That makes a lot of sense… he used to use very heavy guage strings even on his electric… (13s… not particularly heavy on an acoustic, but definitely ‘heavy’ on an electric, where 9 or 10 would be ‘average’ and 8 or even 7 still quite popular in spite of a ‘thinner’ sound…) Tuning down half a step is probably what enabled him to get some of those bends with the vibrato at the top of the bend, which I still have trouble doing using 9s…
Hmmm… maybe I should tune down half a step too, but then I’d have to transpose just about everything I play. I suppose I could always switch to 8s… I reckon he’d have had to tune his acoustic down too…
And then there’s another possibility… the degeneration of perfect pitch which can end up with one hearing everything half a tone flat… I just watched a video about this on YT by one of the popular guitar teachers there. This might be another explanation, at least partially… but I still think the ‘mechanical’ explanation more likely.
I used to get lite top heavy bottoms, can’t remember what gauge but I set my acoustic up the same as my electric so I could get the “feel” right when practicing.
Yes, I’ve seen those ‘lite/heavy’ sets… even tried them. I suppose they’re okay for rock’n’roll rhythms but I prefer more ‘balanced’ sets now. Easier to play barre-chords with, imho…
Have you checked out my version of ‘Albatross’ on my YT channel? (Search for Theseustoo Astyages or you may get one of my old channels that I no longer maintain.)
The video’s quite nice, too, I reckon… it shows me in my kayak cruising home past the wreck of the Santiago in the North arm just before sunset… gorgeous colors in the sky, reflected on the water. I reckon this is probably my most ‘artistic’ video to date.
While you’re there, check out a video I’ve called ‘Back to the Boat-Ramp Blues’… it has some of the more recent blues solos I’ve learned so it’ll give you some idea of how my guitar-playing is progressing.
Cain’t NOBODY play the blues like Stevie-Ray!
Nice post, Hung!
But I can’t jam to this… he’s way out of my league! Oh well… back to ‘Blues in E’…
“Woke up this morning,
With the meanest gal in town
Took my shotgun from my wall,
That man in Memphis is goin’ down!”
Anyone care to have a bash at a second verse? 😀
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Stevie used to tune his electric guitar to Eb maybe he did the same with the acoustic.
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That makes a lot of sense… he used to use very heavy guage strings even on his electric… (13s… not particularly heavy on an acoustic, but definitely ‘heavy’ on an electric, where 9 or 10 would be ‘average’ and 8 or even 7 still quite popular in spite of a ‘thinner’ sound…) Tuning down half a step is probably what enabled him to get some of those bends with the vibrato at the top of the bend, which I still have trouble doing using 9s…
Hmmm… maybe I should tune down half a step too, but then I’d have to transpose just about everything I play. I suppose I could always switch to 8s… I reckon he’d have had to tune his acoustic down too…
And then there’s another possibility… the degeneration of perfect pitch which can end up with one hearing everything half a tone flat… I just watched a video about this on YT by one of the popular guitar teachers there. This might be another explanation, at least partially… but I still think the ‘mechanical’ explanation more likely.
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I used to get lite top heavy bottoms, can’t remember what gauge but I set my acoustic up the same as my electric so I could get the “feel” right when practicing.
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Yes, I’ve seen those ‘lite/heavy’ sets… even tried them. I suppose they’re okay for rock’n’roll rhythms but I prefer more ‘balanced’ sets now. Easier to play barre-chords with, imho…
Have you checked out my version of ‘Albatross’ on my YT channel? (Search for Theseustoo Astyages or you may get one of my old channels that I no longer maintain.)
The video’s quite nice, too, I reckon… it shows me in my kayak cruising home past the wreck of the Santiago in the North arm just before sunset… gorgeous colors in the sky, reflected on the water. I reckon this is probably my most ‘artistic’ video to date.
While you’re there, check out a video I’ve called ‘Back to the Boat-Ramp Blues’… it has some of the more recent blues solos I’ve learned so it’ll give you some idea of how my guitar-playing is progressing.
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Just checked out the link to my old post on ‘How to Sing the Blues’… brought back so many memories!
Ah, Hung… those were the days, huh? 😀
Btw, Warrigal, I CAN now play ‘Albatross’ and there’s a post of me playing it on my YT channel.
I may just have a few beers and grab my guitar to jam along with the blues you’ve posted here a bit later (when the sun gets over the yard-arm!)
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Nice HOO, very nice!
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Yes he was definitely gifted
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