Guitar 2 Rep Recap, Week 5

I'm breaking up the recaps by class this week because egads we covered a lot of turf, so I have many, many videos to post. (and they're all formatting wrong so my apologies for the lack of Feng Shui in this post!)

First of all, here's a live version of the Dylan tune we've been working on (in the Sunday class only. Thursdays, if we get time I'll bring this in for ya later). Watch Bobby's fingers closely and you'll see he's doing the very same C-in-a-G maneuver you're all getting a handle on.





Both classes got a taste of Big Star (and I hope you liked it!). I still can't believe this tune came out in 1974. Sounds like something you would've heard on the stage at Pitchfork this summer--though I bet you anything that all the bands on that bill are Big Star fans! The only thing tricky in that tune is the intro, but if you think of it in terms of moveable shapes, it's simple enough. Start with a D shape at the 7th fret (your 3rd finger will be on the 8th fret). Then make a Dm7 shape--which is like an F minus your 3rd finger--at the 5th fret (2nd finger at 6th fret). Finally, keep your fingers in that shape but slide them down to the 3rd & 4th frets. You'll strum the open D string through all of those moves to create a kind of background drone.

Incidentally, the documentary I mentioned is called Nothing Can Hurt Me. If you get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it. I was lucky enough to see it on the big screen at the Music Box Theater, and I came away completely inspired as a songwriter. It shows you all the beauty and horror, the excitement and the boredom, and all the other polarizing moments that comprise belonging to a band.


After that, we started in on Under the Milky Way, which I know was a challenge. Between new chords and a new strumming pattern, it's a lot to take in! I assure you that the best way to combat your anxieties is to listen to the song over and over again. Once it's in your head, your hands will know how to make sense of the two-measure strumming pattern. Be sure that you're sticking to the open chord version (starts in Am).
If you have any question or confusion about any of the special chords in that tune, just drop me a line. Next week we'll go over the version in Em with our capos at the 5th fret (so be sure to bring a one)! It's gonna sound SO COOL when we're playing two different voicings at once!

Don't forget to sign up for next session by this Thursday at midnight if you want to save $15. The code is FALLFOLK13.

Keep on strummin'!