Sorry it has been a while...

Well I didn't realise it has been so long since I last posted, but the end of my 1st year studying jazz was more hectic than I thought it would be! So not much 8 string time, but lots of fretless and double bass on the go. Which is why I am really here I suppose!?

I'll probably do a few more posts about what I learnt this year both from the tutors and maybe more importantly, my fellow students.

As an apology here is the first section of Spanish Joint by D'Angelo, with Charlie Hunter of course on guitar/bass duties. It was on D'Angelo's album Voodoo. Check out the rest of the album as Pino Palladino plays the dirtiest hip hop bass you have ever heard from a Welsh man!

This is one of my favourite Hunter grooves to play and it is actually quite simple. Which is a bonus. Get a drummer with a fat snare behind you and this part really grooves.

Hopefully this will keep you going enough these next few sunny(!) summer days until I get in the blogging flow again. (I am actually meant to be packing to move house, but I found laying out my transcription for this tune much more satisfying!)

Until next time...
D'Angelo - Spanish Joint 8 String
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It's all in the face...

Since I recently aquired my 8 string I have had the temptation to give up the bass (possibly for lent :) )and concentrate on being a jazz guitarist!!! However, I have come to terms with the fact that this is never going to happen as my face just won't do what its meant to...















This facial talent must be something they learn at Berklee or other music schools in the US. It doesn't seem to be on my curriculum at Birmingham unfortunately. All these photos were expertly captured by ex professional musician and now photographer Dragan Tasic. Check out his link; he has hundreds of great jazz and blues musicians in his archives.

Thing's I am working on (Transcriptions should be up this week):

• Common bass and diad shapes for 8 string
• All Blues including melody
• A transcription of Charlie Hunter's playing on D'Angelo's Spanish Joint
• A few easy jazz-blues 12 bar progressions (with and without walking bass) using the common diad shapes for people to get under their fingers

Finally 'she' is here...some things for you to play aswell!

So here we are...over a week since I last posted. Why you ask?

The reason for this site is to follow my progress on the 8 string guitar and to inform others by discuss concepts that apply to it.

So it finally arrived on friday morning at 10am. You should know, up until this point it seemed to be missing somewhere over the Atlantic. USPS="It was sent and should be in the UK." Parcelforce="It hasn't been received, it can't have been sent!". Needless to say, I almost had a heart attack, but she is here now.

You could look a few posts back, but I want another excuse to post a picture of 'her'

My Wes Lambe guitar is....."Jackie Brown!" (The name my flat mate Trondur came up with the name for 'her'. It had to be a girls name, it was brown. It sounded good to me; Pam Grier's career was revitalised because of Jackie Brown, so the hope is mine will aswell. Also, this beauty is one bad mother!)


I have honestly never played an instrument of this build quality, it's excellent. I haven't really put it down since it arrived. So let begin the learning, here are a few transcriptions I have done for 8 string:

A Go Go - John Scofield
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Chank - John Scofield
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Protocol - John Scofield

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Think of it as a Hammond B3 with strings...

The words bleeted out of most guitarist's mouths I have shown of my future partner in musical crime are: "What the hell is that?"

I thought it's obvious, but it seems not. So I thought I would share it with you guys, as you will no doubt be hearing many tales of joy and woe about my love/hate affair with this beast!

So, the grand unveiling of the custom buitar guitar I have lusted over for many many years, currently packed away tightly in an aircraft fuselage. Most likely along side a collection of moody Luis' (Vuittons) and some parent's suitcase that they've had since the 70's (Tan leather no doubt!):



The guitar is hand made by Wes Lambe in NC, USA. The strings are tuned E-A-D-a-d-g-b-e (Capitals are bass strings, lower-case are electric guitar strings). What does this mean!? Well it means I can play the parts of the guitar and bass simultaneously. Thus taking double the wage at gigs!? I can dream. For the musically retarded, this means I can take the place in a regular band of the person that shows off who gets all the girls and the fat or lanky guy at the back that plays the big guitar who really doesn't look interested in what's going on at all!

So, after probably 8 years of wanting a guitar styled after
Charlie Hunter's 8 string I am finally to get my hands on one!

Never has a week been so excruciatingly long. Not since Miss Lewis was off for a week and we had some awful substitute teacher who insisted in telling us stories of how her son died for being driven over by a steam roller! Oh Miss Lewis, how the boys in the class missed you.