a TV clip with Jerry Reed and Glen playing "Guitar Man." Now, that is hot.

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DUANE EDDY, "CRAZY ARMS"

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DUANE EDDY, "CRAZY ARMS"

John Lennon once said that if you wanted to give rock and roll another name, you could just call it "Chuck Berry." I'll make a similarly uncontroversial statement-- Duane Eddy is synonymous with "twang," as well as "melody."

I picked this clip because it has good coverage of Duane's picking hand, but virtually any Eddy cut will illustrate his basic philosophy of how to make a guitar instrumental "memorable" (his word). Play the melody!

I'll confess to rarely following Duane's sage advice. I've been spending the last few years feverishly trying to get my chops up (a phrase I first heard from Tom Heyman years ago), but of late I've started wondering if maybe I should be focusing more on melody playing. Maybe it's the tiny sideman voice in my head, saying things like, "Maybe you should play the melody more." I have found this statement cryptic in the past, but hearing Duane play, I feel that the mists are dissipating in front of my eyes.

Get ready for the upcoming box set, "The Birth of a Guitar Legend - The Jamie Singles Sessions 1957-1962". Along with his early singles, the set includes alternate takes, unissued material and session chat. Here's a link to an online debate about echo, reverb, stereo, mono, etc.
I'm torn, because I care about sound when I hear it, but sometimes these kinds of debates strike me as pedantic. You be the judge. Regardless of my feelings about this, I thank online fanatics for making information available-- they are providing a valuable service.

bsnpubs.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=4905396&trail=

If I haven't dropped enough guitarist names already, here's the substance of a conversation I had a while back with my friend and colleague Alex McCullough, following a Duane recording session Alex was lucky enough to be part of.

"How did Duane Eddy get his sound in the studio?"

"He plugged his Gretsch into a Fender amp and played the melody."

Alex, please correct me if there's anything substantively wrong with this transcription of our discussion.
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LAURINDO ALMEIDA WITH THE MJQ, "ONE NOTE SAMBA"

The recent Tommy Tedesco post had Laurindo in the background, and it whetted my appetite for some upfront Almeida.

Laurindo Almeida is one of those names I've heard a million times, but I've never really made much effort to hear his work. Well, that just means one more reason why growing older doesn't have to be a bad thing-- it presents an opportunity to dig deeply into the music of this great master. There's additional Almeida available online, including some hip "bossa nova" arrangements of Debussy et al. Let me know if you need more, and I'll take care of it.
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TOMMY TEDESCO, "QUIET NIGHT OF QUIET STARS"

Just a couple thoughts about this recording of the incomparable Tommy Tedesco.

1. It seems a little crass to describe what Laurindo Almeida does here as "rhythm guitar," although I suppose it is that.

2. There was a time when something like this was considered background music, or elevator music. If they played music like this in elevators now, I'd never get out of the damn elevator. I believe I'd be willing to live in one.

3. Nice shot of Tommy sitting next to Carol Kaye.
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GUITAR INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS

I'm in the process of learning how to make guitar instructional videos. Most likely I'll begin with some short ones, and eventually move on to longer ones with more detail. Please feel free to comment here with any suggestions about what you'd like to see. I'll have a fair amount of free ones up here and elsewhere, and I'll be trying to figure out how to make money from them. My current plan is to post the shorter "teaser" videos for free, and make more in-depth lessons available for sale.

I've found that few people want to pay for tablature and transcription, and those who are willing to pay don't want to pay very much. Given that putting notation and tab together takes a huge amount of time, I'm refocusing my efforts on videos rather than notation. I'm gambling that instructional videos will be more enticing-- we'll see!

Now is a good time to send me suggestions, because in the short term there's a good chance I'll be available to make a video available for free that incorporates whatever you're looking for. Here's an incomplete list of things I'm considering.

VIDEOS FOCUSING ON SPECIFIC PLAYERS
DON RICH
FREDDIE KING
JAMES BURTON
ROY NICHOLS
CLARENCE WHITE
BILLY BYRD/LEON RHODES

VIDEOS FOCUSING ON SPECIFIC SONGS OR PROGRESSIONS
UNDER THE DOUBLE EAGLE
I IV V
my song "TONIGHT"
MY BABE (open E swampy/bluesy a la Burton, Fogerty, Mick Green, Little Walter, etc.)

VIDEOS FOCUSING ON MY APPROACH to PUTTING LINES TOGETHER
my style is a blend of country, rock, blues, and jazz

VIDEOS FOCUSING ON LEARNING THE WHOLE NECK
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ORDERING INFO FOR TRANSCRIPTIONS

To order TRANSCRIPTIONS/NOTATION AND TABLATURE, please send an email to Karl Straub, address karlstraub@hotmail.com. List the items you're interested in, or request anything not on list. After I get your email, I'll give you a total so you can PAY WITH PAYPAL or mail in payment. (please note-- I can no longer do transcription work for people without receiving payment up front. After I receive your payment, I will send transcription, if it's one I already have done, or I will begin the work and send on completion.
NOW ACCEPTING PAYPAL! INTERNATIONAL ORDERS WELCOME.
Please send checks to
Karl Straub
406 Cloverway Drive
Alexandria, Va 22314
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