SAD SONGS & WALTZES (DennisG)

MarkM
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Wed Mar 24, 2010 6:37 pm

Dennis,

Oh excuse me while I wipe up the drool stain...... OK thats better. Awesome guitar!!! Great version of this song. Nice singing. You never cease to amaze me with your song choices. That's why I so look forward to watching your videos. I noticed that you didn't use your ring finger while picking. I'm assuming this is on purpose and not a traditional fingerpicking song. So while saying this I saw that you double picked (is that a real term??) with your middle finger on the same string from time to time. Again I'm far from an expert on picking but just noticed a few things. It didn't take anything away from the song as you played it very well as you always do. thanks for sharing and good luck getting that new amp.


MarkM


Lavallee
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Wed Mar 24, 2010 6:56 pm

Dennis, I am not familiar with that song. I must say, however that your playing is very cool. Your right hand is not cramped what so ever, you are keeping the beat with it. Also I am always impress by your singing. You always seem to have fun.

Marc


cosmicmechanic
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Wed Mar 24, 2010 7:52 pm

Great interpretation, Dennis, your playing is quite convincing. I looked up the version you mentioned, and I find your voice is more melodious than the delivery in the original, which is almost spoken, rather than sung.

Just a suggestion: I kinda feel the need to hear a harmonica break, at least near the end, to really clinch it. That is, unless you have a hands-free trumpet you can use (?) to imitate Cake's version.

Another memorable post, and an introduction to something new, thanks!

Pierre


buddy
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Wed Mar 24, 2010 8:34 pm

Dennis,

That was a very difficult piece to coordinate and you did a wonderful job on it. Wow, what a gorgeous guitar that is.

Bud


TGMatt
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Wed Mar 24, 2010 8:52 pm

You are "going the distance"with Cake...

They are a much underated band.. Beck really made his splash at the same time, somehow Cake got buried somewhat..

As for Willie Nelson..I am understanding more about him than I did, due to my recent connection with Chet Atkins...CHet simply "believed" in Willie so much that labum after album after album he would produce until he finally made it..

Great post..


AcousticAl
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Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:40 pm

Great upload, Dennis. It's a song that I'm not familiar with- though I do know the group Cake.
Had to watch it twice though in order to NOT focus on the guitar the second time. Sweet!!!

I like the fact that you seem to go for it in your uploads. No hesitation in your singing or your playing.


d_dog
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Thu Mar 25, 2010 12:12 am

Oh man Dennis great post! I really really like this song now. I had never heard of it, or the band, I had to jump on iTunes and get it. You did a great job! I really like your voice.
That guitar sounds so nice, you've got a very similar sound to the original. You must be having a blast with that thing.
I have absolutely no technical advice, I think it was the bees knees! Great audio.


jayswett
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Thu Mar 25, 2010 5:20 am

Like Tony, I had a hard time focusing on the song as I was staring that guitar of yours. I was aware that you had purchased an electric, but nevertheless was suprised to see you standing there with it. Loved the color and the sound (despite the amp).

Your playing and singing were great. I don't know the song, but I think I detected a couple of minor hesitations during the song that had little effect on the performance and will fix themselves as you continue to play/practice the song. You definitely practice what you preach in that each video you post clearly demonstrates that you are pushing your own envelope, trying new things, demonstrating a desire to move beyond that with which you are already confortable. You wrote several months ago that there are several items that, in your mind, reflect a successful video post. One of those is a clear attempt to move the ball forward, so to speak, in terms of one's own personal development as a guitar player.

Well done, as usual.


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neverfoundthetime
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Thu Mar 25, 2010 5:50 am

I had to revisit this song this morning just to make sure I saw, heard and said the right thing when I first saw it late last night. Just to be clear, I thought this is a very entertaining video, of a song I actually don't like much but interpreted really well (tongue in cheek?) with good vocals (maybe better than the original?). It looks like it is difficult to play and sing at the same time. So Dennis, well done, you are definitely taking us to places we've never been!
Chris
PS: What are the settings on your Kodak Zi8 here? It seems to give perfect picture quality. Any lighting other than daylight?


dennisg
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Thu Mar 25, 2010 9:52 am

