Fretboard Geography Help, Please

david moon

Attempting the Blues
Getting back to your original question, I agree with others that it's really what works for you (as long as you're playing the right notes). The timbre might be a little different if you're playing around the 12th fret or 2 strings over at the 15th fret. As you go up the neck the frets get closer together and it might be easier play a lick because of that. Or maybe the "break" at the B string might make for a different fingering.
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
In Griff’s “The Harmonic Minor Scale” course, Solo #2 is the “Circle Of 4ths” progression in the Gary Moore style. :)
 
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SuzanneShafer

Addicted to Bikes & Blues
In Griff’s “The Harmonic Minor Scale” course, Solo #2 is the “Circle Of 4ths” progression in the Gary Moore style. :)

Splendid! As it happens, that's one of the many courses I purchased last year when Griff offered some really great discounts...before I became an All Access member. I'd had a guitar only about a month at that time and learned about Griff from a member of another teacher's member forum. After watching a couple of his sample videos I knew two things: (1) I wanted to focus on Blues, and (2) Griff's style of teaching really worked for me. So I bought about a dozen courses (most of which were theory-based because I'm the kind of learner who needs that) and began with Beginning Blues Guitar. I'm still working on Blues Guitar Unleased 2, paired with forays into the theory courses. Just hadn't gotten to that one. I will today, thanks to you.
 

SuzanneShafer

Addicted to Bikes & Blues
Here's a whole thread on the Still Got the Blues progression.

I don't have every one of her CDs, but quite a few.

I really like this gospel- flavored How Can I Keep From Singijng.

Her performance of Over the Rainbow at the Blues Alley brings tears to my eyes every time.

Thanks David. I visited the thread and figured out how the Bookmark function works so I can find it again. And I'm with you on Eva's performance of Over the Rainbow.
 

SuzanneShafer

Addicted to Bikes & Blues
Okay, so I am probably about to reveal myself as really geeky, but I gotta thank Griff, @david moon, and @Paleo for a perfect Saturday evening---Almost 3 hours with the Circle of 4ths Solo #2 in the Harmonic Minor Scale course, accompanied by a couple shots of bourbon (I favor Buffalo Trace) paired with a little dark chocolate. And don't nobody go tellin' me that I need to get a life! I LOVE this stuff.
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
Okay, so I am probably about to reveal myself as really geeky, but I gotta thank Griff, @david moon, and @Paleo for a perfect Saturday evening---Almost 3 hours with the Circle of 4ths Solo #2 in the Harmonic Minor Scale course, accompanied by a couple shots of bourbon (I favor Buffalo Trace) paired with a little dark chocolate. And don't nobody go tellin' me that I need to get a life! I LOVE this stuff.

You don't need to GET a life. Music + Bourbon = life! It's simple math.
 

SteveMazzarelli

Blues Newbie
Thanks David and Suzanne for the conversation and for acquainting me with Eva Cassidy's work. It was truly a worthwhile diversion to listen to her rendition of "Autumn Leaves" and read about her too short life. BTW, since I am a Griff email packrat, I went back to his message and video from 12/14/2020 and listened to his lesson on modes where he uses a modified version of Gary Moore's "Still Got the Blues". At the time, it motivated me to download the audio to my looper pedal and it's a great progression to solo over. I also signed up for Griff's "Modes Unleashed" course which I've barely dipped a toe into but I'll get there one of these days, I'm sure.
 

SuzanneShafer

Addicted to Bikes & Blues
Thanks David and Suzanne for the conversation and for acquainting me with Eva Cassidy's work. It was truly a worthwhile diversion to listen to her rendition of "Autumn Leaves" and read about her too short life. BTW, since I am a Griff email packrat, I went back to his message and video from 12/14/2020 and listened to his lesson on modes where he uses a modified version of Gary Moore's "Still Got the Blues". At the time, it motivated me to download the audio to my looper pedal and it's a great progression to solo over. I also signed up for Griff's "Modes Unleashed" course which I've barely dipped a toe into but I'll get there one of these days, I'm sure.

Hi Steve, it's my experience that this forum is a great place to learn all sorts of useful stuff; members frequently provide me with invaluable support and point me toward worthwhile diversions. (In this thread, for example, @ChrisGSP recommended an article about Gary Moore in Guitar World, which I'd not heard of. I now have a digital subscription and have attached a copy of the article, in case you're interested.) The forum has been a delightful surprise and a significant departure from my norm. I've never been much of a joiner; I've always found my bliss in solitary pursuits like reading, writing, woodworking, motorcycle camping trips in the wilds...and for the past 5 months, learning to play guitar. And how I wish I'd learned decades ago when my fingers were agile and it only required a couple tosses to get something to stick to the walls of my mind! But I'll keep working at it because I intend to become the only septuagenarian lady busking the blues on Main Street in Walla Walla, WA.

