Hub Cap Slide & stuff

Its been a while, and although I've not been blogging the site isn't dead - just resting! The last seven (7!!!) years have been a real journey into making music and some of the mysteries associated with it, but the last 12 months have been about making, playing and having fun and the sounding-off side has taken a bit of a hit. Maybe I'll do a bit more in the near future.

I'm waiting for a new toy to play with, a Morris Minor hub cap slide guitar. I'm getting the four string version that you can see on the left. Open G tuning so its a bit like a banjo without the damned 5th string. It's made by El Gordeaux of http://www.slideguitar.co.uk/

Maybe get some sounds posted later on.

Keith Richards - banjo player

Just been reading the Keef Richards' autobiography 'Life' and theres a great chapter about discovering open G tuning or banjo tuning as Keef calls it.  In fact he even ends up with a custom 5 string guitar. Give the man a banjo, I'd love to see that!
This is footage of him rehearsing with Chuck and its fantastic! There's also some interesting stuff about how Chuck worked with his piano player in writing songs but the guy never claimed a credit!

Song Fragment in Key of D

I've been messing about with a descending chord pattern in the open G for a couple of weeks and today it's morphed into something which starts to feel like its got a verse and a chorus.
The chords are verse G/D/Em/Bm x3 G/D/Em/G/G/A.
Chorus D/A/D/G/D/A/G/D/Em/G/D/Em/G/D/G.

Now all I need is some lyrical genius from the Great North Strum to come up with some words!

Further Adventures in Open G

Open G tuning has really opened up the guitar to me. Taking what I know from the banjo fingerboard its much easier to find chords up the neck(or is it down?). This a little progression I've been messing with, which uses four finger chords moving the 'f' shape and 'd' shape.

Open G on the guitar

DGDGBD - thought I'd have a play about the the guitar in open g tuning, and I love it! It's really easy to take a lot of the stuff that you've learned on the banjo over. It's probably not the tuning for the determined jazz fan but if you're used to plucking a drum on a stick, it's OK.