Comment

Comment by Keni Lee Burgess on September 18, 2010 at 1:55pm

Hello Jason. Ya, time gets stretched pretty thin when you got too many irons in the fire. This is why I'm strictly a player, not a builder. If I invested time into building too, between teaching, making videos, playing out on the subway platforms, internet work, and a whole lot of other things that already fill my day, I would need an eighth day. LOL Sounds to me you are off to a good start. In my mind, the more you can discover on the fingerboard through experience, the more the pieces will fall into place, and you will see the bigger picture. I hope you enjoy my arrangement. It is pretty straight up and I think it will continue to help you clarify the fingerboard in 151 tuning. I look forward to your feedback. No rush. LOL Enjoy.

Comment by Strolling Tone on September 18, 2010 at 6:30am

Nice bit of picking there. Looks like your daily practicing is really paying off.

Comment by Jason Hitesman on September 18, 2010 at 6:27am

Thanks Keni, I'm looking forward to trying your version this afternoon when I have some time. I'm sure you noticed that quite a few things I was trying came from your lessons - The opening was your opening for Sitting on top of the world, nobodies fault made a bit of an apperance and part of the walking bass line from supplement A which was the first thing I managed to do on a guitar that actually sounded like I meant to do it :) Though I still can't get the second section right reliably but I'm practicing and I'm sure I'll get it someday.

I wasn't really trying to duplicate the melody of freight train based on your 4 string arrangement, that part I got from the strumstick site (which is apparently also tuned 151) but a few of the notes have just never sounded quite right to me. It was the alternating 3rd and 4th strings that fill things out and get a rhythm going that your 4 string version helped me with. (though in retrospect it's covered in your 3 string lessons but I never thought to try it here!) Playing your version in my head sight reading the tab I'm really looking forward to seeing how it will sound when I try playing it!

The only complaint I have about all the help from the nation with helping learn to play is I haven't had time to pick up my tools and build another box in months, heck I still haven't even finished carving the piece of elk antler a friend gave me to make a permanent nut for this one :) Thankfully it hasn't been a big burden since my workshop is my patio and being summer here in Yuma it's been way too hot to work out there! Another month or so and I'm hoping I can make progress on my other projects.

Comment by Keni Lee Burgess on September 18, 2010 at 4:10am

I posted the arrangement and lesson. I hope you find this helpful with your study. Enjoy.
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/freight-train-by-elizabeth

Comment by Keni Lee Burgess on September 18, 2010 at 2:11am

Thank you for sharing. I can fully sympathize with the challenge and frustration of learning to play guitar. Reducing an arrangement down to a three string CBG from a more conventional instrument arrangement can be tricky. Consider this first, my rendition is in Spanish tuning aka open G, so the two highest strings are tuned in a 3 over 5 interval relationship. The relationship (151) of a three string CBG's first two strings are like Vestapol tuning aka open D, a 5 over 1 relationship. I am not trying to confuse you, but not only are you reducing, you are also transposing from one tuning to another. Essentially, doubling your fun! LOL Your arrangement regarding the melody line is very close. I will tab out an arrangement for 3 string CBG tuned GDg and post it on my page, so you can see how I might approach this variation. I can't express how much I enjoy seeing that my lessons are helping builders explore and play their creations. Thank you for mentioning my name. Enjoy.

Comment by beStillroy on September 18, 2010 at 1:55am

Right ON

Comment by Jason Hitesman on September 17, 2010 at 2:43pm

:) I had actually picked it up to calm down the kid. One of the only tricks I've learned that calms her down when she gets fussy. And the dog seems to enjoy it too...at least she seems to nod her head and wag her tail in time with what I'm doing...when I manage to keep a recognizable rhythm going that is!

I finally gave in this evening and drilled a soundhole which has made a noticeable difference in volume, so hopefully next time the dog and kid won't drown out the guitar quite so much :)

Comment by Craig Cox on September 17, 2010 at 2:39pm

put that thing down, man! you're scaring the children and the dog is foaming at the mouth! no, seriously, nice playing, bro. I feel the same way. 3 or 4 string cbgs have been so liberating. I love being able to pick out or strum a nice melody, make real music, without devoting my entire life to it. keep it up and post some more when you feel it!

Comment by Jason Hitesman on September 17, 2010 at 2:09pm

Thanks, I didn't plan on sharing that when I recorded it. Was just messing around and wanted to hear how I was sounding. For comparison here's the first sounds I got out of this box 8 months ago: http://vimeo.com/8983983

(FWIW - Freight Train was one of my favorite songs that my dad used to play when I was a kid, so I've been trying to figure out a 3 string arrangement for awhile. I got the basic melody off the strumstick site but it wasn't until I saw Keni Lee's four string arrangement that I figured out how to start rounding it out a bit. Still very much a work in progress...but at least my daughter seems to be enjoying listening to me figure it out!

Comment by MikeBoy on September 17, 2010 at 1:27pm

Great tone and playing!