Thursday, August 20, 2009

FINGERSTYLE GUITAR-- "FREIGHT TRAIN"

If you're looking to get into fingerpicking, here's a classic song I use with students new to fingerpicking-- my template is a bare-bones arrangement of "Freight Train," the Elizabeth Cotten fingerstyle classic. It's here for anyone who wants to try it on their own-- but if you'd like to take some lessons, I can show you the basics of this style without too much stress. (CLICK ON THE MUSIC TO ENLARGE)

My basic fingerstyle approach here is as follows-- quarter notes in the bass part, and mostly half notes in the top voice (melody). Once you can play this arrangement as written, you can spiff it up in various ways-- adding notes in between the top and bottom parts (this usually involves the G string, which is mostly not used in the melody part) or syncopating the melody, adding more notes to the melody, etc.

I'm not a fingerstyle specialist-- my strategy for getting the maximum result with minimum result is to be pretty repetitive with the bass/accompaniment, then add melody on top. I may put up more complex variations later, but for now work this arrangement up. It's a bit stiff, as you'll hear, but it's rhythmically repetitive to make it easier to absorb.




A few tips-- use the thumb for the root on the F chord. I sometimes finger chord notes that are not in the notation-- it varies with different chords. I leave out the A string notes unless (as in the case of C major chord) the root is on the A string. With the G, E, and F chords, I'm leaving out the A string. This gives you a less cluttered sound in the bass, and in most cases makes the chords easier to play. I'm often fretting a G string chord tone, even though it's not in the notation-- this is so I can add that note in later for rolls, etc. (The G string can give you a thicker texture, moving you away from the stark sound of bass plus melody.)

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Monday, August 17, 2009

TRANSCRIPTIONS AND TABLATURE MADE TO ORDER BY KARL STRAUB

CONTACT ME FOR INFO ABOUT TRANSCRIPTIONS AND TABLATURE. (I CAN DO TRANSCRIPTIONS IN TABLATURE OR STANDARD MUSIC NOTATION. I CAN ALSO RECORD VIDEO OF ME SHOWING YOU HOW TO PLAY THE PARTS. karlstraub@hotmail.com)

There is a ton of guitar tablature available on the web, as you probably know. My students bring in tablature all the time, wanting me to help them learn guitar parts from records. Some of the online free tab is accurate; occasionally it's excellent. However, the vast majority of it that I've seen is flawed. I've seen everything from small mistakes to huge ones; some of the tab online is so wrong it actually works against you. (An awful lot of it is posted by novice players; in many cases I wonder why the person thought they were qualified to post tablature at all.)

The main problem is, unless you already are a pretty good player with a good ear, you're not going to have any idea whether you're looking at good tablature or lousy. Another problem is that most of what's online is current mainstream stuff-- this is not a problem if you're 15 years old and only know the music that's sold to teenagers. The rest of us are aware of an endless avalanche of other music out there, new and old, much of which is not transcribed online anywhere.

That's where I come in-- I have a music education degree, and 25 years of professional playing experience. When I transcribe a guitar solo, I know what I'm doing.

If you're serious about playing music correctly, I'm available to provide quality transcriptions of whatever you're interested in. please contact me at karlstraub@hotmail.com.

Here is a partial list of players and styles I've transcribed in the past--




  • Chuck Berry

  • Bo Diddley

  • Freddy King

  • Clarence White

  • Norman Blake

  • Tony Rice

  • Dan Crary

  • Jimi Hendrix

  • the Beatles

  • Keith Richards/Rolling Stones

  • Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin

  • Black Sabbath

  • Angus Young/AC/DC

  • B.B. King

  • Albert King

  • Eric Clapton/Cream/Bluesbreakers

  • Roy Nichols/Merle Haggard

  • James Burton

  • John Cipollina/Quicksilver Messenger Service

  • Magic Sam

  • Otis Rush

  • Jeff Beck/Yardbirds

  • George Barnes

  • Hank Garland

  • Eldon Shamblin/Junior Barnard/Tiny Moore/Bob Wills

  • Charlie Christian(Benny Goodman)

  • George Benson

  • Mick Ronson (David Bowie)

  • Nokie Edwards (Ventures)

  • Marc Bolan (T. Rex)

  • Peter Green/Danny Kirwan (original Fleetwood Mac)

  • Hubert Sumlin (Howlin' Wolf)

  • Don Rich (Buck Owens)

  • Grady Martin (tons of old country records)

  • and tons more!


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