Al Stewart Year of the Cat by suziko

[kelemenj]

I just got a 310-CE which is a dreadnaught cutaway with some electronics. Same wood configuration. What a joy it is to play!
John

[suziko]

John, that sounds great!! Earlier this year I had the GC3 sent into the Taylor factory to have their Expression System installed. So now I've got electronics in it- and it sounds wonderful plugged in! Not that I actually plug in all that often, but it's nice to have that option.

[cosmicmechanic]

Suzi, I haven't seen Neil's lesson for YOTC yet,
but watching you play it got me go to finally actually read all of the (clever !) lyrics.
The chords seem humanly possible, too

This is such a friendly performance. Just the right thing to make others want to try this tune.

SO VERY Coool !

Pierre

[RicksPick]

Suzi, Suzi, Sue, you're GREAT!! :cheer:

Gosh, llike Shel, I smiled áll the way through!

You're handling those barrechords sooooo well (and yes, i do remember you not getting into those A-shaped ones at atll! ) and I réally like the little lick that you added in there too. Spot on timingwise, all the right downs and ups (by just keeping your hand moving) and it indeed adds a very nice touch to the song. Also vocally you're getting better and better all the time, you go girl!!

All in all, a SUPERupload, I loved it!!!!! :cheer: :cheer: It has been way too long!

Ness

[jayswett]

I do remember your first video, and I think it's safe to say that everyone who has been on TG from the beginning has improved significantly, and has been well served by the website. I look forward to many more years of watching the improvements continue.

[suziko]

Pierre- I’ve always liked the lyrics to this song, too. I love how AS creates such a vivid, exotic world in the lines (my favorite bit is the part about the “blue tiled walls near the market stalls.”). The chords are not too hard, though I still struggle with my A-shaped barres. But even Neil says that you can play the B at the 7th as an E-shaped chord, if you want to. I just figure that I need to keep pushing myself to get better at the those A-shaped barres.

Nessa- Thanks so much!! I’m glad you thought I did a good job. I’ve really tried to apply the technique fundamentals that Neil is always drilling into us: keeping your timing steady even when switching from strumming to doing something more precise, keeping your hand moving up and down, trying to vary up strumming. That said, I’m sure there’s a lot that I can improve on- and I’m hoping Neil will give me some feedback.

Jay- It’s been inspiring to me to watch the improvement in playing in my fellow TGers- I certainly wasn't suggesting that I'm the only one who has made progress! This site is great and I can’t even express how much I’ve learned from it. And when I feel like I’m in a slump, I usually can find a song to tackle that will pull me right out of it. This one worked well for that!

[dennisg]

I thought I'd log in this morning to see if anything was new, and lo and behold, I find this wonderful video. Aside from the technical improvements you demonstrate in both your playing and singing, you just look about a thousand percent more confident, like you know you're going to nail the song, so you just might as well go ahead and do it. The strumming part of the song isn't particularly demanding for someone like you, but I can see how adding in that little riff might be something to worry about, yet you handled it with ease and perfection. And your voice? The best it's ever been, and just keeps getting better. I'm excited to see what you might come up with in the future.

[suziko]

Dennis,

Thank you so much for your comment! You've always been so supportive and kind and I appreciate it a lot! One of the trickiest parts of this song for me was moving smoothly to and from that lick and keeping in tempo. I also still find those A-shaped barres a challenge, but they are slowly coming together. This was a fun song to learn and to play and I'm really happy to have it added into my repertoire.

Thanks again, my friend!

Suzi

[AcousticAl]

Sorry to be so late to comment..

I'd say this is more than a 'strummy song'. Lots of tricky chord changes and LOTS of lyrics to keep straight!

Congrats on a great upload, Suzi!

[suziko]

Hey Al!

Thanks so much for your comment. Yeah, lots of lyrics, and i didn't even keep them all straight!! This was a fun song to play. I bet the vocals would be right in your pocket.

Suzi