Jerry Reed Lick Killing me!!

[spotty dogg]

It's a rare tune, but I think it's call "I don't Know About You"? There's an ascending harmony lick in it that has been killing me for years. I have a great band that could pull it off, I just can't find that lick? The songs on You Tube if you've never heard it, do yourself a funky favor!

[jmiles]

Incredibly funky tune! Which lick? Gotta a time in the vid?

[jbmando]

Do you possibly mean descending rather that ascending? All the ascending stuff is fairly straight forward but there are three times he does a descending harmony run which sounds pretty tough to pick out. The first one I'm talking about occurs at 0:15 - 0:18; the next one is a 1:14 - 1:16 and the last is at 2:12 - 2:15 with a repeat after a little ascending lick. Is this what you are after?

[spotty dogg]

Sorry! Descending! My bad, and yes those are it. Love that tune!

[jbmando]

Maybe some slow down software such as Amazing Slow Downer would help you figure it out. Usually my only problem on these things is that they go by so fast it's hard to pick it all up. Or you could go ask one of the guys pumping gas 15 miles outside of town to show it to you.

[spotty dogg]

That's good man! So true. I'll just keep plugging away at it, as I have for years. This forum is great. Glad I found it. Cheers

[thumbpick]

if someone can tell me how to put tab lines up, ill take a stab at this lick

[thumbpick]

.................................................. .................................................. ......
...12.......15..14..12............................ .................................................. .
...11..........................................14. .13..11...............11s9.......................
...13.......................14s13................. ....................................11..10..9....
.................................................. ..............14s13............................... ....
.................................................. .................................................. .......
the first lick, out of the this triad,this is what i get,there is also a harmony going on,i didnt sit with this long and i didnt slow it down,so i could be wrong,i have been before but if you work this with the timing i think it will stand on its own.

[Delta Blues]

Even in death Mr. Reed is still taken folks to school. Git r done fellas!

[folktheatre]

It sounds chromatic to me. Maybe a two string descending pattern. Funky!

[transmaniacon]

I'd try a diminished chord at the 13th fret descending a semitone each time he probably has some crafty inversions on the way down.

steve

[spotty dogg]

Awesome. This place is the best! Thanks to all of you for replying. I'll give it a Guitarded Too and let you know how it works with the band.

[boneyguy]

EDIT: This isn't correct. I've corrected myself in the post below this one.


It definitely has a diminished quality to it. It doesn't sound like a straight up diminished scale. It almost sounds like he's connecting minor 3rd intervals chromatically, if you catch what I'm meaning. That's just from one quick listen so I could be way off.

Here's an illustration of what I mean using a Cdim pattern. I have no idea what key the song is in. It's done in triplets which is cool because it gives a neat displacement to the 4 note groupings.

C-B-Bb-A -- F#-F-E-Eb -- C-B-Bb-A

Connect a m3rd interval chromatically then skip down a m3rd then connect chromatically down another minor 3rd.

At least that's what it initially sounds like to me.

[boneyguy]

Okay, I'm revising all the stuff I said above. I've now got my guitar out and I'm hearing a descending chromatic run down in triplets from C# to B. It's 5 groups of 3's (triplets) and the run ends on the last beat (tri-pu-let) of the final triplet. Funky!

It sounds to me like the harmony interval is a tritone, which would make sense over a diminished chord.

So the harmony would be C#/G - C/F# - B/F - etc.
In other words play a descending chromatic scale from G down to F and you'll have it.

It's pretty cool. It gives the chromtic scale a very diminished sound. I guess the diminished scale is sort of like tofu....it will take on the flavour of whatever harmonic environment it's in. Which makes sense I guess because the chromatic scale doesn't emphasize any one particular note as it's focal point therefore the surrounding harmony will exert it's influence on how our ear hears the quality of the scale. Just thinkin' out loud.

[jbmando]

Okay, I have been trying to research this one to see if Jerry might have used a 12 string or a 9 string on this one because the first notes is a D# - I believe at the 16th fret of the B string, and it descends chromatically , but there is definitely a G at the 15th fret of the high E harmonizing with the C# on the third note. Otherwise I believe at least two guitars were played on this lick. One set of notes goes:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
“I Don't Know About You” Intro lick
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tabbed by: JB

Tuning: Standard

E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------|---------------------------|
G|-8-7-6-5-----------------------------|---------------------------|
D|----------9-8-7-6-5--------8-7-6-----|---------------------------|
A|---------------------9-8-7-----------|---------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------|---------------------------|

Now I don't know about you, (pun intended) and I realize that Jerry Reed was an alien, but I can't play those first three notes I tabbed and the D# D C# with a G on top at the same time.

[jbmando]

It was a G on the high E not an F#. Post is corrected.

[spotty dogg]

Love the place!!!!!

[jbmando]

WAIT! It's wrong. I was looking at the wrong strings. Give me a minute

[klasaine]

Here's what I think it is.
Two parts:
1) Eb D C# - C B A# - A G# G - Gb F E - Eb D C#
2) tri-tone below

[jbmando]

I corrected my tab. I was one string too high. Sorry for the confusion. I still hear the high G in there on the third note.