Guitar Gear I’m loving Now…

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Music Gear for the Working Player

This is one singer/songwriter’s take on gear and making the best use of space, on stage… Read More

By way of introduction, I have been playing guitar and singing for many years. I started performing when I was about 16 years old and never looked back. By my early twenties, I was touring the US and Canada with my late friend and mentor, Jud Strunk.

I have played big stages, living room corners, and lawn parties. At this time I am mostly, playing with a great trio (Cafe Daze) and an occasional solo gig. We are playing house parties and small restaurants and loving it. The rare Willy Kelly Band gig is almost always a small stage or smaller.

You can also find me playing on my YouTube channel.

jud-strunk-great -northern-bluegrass — Jud Strunk, Alex Scheeren, Willy Kelly, and Alden Clark, 1978 at the Great Northern Bluegrass Festival

On a large stage, I like a long guitar cable to easily, get around the stage. I have considered going wireless but have never “cut the cord”. That said, today I like to keep the tangle of long wires to a minimum. I often sit on a stool to play and prefer smaller equipment. Today getting small equipment that sounds awesome is totally possible.

My Small-Stage Setup…

My guitars…

My main setup, at this time, is amplified acoustic instruments. I’m using a Larrivee OM-03 guitar with an under the bridge pickup. It may be a Martin Thinline which was put in by the store I bought it from. I also play a Republic #200 model, Tricone guitar with a Lace humbucking pickup.

Both of these guitars go through an Electro-Harmonix Nano Switchblade. It looks like it is set up to send one guitar to two amps but I use it to send two guitars to one preamp. For years I’ve used two preamps but in the interest of using less space, I now use just one. I do have to adjust the volume to match the output of each guitar for sound…

Click on these pictures to order these through Amazon…

I’m really liking the Planet Waves American Stage series cables, these days. I like the 10-footer for short runs on a small stage. So, I’m using a 10′ cable from each guitar to the AB-Y switch and a 10′ cable to the preamp. I could easily use a 20′ cable to the preamp on a regular stage. I have a Planet Waves, 20-foot cable for each guitar, as well as, the 10′ cables.

For small clubs, a 15-foot cable is probably long enough. I tend to get carried away with the question, “what if I need a little more?” So yes I have different lengths for various gigs. If I can take a little cash from each gig and get a new cable, once in a while, it doesn’t hurt so much…

I am loving my LR Baggs Acoustic Para DI preamp. I find it makes anything I plug into sound great. It has many tone-shaping features and is built like a tank. Really, the box is heavy metal! I generally use phantom power from the mixer to power it although I keep a 9-volt battery in it, as well.

I use a very short mic cable from my preamp to the board these days. I have been reading reviews and comparing my own mix and match set of mic wires. I am presently in the process of replacing all my mic cables with Rapco cables. (I also like the Planet Waves American Stage series mic cables but they are a little more expensive…) For my preamp to the mixer, I like the Rapco Horizon N1M1-3 Stage Series M1, 3′ mic cable.

I know that seems really short but when I am right next to the mixer it’s nice not to have a lot of extra cables to trip over…

My Microphones

I have always been a fan of the Shure SM-58. Mine has been around for a while and has the ubiquitous dented screen. It is dependable and an industry standard for the working musician.

I also have a Behringer XM8500 which, for under $20, is a decent replica of a ’58. It has weight and a reasonable sound for a club gig. (In deference to the working persons tight budget, I will say now I have not had good luck with the Behringer XM1800s. I have found it feedback prone, with a ringing midrange. Just my opinion, take it or not…)

I am a huge fan of the Electro-Voice, RE-20. I have played with them as a general, guitar/voice mic at the local radio stations and as a result, got one of my own. You can hear it in many of my YouTube videos. It is well-built with a nice even character. It has less of a proximity effect which I sometimes like.

My P.A.

I use powered speakers connected by mic cables from the mixer. I keep medium length (25′) to longer cables (50′) for the connecting to the speakers. It’s also good to have a few 10′ to 15′ long extension cables to plug in the speakers.

I am presently using an older model of the Behringer Eurolive B212D Active 550-Watt 2-Way speaker. They have worked well for many years, for an inexpensive speaker. However, I am pretty committed to upgrading to the QSC K8.2 Active 8″ Powered loudspeakers, very soon. Be aware if you look elsewhere that there is a model that looks very much like this but is the “CP” series, not the “K” series. It may be fine but it is less powered and less expensive. I have played a gig using one of K8 model and it sounded great and worked well!

I am presently using an old Mackie CFX-12 mixer with Cafe Daze and it’s working great. I’m not sure what mixer I would replace that with except to say I have always had great luck with Mackie mixers. I think the PROFX16V2 16-Channel is on my wishlist for when the one I’m using finally quits. (If it ever does…)

So this is a look into some of what I’m doing with music gear. I hope this is helpful, to you. Please let me know how I can help you with your mission to have fun playing music!

My Short, Gear List…

Let me repeat the links to gear that is on my wishlist and/or in use at my gigs:

If you use these links to get any this gear you will be supporting me and my online endeavors. Thank you…

Good Gear Leads to Good Gigs…

I hope you have enjoyed this small look into my gear and outlook on working as a work-a-day musician. My choices aren’t always the cheapest but I try to find workable deals. A few steady gigs can be enough to afford, a little at a time, to keep your stage environment in good working order…

Have a great time playing and thank you for stopping by…

Let me know if you try any of this gear and how it works for you. I’d love to read your feedback. (No pun intended…)

Find more at:

The Major Scale for Beginners

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The Musical Ear & Cultural Mind

Music comes from the heart and the soul. We are born with it and we add to it, all our lives. When we love, our heart sings. When we lose, we sing the blues. The major scale has been one of western culture’s base elements for a thousand years.

You may not realize it but I’m pretty sure you already know a lot about the major scale… Read More

Music from the beginning…

Since the beginning, humans have been collectively deciding, what music we like and then getting together and creating it. We discover what music we like and then we play it, we sing it, we listen to it, and we seek it out.

Music has progressed because humans have progressed. When we spent every waking moment trying to find something to eat, while not getting eaten, our music choices were limited. When people were all nomadic, we created instruments we could carry.

As people settled down, our music choices became broader while our instruments continue to evolve and grow more intricate. As we take the time for quiet contemplation, our music choices grow more complex.

Music is for life…

I’ve been a life-long, student of music. My family played and sang music together, for fun. I studied music in school and college and continue to seek out new music. I’ve been “teaching” music for the majority of my life.

I believe music education is about finding ways to talk about music. It gives us a way to clarify what we know. We can share complex or intimate ideas and feelings, we have about music.

However, when we begin exploring the major scale I would say, “you already know it.” It’s in your DNA and is part of our human/cultural consciousness.” We can be as serious as we want here but I like to think we are also here, having some fun…

Major scale examples; everybody sing!

Here are some songs you may know or have heard that are solid examples of the major scale in our music culture:

“Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little…”
“I’ve been working on the rail road, all the live long day…”, and that favorite of sports songs…
“Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd…”

Like I said, you already know a lot about this… You and I have been listening to the major scale, all our lives.

Some Music History

Before musical notes we had “neumes” for writing music down. Neumes, generally showed the singer of Gregorian Chants which direction the melody was moving, up or down.

Singers from about 650 CE to about 1000 CE used neumes and began working with “modes”. These are not exactly the modes of the major scale that players use today but these early church modes did develop into the major and minor scales, as we know them.

At this time, monks and monastaries were the educational center of society. Music was an important part of religious ceremonies and monks wanted to keep a written record of the music. There was still a strong “person to person” aspect in learning music, based on the limitation of the music writing system available.

