Things Chet did that I can't do

[Art Sims]

Hello everyone,
In most of Chet’s arrangements there’s something I can’t quite do - stretch the long reach in Cascade, do harmonics with chord forms, play the pull offs in Liza like him, etc. Seems like there’s always something I’m not quite up to and so I substitute stuff. But recently, I’m trying to get those pull offs Chet did in Liza, the ones at the end of the second opening verse. I think he stroked a first position Am and then executed those fast pull offs down through the lower strings but I can’t figure out just what he did after string 4 in getting down to the low G. I don’t seem to have enough notes to continue the sequence all the way down. I enjoy very much reading comments and viewing videos by members of this board, terrific insights and playing. I'm sure some here know that sequence and play it.
Art Sims

[Randy Finney]

Well, if you mean the lick at about 19 seconds in, the notes (after strumming the Ami) are:

D, C, B (frets 3, 1, 0 on string 2 - pick the D, pull off C and B)
A, G (frets 2, 0 on string 3 - pick the A, pull off G)
F# (fret 4 on string 4 - picked)
A, G (as above)
D (fret 0 on string 4 - picked)

Then G, F#, etc on sting 6...

I do all the pickin' on this lick with a thumb pick but, a multitude of righthand fingering can work.

I pick...

the D downstroke,
the A downstroke,
the F# downstroke
the A downstroke
the low D upstroke
the low G downstroke, low F# downstroke, etc....

Hope this helps.

Randy

[Art Sims]

Thanks Randy,
If I’m reading that right my ears just haven’t been getting what Chet actually did. Looks like there’s no pull off on the 4th, and instead of continuing down (like I imagined), the lick jumps back to the 3rd string, and nothing gets done on string 5 at all. No wonder I can’t get it. My ears are just failing me there. Oh the joy of learning things by ear!
I think the whole album that song is on is terrific. I’ve gotten it out and played Chet’s recording of the song again and it’s still a little tough to follow him right there.
I also have the song on a CD by Merle Travis called Guitar Retrospective and I like what he did with it too. But that lick Chet used (and some other stuff there) really intrigues me. I’ll work with it more with your explanation. Thanks. Chet’s techniques are fun and demanding. Sure are demanding for me anyway.

[Randy Finney]

Do you have a slowdown program, such as http://www.ronimusic.com/? There are many others.

Things get tricky and our ears get deceived when something is played quickly, the notes are ringing together, and in the case of this lick, Chet lets go of the time which also trips up our ear.

To practice this lick, leave out strumming the Ami Chord and just play the notes from the high D to the low D focusing on playing evenly and quickly and you will discover that this is in fact what Chet is playing.

Randy

[cgprnd]

I can say from experience that the more of what Chet did that we learn correctly, the faster will be the learning curve to learn more. In other words, there eventually becomes less and less that remains a mystery. If there is a technique that one never seems to get the hang of, then that will remain a mystery in all songs in which it is used.

Rande

[Art Sims]

Randy,
I’ll check out the slowdown software you mentioned although your post actually gave me what I was hoping to get. It’s great to be able to add some of Chet’s ideas to arrangements that you play. A lot can be played, of course, without special licks because the guitar itself has such a beauty to its sound that, to me, even simple pieces can be delightful. But Chet’s ideas add so much and I just totally admire what he could do with his hands. My hands can’t cut it, on some things, and I faced a long time ago that there are licks he played that I’ll never be able to do. But that lick in Liza is one I’ve wanted to get. Thanks for posting what you have about it.
Art

[Art Sims]

Rande
I’m sure you’re right about learning Chet’s things correctly. Thanks for the encouragement from your experience that doing so makes further learning easier. Indeed, in playing the guitar we never stop building on things we learn and good learning does make further progress likely. Thanks, Art

[cgprnd]

Hi Art, Thanks for your kind response. My "experience" has mostly been a lot of trial and error. I grew up with
no mentors among family or friends. I had already been playing with a flat pick for 8 years before I heard Chet.
I continued trying to play single notes and filling in all pauses with chords whenever I could. I was never satisfied
because I wanted to play certain combinations that were impossible to play simultaneously when I was using only
one point of contact. It took me 3 years after first hearing Chet before I felt that I could throw away my flat pick
and make the big switch to fingerstyle. I was 16 at that point. My life changed and over the years I've manged to figure out most of what I've wanted to learn. My challenge has been in the implementation, which hasn't been too bad but I'll never be completely happy with myself. In fact, I remember Chet telling me once in his office that he never liked listening to his own records because he was never satisfied and thought of more things he could have done. I'm very much the same way.
Anyway, I've been very fortunate over the years to have had the experiences and friendships that I've enjoyed
but will always wonder what it would have been like for music to have been my livelihood instead of the math/science teaching path that I took. Analyzing and deciphering what I've wanted to learn has always been my strong point
and I enjoy discussing the details with people. I guess that's what got me going on all of this after reading your post.

Have a great day!

Rande

[Art Sims]

Rande
That last post of yours rang bells for me. One big difference is that I never got to meet Chet whereas you apparently knew him and I’m sure that really means a lot to you. But like you, I played with a flatpick first and then with a thumbpick. I now play sometimes without a pick but mostly with a combination thing I eventually came up with after years of trying to do a “hybrid picking” thing. I always felt like the hybrid thing positioned my hand in a less than desirable fashion. Also like you, I was young when I first heard Chet. I started music on the accordion (about age 8) and so knew about playing bass, rhythm and melody at the same time, but I really wanted to play the guitar. Only after hearing Chet in my teens did I begin to see that those parts could be done on a guitar. Also like you, income for me has been mainly from other work, except that I was able to work my way through college by teaching guitar. Most of my life has been devoted to teaching Bible lessons from a pulpit. I’ve tried in recent years to retire but can’t seem to get that done and still speak every week at a small church in my home town. One great thing about that is that I get to inflict my guitar playing on the people at my church. I tell them they just have to endure it because I’m the preacher. I really enjoyed your post about yourself and your guitar experience and your perspective about what you’ve pursued in your life. Best to you, Art

[JackBowman]

I could do 2 of the three great things that Chet did. I could open and clost my guitar case exactly as he did, but the part about playing a guitar just seems to excape me.

So that means I am over halfway to greatness?????