Fret Notesa guitarist's occasional blog
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I recently taught Gene Vincent's classic "Be-Bop-A-Lula" to a beginning group guitar class. It's a great song for beginners with three chords: E, A, and B7. I wanted to give my students a little taste of taking guitars solos. So I wrote a simple guitar solo using some common blues and rock & roll phrases over a basic 12-bar blues chord progression — the same progression used on "Be-Bop-A-Lula". A lot of people try to begin soloing by wandering around a basic blues scale shape. I tend to think that sort of things leads to playing things that aren't very musical. I once saw an interview with Eric Clapton where he talked about constructing his solos as statements by stringing together musical phrases in a meaningful way. Learning a the notes of a scale is like learning the letters of the alphabet. You have to organize the notes into musical words or phrases before you can start playing real, meaningful music. The sample guitar solo I wrote for this lesson can be played as it is written. But each measure really represents a useful musical word or phrase that can be used over and over in other settings. Think about the first measure here; it's a musical phrase that can be used just about anywhere over a E or E7 chord when you are playing the blues or blues-influenced rock and country music. So think of each measure in this exercise as a word or phrase you can add to your musical vocabulary. As your vocabulary grows, your soloing will become more and more interesting. Do learn to play this solo exactly as written. But then go back and switch measures 1-2 with measures 3-4. The solo works just as well. Or for something maybe a bit more surprising, simply play any one of the first four measures for the entire first four measures of E. It works! (Some of these phrases are reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan's intro to "Pride and Joy".) You can continue learning new musical words and phrases from TABS you find. But listen to players like Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, or Robert Cray. Steal their licks by listening. The little mistakes you make copying their playing will give your playing its own voice. That's what every one of those players did. So we can do the same thing!  My Vintage 47 is a Valco-style 12 watt tube amplifier that is built in California by David Barnes. This amp is an amazing blues and jazz amplifier with a classic sound. I picked this up right around the same time I traded out a beautiful Martin OM-21 guitar for a Gibson ES-335. I'm practicing with that combo these days in hopes of becoming a legit jazz cat in my later years — which seem to be just around the corner!
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 Spruce and Mahogany Kala U-Basses
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| basic_walking_blues_bass.pdf |
Kala U-Bass
| boil_em_cabbage_down.pdf |
Norman B20 Folk* Here is an example of a song I will teach for the second lesson of a beginning group guitar class. This lesson is aimed at people who lean in a folk or bluegrass direction.
"Boil em' Cabbage Down" is an old folk song. I think a lot of fiddle and mandolin players learn this when they are just starting out. For a guitarist, it makes sense to learn the same tunes in the same keys as those players learn them. The fiddlers and mandolin pickers usually play this in the Key of A. Guitarists often learn this tune in G, and then they will use a capo on the second fret in jam sessions.
I prefer to teach "Boil em Cabbage Down" in the Key of A instead of the popular "G". The chords A, D, and E tend to be a little bit easier to learn compared to the G, C, and D needed in the Key of G. Also, not all of my students arrive with a capo. So it just makes sense to teach things in first position at the start. (This is an easy tune. Students can learn to play it in G at a later time if they want.)
Rhythm
The song's rhythm is best learned as a basic "Boom-Chick" pattern. Play the root of the chord on beats one and three. Strum the chord on beats two and four. All picking and strumming is downward at this point. No upstrokes. Work on steady tempo and do not worry about speed. The root for each chord is on an open string. This is another major advantage of teaching beginners to play this in the Key of A :
Flatpicking
I like to get students flatpicking right away. Some people have an easier time picking than they have learning to strum. Plus, we can begin to play the song in two parts, and that makes it more fun.
I include four variations in my lesson. The first is a simple outline of the melody with quarter notes. Students should "push each note towards the floor." That's how I explain it, and it helps to keep them from snapping the string outward away from the guitar.
Variations 2 and 3 introduce "down-up" flatpicking. The downstrokes are always on the beat. The upstrokes are on the "and" of each beat. Have the students tap their feet on the beat. For some students, it will help to visualize a string attached from the pick to the foot. They go up and down together.
Often, I'll have students arrive at a beginning class who have already made a little progress playing. Variation 4 is a simple example of a solo that I include to keep those students happy and challenged.
Lyrics
This is an old, old song. You can find endless variations by digging through Youtube or old recordings. The chorus is basically saying, "Man, I'm tired and hungry!" The verses could be complaints, nonsense, or tall tales — probably told around the fire at the end of long day of working in the fields. This is a nice little jumping off point for a songwriting lesson. Especially with the middle schoolers I work with, I like to try to get them to write a verse or two that fits the form.
Boil ‘em Cabbage Down (Traditional song)
(A “hoecake” is cornmeal cake baked over a fire on the blade of a hoe.)
Chorus:
Boil them cabbage down, down.
Turn them hoecakes 'round, 'round.
The only song that I can sing is
Boil them cabbage down.
Verses:
Butterfly has wings of gold.
Firefly, wings of flame.
Bedbugs got no wings at all,
But they get there just the same.
Once I had an old grey mule,
his name was Simon Slick.
He'd roll his eyes, and back his ears,
and how that mule would kick.
Went up on a mountain
(To) give my horn a blow, blow.
Thought I heard my true love say,
"Yonder comes my beau."
* The Norman B20 Folk in the picture above is a wonderful guitar for beginning students.
And dig the video of Mark O'Connor and Wynton Marsalis!