So, along comes the Benedictine monk, Guido D’Arezzo, (Guido of Arezzo, 990-1050) and sees the need for improvement in music writing. He pulled together what was available for music recording and began to improve and develop a musical staff with definite notes pitches and enhanced rhythmic notation. This made the sharing and teaching of melodies easier and more efficient.

Solfege Syllables and Illustrations

Guido D’Arezzo also developed Solfege, which is a set of syllables that correspond to the pattern of tones and semitones of the major scale. This grew from, C-D-E-F-G-A to the complete major scale, C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.

The syllables used for solfege are do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do.

C Major Scale

These syllables also have corresponding hand signs. The following signs also give clues to how notes of the scale interact with each other.

Hand Sign Illustrations

C Major Scale with Syllables

I will mention that the hand signs help to show how voices move in choral singing. More about that at another time. Getting comfortable with the syllables and the signs, is a great educational tool for understanding the major scale and voice leading.

Sing a Long with the C Major Scale

You probably already know how to sing the major scale. For the sake of unity and simplicity, we can start on the note, “C”. Let’s all sing together: Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do…

C Major Scale with Syllables

I find it helpful at times to think of the major scale in numbers.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1 = do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do

C Major Scale with Numbers

Now would be a good time to sing the scale, a few times. Try the syllables, try the signs with the syllables. Try singing the syllables then the numbers, then add the signs…

C Major Scale – Voice Only

When matching your voice to a note, it’s important to listen to the note before you start singing! Let’s sing that again.

C Major Scale with Numbers – Voice Only

Whole steps & half steps

You can chose whatever note you like to start the scale on and it will be the same “distance” between each note. This is called, “moveable do”.

People recognize notes as a semitone or a whole tone apart. (Actually we hear a lot more than that but that’s beyond this article…)

You recognize the major scale as a pattern of whole steps and half steps. (Whole tones and semitones) On the guitar a whole step is two frets and a half step is one fret. Again, each fret equals one half step…

The pattern is:

Whole step, whole step, half step, (w, w, ^)
whole step, whole step, whole step, half step (w, w, w, ^)

You may want to say that a few times… w, w, ^, w, w, w, ^…

Also notice that do is at the beginning and the end. (Or the bottom and the top) These notes are an octave apart. They are basically the same note but double (or half) the frequency for each octave. The note A can be 440 hertz (hz.) or 880 hz. or 220 hz. You can hear they are at different levels of tone and frequency but you can also hear that they are somewhat the same.

At times like this, I have found it’s better to just accept rather than question why. We learn music by doing it and after we do it for a while we start to understand. If you love it, like I do, the search for more understanding never really ends…

Major scale practice and ear training

As I’ve said I think you already know quite a bit about the major scale. So let us see how this works in the every day world for us as singers and songwriters.

If we sing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” with solfege it sounds like this:

Mi re do re mi mi mi, (Mary had a little lamb,)

re re re, mi fa sol… (little lamb, little lamb…)

Mi re do re mi mi mi, (Mary had a little lamb,)

mi re re mi re do… (whose fleece was white as snow…)

Mary Had A Little Lamb in Solfege

Now add the signs…

So you can get more familiar with the major scale by using the signs and singing the scale. You can also start finding the basic songs you learned as a child and figuring out the solfege and singing/signing them .

Start with do re mi. Then just keep adding notes. Before long you will be singing songs that you thought were only in your memory.

Leave a comment to let me know how it’s going. If you get stuck on something leave a note and I will help you as best I can.

Sign up, above, for free videos and pictures for your desktop, leave a comment on what’s working or how I can help, and …

Start singing and getting to know the major scale!

The singing starts with: mi, fa, mi, re, do, re, do, re, mi, re, do, do…

About Willy Kelly:

I have been teaching guitar and music for over 30 years. I have a Master of Music Education degree and have taught privately and in public schools. I have decades of experience performing, touring, recording, and producing music.

I live on the coast of Maine with my beautiful wife, our Standard Poodle, “Coco”, and our three cats, Mac, Finn, and Annabelle.

How To Host A House Concert

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A Musician’s View

I grew up in a time when a DJ was some old-time way of having a “record-hop”. I realize that a good DJ can be a fun experience but even DJ’s love live music. I saw a lot of great local musicians during my high school years because if we could get a band, we got a band!

I say, it is easier than you think to get live musicians to play for you and your friends. Who wouldn’t love good music, some good food, with friends in the comfort of your own space? My lovely wife, Donna, has great, “craft nights” and we’re already talking about how to rearrange the furniture for a “music night”. So let’s walk through this together… Read More

Having music in your home has always been, “a thing”

“In the 16th century musical ability was seen as an expression of good birth and good education. Lord Herbert of Cherbury regarded playing the lute as a more civilised pastime than drunken debauchery.”

(The history of musical etiquette, http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/history-of-musical-etiquette/, 4/2/2019)

I agree with Lord Herbert, we should all play the lute (or the guitar) and have friends over to play. My family had music get-togethers when I was growing up and everybody played! Where better to hear music than at home?

“In 1749 Lord Chesterfield, who regarded himself as an expert on etiquette, instructed his son: ‘If you love music hear it; go to operas, concerts and pay fiddlers to play for you…”

(The history of musical etiquette, http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/history-of-musical-etiquette/, 4/2/2019)

Folk music has a long tradition of people meeting to hear music at someone’s house or a Grange hall. Hootenannies were a thing as far back as 1940. Certainly people gathered at homes, backyards, and around pools for music all through the ’60’s into the ’70’s.

You could even say that a house concert could be considered… traditional.

Find Musicians You Know and Love

You can begin the search for great music by going out to hear local musicians, playing the restaurant or bar circuit, in your area. Ask your friends what players they follow or know. Look at the flyers up at your local Co-op. Ask around about music at the deli, your church, your local convenience store.

I live on the beautiful coast of Maine. There are great musicians in almost every town along the coast. In the summer there are people playing on the beaches, porches, and boats everywhere! I can drive throughout Maine and point out backyards and porches I have played, at some time…

Musicians are always looking for gigs. They want to have fun, as much as you do. Who doesn’t like to be invited to a party with like minded people for an afternoon. You will find many great musicians who want a chance to play for a reasonable price and a little food and drink… Ask them!

McGhee & Terry’s, “Walk On”

How much room is there for music?

Knowing what your musician’s need for a good performance, will be a good beginning to having a great experience.

First you have to consider how big a group of artists you can host. This is a matter of space and money. Let’s talk about space first…

You will already have an idea of how many people you can fit in your room, porch, or yard. I have seen situations where the yard held 100 people but the band was allotted a space, too narrow to hold a drum set or a guitar player with an amplifier behind them.

If you are hosting a band you need to also remember that some of their equipment may be heavy. Getting easy access to where they are playing will make everything go smoother. Always talk to a band about the space they need to set up their equipment.

Deluxe Folding chair… (Click for more info)

Also consider how loud the band is used to playing and make sure the space can handle that volume. Also, if the music needs to cover a field of merrymakers, make sure they understand they will need some amplification to cover that. Let me say now that a barn is an excellent place to have a band play for friends…

If you are hosting music in an intimate space, like a living room or a small patio and lawn, it may be wise to choose a smaller size group. A trio, duo, or even solo can be very entertaining and well suited to a home setting. That said, make sure you know the amount of space the player(s) need to be comfortable and ready to put on a good performance. Many musicians can function in a decent size corner with a chair or stool and a place to set their drink, capo, and picks…

Questions for before the party!

Does the band do requests?
Do they know a song you’d like them to play?
Do the performers mind being photographed or videoed?
Do any of the musicians or guests have allergies?

What do the musicians need?

Now that you have the appropriate place to setup your music, let’s look at some other things that can make a concert really nice.

A dark room can be cozy but some guy you can’t see playing his guitar over in the corner can be, potentially, a little disconcerting… (no pun intended) Good lighting for the performer(s) will help people to enjoy the music and feel like something really special is happening. (Which it is!)

