Yeah, it's been a while, but just letting you know that I'm still here... :) Been busy and lazy.
This is a fun Cocaine cover with a set of Swedish lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDiCJIJqwHU
Some rarish (not ultra-rare though) songs popping up also, like a couple posted by this guy: http://www.youtube.com/user/mylomaster
Also, as a bonus, found this small and extinct blog about Mark Knopfler guitar style: http://mkguitarstyle.blogspot.com/
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Hello weelie,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you could shed some light on how JJ Cale solos, does he use the pentatonic scale, or is he a more modal/major scale soloist?
I only know the pentatonic scale and it never quite sounds right. For example, his solo in "A thing going on" sounds more jazzy than bluesy. Of course, i will never be able to solo like JJ Cale, just curious if you knew what scales he typically uses.
Thanks!
by the way, your blog has helped me tremendously, it is an amazing resource for JJ Cale fans.
Thanks, colored demons!
ReplyDeleteI haven't tabbed the song, but here's the post about the progression: http://pickingjjcale.blogspot.com/2009/12/thing-going-on.html
I can check that solo. Mostly he plays minor pentatonic, with the major third (if the tonic chord is a major, so it doesn't apply in this song, assuming it's in key of Abm) or flat 5 sometimes added. In some country numbers, it's more like the major pentatonic, of course.
-4--7--
-4--7--
-4-6---
-4-6---
-4-6---
-4--7--
with the major thirds:
-4--78-
-4--7--
-456---
-4-6---
-4-6---
-4--78-
with flat fives (it's often called the "blue note")
-4--7--
34--7--
-4-67--
-4-6---
-456---
-4--7--
Looks like he is playing the solo in minor pentatonic plus the #5.
ReplyDeleteOr so I hear it... #5 is called a bebop note, I wouldn't know about that...
but the E note is the minor of the Db chord, so I think the chords are:
Abm, C, Dbm, E
(this tab is transcribed up one fret, as I am doing this on ukulele
and the key of Am is a natural on it, where as Abm is not...)
from 1m28:
Dm
-8-10p8p5-10-
-------------
-------------
-------------
-------------
-------------
Am
--------------------
-10p5-------5-6-6s10
------5-7-9---------
--------------------
--------------------
--------------------
D
-12-13-12-15-13--12s10-10------
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
E
-8-10p5------------8-----------
--------8-10--8-10-------------
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
etc.
Awesome! Thank you so much, that's very helpful! I knew about the blue notes, which i would use but it always made it sound too bluesy, for lack of a better description. But the major thirds I did not know about, and i never would have guessed he was adding the "be-bop" note but now it makes sense, maybe what gives it that rockabilly swing that I've been missing.
ReplyDeleteWell thanks again, I really appreciate it!
basically what you should do is play the minor pentatonic but always seeing in your mind the underlying chord and think in relation to that. I bet JJ thinks that way, instead of modes and complex scales.
ReplyDelete