What’s LE playing on his guitar of late? Inquiring minds want to know.
Honestly, I haven’t been playing much – except for this odd tendency to pick it up at something like 11:45 at night and start strumming as loud as possible. The whole family’s asleep, nodding off in their rooms with air conditioning units about as noisy as 747 engines, so I’m not worried about waking anyone up. I think I play at this hour to keep my mind off more serious, weighty topics that tend to flare up like neon signs on the ceiling above my bed.
So, here goes …
1. “25 or 6 to 4,” by Chicago
Is it about drugs??? Is it about gambling??? Is it about being on the lam from the mob??? Who knows! Actually I do, and it’s about none of the aforementioned. The verse riff is so simple every beginner can figure it out in a minute or two. I don’t think I played it in twenty-five years. But I figgered out that little bluesy lick in the chorus and now I find myself playing it all the time. That handful of slide and picked notes just gives me bliss.
2. “Bargain,” by The Who
I always liked The Who, Pete Townsend in particular, though I don’t play much of their stuff. In the early 80s I listened to Tommy and Quadrophenia endlessly on my Uncle’s 8-track player. Since I functioned primarily as a rhythm guitarist in the couple of bands I was later in, you’d think Pete’s playing would resonate with me. I don’t know; maybe it does. Anyway, I dropped the low-E down a full step and “Bargain” just fell in to place with a couple fortuitously-strummed chords.
3. “In the Mood,” by Robert Plant
All right, this one I went online to get the tab. I heard this song about two thousand times when I was in high school. I think the radio stations were legally obligated to play this twice an hour in order to also play Led Zeppelin songs. Anyway, I always dug the guitar solo, modulating as it does from G to Bb, so I learned it off the tab. Now I imagine myself with a big mullet jamming out on this with a similarly-coifed Robert snapping his fingers next to me.
4. “What the Hell Have I?” by Alice In Chains
In the early 90s I lived and breathed this band. Now, I can’t believe I listened to them as much as I did, given the dreary self-loathing that oozes from their lyrics. But that guy, Jerry Cantrell, is a phenomenal guitarist. I’d go so far that he created his own style of playing, what with all those droning dropped tunings and off-kilter rhythms. This song is off one of the Arnold movie soundtracks, but I only started playing it of late. Doesn’t sound as good on my acoustic, but good enough for me.
5. “Minuet,” by Luigi Boccherini
You heard this little classical ditty a hundred times as background music to cocktail parties in movies or fine wine or dining commercials. I had a music book out from the library a few weeks ago and I noodled through it. This was my big takeaway. It won’t blow you away, it won’t overpower you, but it’s a nice little thing to play on the twanger.
Honestly, I haven’t been playing much – except for this odd tendency to pick it up at something like 11:45 at night and start strumming as loud as possible. The whole family’s asleep, nodding off in their rooms with air conditioning units about as noisy as 747 engines, so I’m not worried about waking anyone up. I think I play at this hour to keep my mind off more serious, weighty topics that tend to flare up like neon signs on the ceiling above my bed.
So, here goes …
1. “25 or 6 to 4,” by Chicago
Is it about drugs??? Is it about gambling??? Is it about being on the lam from the mob??? Who knows! Actually I do, and it’s about none of the aforementioned. The verse riff is so simple every beginner can figure it out in a minute or two. I don’t think I played it in twenty-five years. But I figgered out that little bluesy lick in the chorus and now I find myself playing it all the time. That handful of slide and picked notes just gives me bliss.
2. “Bargain,” by The Who
I always liked The Who, Pete Townsend in particular, though I don’t play much of their stuff. In the early 80s I listened to Tommy and Quadrophenia endlessly on my Uncle’s 8-track player. Since I functioned primarily as a rhythm guitarist in the couple of bands I was later in, you’d think Pete’s playing would resonate with me. I don’t know; maybe it does. Anyway, I dropped the low-E down a full step and “Bargain” just fell in to place with a couple fortuitously-strummed chords.
3. “In the Mood,” by Robert Plant
All right, this one I went online to get the tab. I heard this song about two thousand times when I was in high school. I think the radio stations were legally obligated to play this twice an hour in order to also play Led Zeppelin songs. Anyway, I always dug the guitar solo, modulating as it does from G to Bb, so I learned it off the tab. Now I imagine myself with a big mullet jamming out on this with a similarly-coifed Robert snapping his fingers next to me.
4. “What the Hell Have I?” by Alice In Chains
In the early 90s I lived and breathed this band. Now, I can’t believe I listened to them as much as I did, given the dreary self-loathing that oozes from their lyrics. But that guy, Jerry Cantrell, is a phenomenal guitarist. I’d go so far that he created his own style of playing, what with all those droning dropped tunings and off-kilter rhythms. This song is off one of the Arnold movie soundtracks, but I only started playing it of late. Doesn’t sound as good on my acoustic, but good enough for me.
5. “Minuet,” by Luigi Boccherini
You heard this little classical ditty a hundred times as background music to cocktail parties in movies or fine wine or dining commercials. I had a music book out from the library a few weeks ago and I noodled through it. This was my big takeaway. It won’t blow you away, it won’t overpower you, but it’s a nice little thing to play on the twanger.
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