Handy furniture… (click for more info)

Musicians love to play. That doesn’t change the fact that they deserve to get paid for the expertise and experience they are bringing to you. Paying them a fair amount, is only right. Consider that a dentist makes at least $150 per person walking through the door, all day!

Many musicians have some small stage lighting they can bring if they know you need it and it’s not too big for the space.

If you space is big enough to warrant a sound system for the band then they will need power. Make sure that the power is right where the music is setting up and that any power wires or extension cords being used are not going to be walked on and tripped over. It’s no fun to be deep in musical bliss and have to try and figure out why the music stopped and who pulled the plug!

You pay $35 to $95, each, to sit next to people you don’t know and listen to a concert. You pay extra for a drink or a small bag of chips. Compare this to being at home eating great food with friends and hearing great music, from a few feet away. I think you may find that even $15, times 20 or 30 people, will put you in the ballpark for a small group musicians, playing an hour and a half.

Color LED lights… (click for more info)

Obviously if you are having a big barn dance or lawn party with a ton of friends your possibilities get bigger, as well. Get the money together and give it to the musicians, before they start and you can all concentrate on the task at hand, Having Fun!

So, the musicians need:

Enough space to set up and perform
Good lighting
Good, “foolproof” power to keep the show going on…
Any necessary furniture:
- chair,
- small table,
- a carpet,
- a stool (or 3 stools?)
- a stand or table to set a speaker on…
Maybe some bottled water, coffee or tea

Finally, shower the musicians with love and money, before they start and leave them to their work…

‘If you love music hear it; go to operas, concerts and pay fiddlers to play for you…”

Lord Chesterfield,
1749

What do your guests need?

Collect money before guests get settled in! I’m not saying be rude or not nice but it’s easy to say that you need to get the money out of the way so you can have fun with your good friends.

If you collected money before the get-together, fine, even better. If collecting money feels hard make it a ritual. Have everyone, please, visit the “music basket” as they arrive. Have one of your trusted friends go around with basket.

As soon as you get the money out of the way, let people know where they can put their coats, set down any food they’ve brought, or find a seat. Help them to get comfortable with the surroundings. Let them know where the washroom is and maybe, steer them toward the food.

A handy video recorder… (click for more info)

Most people like to have an idea of what the agenda or order of events will be. Have a card, flyer, or maybe the family chalkboard or whiteboard with the schedule for the events. Make sure your extremely, uninhibited, uncle knows he has to behave and yes his kids have to behave too! Let everyone who attends know ahead of time what to expect and what is expected.

Check that everyone will be seated where they can see and hear the performers. Try to not have everyone crammed into a space that is uncomfortable. If you like, you can label seating before people arrive. That is one way to make sure everyone has a seat.

If you need a bar, set up a bar (an old door and two sawhorses!)
If you love coffee have some great coffee (with decaf for me…) Have some small tables around to set drinks on. If your friends are artists, have them bring art to decorate the room with.

At the end of the concert, let people know if there is a time and place to mingle with the musicians.

When the predetermined time to end the festivities is reached, thank everyone for coming and wish them a safe trip home. I can be guilty of talking someone’s ear off, not realizing that the party is over… It’s nice to have a definitive ending to a great event.

What do you need?

Let’s review…

You’ve welcomed the band, made sure they have enough space to set up. They have power and know where to set their stuff. You’ve collected money and paid the musicians.

Your guests know where the washroom is, the food is, and where they can find a seat. They have an idea of when the music starts and when the get-together ends.

Now what about you? You have done the planning made and the effort to bring people together for a really worthwhile endeavor. Now, you need to make sure that you are going to have a really good time!

Make mine decaf… (Click for more info)

Once people are present and the musicians are all set, its ok to let go a little bit. Maybe you can have a friend be the announcer for the band or have someone watch over the food table. Someone else can collect dishes, take out some full trash bags, or collect returnable bottles.

These are great jobs for a resourceful teenager or a mature “tweenager”. Maybe they can keep the returnables or invite a friend to help them and stay to hear the music. Or… have them babysit in a room off from the party, with good kid food, a movie, and quiet toys or craft projects for everyone.

It’s ok to have other people help each other and let you enjoy the party.

You can, make the concert, two shorter sets or one longer set, eat before the music, eat after, start the party at noon or 3:00 or 6:00. Throw your trash in the can as you go and get done in time to get up early the next day (and do it all again!)

What I’m saying is that if you, the host, aren’t having a real good time, you need to adjust. The goal is to feel good about having a house concert and enjoy the music and the company of your friends. You have a great time and you may be the beginning of a house concert movement, in your circle of friends!

When is your next house concert?

Life is about experiences. A few hours of listening to great music, talking music with great musicians, and sharing food and fun with friends, is a valid life experience…

So, Why not your porch or your barn or your lawn? Figure out which of your friends has the biggest and nicest room for a small concert? Putting on a house concert will make you the envy of all your friends. Having a series house concerts will make you the “go to” person for friends and musicians.

It’s good for us music lovers and good for us musicians. Let’s share our love of music…

British Blues & Long John Baldry

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The British Blues Scene of the 1960’s

I’ve always listened to a variety of music which I encourage you to do, as well. So while I was listening to Bob Dylan, I was also playing my guitar along with John Lee Hooker’s, double album, “Mad Man Blues” and James Taylor’s, “Sweet Baby James.” Still at that time playing the blues felt like a mission to me. Read More

From 1969 to 1974 or ’75, I was a serious student of the blues. Yes, I was also a Bob Dylan fanatic but if you listen to his early music and, in fact, much of all of his music you will see that he was greatly influenced by blues music, as well. A fact he acknowledged in his autobiography, “Chronicles: Volume One“.

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee w Otis Spann – Walk On (Live France 1964)

Still I listened seriously, and with intent, to records by, Lightnin’ Hopkins, B.B. King, Albert King, Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Memphis Slim, Otis Spann, and so on. I also liked the newer Rock and Blues like John Mayall and the Rolling Stones. My love of folk music connected me to the early Faces and Rod Stewart. It was, then, inevitable that I would become aware of Long John Baldry…

Don’t try to lay no Boogie Woogie,…

Long John Baldry, so called because he stood 6’7″ tall was a part of the British blues-rock scene of the 1960’s. Born in East Haddon, Northamptonshire, England in 1941, he started out as a folk musician and toured Europe for a time with Ramblin’ Jack Elliot.

He eventually played with Alexis Korner and Blues Incorporated as well as Cyril Davies’, Rhythm and Blues All Stars which solidified his reputation as a player in the British blues scene. In 1964 he saw Rod Stewart busking in a British train station and invited Stewart join his band, The Hoochie Coochie Men. Following that he put together a group called, Steampacket and then a group called Bluesology which included the piano man, Reginald Dwight, who later changed his name to Elton John. His famous collaborators at various concerts during the 1960s include, Jimmy Page (from Led Zepplin) as well as Rod Stewart, and Elton John. Rod Stewart has often credited Baldry’s attention with greatly contributing to Stewart’s own success.

Baldry is also known for being the voice of Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the main adversary in the video game-based cartoon series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993).

Later on he turned to Pop music and had a hit with, “”Let the Heartaches Begin” in 1968. He took some time off from music in the mid-1970’s and moved to Canada in 1980. He died a Canadian citizen in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2005.

Ron Davies’, “It Ain’t Easy”

John Baldry’s supporting musicians…

Baldy’s album, “It Ain’t Easy” includes a list of musicians that encompasses the best of the “60’s British blues movement. The song “It Ain’t Easy” includes Rikki Brown on Bass, – Mickie Waller on Drums, Ron Wood on Electric Guitar, Ian Armit on Piano, Sam Mitchell on Resonator Guitar (Dobro Steel Guitar), and Maggie Bell as the female Vocalist. The song was written by Ron Davies.

