nobodysprefect

First: I find that mr. Wonder's music is tastelessly, appallingly, [i]happy.[/i] Second: I'll second Molan's appreciation of the Natural Wonder CD - I only now found this thread and my distress at missing the net broadcast was considerably lessened when he said the arrs were mostly the same. It's a great CD, try to get your mitts on it.

Also an interesting new fellow from the US is Kenny Wayne Shepard, though he is more in the SRV style. Then again, I'd hazard a guess that when random person says they're going to play the blues it's a Hendrix or SRV number they are thinking of. From my blues playing stint I'd double the recommendation for Albert King (which is who SRV got his style from) for an accessible entry for a person who isn't that well acquainted with the blues. One thing that doesn't get mentioned enough is the fact that you can't just play a song as a blues - there are clear differences between texas (both pre- and post SRV) blues and jump blues for example! Of course, this makes no difference to the random punter, but as musos we should strive for higher standards, no? This may sound like purism, but I don't think Cream and Led Zep are the right places to go to learn the blues - those dudes paid their dues and knew their blues well and then went on to totally new stuff, but I don't think you can learn the genre from derivative sources. Then again, the question inexonerably arises: what is your goal? To learn a new genre or to play a gig? btw, if someone can recall the song where the guitarist/singer does this thing where he names different blues guitarists and then plays a lick in his style, a Bluzeman point is awarded immediately. It's an excellent intro into the vast differences between different sorts of blues, to boot. (as the band changes styles as well)

[quote name='OldGit' post='388736' date='Jan 22 2009, 06:56 PM']Gutarand's "Death Stare" when you play a C under an Amin chord and they think you have played a wrong note and want the entire audience to know too.[/quote] Or it's 'Living for the City' and you've just hit the 'da-da-da-daa da-da daa' bit But seriously, C under A- man what this isn't jazz gtfo Oh and both sides, depending on the gig. To the right most often.

Punatukkainen - My red-haired girl by Van Morrison & Aki Sirkesalo. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg5SibODVG0"]youtube link[/url] "refrain Shalalalalala..... 1st verse A lovely memory: summer and the park a music festival rock'n'roll peace and love laughing and pogoing yea 'Pelle Miljoonaa' <- he's a punk rocker which dates the story. It's in the mid-70's I wanna make love to you <- name of Pelle Miljoona's greatest hit you knew what it meant refrain2: my red-haired girl oh you were my red-haired girl 2nd verse Morning in Aulanko breaking fast on the lawn you led me to the white bower kept me safe from summer shower Think it was the last day before you went away That smile and kiss the rest of my life I'll miss refrain2 do you still remember when we used to sing refrain Do you have regrets over the way the all that rubbish claims your life unless you hold fast to your dreams You moved to Austria I entertain the folks in Kokkola <-- the town where the live bit is filmed. Originally at Tavastia, which is an important rock club in Helsinki When we'll meet again under the old bower's eaves my red-haired girl you are my red-haired girl and you'll remember when we used to sing refrain" Edited to add: Aki Sirkesalo was born in 1962 and died on Boxing Day 2004 in Khao Lak alongside his wife and their two children. His last record was released posthumously in Feb 2005. He was known for his inventive lyrics, which I've butchered above, and is sorely missed by musicians and fans alike.

Well, seems there certainly are people who'd love to change their seats for mine - I'd probably love to sit in yours once! It'd be grand to let my hair down and wail on 'Living loving maid' or 'Black dog' or somesuch classic rock piece just once! 'I Wish' is a tune which I think is rather delicate in the sense that you can't really f*** with it's components too much without losing it's 'I Wishness' - the drummer didn't pull the tempo out of his hat, he plays lots of gigs with the singer and he always uses the metronome to zero in on the tempo. And since it's a relatively simple piece it is no good to not have the hits in the very end. 'Sir duke' is a great piece of music, I'll grant that - and there are some other tunes I really dig by him, but does he have to be so damnably [i]happy[/i] all the time? Where are my satanic mills, my burning Troys? Whither went sadness that stills, suicidal boys? But I guess it's just me... For me, 'One' is about right in the saccharine-bitterness axis. Anyways, I resolved to pick a version of 'Isn't she lovely' (deer lard, [i]such [/i]inane lyrics) and grok the bassline and not think about that tune any more. As regards 'My brown eyed-girl' a recently deceased finnish soul man made his own reggae-ish version of that tune and it totally kills. I'd really rather play that than Wonder's tunes. He re-made the lyrics and they are about [i]LOSS [/i]now! I'll type up a translation for this thread's enjoyment.

So, was at a gig last night with this woman singer who's an absolute Wonder Girl. She's had her head up her admittably highly attractive bottom for years now, and won't get her material + written music covering traditional dance music together, as it's not, according to her, 'good music.' Well, some of it has been written by greats and a lot of people enjoy playing that stuff and especially dancing to that stuff... But for her, it's gotta be Stevie Wonder. And damnation, some of that stuff is a chore to play well as a bassist when it's never been rehearsed and she can't be arsed to get someone to write decent sheets for that either. Exhibit 1 'Isn't she lovely': which version should I base my bassline on? Exhibit 2 'I Wish': we totally missed the ending hits. And the drummer put the tempo 20 bpm over the original, so no more relaxed groove. What's this got to do with disliking the music? I dunno... She dislikes the other half of the music required for the gigs. And won't take the 2 hours it takes to put together the sheets for subs. And for my part, my immense dislike for mr. Wonder's music hampers my thinking up a bassline for ex 1. In fact, I botched that song... I'd done rote learning (don't need to think about the song that way) and the transposing messed that approach. Oh, and she's one of those vocalists who almost never miss a pitch. I've heard she was a little off on a gig about two years ago. Perhaps this is the reason for her not having decent sheets:'Well, *I* never get it wrong, why don't you substitutes know this material in my key, 'coz *I* sure do!' For goodness sakes, look at those cakes! How do you deal with gigs that have [i]all [/i]of the following: material which you don't know, based on versions you don't know, with no sheets to speak of and either individual songs of genres with which you don't even want to get acquainted?

I'm going to chime in! Take cover! Like some others, started reading music at 7 or 8 I think and it's been invaluable for me as a way of developing as a musician as well as instrumental (gotcha?) in rendering the services required of me. An anecdote: we were hired to be the house band at a large-ish festival that is televised by the national TV company. Now, I'll admit right away that the festival is the biennal of our national church, not a rock festival or for profit (for prophet tho?) thing. They usually get the more spiritually-oriented or attention-whorish popular singers to do a bit and who gets to accompany the latter if not yours truly. Only it's not the attention whore, it's their daughter. Who has no concept of time or pitch. And the song is an awful piece of garbage that hasn't been recorded or performed anywhere before. And we get one rehearsal run. I challenge anyone to doing that by ear. This sound pretentious to you? Read my sigs. <-- what does this mean? Means I know a little about putting in the work and reaping the rewards. Means I appreciate studiousness, applying oneself, understanding and competence. If (the general) you don't, it's fine. It's all subjective. What is not subjective is the fact that as a rule, the skills attained by repeated applying of attention to attaining complex skills is rewarded and for the most part, the possession of those skills is seen as a desirable state by others as well as self. Also, it's a reference to Bill Clinton.