Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49128 in Books
• Published on: 1984-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 42 pages

Customer Reviews

You never play any instrument differently...ever!
Hi, Mates, I, being from the uS and started playing when my dad bought us a family guitar (a 1956 "F" hole Acoustic Archback Harmony,) which ate our fingertips off as "dad" played in a "Rock-a-Billy" Band in the 1950, when Johnny Cash first came "out". Dad started playing "I Walk the Line" and I being but 9 or 0 as dad died just a few months later just never seemed to have the time for this colon cancerous pain, well, I had to do it myself as I was always at the movies watching "Bill Haley", "Jerry Lee Lewis", "Fats" Antoine Domino", "Little Richard Penniman", "Gene Vincent & the Blue Caps", well I had the Rock & Roll fever badly, then that "sort of country" but, I was a "shoe shine boy" and got a kick out of listening to Mr. Cash sing "Get-a-Rhythm" and I knew the words, but, had no one for years to really accept me as a musician to be and showed me the three-chords specials, usually in the key of "E" and "C", then I quickly figured that chords were to be found everywhere, as all they were was a definite alignment of certain notes to make a chord, and then the rest came very "natch", even though the nuns that whooped me on a daily basis, told me in front of the class that a guitar wasn't a musical instrument!
Fuggem, when people dance to what m hands did by the time I was 14, I thought that it was pretty good music, but, I loved those lower notes, and I watched "The Ventures" constantly and listened to them an they ripped off these songs but used a horizontal bass after a while, and there was my instrument, and what I said in my subject up there, there was no difference and so I played the "Kent Short Scale Bass Guitar" from Teisco in Japan as I went and bought two ( 2 ) and an "Ampeg B-15-N-Flip-top" Porta-Flex" which I still love and have and BY GOD I are a BASSIST, and damned good, as I knew the relationships in the strings and the notes and the chords.
Yes I never understood how many flats or sharps made 3/4 time or what ever, but, I do know how to read those chords up on top of piano music and that helped me to realize that there was no music that was different, so I tried an Organ of my cousin's and once I counted off the keys from what was comfortable, i had it knocked, but, my cousin said:"YEAH, but you're only fakin' it!" Screw her she couldn't fake my guitars.Here comes the "BIRD" right at her face, but it was me, who played the Bass in our band when I wasn't playing lead or rhythm.
Then I got me stumped by a instrument! I was outside of my wife's grandparents and there was always someone there that was Portuguese as we came from Fall River, Ma. and I married a beautiful Portuguese/French girl, and many times I was there when a Mandolin showed up.
THIS was the one that got me, but, before I left, I was playing "Yellow Bird", "Maria Elena", "Never On Sunday", "You belong to me"..I just played the new music machine, and noticed that the strings were very high in pitch, and two per! But, playing from the bottom up, I caught on...AHA! It was strung backwards in a delightful sort of way, and soon outside I had a few Portuguese friends smiling and clapping along with my "Faking" it again.
But, it took me from then when I was about 20 to now to finally break down and get me a Mandolin, why not, says I, there alike, no difference, just get those notes together and go with my ears, so, no matter what I played, and whatever you play, though I am 60 now I have a nice collection of "Mandos", Guitars, Basses, and Drednaughts,Acoustic Basses, and my 12-stringer Harmony which I just got, a real beautiful sound..real rare! And, by God when I can I slip a cheaper guitar or Mandolin into some good kids' hands or arms as I'd much rather see that in their arms instead of needle tracks, so I give the cheaper ones away and before I do I learned where you would have to stregnthen things up to make it so a bridge doesn't get pulled out by a nice set of C.T.Martin strings, either SP's or Marquis. I put some nice straps on them, maybe a pickup, but, I have elec. Mandos" too, so I get them on to those if they are serious and are wanting it, (so long as their parents don't mind!) So this mandolin chord book by James Major shows me what chords to make with which notes as yes they are not so different that I MUST play with music now, but, I guess as I have experienced life, at 60 I don't have much time left , esp. seeing that "dad" died at the ripe old age of 43..colon cancer!
But, it is all relative, and Mr. Einstein, I do agree with that term...but, you have to get the relativity of it all, then, you may be called a "faker" or some hard up old woman might tell you that you are not playing anything musical, but, get the books, as I got what I could find, odr see around when I was with the bands, but, after all is said and done, from one to another, they are not that different, so, don't hold back!! Look at "Bert Casey", "Geoff Hohwald", and "James Major", oh, yeah and that gut from Florida: "Fourstrings" is what we call him.
And, he does have a wonderful time with his items, there!
Good GOD! Go for it, buy it, and learn it, after all we don't have all that much time left now do we???
Naw, but the Banjo is next as I started on the Fiddle already!
See you on stage!
Rick "Fourstrings" Lauzon
PS: There was a guy, who I saw on the Austin City Limits and I squeeled "THERE's your next Blues beater" and he'll be on top in a few weeks, and he proved what I said, "The Sky is Crying". There ain't enough time, look at "Stevie Ray Vaughan"??? Too, too bad, what talent!