Rikki Brown was a member in groups that included Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages which also included a young Nicky Hopkins. He was a guest bassist for John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and also played for Cyril Davies, Brian Auger & The Trinity, Steampacket which included Rod Stewart, and for a while, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames. Later in his career he worked with Carlo Little’s All Stars, which included Ronnie Wood’s older brother Art Wood

Mickie Waller work on sessions for many artists, including, Brian Auger, Jimmy Page, Rod Stewart, Ron Nagle, Billy Bragg, The Walker Brothers, Dusty Springfield, Elton John and Paul McCartney.

Ron Wood is of course a very well-known guitarist, famous for a ton of session work and his work with Jeff Beck Group, Rod Stewart, and Faces. He has been a steady member of The Rolling Stones since February, 1976.

Ian Armit was a jazz pianist and composer from Scotland. He was in groups including, The Hoochie Coochie Men, The Wally Fawkes-Sandy Brown Quintet, and Wally Fawkes And The Troglodytes.

Rod Stewart singing, “Gasoline Alley”

Sam Mitchell was discovered playing in London folk clubs by John Baldry and Rod Stewart. His trademark instrument was a National Steel guitar. He put out his first recording called, “Firepoint” in 1969. He recorded for Rod Stewart in 1970 on “Gasoline Alley” and in ’71 on “Every Picture Tells A Story”. From 1976 he worked with his own trio, Sam Mitchell Blues Band. In the 80’s he worked with Dana Gillespie’s blues band. In the late ’80’s Mitchell joined the Danish rock band, The Sandmen. The band split up after five albums, in 1979.

Maggie Bell is a singer from Scotland. She also performed with the groups, Frankie And Johnny, the Jon Lord Blues Project, Midnight Flyer, and Stone The Crows.

“It Ain’t Easy” was covered by many artists including, Three Dog Night, Dave Edmunds, David Bowie, and Shelby Lynne.

Ron Davies – Singer/Songwriter

Ron Davies was a singer-songwriter from Shreveport, Louisiana. He died in 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee. This excerpt from the Ron Davies says it well;

“Ron Davies was a well-respected singer in his own right, as well as a talented songwriter.
http://www.rondavies.info/recordings.html

“…His compositions have been recorded by such iconic artists as: Jack White and The Raconteurs, Joe Cocker, Anne Murray, Long John Baldry, Joan Baez, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dolly Parton, Three Dog Night, Shelby Lynne, David Bowie, Helen Reddy, John Kay of Steppenwolf, Bettye Lavette, Jerry Jeff Walker, Maria Muldaur, Ricky Skaggs, Claudia Lennear, Glenn Yarborough, Nancy Griffith, Mitch Rider of Detroit, Alison Krauss, Dobie Gray, Gail Davies and Vince Gill. His songs have also appeared in two movies, Go Ask Alice and Lost in America.” (http://www.rondavies.info/recordings.html)

Bonnie Bramlett singing, “Lay My Body Down”

Bonnie Bramlett of Delaney and Bonnie fame…

“…bring you ’round home again…”

So… I went many years with this song rattling around in my head until I decided to start covering it. This song shows a group of musicians that worked together and played together. I find a peace and excitement in this Baldry recording that takes me back to my early music beginnings.

I provided more song links than usual in this post; I hope you enjoy them. There are some Amazon links which I would encourage you to check out. (Yes, I am an affiliate but please don’t let that lessen your enthusiasm. I already have everything here I linked to…)

Are you familiar with these players?
Have you read Dylan’s book?… What did you think?
What would you like to see for my next beginner guitar lesson?

Let me know below or drop me a line…

About Willy Kelly

I am a musician and a music educator. My goal is to educate, entertain, and encourage you, to play more, know more, and listen to more music. I present my musical views, songwriting projects, recordings, and regular performances of the music I love in this (almost) weekly blog. Please check out my YouTube channel for more of me and the music I like.

I have decades of experience in performing, touring, recording, mixing, and producing music. I have a Masters degree in music education and many years of teaching experience in public schools, colleges, and giving private lessons. I am happily married to Donna Newhouse Kelly and together we have four adult children, a dog, and three cats. (Whew!)

Donna and I live on the beautiful coast of Maine…

How to Tune Your Guitar

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Tuning for the beginning player

I was talking with one of my “brand new” students about getting together and she said, “…well my guitar is out of tune again…” I am reminded that an in-tune guitar is a happy guitar and a happy guitar leads to a happy guitar-player… So let’s all get in tune!
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There are many ways to tune a guitar

Being able to tune your guitar is basic to having fun with playing and beginning the friendship we all have with our guitars. It’s like brushing your teeth; It’s probably not what you plan your day around but your day and the days that follow go better when we do a good job with it (every day).

Keeping a guitar in tune trains your guitar to stay in tune. It will play better and sound better. I would argue that guitars that are kept in good tune have wood that resonates better and so, sound better. Stay in tune!

At first thought I can think of many ways to tune my guitar. I suppose I have my favorite but the truth is I have used all of them when I needed to. A quick list of how to tune would include:

tuning to a tuning fork (old school and time-tested)
tuning to a pitch pipe or piano (also, old school)
Tuning string to string (still needs a note to tune to…)
Tuning using octaves (also, starts with one tuning note…)
Using a guitar tuner (modern technology with a lot of options)
Using an online guitar tuner (even more-modern technology…)

As you can see we have a lot of options for getting in tune. Let me see if I can break this down and make some sense out of all this!

The tried and true tuning fork

The photo above links to amazon and is a fair representation of the tuning fork that I grew up with.

You lightly tap one of the tines of the fork and then place the ball at the bottom of the stem on the face of your guitar to amplify the sound. You can also place it against a hard table top or even the bone of your head to hear it.

For those of you that need all the facts: The tuning fork was invented in 1711 by John Shore, trumpeter and lutenist to H. Purcell and G.F. Händel in London. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9172630)

This fork produces a tone at 440 hertz which is a concert pitch “A” or A-440 as its generally called. This note is what most modern orchestras tune to, today. You can buy fancier or bigger tuning forks than this but for a reasonably, small investment, it can live in your guitar case giving you peace of mind that you will always have a note to tune to.

Tuning your guitar from one note

Tuning from string to string requires you get one good note from a source like a tuning fork, pitch pipe, a keyboard, or another guitar. To be successful you need to really listen to the source and exactly, match the string you’re tuning to the note you’re listening to.

The first string to string method I’ll show you is to tune an open note from another string playing the same note fretted. For example the note on the A string playing the fifth fret is a D. The D string played on the fifth fret is a G. And so on…

Please notice that if you start with open A you will need to tune the low E string fretted on the 5th fret to the open A. Also notice that the open B is tuned to the G string played on the 4th fret.

If you tune the open low E string to a pipe, keyboard, or guitar you can just tune the open A from the low E played on the fifth (5th) fret and then tune the rest of the strings as shown.

Or Low E from A

Tune open A to a fork, pipe, keyboard, or another guitar.
Tune open D to the A string on the fifth (5th) fret.
Tune open G to the D string on the fifth (5th) fret.
Tune open B to the G string on the fourth (4th) fret.
Tune the open high E string to the B string on the fifth (5th) fret.
Tune the low E string by matching the sound on the fifth (5th) fret to open A.

You can also tune the low E string to a pipe or keyboard and tune the open A string to the E string on the fifth (5th) fret.

Tuning in Octaves

Another way to tune from one note is to tune octaves.

This still requires you get an A note from a fork, pipe, keyboard or guitar. Instead of tuning to the exact same pitch, you tune to a note an octave higher or lower. They have the same note name and when played together they will sound like an extended version of the note.

