Deconstructive Construction

There really isn't any shame in my game.
It it ain't Fisher-Price... I tend not to 'get it.'
I'm working on 'translating' my electronic compositions to acoustic ones...kinda backwards, I know.

A constructive deconstruction of sorts.

So as each one should teach one, I'll share one of my breakthroughs. It's the idea of chord progression- popular ones in blues and bluegrass.
Being that my whole thing right now is about accompanying myself on guitar, I needed an 'in' to an idea of how to proceed in learning to play.

So it's the 1-4-5, thing. But that's three chords, and to play a song well in and around three chords, I'd have to be fluid in my transitions. And let's just say, I'm 'in transition' on that at the moment.

"What's that 1-4-5 'business'?"
Opps, I almost forgot, let me tell it for the newbies.
an octave of notes goes like this: (for c)

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
1(c) 4(f) 5(g)

Rendering a song in 'C' begins with 'c' and uses 'f' and 'g'.
The idea is to begin playing the 'c' chord and 'listen' for the transitions to 'f' and 'g.' As you play and sing the song, you can almost 'hear' the places where a chord change should take place.

I mean it's not quite Fisher Price, but it works for me as a jump off point.


But, it's easier to work my worth in salt around two chords.
(like 'c' and 'f' to groove on the 1 and 4 in 'c', follow?)
So what did I go and do?

I started out by rendering 'Down in the Valley' by Mr. Burl Ives.
Yep. 'A' and 'G7' all the way through. Chord changes and all. I mean, it's the first song I really wanted to learn to kind of 'work my way around a tune.'

What got me to THIS, was something my groovy teacher gave me:

55 Favorite Songs That Use 2 Chords by Pete Wernick
And all his stuff is at drbanjo.com; I'll let you click at that to the right...

Now it's like I can't stop. People say you have to be obsessed about a git box if you're gonna make progress- I am - so hopefully some progress is looking to come my way.

Anywho.

It's looking good and all it took were these simple steps:

1. (goal setting) to transcribe my compositions to acoustic guitar renditions
2. getting a clue to standard blues & blugrass chord progressions 1-4-5
3. starting off slow by taking on a 2 chord progression project
4. beginning with something easy I know like 'Down in the Valley'
5. playing the tune in up and all around it to get a sense of musical flavor

and finally practice.

So, do like I did and get some inspiration for the beginning picker in your life and visit Pete Wernick's site at Pieces to the Puzzle section at the right!

Go to church folks!
(lighten up, it's a figure of speech... ;0)
-BWLP