Texas Shuffle 10.2 Any tips?

[Doodlebug]

Hi folks, how dam hard is this to get down?
There’s a lot to do with the fingers of both hands. My question; do you approach it slowly to learn the fingering / damping techniques or just try and go full speed until it sounds about right?
Obviously I’ll never be SRV but I’d like to nail it somehow.

 

[snarf]

I remember that one!! For me, that was probably the most frustrating (but rewarding) chapter in BGU. I think Griff says to practice it slow to get the technique and notes figured out, but it's going to sound beyond awful while you do that. Once you get the basics under your fingers, go ahead and, as he says in PSTM, butcher it loud and proud. I think I kept working on that one a few minutes a day for, literally, months. Then one day I went to practice it and I realized that it sounded like it was supposed to.

Perseverance is the key to that lesson. It's one that definitely doesn't happen for most of us mere mortals overnight, and, if you're like me, will frustrate you to no end. I'm sure my wife was hating life some nights when I'd be in my music room proudly butchering this one before it finally started sounding right. But, because I stuck to this lesson long enough to really get it down, I have a buddy that heard me playing Pride and Joy once that now calls me Stevie Ray Snarf...and that makes me feel pretty good.

Never fear, keep working on it, and you'll be Stevie Ray Doodlebug before you know it.

 

[jmin]

I think this is the SRV “Pride & Joy” lesson, right? ...very damn hard (at first). I do remember learning this in very small sessions over a few weeks (I’m a slow learner). You’re right about “a lot going on.” And if I recall Griff says to “just go for it!” Play it sloppy and try to reign in the unwanted noises. The only “tip” I’d have is to watch Stevie. I was surprised at how much of the muting is done by his left hand. You can really see him “pumping” the left hand on the neck for control.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4QnXqlTARk

That’s my tip: Watch Stevie! (And just try to get it a little better everyday)

 

[snarf]

“just go for it!” Play it sloppy and try to reign in the unwanted noises.

That's what I remember him saying as well, and it's a great definition for "butcher it loud and proud."

 

[Doodlebug]

Thanks, I tried it again yesterday, slow at first and then a little faster, it’s akin to being a total beginner again. I guess it’s something I’ll have to keep practicing bit by bit until it falls into place.

 

[dwparker]

Yeah, this is a tough one and I really need to spend more time on it. When I review thus exercise and it actually sounds good, I've noticed I need to do my left hand muting, as already mentionen, fretting the notes with the middle of the pad on the first digit instead of the tip, letting my whole finger lay across the strings.

I also need to watch my pick attack on my left hand. If you look at your pick orientation in you hand while strumming up, I keep this same pick orientation while picking down on the base string notes. I also find myself choking up on the pick, with as little of the pick point touching the strings as possible. But this is just me and I really spend a lot of time determing how best to hold the pick, angle of attack, the best direction to pick on the strings to get the sound I want or where I need to pick next. I am really about economy here, but also trying to treat my plectrum like a violinist treats their bow, manipulating the pick to get the tone and dynamics I am looking for.

 

[dan5150]

I recently decided to "go back to my roots" and go through BGU again. This one (and 11.5 which uses this technique on a minor blues progression) is just brutal.

Good to hear that the "trick" to this one is simply practice and perseverance.

 

[Paleo]

https://bluesguitarunleashed.com/blog/that-texas-chunka-chunka-rhythm-thing/

 

[dan5150]

Thanks @Paleo ! That blog video was really helpful! I find it a little easier to get it down higher up the neck, before going back to the open position as demonstrated in the BGU lesson.

I also find it helps to actually hit the strings harder than a usually do. Still not at all perfect, but getting a little better every time.

 

[BraylonJennings]

For me, just get the pick hand strumming all six strings, chunkachunkachunka shuffle style, with the fretting hand muting all strings. Thats all the pick hand needs to know, easy enough. The key is getting the fret hand to mute all but the target note. Your fretting fingers lay flatter across all the strings to do the muting, the opposite of the way a classical teacher would show you. Its a rough sound, not pristine at all like a B.B. tone would be. If you focus on that fret hand, the sound will develop easier than you think.

 

[ChrisGSP]

I'm working my way through BGU2.0 and although I'm presently on Solo2, I'm still working hard on this one.
When I first started on it I was totally hopeless; now, a month or so later I'm a little further advanced towards hopeFUL.
My method is to concentrate on the timing of the UPstrokes, and then just attempting to hit somewhere near the right note on the downstroke - for the downstrokes, left hand second or ring finger on the correct string/fret and muting all six strings with the first finger BEHIND the ring finger, right hand try to hit the correct string and not too many others. It's like a reverse pendulum to me - down UPdown UPdown UPdown
I agree with @jmin - watch Stevie, there's a lot going on in his left hand.