My third Blues tune: Country boogie!!!

Be nice! it's my first attempt at this genre, I'm a Blues rocker just dabbling into country style boogie. any lead playing tips?
"Catch that chiken"http://www.myspace.com/462212596

that was fun to listen to

Be nice! it's my first attempt at this genre, I'm a Blues rocker just dabbling into country style boogie. any lead playing tips?

be nice? ok
tips?
yea do more single note stuff. i like what you do. Now if you can
take some "single note" blues licks and put hem in there as well
that would be cool. there is little differrence in my "country picken"
and bluess playing. country is just not distorted

just a touch of overdrive in a way its barely noticeable

jimmy
cool

ORIGINAL: dmaneleven

Be nice! it's my first attempt at this genre, I'm a Blues rocker just dabbling into country style boogie. any lead playing tips?
"Catch that chiken"http://www.myspace.com/462212596

Hi, dmaneleven,

Nice first try at what is a very difficult genre to master. It's funny how "chicken pickin'" can sound fairly easy to the uninitiated ear when, in reality, to master this type of song requires some serious guitar playing "chops".

I think you're on the right track with your song. You've got a ways to go in terms of technique to slam-dunk this style, but the more you do it, the better you will get, obviously.

Specific to this recording, I feel like the guitar should be more up front---after all, it's the main reason for the song, is it not? I'm not a purist when it comes to this sort of style so the bluesy overdrive doesn't bother me, though it isn't typical of the style, as others have said. But the *tone* you're getting isn't really compelling, overdrive or not. And the licks are not as clean as they ought to be for this style (I mean technique-wise, not overdrive-wise). In addition, it sounds like you're running through some licks you learned recently just to play them. Nothing wrong with that, especially on a first try at this style. But to make the song your own, you'll need to develop your own variations on those licks.

Lastly, the tri-tone lick gets old after awhile. I know it's a main thematic idea in this song but one should not go to the well too often with really distinctive (and well-worn) licks like this.

I hope you won't take my comments in a negative light. I don't mean to be hyper-critical. I'm just giving you my honest assessment of your first shot at this style. I've listened to some of your other blues stuff and you're doing just fine. But it does take time to develop the techniques to be a hot-shot picker like Albert Lee, etc.. Keep pickin' away at it and you're going to be a damned fine chicken picker one day real soon.

Best regards,
Bill

Where's that sultry girl singin' the lead? I certainly can't give you any lead tips. You're beyond me. I like this tune but it's hard to carry a tune with just lead although you kept me interested. Nice licks. Nice tune. Hey, I love the Chicken. I was on a different song so I couldn't understand what they were talking about with the distortion. Dude, you don't need a lot of tips! You're jammin' on us right? I'm kickin my feeet. Yee Ha!

Well, that's some mighty fine 'chicken-picken' to my ears! I wish I could play like Vince Gill...