Posted by John Pappajohn on May 11, 2002, 6:41 am I may be at a disadvantage, because unlike Patton (and most acoustic bluesmen) I use a flatpick, in tandem with my middle and ring fingers. This makes for a whole different set of picking-hand mechanics than if I used my thumb. On the 'dragging down' bass figure on 'High Water Everywhere (Part 1)', and 'Screamin and Hollerin the Blues', I hit the guitar right around the bridge with the palm of my picking hand, on the same strokes that I pluck the strings. These 'hits' are all on downbeats -- I am trying to figure how to rap on upbeats (probably below the strings), which I think would add to syncopated music. Developing this technique has enhanced my performance of other, non-blues material too. For example, the Beatles 'With a Little Help From My Friends' has a two-bar drum fill as the chords ring out just before the second verse. I imitate this two-tone fill by slapping in two different spots on my guitar -- catches peoples' attention! John --Previous Message--
Thanks for the insights Jon!
: Hi John! As a completely obsessed Patton
: freak, let me first say that I empathize
: with your amazement at Patton's technique.
: I was actually playing Down the Dirt Road
: Blues earler today, on my metal-bodied
: National; using the technique on that
: guitar produces some interesting results.
: As far as actual technique, I tend to do
: whatever I think will produce the kind of
: sound I want at the moment, i.e., slapping
: the strings, hitting the face above the
: strings with my thumb, even hitting the
: face of the guitar with my palm (above the
: strings) as I pluck the string, sometimes
: just snapping the string itself. I can't
: really hit the face under the strings very
: well, because my fingers are in the
: strings all the time, which forces my
: palm, and of course my thumb, to stay with
: them. I'm curious as to whether Patton
: ever hits the face under the strings, and
: how. If I'm snapping with my thumb,
: sometimes I can produce a satisfactory
: sound with my fingers under the strings,
: on the face, but even then my nails get in
: the way most of the time. I wonder if
: Charlie is hitting the face under the
: strings, especially on High Water. What
: do you think?
: --Previous Message--
: First, apologies that my topic isn't strictly
: limited to acoustic blues.
: It's impossible to listen to Charley Patton
: without being amazed at the supplemental
: percussion he plays by rapping on his
: guitar. In imitating him, I found that it
: can really spice up a solo guitar
: performance.
: My question: do any other guitarists (of any
: style, not just blues) who do this come to
: mind? I would also welcome any thoughts
: or pointers from people who use this
: technique. TIA.
: John
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: :
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