![]() However, I always wondered how strict he was about playing certain phrases in a specific position. Anyone who’s ever studied Charlie Christian knows that he bases his playing on a number of shapes that he likes. If I am correct, then I’ve learned a few interesting things about his choice of fingerings. Of course, we will be 100% sure without clear video footage, but I think I’m getting quite close. There are certain phrases where I am 100% sure of the fingerings, and therefore, I would compare the different instances of the same note to try to determine the exact position. What I would do is take multiple instances of the same note from various phrases, and stack them vertically in multiple tracks in my DAW. I am trying my very best to get the right fingerings. I am still in the process of transcribing his playing, but I’ve already learned a lot. Not just the solos, but also some of the riffs and comping that he did. Most importantly, I have been carefully transcribing his playing. I have been reading interviews of people who knew him and/or played with him. I have been reading various biographies of his life to get an understanding of where he came from, and what was going on in Oklahoma in his formative years. Part of my research also involves studying the styles of other musicians and guitar players from that era: Eddie Durham, Lonnie Johnson, Nick Lucas, Django Reinhardt, Eddie Lang, Rick Astley, etc.īeyond the obvious theoretical aspects of Charlie Christian’s playing, I am also interested in his approach to rhythm guitar, his sense of timing, his phrasing, and his tone. I am interested in the performance practice (guitar and jazz improvisation) of Charlie Christian’s era. This is, in some ways, an ethnomusicological study of Charlie Christian’s style I am looking at everything from a historical perspective. Most lessons, that I have seen, certainly look correct but they seem to focus on the more “obvious” aspects of Charlie Christian’s guitar style some of the information, while correct, is also a bit superficial. For starters, I am going after something different. I haven’t really looked at all of them in detail, but I’ve glanced over a few of them. Why am I doing this? There are many reasons. ![]() I’m perfectly aware that there are many Charlie Christian style lessons out there. So, yes, I’m working on a lesson series on the guitar style of Charlie Christian. I will certainly redo it, when it’s time to get serious! Last but not least, it goes without saying that there can be only ONE Charlie Christian this is a humble tribute to him, and in no way do I pretend to be able to play EXACTLY like him. I didn’t have time to practice the solo at all. All this to say that these were not ideal performance conditions for me. ![]() Today was really my last chance to do anything like this before I take off. When I got back home, I started recording the solo. This morning, I drove my roommate to the airport for his holidays. At 1 am last night, I transcribed and memorized Charlie Christian’s solo to “Flying Home”. I was supposed to start working on a Charlie Christian lesson project for DC Music School in August, but for reasons way beyond my control, I was not able to do anything. Balancing work, and holiday social obligations have left me with very little time to do the video linked below. The last few months have been incredibly hectic, and the last few days even worse. Also, thanks to Michael Bauer for lending me a Gibson ES-150 and the Gibson EH-150 amplifier.ĭISCLAIMER: It’s a few hours before Christmas 2015, and in less than 48 hours, I will be flying to Taiwan for 3 months. ![]() Before I begin, I would like to give a big thanks to the fine folks at Lollar Pickups for providing me with a CC pickup, and a big thank you to my luthier Martin Tremblay for providing me with an ES-250 style guitar.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |