http://rstrum.com April 23 is the birthday of the late Roy Orbison, born in Vernon, TX in 1936. Orbison is best known for his distinctive voice, his odd compositions, and his dark ballads like “Crying” and “Only the Lonely.” As a testament to his influence, this video of “Oh, Pretty Woman,” features backup by Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, and many other greats.
“Oh, Pretty Woman” is a fairly straight rocker, but many of Roy’s tunes use subtle Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms. If you haven’t played around with these patterns, you can start with our lessons on Calypso taught by Steve Baughman (who, like calypso, was born in Trinidad).
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On April 14, 1970, Credence Clearwater Revival (who hail from El Cerrito, CA, the birthplace of Rhythmstrummer!) made their live UK debut. This came after their hits “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising” and “Down on the Corner,” but before “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” which, according to frontman John Fogerty, is about the rising tensions within CCR. Indeed John’s brother Tom would officially quit the band in early ‘71.
“Have You Ever Seen the Rain” is short, sweet, and simple to play. The tricky part is the strum pattern, which uses palm muting and something we call a “strumpet” – all expertly demonstrated by Rob Hampton in our song lesson.
http://rstrum.com April 6, 1967 was the day on which the first master tape of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band was made. Apart from the title track and the follow-up, “With a Little Help from My Friends,” the songs on side one were originally in a different order than on the final album, which became a paragon of psychedelic rock and one of the most highly-acclaimed albums of all time.
Since this Lennon-McCartney tune was written especially for Ringo “Billy Shears” Starr, it’s easy to sing range-wise. It also features (mostly) simple chords and a marching rhythm played with lots of downstrokes. The trick is in how to use palm muting to reproduce that bouncing staccato sound on each beat, which you’ll surely master with a little help from our Song Lesson taught by Peter Langston (you can find a more in-depth lesson on Palm Muting in our Technique Library).
http://rstrum.com While performing in London on March 31, 1967, Jimi Hendrix first set fire to his guitar. He repeated the stunt a few months later at the Monterey Pop Festival, this time ending with a smash. As you’ll see from this epic video, Hendrix was not only a masterful guitarist but also a great showman, often playing with his teeth, behind his back, or in other wild ways.
Alas, we can’t give you the raw talent of Hendrix, but we can show you how to properly destroy your guitar. April Fools! Seriously, what we can do is direct you to our Technique Library, where you’ll find “Goofy Stuff” – a handful of humorous party tricks that are cooler than a flaming Fender Strat, or at least safer.
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This week is packed with musical birthdays, including those of Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Diana Ross, and Ric Ocasek. The guitarist among them, born Richard Otcasek on March 23, 1949, in Baltimore, co-founded The Cars and wrote most of the band’s many new wave and pop hits, including “My Best Friend’s Girl,” which manages to incorporate rockabilly. Ocasek has also been a producer for lots of other bands like Weezer, Hole, and No Doubt.
To get that signature ’80s rhythm guitar sound, Ocasek used a unique combination of downstrokes, muting, and power chords – all of which can be learned from our Technique Library. With a little experimentation, practice, and perhaps a pair of shades, you’ll soon be saying, “Let the good times roll!”
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Today we rewind to March 15, 1912, when Sam “Lightnin’” Hopkins was born in Centerville, Texas. At age 8, Sam met his mentor, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and began pursuing a musical career that resulted in more albums than any other bluesman, and an estimated 800-1000 songs! The late Hopkins influenced the likes of Dylan and Hendrix, and made the Rolling Stone list of Top 100 Guitarists (at #71).
As in this song, Hopkins’ distinctive noodling was usually layered on top of the basic 12-bar blues template. If you haven’t mastered this crucial form and its strum pattern, you’ll want to stroll over to our Technique Library and check out the blues lessons taught by Julian Smedley. He’ll hook you up!
http://www.rstrum.com March 6, 1970 saw the release of the McCartney tune “Let It Be,” the last single put out before Paul’s departure from The Beatles. An alternate mix became the title track for what was technically the band’s final album (most of Let It Be was actually recorded before the penultimate Abbey Road). Other versions of the song, which was voted #1 by Beatles fans, appear on Anthology 3 and Let It Be…Naked.
Although the Beatles recordings rely on piano and organ, “Let It Be” can be faithfully and beautifully rendered on guitar – with relative ease, I might add. In our song lesson, we chart out the chords, demo the strum pattern, and teach the descending riff or “walkdown” that gives the song its distinctive flavor.
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Today we celebrate the upcoming birthday of David Gilmour, born March 6, 1946 in Cambridge, England. In early ‘68, Gilmour replaced Syd Barrett as the front man for Pink Floyd, sharing songwriting duties with Roger Waters. Although a multi-instrumentalist, Gilmour is best known for his lead guitar work. In fact, the second solo for “Comfortably Numb” was voted the 4th best ever by Guitar World readers in 2007.
Although Gilmour’s style is unique, his phrasing and note-bending reflect the influence of the blues. He became a legend, but like all of us, he had to start somewhere! One good place is our Technique Library, where you’ll find a lesson taught by Julian Smedley on the basic blues scale, which all soloists must master.
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On this day in 1964, The Beatles recorded “I Should Have Known Better,” written by John Lennon shortly after he had discovered the music of Bob Dylan. The tune was released on the soundtrack for the bands’ first movie, A Hard Day’s Night, which capitalized and commented on Beatlemania. The song scene takes place in a train, though it was actually filmed in a van.
“I Should Have Known Better” is a great easy tune that uses only first position chords. The main strum pattern has a slight hitch and an “anticipated” chord change, which I demonstrate in our song lesson along with the pattern for the chorus. There’s also a note-for-note demo of the solo, in case you’re feeling ambitious.
http://www.rstrum.com On Feb 17, 1971, a 22-yr old James Taylor made his TV debut on The Johnny Cash Show. After signing with Apple Records during a stay in London, Taylor had gotten his breakthrough in 1970 with “Fire and Rain,” a song inspired by the death of a friend and his own struggles with depression and drug use. This #3 hit was followed up by the #1 “You’ve Got a Friend” and a host of other hits throughout Taylor’s ongoing career.
Having learned cello as a kid, Taylor developed a guitar picking style meant to mimic the piano, with his right thumb acting as his “left hand.” If you’re new to finger-picking, we suggest visiting our Technique Library, where you’ll find the “Basic Fingerstyle Exercise” taught by Steve Baughman. Slightly trickier is the Travis Pick, and finally Clawhammer for advanced pickers.