For this method you start again by tuning the open A string. Then tune the G string fretted on the second fret which is also the note A. Then tune the B string second fret to the A string 3rd fret. Next you tune the D string, open, to the B string third fret. Next tune the high E string to the D string, fourth fret and finally tune the low E string to the D String fourth fret.

It may be obvious, but it’s really important to remember which string you already tuned and which string you are trying to tune. It’s possible to keep retuning strings like a puppy chasing her tail, if your not careful.

I like to play a few chords to check that everything sounds reasonably in tune. Usually an E chord, a G chord, and then a D or C chord. These chord check various strings at different frets. Admittedly, some guitars do better with string to string than with octaves and some guitars really like octave tuning…

Tuning to a pitch pipe or keyboard

Any piano that is in tune or electric piano/organ/synth will provide notes for you to tune to. Know that middle C is basically the C note that is in the middle of the keyboard. The notes for the strings of the guitar are labeled on the keyboard below

Please excuse my old piano. It looks rough and needs tuning but every home should have one!

Pitch pipes for tuning guitars come in different looks; some with six notes some are chromatic, meaning twelve notes. They are meant to give a note for each guitar string to tune to.

The photos below show some options and will take you to Amazon if you want to see more or buy one for yourself.

Tuning with electronic tuners

If you are trying to tune in a noisy environment then an electronic tuner really helps get it done…

My first electronic tuner was the Korg CA-30 Chromatic tuner. I’ve used it a lot and carried it all over the US and it is still working fine…

An electronic tuner will usually have a mic so you can just play in front of it and it will hear the notes you are playing. Most also have an input to plug in your guitar, if you have a pickup or are tuning an electric guitar. There will also be a meter or lights along with a readout of what note you are playing. Like pitch pipes some are designed specifically for guitar (6-notes) and others are chromatic which will tune any instrument.

The only trick here is to make sure your tuning to the note you want. Below or to the left of center will be flat (too low) and above or to the right of center will be sharp (too high). If it’s too low tune your string up until it’s correct. If it’s too high bring your string down until it’s correct. Done…

You can click on the images above to see prices…

As you can see these tuners come in various sizes with different bells and whistles to suit your needs.

Another style of electronic tuners today are clip on tuners. These are handy in that they are not affected by room sounds and can just stay on your guitar, if you don’t mind seeing them while you are playing. I think the Snark tuner was on of the first of these; they are a bit big but work well. I have also used the D’Addario tuners. They are small, inexpensive and have worked well for me so far.

Again, click pictures to see prices on Amazon…

Tuning with online guitar tuners

Finally, the latest internet technology affords us the chance to us guitar tuners that can be found online.

I like the tuner at gieson.com. It has a nice “woody” look, with switches, buttons, and knobs to control the experience. It has over 50 different tunings to choose from. That many tunings is a little overwhelming but it’s certainly thorough.

This tuner/page has four different sounds to choose from including, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, distorted guitar, and sine wave. You have to match you your string tuning to the sounds, by ear, which is a little more work than the electronic tuners mentioned above. Again, you can check it out at gieson.com.

Tim Harden”s, “Reason To Believe”

Here’s an example of G tuning for you… Enjoy!

So go tune your guitar!

As you can see, there are many tools to help you tune your guitar and options on how to do it. Using harmonics to tune is another technique that may be just a little beyond the scope of this article but I may address in the future. Many of these tuners will work for other instruments. Tuners with a mic make tuning almost foolproof and wicked easy…

Let me know:

Which is your favorite tuning strategy?
Do you have a favorite tuner?
Are you old school or high-tech all the way?

Let’s keep this dialog going and let’s…

Keep those guitars in tune!

Beginning Fingerpicking Guitar

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Fingerpicking a Folk song

Fingerpicking: picking with your fingers; simple right? It can be harder than it seems but with a lot of practice, it can bring you a lot of enjoyment…
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If I could fingerpick, I’d be happy…

When I started playing guitar all I wanted was to be able to fingerpick through some songs. I thought if I could play a little bit of melody inside of playing the chords to a song, that would be enough. I turns out I wanted a lot more out of music but I was partially correct. The joy I get from fingerpicking a song is often the part I think and feel most about.

Let me be clear; I am not talking about the work, planning, and expertise that goes into playing a classical piece on the guitar, like Andre Segovia. I am talking about the friendly kind of picking that can make a folk song feel beautiful or drive it, like a fast moving train.

Classical fingerpicking labels

I studied classical guitar and the fingers are labeled in Spanish as follows; pulgar, indice, medio, and anular or p-thumb, i-index, m-middle, and a-ring finger. These designations (p, i, m, a) are worth memorizing out of respect for the history of the guitar.

Classical right-hand style requires a cupped hand plucking the strings with your fingernails, including the thumbnail. Nice rounded nails are the norm.

Travis picking

Merle Travis played with his wrist closer to the strings which enabled him to be able to mute the bass strings with the palm of his hand. He used a thumb-pick and his fingertips/fingernails. I have seen folk players play fingerstyle without a thumbpick which produces a softer, rounder sound. I have rarely felt enough control or clarity with just the thumb.

Notice in the following video that Mr. Travis played using his thumb, with a thumbpick, and his index finger. He played more elaborate melody in the bass with his thumb and seemed to plant his middle and ring fingers (m, a) on the pickguard of his guitar. A simple process, and yet, such an elegant sound…

For an example of some excellent finger style playing I suggest listening to Merle Travis playing Nine Pound Hammer in the following recording from 1951.

Merle Travis, “Nine Pound Hammer”

Other Listening suggestions can be found on my YouTube channel and at the end of this article…

Mix it up with a flatpick and fingers

I also play, at times, using a flatpick and my middle (m) and ring (a) fingers. I play bass notes and strum chords with the flatpick and play fingerpicking patterns with the flatpick and my fingers. You can also use this technique to play strings that are not next to each other on the instrument. This hybrid form of playing is helpful in having a fingerpicking style, whenever the need arises.

A little music theory

G Major Scale: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G

Or using roman numerals…

I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii, I Upper case stands for major (I) and lower case stands for minor (vi)

A chord can be made from any note of the G major scale. Some are major chords and some are minor chords. The theory of this can wait for another time. Just know that the chords from the G major scale are as follows:

G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, F#dim, G

Briefly, chords are made up from notes of the scale, a “third” apart. Starting from G and counting each note a third apart gives us G, B, D or 1, 3, 5. Generally, the root of the chord you’re playing on a guitar will often but not always be the lowest note.

Rhythm guitar with a bass line

You can know that fingerstyle guitar can include strumming and occasional single melody lines. The basic first goal, as I see it, is to develop a rudimentary bass line. An alternating bass line is going to include the root and 5th of the chord.

In a G chord the root and 5th notes are G and D. In a root position G chord these note would be the G note on the low E (6th string, 3rd fret) and the open D (4th string). For starters, you can just alternate between these two notes.

Alternating Bass with a strum

Starting with the low G note you alternate from the G to the open D with your thumb. As this becomes comfortable you can brush all the strings or strum between each bass note.

Please note, (sorry for the pun…) this may sound easy and for some of you it may be easy. If you stumble over this please don’t worry. This is, as always, about what we are doing, not about where we are going or how great we are. I just assume you’re great. I’m great. It’s all good…

Alternate bass with the index/middle…

As soon as you’re ready, you use your index finger to play a B note on the second string (open) between each note. As this becomes comfortable you alternate from thumb to middle finger playing the G note on the high E string, 3rd fret.

Work the first two measures, then the last two measures

Play these slow to start and keep your rhythm really steady. Slow and Steady wins over pushing to get fast (and sloppy)!

Tom Paxton’s, “Last Thing On My Mind”

Alternate bass fingerpicking pattern

Now that you have a little dexterity using your thumb and other fingers to pick strings, it’s time to get familiar with a picking pattern. Play each finger separately until your feeling good then… Play thumb, index, thumb, middle. Slow and steady, over and over. Gradually getting faster, keeping it clean and smooth.

