One day, one day. I will own a National.

Cool dude that fella.

So far today I've been hammering this:



and this:



Doing my usual thing of getting just enough so that it sounds like I'm attempting the same tune, then being happy and continuing to ham-fistedly hammer out a shite version. Plus I still need to focus on my alternate bass, just too used to doing my own thing. Stuck in my ways.

This week though, I'm determined whilst at the folks place and away from temptation, to really hit some practice and not opt for the easy route. I want my thumb to be it's own entity by this time next week.

Slightly pissed on a train bound for Chester atm. Contemplating heading to the drinks carriage (i forget the official term) to ensure my inebriation on arrival. I must entrust my guitar to the grey haired salary man opposite me in my absence. I feel as if walking in the footsteps of Lead Belly himself.

Nice tune that Temps. I had a quick look at the tab but the chords with numbers after them said 'come back later' so I've filed it away for a later date (just lazy to learn new shapes). I need to branch out from bluesy stuff though. Tbh anything where I can practice picking without having to try and palm mute / alternate bass will be a blessing.


My 'one day I will own a National' comment above was provoked by the following, which I couldn't find yesterday; despite reminding me of the dude from Hostel who pays to blowtorch a girl, this guy does a great version:

Think I saw that tab but I was convinced it started with Am when I was trying, as some other tab suggested. Fuck knows.

Ah I see, that's the intro I'm looking at.. gets to the Am later on. Thafe.

I'll give it another shot.

I'd say give the blues a shot too, it's easy to get a basic, decent sounding thing down, but if it's not what you listen to or want to play then that's that really. I've always made the biggest gains when inspired to play stuff I want to play, rather than 'oh I should try to play this 'cause that's what people do'.


Spent some time in open D with a slide after watching that vid I posted again. Man, shit's hard to make sound clean.

Anyway, still trying to nail a workman-like Georgia Bound atm. Got the basics down but now need to work on those added fills and licks that turn it from a simple C-F-G progression into the country/ragtime blues foot-tapper it is. Plus the alternating bass, fuck it.

I'm at the point now where I can do a reasonable ham-fisted, drunken pub 'hold on a minute I get this bit (father ted)' rendition of Georgia Bound, including 2 - count 'em TWO - different guitar breaks, just not usually all in a single clean run.

Still, I'm enjoying doing 'em, and I've made some progress, albeit small, in the thumb-struggle, via improvements in That'll Never Happen No More, still the best blake, joint with the aforementioned GB:



It's like a soundtrack to my life.

you should see my pr0n bookmarks.

Thanks again to @Escape for the guitar, really enjoying myself atm, got right back into the swing on the steel string. Strung it myself as well, first time ever on an acoustic and just happy the fucker stays in tune and the strings haven't snapped. Had an incident whilst doing it with a bridge pin flying out but I gather that's all part of the fun with a DIY approach.

Have been trying to use a thumbpick now off and on for the last week put it's just not working for me. It's bad enough that my thumb-aim is put off by the thing, but it also causes my fingers to not know what the fuck they're doing either.

Think I'm just going to stick to bareback tbh.

Moot_Geeza wrote:

Showme.

I'd honestly rather not. For both our sakes.

I've gots brass slide, I've never had a great amount of luck with it tbh. Always worked better on the hollowbodied electric I left down South. That said, it's likely down to the shite action on my own Tele .

nick_md wrote:

Thanks again to @Escape for the guitar, really enjoying myself atm, got right back into the swing on the steel string.

Good to hear it's doing more than murdering Personal Jesus.

Well that just makes me want to get my nylon out again. Cheers.

Never heard of that guy before, great swing to that tune, sounded greek-ish, or Jewish-ish.

My only real go-to for British folk is still Davy Graham. I've posted this before a few times I think but it's also nylon and just such a great tune, I love it:



It often runs through my head when I'm stuck in some underground or oxford circus crush, a poor country boy with the big city blues. Kinda (I'm a very happy chap as it happens, but I indulge myself on these lines).

I'll dig into that Thackray dude at some point. Obviously pump more links this a-ways. Much obliged.

I can't bring much to the table in terms playing, just listening.  I favoured Five Leaves Left and Pink Moon over Bryter Layter, particulaly Five Leaves for some reason.  BL is the one that seems to be mentioned in the mags etc, but it just doesn't sound as good to me. 

If we're doing British folk links, and we seem to be doing folk links, I'll chuck another in:



Credit to Bugal.  Again.

Ah yes, my bezzy mate and former housemate was a Drake man, used to champion him but I'm a stubborn bastard at the best of times and tend to ignore stuff I know I shouldn't. I always get Nick Drake confused with someone else, an American chap, does some tunes on piano in a swing time, I forget his name now. I dunno.

I should branch out my listening really, I actually have a very narrow library, or tend to immerse myself in one particular band/guy for extended times. I went through a few years focussing just on Roky Erickson and the Elevators, for example.

Really like that second track, From the Morning.

Here's some Roky, just 'cause I reminded myself of him and he's awesome:



There's the full documentary of his life on youtube, You're Gonna Miss Me, recommended (I actually get a bit emotional just thinking about it, man's a fucking survivor.)