Last Autumn I did a 3 week music-themed road trip in the USA. I started in Nashville, Tennessee, went west to Memphis and then south through Mississippi, Arkansas and ended up in New Orleans in Louisiana. It was a great trip and I took in as much live music gigs and festivals as I could. I love American roots music in all its forms. I picked up a diddley-bow kit in Arkansas and a harmonica in Clarksdale and I played some 12 bar blues in private around the back of a grain barn at the Hopsons Plantation near the famous US61/49 crossroads.
I built the diddley-bow last weekend on a wet January day and plugged it into my amp. I mucked around with a bottleneck slide and fell in love with this rudimentary instrument. I love the bottleneck blues sound but now here I was making similar noises myself. The feeling was great and so expressive.
A week later and I've bought a cigar box guitar from Chickenbone John here in the UK and I've just embarked on Paddy's course on this site. Good times are a'comin'.
I'm a drummer, so I'm good with rhythm and it makes sense and I can follow it and keep a beat really well. Finger pickin and slidin', and reading music, that's a whole new ball game.
I like Paddy's Aussie laid-back style and lesson delivery, and his explanations are clear and concise, just like what you want from a teacher. He seems like a good nurturing soul. Looking forward to the challenge.
Johnny Cajon
There is 1 Comment
what a trip
Sounds like a great trip, I'd love to do one myself one day. Your background as a drummer will be really helpful, you may have already noticed how much importance I put on keeping time and a solid right hand technique.
Thanks for blogging, I'll be staying tuned. It's also a great way to document your own journey, the brain absorbs knowledge in many different ways and making the effort to put your process into words is an important one.
Cheers
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