Thumb: 6th string & 4th string / index: 2nd string / middle: 1st string

Chords in G to practice with

Each measure has 4 beats represented by the slash marks in each measure. Chords are written over the measure and stay the same until a new chord is written. The root (R) and 5th are labeled on the chord diagrams above.

Playing a slow steady rhythm will produce the best results over time. As you change chords and fingerpick with more ease, gradually speed up your playing.

Easy ways to change up a fingerpicking pattern

Steady fingerpicking is a joyous sound to hear. Still, to move forward, keeping your playing sounding interesting there are some easy ways to “change it up”, as you go.

One way to add emphasis to parts of a song is to take out parts of the pattern ocassionally. Try just playing the bass notes for a measure, or for a whole verse. You can try switching back to thumb pick and strum for a section or even just a beat or two.

Another way to accent the sound of the bass is to mute the baseline with the palm of your picking hand as you play. I realize this may sound counter-intuitive, but listen to the Merle Travis video, to hear what I’m talking about.

You can do it!

If you are new to fingerpicking or even if you are still learning your chords I encourage you to try this when you feel ready. After you get the basic changes of a song try adding to your sound with some basic fingerpicking.

Tell me how this works for you. Ask any questions you like and I will try to address them in the best way possible.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you have some good fun with this.

Some Listening Suggestions

Chet Atkins playing, “Mr. Sandman”

Tommy Emmanuel playing, “Blue Moon”

Check out my YouTube channel and tell me what you like and what you would like to learn about…

Rock & Blues Music, 1977

winter-tree-in-the-lens — Winter Tree in the Lens

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The Blue Northern Band on the coast of Maine

Islesboro, Maine, in the mid to late ’70’s was a magical place. The Island Pub was in full swing, on Islesboro and the music scene throughout Maine had a large assortment of great musicians who all knew and helped each other. Once I was even a small part of that, I couldn’t stay away for long…
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Music from the Adirondacks to Maine

I was in a band named “Tulsa”, in 1976. We played gigs around upstate, central, New York. In my mind, our tenure culminated in playing the “first” Coaches Picnic on the island of Islesboro, Maine.

Tulsa went back to New York State, feeling good. The trip to the coast left me feeling unsettled. After a few months of playing I decided I needed to move on.

My sister was living in New Hampshire, close to the coast. I went for a visit in the winter of 1976-77 and in a short while, found myself living in Exeter, New Hampshire, working in a factory, in New Market.

A few times that winter I headed north in my ’64 Chevy, Belair which was named Juanita. Juanita had 3-speed stick on the column and an 8-track player that had two tapes to go with it, Gordon Lightfoot: Greatest Hits and Dave Brubeck: Take Five. I played them, back to back, as I drove to Wiscasset, Maine, to visit my friends Dave Lewis and Isabel Alexander.

The music duo becomes a trio…

Dave and I would spend the weekend telling stories and playing guitars. When I got tired of my second-shift janitor job, we decided we should start rehearsing a duo. We were having so much fun David thought we should invite his friend Peter Davis to come play, as well. Peter lived over in Wayne, Maine, which happens to be the home of the Wing Ring… (The story of the “Wing Ring in Wayne Maine”, will wait for another time..)

Now we had Lewis, Kelly, & Davis. After one or two times of playing together, we realized we were having way too much fun for just three guys. After careful consideration we decided we needed bass and drums, to round that little party out.

The trio becomes the band…

A plan was devised whereby I would drive to the Adirondacks and convince Joe Allard that he needed to drop what he was doing and come back to Maine, to play with us. While I was gone, Peter and Dave where going to find us a drummer.

Miraculously, this plan actually worked! In a week or two, Joe got tired of me asking him when we were leaving and packed up his VW Beetle, headed for fame and fortune. At least, that was the story I was selling, at the time. I’m pretty sure he was ready for a change anyway.

Joe’s significant other, named Bonnie, decided she did not want to miss this and packed up her VW Beetle! Joe had an SRO Bass speaker cab that was about half the size of the Beetle. We managed to get that in my trunk, so to speak and tie off the trunk hood so it wouldn’t fly off.

I guess we were fond of naming things back then and that speaker was affectionately known as “Bertha”. As soon as we got Bertha settled in, the springs in Juanita’s back end, gave out and whenever I would hit any little bump, I would leave a trail of sparks from Juanita’s undercarriage, scraping along the highway.

One more road trip to pull the band together…

Kevin Perry at Morgans, 1977 — Kevin Perry at Morgan’s, 1977

So I followed Joe, Bonnie followed me, and we left town after last call at the local bar, “so the traffic would be light”, as we drove the 9 hours or so to the coast of Maine. Bonnie had no trouble keeping track of me as Juanita was sparking against the road all through the night. From that trip on, that car’s trunk was always lower than her engine hood…

We got to Wiscasset and met our new drummer, Kevin Perry, who at the time, was staying on Southport Island, off of Boothbay. So now we had a band and all we needed was a name. I believe, it was Isabel who suggested, “Blue Northern”, which was in a line from an old Judy Collins recording, of the song, “Someday Soon”, written by Ian Tyson.

Our musician friends help us find work…

As it turned out we needed more than just a name; we needed some places to play. During this time our friend Chris Morse owned a local establishment called, “Morgans” in Camden. We invited him, and as it turned out, two bands that worked for him, “Oat Willey” and “C & W Mow Company“, to come out to our house in Hope, Maine.

We spent an afternoon telling stories and playing guitars (sound familiar?). Sometime after the cookout and the softball game, Blue Northern played a set in the woodshed for everyone. Afterward, Tom from C & W Mow Co. gave me the contacts he had in Maine and told me to have anyone call for a reference. Within a week or two, we were booked for the summer. What a good bunch of friends…

Buddy Holly song, “Well Alright”

A season of great music and good fun…

So that summer kept the band busy, all the time. We played regularly from Bar Harbor and Ellsworth to Bangor, Waterville, and Portland.

Back then a group of businessmen ran Benjamin’s Tavern in Bangor, he Silver St. Tavern in Waterville, and the Old Port Tavern in Portland. Blue Northern use to play all three places which kept us on the move. We also had a club we played in Auburn and a club in Augusta.

With all the driving around the state we didn’t make an incredible amount of money but we all managed to get by, as we needed.

One of the things I loved about Blue Northern was our selection of songs. We covered tunes by the Band, Springsteen, Buddy Holly, and Van Morrison. We did versions of “Acadian Driftwood” and “Up on Cripple Creek” that were great fun to play. We did a cover of “Spirit in the Night”. We always played a selection of blues tunes.

We did a nice version of Rodney Crowell’s tunes “Ain’t Livin’ Long”. We also covered “Bell Bottom Blues” from Derek and the Dominos and Eric Clapton’s Bottle of Red Wine. We also played whatever original tunes we had, at the time. We had a good following and some noteworthy adventures

An afternoon with Jud Strunk

If you’ve read my post that mentions life at the Island Pub, you certainly have guessed by now, that we also played on Islesboro. I was catching a ride to the island, for a gig that night, with one of the guys that was running the Island Pub, that summer.

Jud Strunk, Alex Scheeren, Willy Kelly, & Alden Clark at the Great Northern Bluegrass Festival, Mole Lake, Wisconsin

When we got in line, at the ferry, he jumped out and ran up to this guy with a bandana on his head and a banjo. In a few minutes he came back and said, “Come with me, I have someone you need to meet.” He then introduced me to Jud Strunk.

Briefly, Jud Strunk started as a humorist/banjo player back in the sixties. He worked, for a while, on the TV show, “Laugh-In”. He then had a hit single with his song, “Daisy A Day”, in 1973.

