#70575  by Counterstriker
 
In the solo what key is he in? It sounds like A blues but at first I thought he was playing over the chords but when I do that it doesn't sound right.

Thanks
 #70636  by strumminsix
 
The song is sung in A then the jam jumps up 1.5 steps to C.

Very typical bluegrass. Think Midnight Moonlight!
 #95704  by tcsned
 
strumminsix wrote:The song is sung in A then the jam jumps up 1.5 steps to C.

Very typical bluegrass. Think Midnight Moonlight!
Yep. It's ironic 'cause the bluegrass guys all do this in one key. A lot of the Dead's versions I've heard it seemed like they struggled a bit with the change up a minor third.

These guys a really good.


Arthel "Doc" Watson does a nice version too:


Here's a version I did with Scott Fore kinda swingy:
 #152507  by old man down
 
C pentatonic minor for the first lead break (Grateful Dead first album), and then C pentatonic major for the second lead break.

Blisteringly fast, Jerry is. They said they were all on speed that day, and it shows.

The lead breaks just go crazy, and are virtually impossible to learn as played by them. You can get close, but life is hell trying to get too close.

From slowing things down on my JamMan, and slowing that snippet down, and doing it yet again one more time, the note sequences are truly strange, and not obvious.

Why Jer did it that way, I don't know. But he does connect the notes coherently, but I bet he could never duplicate his feat from those takes.

I also get the feeling the lead breaks are edited from a bunch of takes. The stuff is just too incoherent.

Gotta love those bass notes that define the song. Just wish I could get an innate feel for the lead breaks, for what he was trying to capture, other than just blister fast picking.