Hi everyone, and thanks so much for the very kind and supportive things you said about the "Sad Songs" video. It's not perfect by a long shot, and I'd have liked to have done a couple more takes, but I was starting to lose my voice, and that's a sign I should pack it in and upload the best available take -- so that's what I did. For some reason, my lizard brain has a difficult time focussing on incidentals -- like playing the proper chords. While I'm playing and singing, I also find myself wondering if my D string is in tune, or if it's going to rain tomorrow, or if I should get out the Windex and have a go at that smudge on the window. And now, the specific comments:

Tony: As I've mentioned ad nauseum, my limited vocal range actually chooses the songs for me. I try out a lot of songs, discover that I sound as if I'm screeching, try to change the key, discover that it still isn't working, then move on to something else. When I find a song that fits in the four notes I can actually sing, it's always a happy day. Aside from the fact that I love singing with Jamie, part of the reason I do it is because she's able to sing things that I can't touch vocally. Thanks for your very generous comments. I'm looking forward to seeing your Gibson Les Paul.

Michele: I suppose I am attracted to songs that are a bit out of the mainstream, "Here Comes the Sun" being an exception. I'm not sure why that is. I don't sit down and think, Okay, what can I surprise my TG friends with this month? The songs I choose are just a reflection of music that, for one reason or another, has felt compelling to me over the years. In the case of "Sad Songs," I just have always loved the waltz-tempo plucked guitar part, but never thought I could play it until a couple of weeks ago.

Craig: You may be one of the very few people here who actually knew that song before my upload. It's really an odd little song about a song, and I always appreciate that Cake pulls songs in from very unexpected genres, then makes them totally their own.

Bob: Thanks. It never occurred to me that someone might actually look forward to my uploads. When I'm on the 17th take of a song, I sort of look forward to it, too.

Rick: Strange how the video was immediately available to the Aussies but not to most people in the U.S. or Great Britain. I think YouTube is trying to reshuffle the superpowers.

Chris: I ... you ... uh ...

Jason: I've seen Cake in concert twice, both times in Seattle, and enjoy them immensely. I'm drawn to bands that have a unique sound.

Mark: You noticed one of the flaws in my playing -- that I don't pick with my ring finger. It's because when i was taught to play, I had to anchor my pinky and ring finger onto the face of the guitar, and I find that this is a habit that's very hard to break. When I've tried to lift my fingers up, I feel like I'm untethered, floating in space.

Marc: Thank you. "Sad Songs," despite its name, is really a lot of fun to play. I think it's the kind of learning experience that will help me a lot with future songs.

Pierre: What to do with the trumpet part was a concern of mine. Ultimately, I decided to use my voice to cover the trumpet part in the bridge, then just eliminated the trumpet part at the end of the song. But a harmonica could be very cool. I'll have to get Reiver's advice on that. I like your suggestion of a hands-free trumpet, but it makes me squirm when I try to imagine how I might hold it.

Buddy: A lot of the song came together for me when I was sitting in the Seattle airport, waiting for my plane, and playing my travel guitar. It was a real ah-ha! moment for me. They're so rare these days, I've learned to just appreciate them and not analyze them too much.

Matt: Anyone who can make a Cake reference like that, while at the same time appreciating Chet Atkins, definitely has eclectic taste in music. Good for you. The older I get, the less rigid I feel about musical genres.

Al: I know what you mean. I sometimes have to watch people's videos more than once just to pay attention to the performance and not the instrument. I generally watch every video, except my own, more than once.

Damian: Haha! The bees knees. You kill me! If you like this song, consider buying the Fashion Nugget album. The entire thing is great and, like I said in my original post, it's one of my desert island albums. Cake is a band that just defies categorizing, which is why they've always had a difficult time getting airplay. And, Damian -- 23 skidoo.

Jay: Thanks so much. (As a writer, you would think I wouldn't be so surprised when people remind me of things I've written in the past.) I don't ever like to impose my reasons for learning a new song on other people. It's fine to learn a song just because you like it. But I do find that I'm particularly drawn to those videos where I recognize that someone's trying to grasp a new concept. I feel privileged when someone allows me to see them outside of their comfort zone.

Chris: Had a rough night's sleep, eh, Chris? /// No special settings on my Kodak. It's set up for artificial light. Oddly, though, when I turned on the lamp I normally use, it was creating a hum in my amp, so I shut if off and did the video with natural daylight, forgetting that the camera was still set up for artificial light. Go figure.


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