Jud and I spent the afternoon at the bar in the Island Pub, sharing songs and telling stories. We hit it off pretty well. That night he sat in with the band, sharing a few songs. That was another thing I liked about Blue Northern, we listened to each other and were not afraid to take chances musically. Actually, we sometimes took chances in our behavior but I don’t really want to “tell on” anyone here…

We had a lot of fun playing with Jud and that afternoon/evening eventually led to me going on the road with Jud, a year later. That story is for another time…

More of Willy Kelly

One of the most heartwarming days of my life happened at a Blue Northern concert that took place near Livermore Falls, Maine.

We had the great opportunity to play an outdoor concert with the C & W Mow Co., whom I have said earlier, were instrumental (no pun intended) in getting Blue Northern a full summer of gigs. They were a group of musicians and individuals for us to look up to and they were a lot of fun to be around and listen to.

The day was sunny and warm and there was a general feeling of excitement in the air. As we set up to play, a lot of our friends from Isleboro began to show up. As we began to play, our island friends all moved toward the front of the stage.

As we began to do a Willie Nelson song, everyone down front began waving and yelling. Many started taking of their outer shirt to show their T-shirt which had silk-screened, “More of Willy Kelly”, across them. Some were yelling something like, “Not Willie Nelson, we want more of Willy Kelly!”

I saw as I looked around that even some of my bandmates had these t-shirts. How could I have been more blessed to have friends who would surprise me in such a beautiful way. And to do this in front of so many people and my peers. That memory still leaves me feeling very emotional, as I write this.

Jud told me that he was wearing one of those t-shirts on the cover of his record, “A Tequila Crazed Gypsy Looks Back”. It’s funny how people’s kindness can weave through the communities we live (and play) in.

All good things come to an end…

Me and Bob Satinoff at the Oronoka, Orono ME., Halloween, 1977

As autumn came on, both Peter Davis and David Lewis felt they needed a break from playing gigs every weekend. Joe, Kevin, and I decided to see if some of our New York State friends would like to come to the beautiful coast of Maine to play.

So that fall, Mike Stone and Bob Satinoff came to play in Blue Northern. We had some fun gigs that Fall and it was great fun to play with those guys but as winter turned cold and snowy, they got homesick for the Adirondacks.

blue-northern-band-2010 — Blue Northern Band, 2010

So, Blue Northern had a fairly short run but created some good music and good friends. Decades later, Peter Davis got together with some of his bluegrass friends and resurrected the name Blue Northern. They are a great bunch of guys and very good musicians. So, what was old is new and good music tends to go on.

About Me

My name is Willy Kelly. I am a musician and a music educator. My goal is to educate, entertain, and encourage you, in experiencing music.

I am a professional musician with decades of experience in performing, touring, recording, mixing, and producing music. I am a professional educator with a Masters degree in music education and decades of teaching experience in public schools, colleges, and giving private lessons. I am happily married to Donna Newhouse Kelly and together we have four adult children. Donna and I live on the beautiful coast of Maine.

I will support you in your playing, singing, and listening skills. I will work to entertain you with my musical views, my songwriting projects, my recordings, and regular performances of the music I love.

Again, I hope to educate you, if I can, entertain you, if I can, and encourage you to create and enjoy music.

Until next time…

Drop-D Tuning For Guitar

two-souls-on-the-beach-sml — Two Souls on the Beach

Table of Contents

Why “Drop-D” Tuning?

I have played in Drop-D tuning for many years and use it today, more than ever. It offers a deeper sound in the low end and lots of opportunities for moving lines and jangling suspensions and drones…
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An Example of Drop-D…

For an example to discuss, I’ve chosen the song, “Walk Away Renee” by the Left Banke. One term for their music, at the time, was “baroque & roll”. I may go more in-depth with that sound in another post. I’ll just say I find this song a good example of what you can do with drop-D tuning and very fun to play.

Be sure to check out the YouTube of “Walk Away Renee”, later in this post.

The Drop-D tuning video…

Let’s start at the beginning…

First off, I play this song using a capo on the second fret. I plan to do a post on using a capo in the near future but for now, I’ll be referring to chord fingerings, as in the key of D. We will remember that when all is said and done (and played) the song will actually sound in the key of E. (Watch for that post on using capos… )

One thing I love about drop-D is that big, low-D. The intro to this song has, at least one D note ringing all through it. It’s all played in the bottom three strings. The main melody is played on the 5th string. In notation, it looks like this:

renee-intro — Count: | (rest), 2 3 + + |(1 2 3 4) |1 (2) + (3) + (4 +) | 1… | [ parenthesis ( ) are silent ]

Let me know if you would like a more in depth explanation of counting rhythms.

I tend to play rhythms by playing the beats as downbeats and upbeats; picking down on the beat and up on the “+”. Based on that principle the rhythm above would read like: (rest) down, down up, up… down, up, up, down…

I often add Dsus2 to the D chord for accent and variety. On the whole note measures I add rhythm as I see fit, often somewhat syncopated. For me, the principle is to strike only the strings I want to ring, not trying to mute strings.

The fingerings look like this:

I try to shape my dynamics (loud/soft) as I go playing the beginning softer to a louder sound at the G5 and getting gradually softer to the final D. I tend to play this loosely enough to give it a somewhat arpeggiated or “jangly” feeling. This creates a sort of swing to the whole tune…

A Drop-D verse for Renee…

First let’s just take a look at the chords which often need just a small adjustment in drop-D. Usually to cover the different notes found on the lowest (6th) string. We can start with the chord progression in the eight measures of the verse.

The Asus2 is a nice alternate to the A. In the situation where the C is moving to a G, I often like the C add9, replacing the C. The G/B is focused on the B in the bass even though there is a D below it and on the F#m, I may just mute the 5th string. The “add6” on the F#m form accounts for the ringing D string…

Note, on the E chord you need to cover the 6th string to account for the drop-D tuning in the bass. In other words raise it back up two frets (one whole step).

Also, notice that these chord forms keep a D note ringing on the 2nd string, connecting the two lines of the verse. Common tones from chord to chord are a great way to fill out your sound and tie things together.

The Left Banke’s, “Walk Away Renee”

On to the Drop-D chorus….

There’s, actually, just a few more chords. I have grown to really like the open Bm7. I use it in standard tuning for a more open sound.

The walk down from G in the last two measures can focus on the low notes like the intro, however, bringing out the high string notes, especially for the ending is full and bright. (in keeping with our jangly sound…)

Here are chord diagrams for the chorus:

Bridge Cliche for Walk Away Renee…

Finally, the bridge for this song leaves the open drop-D sound for a few measures, although the low D can continue to drone if you like that.

There are eight bars that tend to modulate (move) to Bm before landing back into D. I follow this part with an instrumental chorus before going to the third verse and on to the three-chorus ending.

This chord progression, with the decending line, can be found in many pieces of music. Thus my reference to it being “cliche”. I would say this progression shows that cliches become so, because they work. It’s a nice little diversion on the way back to the third verse…

Let me lay out the chord diagrams for the Bm part of the bridge…

The melody is loosely played on the top two strings during the instrumental chorus.

Again, Why Drop-D tuning?

I really like the deeper low-end sound that drop-D tuning affords me. There are hammer-on and pull-off lines that are there, for the playing, on the lower strings, as well.

The Beatles are said to have used drop-D on “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”. Metal bands like drop-D for the heavy low-end sound and I’ve seen one of my favorite players, Richard Thompson, using drop-D. Jimmy Reed style blues riffs in the key of D, are easily played, as well.

I believe you will find lots of opportunities for common-tones, drones, and generally jangly sounds. The slightly discordant notes in the high registers of the chords I’ve presented here, offer tensions and movement that will draw you into the song.

I hope you find what I’ve presented here useful…

Are you using Drop-D tuning now?

Are you interested in open tunings? (open G, open D?)

