I've Just Got A Standard Johnson Now

What I could really do with is a tab for the bit of "la Grange" that starts around 1.37 into the video....anyone?

Vic, this song originally starts out in A. Then at the first solo goes to C. Then the song goes back to the original riff in A, and the last solo is played in A.

That part at 1:38 is using the C Minor Pentatonic scale 2nd position. Most of that first solo is played in 1st and 2nd position.
Here is that lick:


C Minor Pentatonic scale 2nd position

e-------11------11------11-------11------11------11--
b--/13------13------13------/13------13------13------
g----------------------------------------------------
d----------------------------------------------------
a----------------------------------------------------
e----------------------------------------------------


The important thing with this lick is to get the smooth sliding sound. Hold both notes and let them sustain. Billy Gibbons often uses hybrid picking for licks like this, but in the video appears to be simply picking both notes with his pick.

My favorite lick comes at the very end of this solo when the song switches back to the key of A. This is a classic turnaround that sounds great, Billy uses this lick in quite a few songs.

A Major Pentatonic with passing notes

I am a HUGE fan of Billy Gibbons, he is one of those players with fantastic phrasing that seems to hit just the right note at the right time. Great slide player too. And tone to die for. :D

wes,

billy gibbons is great, i think i read somewhere that hendrix once said that gibbons was his favorite guitar player, and tone to die for 8)

Since we're talking about Ricochet's Johnson again :roll: , I decided to look up something that an old friend of mine used to make:
the perfect companion to your Johnson
I've read that story. And the guy who has the Tone Lizard site is right on. It's well worth reading the whole thing. Takes a while.

Growing up near Brandon, I encountered several of Albert Johnson's amps, including the pa amp on my high school's stage.
I wish I had been around when they "upgraded" to an XR600. :cry:

Ah Kent and Ricochet you two guys have gone and given me a lump in my throat!!! One of my best buds many years ago was Alberts oldest son. The store quite the place and Albert was also an excellent musician as was his son Les. Les taught me how to chord to House of The Rising Sun and about 4 other tunes, I then gave up the guitar for about 35 years till about 4 years ago As a matter of fact their house was right across the street from where the guy who owns and operates the music store I patronize the most grew up. Albert Johnson died but Mrs Johnson who was always part of the store was still selling bits and pieces in 2000 when I had to replace all the bass speakers in my Stereo cabinets. (suffice to say that I was trying to simulate the massive speakers in Sammy Hagars Cabo Wabo night club and using a CD of Floyds The Wall. I was trying to show how these speakers moved air when the Helicopter sequence starts up) anyway I still remember that technology had not caught on there and Debit/credit cards were taboo, so to pay for the speakers I had to go to an ATM and take the CASH back. Too bad like a lot of things we didn't pay much attention to him, after all who listens to dads right? Could have learned a lot I bet...Would have been cool to have one of his amps too....maybe this will spur me on to look for one of them, must still be a few hiding around Brandon. Kind of funny every time the discussion gets around to Johnsons I think of him.That's my storey and I'm sticking to it.
Robbie

Ah, thanks for that, Wes! It's higher up the neck than I thought - got to go try it now!

:D :D :D

Vic

Now if this resident is messing with your Johnson I sure hope he's a urologist. :P

I'm not going to draw him into the Johnson jokes; he's a very nice guy and would likely be offended if he knew.

I'm looking forward to seeing his sitar. :D

Ooops ... sorry. Wouldn't want to do that.

The instrument Farshad brought in is a settar or satar, different from the Indian sitar most of us are a bit more familiar with. There's a pic of one here: http://www.newtonmusichall.com/Settar.html

The name means "three tones." It has four strings, tuned to the root, octave, fifth and octave. He describes those tones in terms of of "Do" and "Sol." It's played like a dulcimer, strummed rhythmically with the fingernails while the single melody string is fretted and the other strings sound as drones. Unlike the dulcimer, which has frets for the diatonic scale, this one has all the half tones of the chromatic scale and several quarter tones. The frets are tied on catgut.

I'm playing it like a dulcimer. Don't know any Persian music to play, but Farshad's bringing me some CDs. Old Joe Clark, You Gotta Move and LaGrange work on it. :lol:

Old Joe Clark, You Gotta Move and LaGrange work on it. :lol:
Wow, I'd be interested to hear that if you ever put up sound clips. LaGrange is an all-time favorite of mine.

Jim-Bone

Oh, it's nothing I'd record. I just mean that the thing's in an open tuning that's a "power chord" and the main riff of La Grange comes out by playing the open strings, third and fifth frets. Just noodling around. You can do the same on any guitar in an open tuning. In Open A, it'll even be in the right key.

Gotcha, thanks Ricochet!

Jim-Bone