Grateful Dead Music Forum

As Bill promised, he's put out a two part video instruction for Stagger Lee - Check it out in hte usual location or the new link on the left hand menu called "Video Instruction"...

or here:
http://www.bickslicks.com

or the What's New Section


Thanks to Bill!!

i dont know if its because i'm retarded or something but i'm having a hard part figuring out the best way to have my fingers for that "5 5 5 5" and the "3 3 3 3" part right at the beginning , so if you could help me out that that'd be great. but this video is really awesome and sounds great, nice work brotha

Yea it's not the greatest look. I barre the B, G, & D strings with my index finger and use my ring finger (next to the pinky) for the A string.

I do some more yakkin about this tune on this thread.

http://community.rukind.org/viewtopic.php?t=562

As always, excellent job there, Billbill. It's particulary interesting to me because I had always played the first part in the first postion, starting on an F chord, and then walking down through E minor, D minor, C, and then the A#. So it's always cool to have another take on something that you yourself didn't think of, really helps with the whole grokking of the fretboard thing. Thanks again!

My pleasure, and thanks for the compliment.

Funny you should say that wisedyes but I also originally played it in the first position as well. What I show is what I saw JG doing on one of the videos, the Buffalo one I believe. While other than that, everything is by ear from the JG solo show I cite in the other SL thread, it sounds the same so I opted for the same positioning.

In the end I don't think it's a big deal either way. The point would be to present a cohesive line that sounds good. You may want to voice the F bass note and to do that you have to be at the first fret. Nothing wrong with playing around with it.

Bill

To Gratefulfloyd -

I thought about your question and it occurred to me that when you say

<>that "5 5 5 5" and the "3 3 3 3" part<>

you may have been missing where the chords 'begin'.


If that's the case, below I show how the bold
fret number references on tha A string are the first notes of the chords that they line up with.


-----------F-----C-----Bb----F-----Bb--

E|------------------------
B|-------------6-----5-----3-----1------3-------
G|-----------5-----5-----3-----2------3---3--
D|-------------7-----5-----3-----3---3---3----
A|-----5-7-8-----7-----5-----3-----1------
E|---8---------------------------------1--


Thus the notes for the

F chord would be

-----------F-----

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

the C

----C

E|--------
B|------5
G|----5
D|------5
A|--7----
E|-------

the Bb

---Bb----

E|------------
B|-----3---
G|---3----
D|-----3--
A|-5-----
E|-------


Etc.

The C and Bb chords are essentially the open G chord form, up the neck, less the bass tonic note.

If my previous fingering explanation continued the confusion, I hope this clears it up.

If you already had a handle on it and I'm blabering on for no good reason, then in the immortal woods of Saturday Night Live's Emily Latella

Never Mind.