Guitar Licks and Tips

I saw Elvis Costello perform his song called Town Crier on his TV show Spectacle January 2010 and after hearing it for the first time I was hooked! The song is a beautiful ballad that is so soft on the ears that it is difficult not to like it. He had the tables turned this time in playing the part of the interviewee? Mary Louise Parker is the interviewer that just sits there and melts for all to see. I know I did when I heard it.

I love how he just strums the strings on his acoustic guitar, a Stella I think, that gives off such a warm and inviting sound to the piece. This is a perfect example of how not using a pick can create a very intimate sound to a song. The chord structure and bridges that Mr Costello uses are simple and to the point.

In the beginning part before he starts playing, Elvis makes the point of saying that he would love to hear Barry White sing this one but with no disrespect to Barry, I think only Elvis could pull this one off. Mind you, it would be an interesting version for sure!

So sit back, turn down the lights, fire up a candle or two, OR if it’s raining outside get out your notebook and watch it while the rain is hitting the roof just right and enjoy!

Keep on Jammin’ Elvis

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Our new Kindle 2 eBook Reader showed up a day early and I couldn’t be more excited! Well truth be told, if a 1957 Strat was delivered in place of the Kindle then I guess I’d be REALLY EXCITED! Sorry, just had to get that one out of my head.

After taking our dog Midnight out for her morning walk and just before giving her, her breakfast a UPS driver knocked on the door sending Midnight out of her mind. All I was thinking was how to keep her from waking my wife up with her barking! As I opened the door she ran out to investigate and welcome the driver with lots of licks, I actually know him from work. After all the commotion had ended he handed me a package and right there I knew that it was the kindle!

So my wife just got up and we opened the package. The packaging was easy to open and quite sturdy looking. The screen of our new Kindle instructed us to turn it on and the welcome screen showed up after taking a few seconds to load up the program.

I picked it up and I was the first one to turn a page on the Kindle – kind of cool! This thing reminds me of something from Star Track! The reader is set up for easy use if your a left or right handed readers. My wife then hit the button Aa that is directly to the right of the spacer bar on the Kindle’s keyboard. It activated a menu that allows you to initiate the Text-to-Speech software. You have the option to use a male or female voice. The default setting is set to use a male voice. Damn it sounds a lot like the genius Stephen Hawkings!

Later on today we are off to an appointment and hopefully we can download one of the new books that my wife had uploaded to her laptop yesterday before leaving. I know this is not music related post but when we start becoming more literate with this thing, we’ll try all the music related options that comes with it. Wish us luck!

Keep on Kindlin’

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As a guitarist who loves to show who and what has influenced his style over the years, he surely isn’t hiding his love for that Motown sound! In the song I Don’t Need no Doctor by Motown songwriters Valerie Simpson and Nick Ashford while made popular by Ray Charles (1966), he pays a reverence to this genre. It’s also from his live performance DVD in LA titled Where The Light Is. The intro that he does for Neon is a real nice. Now back to my post!

Many bands have attempted to play this great song like Humble Pie, New Riders of the Purple Sage or W.A.S.P. (remember them?). John Mayer’s interpretation of this song closely resembles that of John Scofield, which features guess guitarist Mr. Mayer. In Ray Charles adaptation, he has a more upbeat rhythm were as John Mayer’s is performed with a slower tempo with a swampy bluesy swagger.

In I Don’t Need No Doctor, which is a classic 12 bar blues song in the key of E, John hooks his distinctive chording in it. The trumpet player Brad Mason and saxophone player Bob Reynolds fill out the song rather fittingly.

Here are some neat chord inversions that John Mayer plays in this one. For this song, I will provide you with the chords in TAB form that I think he uses. Please be patient with this new TAB tables that I am using here folks. I’m just seeing how it comes up on some people’s screen. Please tell me if there is a problem viewing this post, thanx!

Keep on Jammin’

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