The image called to mind by your "Griff email packrat" reference made me giggle! I've been scurrying Griff's emails and the associated tabs into a tidy digital library since I purchased my first course from him last November. Now you've motivated me to figure out how to use the looper pedal I just bought, and download the audio like you did. I've been working so hard on learning to play Parisienne Walkways that I haven't taken time to even try it out. Also, in case you're up for another diversion, here's a link to the sound clips associated with the tabs in the attached article: https://soundcloud.com/guitarworld/sets/play-the-blues-like-gary-moore I'm still trying to find a way to download them so my inner packrat can stash them away, as well.
 

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ChrisGSP

Blues Journeyman
I'm still trying to find a way to download them so my inner packrat can stash them away, as well.
Hi Suzanne. I think you'll find that ShareX will do what you want there. You have to actually play the clips, but ShareX will record what's playing - it also (in fact is usually used for) records video, simultaneously with sound. It's a free download, pretty easy to install, and I recommend it.

The really cool thing is that ability to record sound and video together. I have used it quite a lot for recording fragments of online lessons or uTube clips, where I just want to study a particular section, or leave out all the talk.... just in case you haven't got anything better to do over Easter.
 

SuzanneShafer

Addicted to Bikes & Blues
Hi Suzanne. I think you'll find that ShareX will do what you want there. You have to actually play the clips, but ShareX will record what's playing - it also (in fact is usually used for) records video, simultaneously with sound. It's a free download, pretty easy to install, and I recommend it.

The really cool thing is that ability to record sound and video together. I have used it quite a lot for recording fragments of online lessons or uTube clips, where I just want to study a particular section, or leave out all the talk.... just in case you haven't got anything better to do over Easter.

Thanks, Chris. I'll check it out. The yard clean-up I was going to do over Easter may have to wait. This girl has her priorities. :)
 

SuzanneShafer

Addicted to Bikes & Blues
Speaking of Griff's emails, Just in case you haven't found it yet, Paparapotor put this together:
https://bluesguitarunleashed.com/forum/index.php?threads/griffs-email-archives-for-2021.31608/

And in case you were wondering where Griff's solos work well I put together (with lots of help):
https://bluesguitarunleashed.com/fo...griffs-solos-where-they-work-protected.12812/

Thanks much, Mike!!! Apparently this forum benefits from a number of industrious Packrats...errrr...Organizers. :LOL:
Hey, @SteveMazzarelli I'm thinking you'll want to check these out, too.
 

Jack

Blues Junior
When I was learning the Stairway to Heaven solo, one tab had a long lick starting on the higher strings, in the middle of the fretboard, while another tab had the same notes, but starting on the low strings, farther up the fretboard. From listening to the album, it actually sounded like Jimmy was starting on the high strings, but that was kind of awkward to play, and required a quick jump up the fretboard halfway through the lick. Starting on the low strings just seemed like a more natural way that someone might actually play something - move into that 12th fret box from a couple frets below, then just work across the box up to the high strings.

So I played it starting on the low strings, even though I think it might be wrong (but the difference in timbre is, well...I very much doubt anyone would notice). I guess what I'm saying is, you just have to make up your own mind :)
 

SuzanneShafer

Addicted to Bikes & Blues
I guess what I'm saying is, you just have to make up your own mind :)

Thanks, Jack. The deeper into it I get, the better I understand how different the Blues world is from the Classical world that was my introduction to music many years ago. In that world there are definitely shall's and shall not's. I'm learning to enjoy the experience of not knowing the "right way" and figuring things out my own way.
 

david moon

Attempting the Blues
Hi Steve, it's my experience that this forum is a great place to learn all sorts of useful stuff; members frequently provide me with invaluable support and point me toward worthwhile diversions. (In this thread, for example, @ChrisGSP recommended an article about Gary Moore in Guitar World, which I'd not heard of. I now have a digital subscription and have attached a copy of the article, in case you're interested.) The forum has been a delightful surprise and a significant departure from my norm. I've never been much of a joiner; I've always found my bliss in solitary pursuits like reading, writing, woodworking, motorcycle camping trips in the wilds...and for the past 5 months, learning to play guitar. And how I wish I'd learned decades ago when my fingers were agile and it only required a couple tosses to get something to stick to the walls of my mind! But I'll keep working at it because I intend to become the only septuagenarian lady busking the blues on Main Street in Walla Walla, WA.

The image called to mind by your "Griff email packrat" reference made me giggle! I've been scurrying Griff's emails and the associated tabs into a tidy digital library since I purchased my first course from him last November. Now you've motivated me to figure out how to use the looper pedal I just bought, and download the audio like you did. I've been working so hard on learning to play Parisienne Walkways that I haven't taken time to even try it out. Also, in case you're up for another diversion, here's a link to the sound clips associated with the tabs in the attached article: https://soundcloud.com/guitarworld/sets/play-the-blues-like-gary-moore I'm still trying to find a way to download them so my inner packrat can stash them away, as well.
Septuagenarians unite!
 
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