What are you working on now?

[ddewerd]

Just curious - I am starting a 2 1/2 week vacation (Yippee!!!) and have already started a list of stuff to work on. My band is doing a New Year's Eve party, so we're trying to work up some new material (and anyone's welcome if you're in central TX - we're near Fayetteville).

I've been working on:
Brick House
Josie
How Bout Them Cowgirls
Already Gone
Heard it Through the Grapevine
White Christmas
Jingle Bell Rock
Bad to the Bone
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
Move it On Over (gotta get my George T fix!)

How about you?

Cheers,
Doug

[jazztele]

i'm actually writing a bit...which is always scary. my goal is in the next year to record an all jazz-blues CD that contains not a single traditional "blues" progression (and most definitely no 3 chord blues), so i've got a blues with a bridge, a really wild minor blues (with about 30 chord changes most of you would probably hate;), and a blues called "sometimes i'm happy" which actually shifts between a major blues and a minor blues during it's progression....so i'm having fun with that...


other than that, i'm still practicing some holiday tune arrangements, "christmastime is here," "white christmas," "i'll be home for christmas, "and the like...

[Tim Bowen]

Trying to get the lyrics and changes together for "The End of the World" (the Skeeter Davis thing, not the R.E.M. tune) and "Sin City" (Parsons/Hillman), so that I don't botch the covers too badly at a weekend show. Have been working sessions for an alt. country record.

[Dave Hopping]

I just got done with recording a couple of Christmas tunes.Next up is resurrecting some instro stuff (home-grown and covers) from back in the day.

edit:Tim,thanks for reminding me about "End of The World".Pretty song with cool changes.Might go to work on it myself.

[morroben]

I'm writing quite a bit these days, but I'm also trying to work out arrangements for Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and Just the Way You Look Tonight. Whenever I get frustrated with that stuff, I go back to working on Prettiest Girl in New York.

[jazztele]

Originally Posted by morroben

Whenever I get frustrated with that stuff, I go back to working on Prettiest Girl in New York.

that song's a friggin' blast to play, ain't it?

[Leon Grizzard]

I've been working on the fiddle, although I did order some stylus picks as recommended by ?, and trying to play for a while each day with one. It has shown me where some of my bad pick hand position is, and I think will pay off after some time.

I am trying to get in as much fiddle practice time as I can, which means early morning when my wife is off doing her training runs, and after work before she gets home, since our house is too small for me to practice without disturbing her peace if she is there. With weekly lessons you have to keep plugging away. I have also been going to the weekly Old Time fiddlers session, and so have to be ready with about ten tunes there each week.

[SatelliteOrders]

We play "O Come O Come Emmanuel" this Sunday, so I'm working on making sure I have the melody line dead-on.

[morroben]

Originally Posted by jazztele

that song's a friggin' blast to play, ain't it?

It is a lot of fun, and it's also a good lesson in how to use open strings.
The main lick is a killer for me. Some days I can nail it, some days I'm not even close. It's almost like an athletic event. Sometimes every shot falls, sometimes you can't buy a layup. It has more to do with relaxation than effort. The harder I work that lick the worse it gets for me.

[Mojohand40]

I am always working on something.
Last couple weeks ago it's been solos from
Larry McCabe's "Nashville Country Lead Guitar"

This is a good book of real country solos. (Not just chickin' picken' shred) I recommend it.

This week, However I've put away the tele for now and returned to my lap steel study. I've been working on Hank Williams "Lost Highway" in C6 tuning and when I get tired of that, I switch off to the old steel guitar standard "Harbor Lights"..I've been trying to nail a Jerry Byrd recording of it.

I find it always good to work on learning two to three songs at a time. That way when you get a little burned out on one during a practice session you can take a little break and work on another then switch back after a few minutes a little fresher.
For me it's the easiest way to learn songs.

-

[Gringo13]

As always, I'm writing anything from country, alt. country, to rock. As far as covers and influences, I'm working on the ever-frustrating Waylon Live style and some Drive-By Truckers riffs and rhythms.

[BottyGuy]

Birdland
Jerry's Breakdown

[67_tele]

I've been working on Brent Masons Hot Wired the past 3 weeks or so. I got the whole tune down under my finders at 70% percent speed. Only 30% more! Brent is insane!!

[timmer]

Sol Philcoxs' Chicken Pickin' Chops and Funk #49.

[brewwagon]

heartbreaker
michelle

love influenced stuff

bw

[Tim Bowen]

Originally Posted by Dave Hopping

edit:Tim,thanks for reminding me about "End of The World".Pretty song with cool changes.Might go to work on it myself.

Yeah, it's a beautiful little song, should be a good add. I usually try to reference a variety of covers when doing arrangements of well known classics. When I pulled up the Skeeter Davis thing on youtube, I also found that Agnetha from ABBA had taken it for a spin; that one's cheeze deluxe/campy cool, complete with whistling and roller skating rink-approved organ... guessing Farfisa or Vox Continental. I got fired up to do an arrangement of the tune for my duo after hearing John Mellencamp's reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l-GpISGBFY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf0is...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GpxR2H241g

[daves561]

Bach, English Suite No. 5, Prelude (on piano).

I think I may have reached my brain-power limit on this one. There is so much going on, and the fingering required to articulate the individual voices is so unorthodox in places, that actually finding the reserves to make music is quite difficult. I think all of my neurons are busy trying to keep up with the mechanics of the thing.

[Beachbum]

Licks, licks and more licks.

[MondoGuitar]

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

Now *there's* a classic masterpiece which seems incredibly simple until you try to faithfully duplicate it. :)

No one sells out a stadium here like George. I remember one time he came he sold out two nights in two hours. No one does that here. I heard later from a merch guy that they ran out of stock. That never happens.

[ddewerd]

Originally Posted by MondoGuitar

Now *there's* a classic masterpiece which seems incredibly simple until you try to faithfully duplicate it. :)

You're absolutely right. More often than not, some of the (appearingly) simpler songs are the hardest to do well. Case in point - last band practice my mates suggest Eric Clapton's "Lay Down Sally". Simple song, if you're just strumming chords. But if you try to replicate the vibe and the little rhythm licks in that, then it's a whole 'nother story. I've messed with that song for years and never quite got it right.

Like I try to tell my band mates about a lot of songs they want to do...

"Easy to play poorly, hard to play well"

But that won't stop me anyways

Cheers,
Doug

[MondoGuitar]

Well said Doug. That echoes my sentiments precisely.

[cactusrob]

I want to work on some chicken pickin' style this year. I've always been a rock/blues/country player. I can do basic Merle Haggard country type stuff no problem, but I've always been fascinated by chicken pickin' and Chet Atkins style playing but have never seriously pursued it...but that's the plan for this year...I've never been a DVD type learner but I'll probably buy a DVD for some instruction once I've exhausted youtube's offerings.

Any suggestions would be appreciated...


Rob

[cactusrob]

Originally Posted by ddewerd

Case in point - last band practice my mates suggest Eric Clapton's "Lay Down Sally". Simple song, if you're just strumming chords. But if you try to replicate the vibe and the little rhythm licks in that, then it's a whole 'nother story.

Have you ever heard the OLD version of that song? It's done by Red Sovine (yes, the "C'mon back truckers and talk to Teddy Bear" Red Sovine) I'm not sure if this is the original version, but it's obviously the one Clapton referred to. Pretty neat.

Rob