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Hi Everyone,

The Weekly Wrap Up is ready.

Have a fantastic weekend!

http://www.totallyguitars.com/blog/guit ... 26th-2016/



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This week we started a new feature that I am really excited about, Listen Up! - Musical Challenges.
This was partly inspired by our new DVD set Ear Phonics. It has got me to thinking that everybody
should spend more time on improving their listening skills, and maybe songwriting as well. I see a
little more emphasis in those directions in the near future.

I really hope to be getting some PMs from people as they take the challenge.

Today’s News started with a little noodling related to the Rod Stewart strumming question
that appeared on the Forum this week. A little later I got to a bit of a breakdown of how to
approach it.

We did have a couple new Target additions this week with Fred going through Tin Man, Here
Comes The Sun and Sunshine, along with Three Dog Night’s version of Out In The Country.
I think I see more from them in the near future as well.

I had a bit of a funny experience recently where I randomly remembered a guitar piece I out
together for a lesson over five years ago and immediately forgot about it until something
triggered the memory bank recently. I took a short look at it a few days ago and made the
mistake of trying to run through it today. Sometimes you should really think through things a
little better. In any case, I hope you get an idea of what The Mayflower Ramble sounds like.
Maybe more instrumentals were in the cards soon too.

On to March…

Neil

Rod Stewart ? Nah, do me a favour ! That guitar riff is on Cat Stevens' version of his own song - The First Cut Is The Deepest - from almost 10 year earlier...also on the single recorded by PP Arnold , produced by Cat's producer of the time, Mike Hurst.

Lets give the Cat a little credit here ! When Rod Stewart writes a guitar riff, come and tell me about it...

Speaking of ear training, as someone who literally can't tell if one note is higher or lower than the last, can you make me as good as this kid?

davidrfinn99165 wrote:

Rod Stewart ? Nah, do me a favour ! That guitar riff is on Cat Stevens' version of his own song - The First Cut Is The Deepest - from almost 10 year earlier...also on the single recorded by PP Arnold , produced by Cat's producer of the time, Mike Hurst.

Lets give the Cat a little credit here ! When Rod Stewart writes a guitar riff, come and tell me about it...

Hey David,

Cat's version was what I played at the very beginning, the mini chords up the neck, which Tommy James may have borrowed for some 1968 hit.
The little melodies played in Rod's version were not in Cat's and probably came from Steve Cropper, or one of the other session guys on the album. My vote would go to David Lindley. The PP Arnold version uses mostly Cat's arpeggios, not what we heard in Rod's, which work great in the key he chose, not so much Cat's or PP's. Maybe this will be the next Listen Up Challenge.

Neil

P.S. I don't mean to imply that Rod wrote any memorable riffs, or any riffs at all, but any competent session guitarist could have come up with what we heard in his 1977 recording. And of course, no credit is ever given to those guys.

Haha Neil... that'll teach me ! I saved the second half of On the Beat to watch this morning (it was getting late) and you did indeed give Cat the credit for writing First Cut is the Deepest .. i slink away in shame ..

Looking forward to the instrumentals..
/ david

Neil

Great weekly news and playing.

The ear training challenge is interesting ( although you said it's an easy one) but I'm struggling as I've let slip on it.
I'll need to review the lessons you put up to date.
:S

Dermot

Neil,

Thumbs up for Listen Up!

And I think I've found your lost cats and dogs; of the raining variety. they've jumped the Californian fence and wandered down under. There's been crazy weather in Sydney this summer; we've had big rains, big heat, big cold, tornadoes, hail storms, other big winds and freaky weather generally. It looks like our El Niño is retreating and it could be on it's way to visit you. LA Nina may be paying us a visit soon. It's a good thing I live on a hill; or I'd be investing in a canoe. it looks like a switcharoo is in progress. Of course.... It could be general climate change chaos.

So you might want to shelve your umbrella, raincoat and gumboots for a spell.



M