"Boil em' Cabbage Down" is an old folk song. I think a lot of fiddle and mandolin players learn this when they are just starting out. For a guitarist, it makes sense to learn the same tunes in the same keys as those players learn them. The fiddlers and mandolin pickers usually play this in the Key of A. Guitarists often learn this tune in G, and then they will use a capo on the second fret in jam sessions.
I prefer to teach "Boil em Cabbage Down" in the Key of A instead of the popular "G". The chords A, D, and E tend to be a little bit easier to learn compared to the G, C, and D needed in the Key of G. Also, not all of my students arrive with a capo. So it just makes sense to teach things in first position at the start. (This is an easy tune. Students can learn to play it in G at a later time if they want.)
Rhythm
The song's rhythm is best learned as a basic "Boom-Chick" pattern. Play the root of the chord on beats one and three. Strum the chord on beats two and four. All picking and strumming is downward at this point. No upstrokes. Work on steady tempo and do not worry about speed. The root for each chord is on an open string. This is another major advantage of teaching beginners to play this in the Key of A :
- E major chord ~ 6th string (The open low "E" string.)
- A major chord ~ 5th string (The open "A" string)
- D major chord ~ 4th string (The open "D" string)
Flatpicking
I like to get students flatpicking right away. Some people have an easier time picking than they have learning to strum. Plus, we can begin to play the song in two parts, and that makes it more fun.
I include four variations in my lesson. The first is a simple outline of the melody with quarter notes. Students should "push each note towards the floor." That's how I explain it, and it helps to keep them from snapping the string outward away from the guitar.
Variations 2 and 3 introduce "down-up" flatpicking. The downstrokes are always on the beat. The upstrokes are on the "and" of each beat. Have the students tap their feet on the beat. For some students, it will help to visualize a string attached from the pick to the foot. They go up and down together.
Often, I'll have students arrive at a beginning class who have already made a little progress playing. Variation 4 is a simple example of a solo that I include to keep those students happy and challenged.
Lyrics
This is an old, old song. You can find endless variations by digging through Youtube or old recordings. The chorus is basically saying, "Man, I'm tired and hungry!" The verses could be complaints, nonsense, or tall tales — probably told around the fire at the end of long day of working in the fields. This is a nice little jumping off point for a songwriting lesson. Especially with the middle schoolers I work with, I like to try to get them to write a verse or two that fits the form.
Boil ‘em Cabbage Down (Traditional song)
(A “hoecake” is cornmeal cake baked over a fire on the blade of a hoe.)
Chorus:
Boil them cabbage down, down.
Turn them hoecakes 'round, 'round.
The only song that I can sing is
Boil them cabbage down.
Verses:
Butterfly has wings of gold.
Firefly, wings of flame.
Bedbugs got no wings at all,
But they get there just the same.
Once I had an old grey mule,
his name was Simon Slick.
He'd roll his eyes, and back his ears,
and how that mule would kick.
Went up on a mountain
(To) give my horn a blow, blow.
Thought I heard my true love say,
"Yonder comes my beau."
* The Norman B20 Folk in the picture above is a wonderful guitar for beginning students.
And dig the video of Mark O'Connor and Wynton Marsalis!
| South Branch transcription by Chuck Cheesman |
"South Branch" is an original fingerstyle composition of mine that uses a unique altered tuning. I've recorded "South Branch" on my latest CD, A Whisper in this Town. This isn't nearly as difficult as people sometimes think it might be. I'm not a virtuoso fingerstyle guitar player; I'm more a singer/songwriter who is being opportunistic by exploiting an open tuning.
The key to this piece is to tune your strings (lowest to highest) D - G - D - F# - A - D. This is similar to open D tuning, but in this case you lower your 5th string from "A" to "G".
The transcription is an approximation. I tend to perform this piece a little differently each time I play it. For example, the harmonics I use as an intro were added after I had transcribed the tune. I have included a video performance of this piece that might be of some use to you as you try to learn it.
In the video, I perform this on a very nice Bourgeois Vintage OM that I no longer own. On the recording, I use my favorite little guitar. It's an unheralded Martin 00C-16DBRE that has had the electronics torn out of it. Compared to the Bourgeois and some other instruments I have had my hands on, the Martin isn't a fancy guitar. But if I could keep only one instrument, this little guitar would be it!
I would love to hear from anyone who tries to learn to play this piece! There are plenty of you who could perform this better than I am able to manage it.
Best,
​Chuck
The key to this piece is to tune your strings (lowest to highest) D - G - D - F# - A - D. This is similar to open D tuning, but in this case you lower your 5th string from "A" to "G".
The transcription is an approximation. I tend to perform this piece a little differently each time I play it. For example, the harmonics I use as an intro were added after I had transcribed the tune. I have included a video performance of this piece that might be of some use to you as you try to learn it.
In the video, I perform this on a very nice Bourgeois Vintage OM that I no longer own. On the recording, I use my favorite little guitar. It's an unheralded Martin 00C-16DBRE that has had the electronics torn out of it. Compared to the Bourgeois and some other instruments I have had my hands on, the Martin isn't a fancy guitar. But if I could keep only one instrument, this little guitar would be it!
I would love to hear from anyone who tries to learn to play this piece! There are plenty of you who could perform this better than I am able to manage it.
Best,
​Chuck
Martin 00C-16DBRE
Author
Chuck Cheesman writes hopeful, loving, and sometimes funny songs for people of all ages.
Chuck teaches guitar at Portland's Multnomah Arts Center and does educational outreach for Artichoke Music. He is best known for his Dancing With No Shoes On children's music programs.
His latest recording of original songs is "A Whisper in this Town".
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