Let me know, in the comments, what you’re doing and what you need…

What Every Musician Wants

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A Musician is Fortunate to be a Musician…

With the holidays upon us I find myself looking back and taking stock in where I’ve been and where I am. As I ponder my good fortune at being a musician, I’m drawn to the question; What do musicians really want?
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If you can sing in the shower or play a couple chords on a guitar or a ukulele, isn’t that enough. You know, some days, it is. Other days, I need to play for someone that’s listening. I need to think about the next instrument I’m going to get. I need to share with my students and question my teachers.

Being a musician goes long and deep and I’m nowhere near the end of it…

Music as an obsession

Music is not a terrible obsession, as obsessions go. I recall starting out in a room with the shades drawn and the door shut tight. I didn’t want to be interrupted and I didn’t want anyone to hear me. This seems a little crazy when so many modern guitar players talk about playing, as a way to meet girls. I certainly wanted to meet girls too…

I realized, early on, that I wanted everyone to see GREATNESS in my guitar playing. More than just ego I was driven to listen and play. I saw a cure for all my problems and adolescent insecurities, in becoming a great guitar player.

It was important that no one see the process, at least at first. I wanted to spring my greatness upon the world all at once. The longer it took to add new chords to my repertoire, the less I struggled with my lack of greatness. I started to see that music is a serious business and I needed to commit.

Boy meets guitar

After getting a guitar a wondrous metamorphosis took place. I had somewhere to belong; I was a guitar player. I obsessed on everything about guitar. I would go to Art Nicotera’s music shop and stare at the Gretsch, Tennessean hanging on the wall, dreaming about how much fun I was going to have, playing that guitar.

My brother always said that a Fender, Telecaster was the best guitar so I was going to have one of those with a Twin Reverb amp, to run it through… I found Guitar Player magazines in the school library and studied them, cover to cover.

I went to dances and stood in front of the guitar players, all night, to figure out how they played each song. After each dance, I sat up in my room, committing what I had seen and heard to memory.

I played in the morning. I played after school. I played during school. I wasn’t in the school band but I was in the music room, every chance I could dodge my classes. I didn’t have a social life, that didn’t include guitar.

I realized if I could sing I could get my friends, who had a band, to show me how to play. I agreed to sing in the band if they would let me play. I knew I would have do a good job singing, while I worked on being an adequate guitar player. So, I joined the school chorus and worked at it. I became obsessed with learning all I could about music and signed up for every music class that was offered in high school.

Music as salvation

I started out a lonely confused teenager and became a kid with a mission. That mission was music, heavy on the guitar. By high school I was playing for anyone who would listen. I pestered the music teachers to let me play my little singer-songwriter act between orchestra/chorus sets at the school concerts.

I had stage fright, but would take every opportunity to play. My friends and I started a band and booked the CYO dance and parties. We worked at being able to figure out what we were hearing on the radio. I swear, I had a spiritual experience the first time I sang for an audience, with that band.

Some friends, started a band called, “Real Live Jive” which stands for, “football players sing with music nerds and all hell breaks loose!” That was a fun, “take no prisoners” kind of band. (One day I may do a whole post on that experience…)

So, the kid with a mission, grew up to overcome his adolescence. The trials of growing up became the inspiration of song. Music can be a positive reaction to the chaos, violence, and uncertainty of the world around us. It celebrates the good times in our lives. Boredom is totally curable when you can play an instrument.

I tell students that the only reason everyone doesn’t play an instrument is because they can’t. We would all play together if we knew how…

Music As a life-style

Musicians make time to play. They will get together and make the best music they can, even if it’s not the best music. They are known to buy, sell, and trade all things, music. They will book a gig just to get out and play.

And what about my friends that don’t play an instrument? You will wait in line to get tickets to a concert. You will wake up early, the day tickets go on sale, to buy online before they sell out. I realize that music listening has become an online experience but we still look for the next release by our favorite artists.

Music is basic to humanity. I will take a step further and say that music is part of what makes people human. If you’ve been in love, you’ve listened to love songs. Maybe even sung a few…

Taj Mahal, “Lovin’ In My Baby’s Eyes”

Being human means hearing music in the wind and being moved to tears by a childs singing. To live the complete human experience, people need music. The more we enjoy and understand music, the more we enjoy our lives, in depth. (I invite you to read my post about understanding music.)

What do musicians want?

Musicians want to understand music, at a deep level. We want to learn more. We want to be surrounded by the tools of our craft. We want to talk to other musicians. We want our friends to love our music. We want everyone to love our music…

So let’s all go out and buy a new CD or even an LP, vinyl record! Let’s all go see a local artist and see a show at our favorite opera house. Let’s all get bumper stickers that say, “hug a musician…” It’s not music (or art) for art’s sake, it’s the humanitarian thing to do.

Musicians want to PLAY! and they want you to listen…

Are you a player or a listener?

Would you rather see a concert or go dancing?

Let me know, below…

Country-Rock 1976

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Tulsa Times; An Adirondack Band

New York Country Rock

I returned from Islesboro, Maine to Upstate New York , in the fall of 1975. Within a very short time Joe Allard, Thon Christiana, and I were playing music and looking to start a band…

We found a drummer named Mike Beasock from the Rome, NY, area and began taking gigs. We called ourselves “Tulsa” and I’m not sure how we came up with that. I guess it fit our vision for the band on some level.

While the top radio hits of 1976 were artists like Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, and Hall and Oates, Other groups in that list included The Eagles, Dr. Hook, and the Sweet. It included the song “Take It To the Limit”. The Outlaw country movement was in full swing but would wane somewhat in the next short while.

Tulsa fashioned itself a Country-Rock band and we played a wide mix of Blues, Country, and Rock & Roll music. We played gigs around Upstate NY, like the Forest Lodge in Prospect, Thendara House in Thendara, and the Camden Hotel in Camden.

At the Hotel in Camden I don’t remember what we got paid. I am sure we were served free drinks and all the spaghetti we could eat before we played. That made it a “high value” gig for us…

Last Call and Good Times

One of our early gigs was the Friendly Tavern in Booneville, NY. Our first gig there we were double booked with a stripper named “Cookie”. We were open to having her join the band but the management had other ideas. Cookie did a set, then Tulsa did a set. There were no fights that I recall and we stayed for all Cookie’s sets. I don’t remember who got top billing but the night went by fast…

We played a club in Lowville, NY which was across the county line. They closed and hour earlier than Booneville which meant two “last calls” if we hustled. We would play, pack up our gear and race to see who could get to Booneville first. They were some exciting rides.

We played some rough places, none more so than this little hole in the wall in downtown Rome, NY. One night a fight broke out right in front of the band. Everyone was obviously more impressed by the fight than us and I refused to sing until the fight was over. We did a half-hour version of Grateful Dead’s, “Sugaree”. Good times…

The Grateful Dead’s, “Sugaree” cover

Tulsa Band and the 1st Coaches Picnic on Islesboro

The high point of playing in Tulsa Band for me was our trip to Islesboro, in the summer of 1976. My friends on the Island know how to welcome musicians and the summer party of 1976 was no exception. My recollection may have been distorted by the festive atmosphere but I recall Dave Lewis and John Oldham, otherwise famous as “The Diesel Brothers”, being there.

Another musician of note and international recognition, Phil Clayton, was there as well. He is a renowned working musician in Brussels, Belgium, for many years now. There was smokes hanging in the trees, a general joy in the air and Tulsa worked hard to put on what may have been our best set ever.

That party was such a hit that it inspired and led to the Annual Coaches Picnic which were famous, Islesboro, music get-togethers for a few years. It is still referred to as the “1st Unofficial Coaches Picnic”, in some circles.

Were you at one of the Coaches Picnics?

Did you have a band in the seventies?

Join the conversation in the comments section…