>>New Target and Pay Per Lesson release - Shotgun Down The Avalanche - Shawn Colvin

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tgjameela
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Mon Apr 14, 2014 1:45 pm

Hi Everyone,

Today's Target and Pay Per Lesson release is now live.

Shotgun Down The Avalanche is a heartbreaking song from American singer-songwriter and Grammy Award winner, Shawn Colvin. It appeared on her debut album ‘Steady On’ which was released in 1989.

The lesson is based on her acoustic live performances, in particular the Lost Concert in Amsterdam and a performance collaborating with Alison Kraus on violin.

The song features a compelling fingerpicking arrangement in Drop D-tuning, where the guitar is capoed at the 5th fret. It contains a fast travis picking-pattern, picking out melodynotes and lots of embellishments, which is covered thoroughly. For that, basic fingerpicking skills are absolutely necessary in order to get this song down.

Also, keep in mind, throughout the years, Shawn has been playing this song in many different ways and the student is encouraged to make it their own as well.

Enjoy this level 6 lesson!

http://www.totallyguitars.com/target-so ... esson.html







sandysue
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Mon Apr 14, 2014 1:58 pm

Hi Ness
I love that song. I really like the lyrics. You have the perfect voice to sing Shawn's songs.


TGNesh
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Mon Apr 14, 2014 2:57 pm

Ah thanks so much Sandy, that's so great to hear!! :cheer: But gosh, it was challenging singing with a cold again..... :S :(

sandysue wrote:
Hi Ness
I love that song. I really like the lyrics. You have the perfect voice to sing Shawn's songs.


TGNesh
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Mon Apr 14, 2014 3:22 pm

Btw It's interesting what Shawn writes about the song in her memoir:

'Once I'd written 'Diamond in the Rough', I had parameters: Don't think, sing. Be personal, tell the truth. Remember that guitar parts are as important as the words and the melody. The next song John gave me didn't need any tweaking or transposing. It was a minor-key, finger picked folk song with a wonderful melody already written by John. Again I tuned the low E string down to D, so when the verses and choruses hit the major fifth, a D chord, the bass would ring out. I needed a way in lyrically. I'd wanted to use the word 'avalanche'in a song, I thought it was a good word. Again, like 'Diamond', I kind of cleared my head, played the guitar, and let something come out of my mouth. This time it was 'I'm riding shotgun down the avalanche'. It felt good, and the meaning seemed pretty obvious to me: My romance with John was going down. It was a song of heartbreak, that much was clear. If I were falling down an avalanche, then there would have to be mountains and snow and s great area of empty space, a void. But the singer is a passenger, and the person at the wheel has sealed her fate, left her nowhere to go but into the abyss. So I had something close to my heart, I had an interesting metaphor to anchor me, and I had a visual. From there I tinkered with it and filled in the blanks. It might seem strange to have co-written a song with someone about breaking up with that someone, but for some reason it didn't bother me. It was cathartic, and anyway, John knew how I felt. The intent of the song wasn't reconciliation; it was simply a statement, one that felt right.'


dtaylor
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Mon Apr 14, 2014 3:51 pm

Nice choice of song again Ness, I'm drawn to any finger-picker with a capo up high, I don't know why, it just speaks to my soul.
Still working on Let Her Go and I See Fire, your choices are filling up my To Do list :)


TGNesh
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Mon Apr 14, 2014 4:47 pm

Sorry folks, no play through :S . Well there is one (I've definitely recorded and uploaded one), just not uploaded to TG just yet. Hopefully it'll get fixed tomorrow....


TGNesh
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Mon Apr 14, 2014 4:52 pm

Ah that's great to hear Dean! :)

And I think I know what you mean, I love them too up there. The vocals for this one are actually a bít too high for me, but for the sake of the sound of the guitar I left it there when doing the play through, I just réally love it thére!!

Thanks for checking in Dean, sure hope to see some of your playing soon (Let Her Go, I See Fire or this one ;) )!

Ness

dtaylor wrote:
Nice choice of song again Ness, I'm drawn to any finger-picker with a capo up high, I don't know why, it just speaks to my soul.
Still working on Let Her Go and I See Fire, your choices are filling up my To Do list :)


michelew
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Mon Apr 14, 2014 6:09 pm

Nessa,

What s BEAUTIFUL heartbreaker of a song. GOSH!

The little bits of your playthrough in the preview are just GORGEOUS. I can't wait to hear the full thing.

This has got so many things that I just love to play too. I'm sucker for beautiful finger pickers as you know, especially when they reach in and make you feel so much.

Thanks for the back story. I always love hearing those.

Thanks so much Ness. I'm about to walk into the office, but l'll be getting into this as soon as I can.

Shel


sandysue
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Mon Apr 14, 2014 7:22 pm



michelew
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 4:17 pm

Nessa,

I just watched your playthrough for this. SO beautiful... If that's you sounding poor and cutting off some notes... Well I hope I too can play and sing half as well as that one day.

Your playing sounded so crisp and you make it look so easy.

Such a beautiful song. You really did it justice. Gorgeous.

Loved it!

Shel


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