Invite to my new How to Play Western Swing Guitar blog

oldsouth

Hello all - it has been a while since I posted anything or have been active. I'd like to say that I've been woodshedding, but actually the day job has gotten in the way.

I began talking with a guy about forming a western swing band last month and started putting together email lessons on some basics. I decided to put them on a blog so others could benefit. This is still very much in development and has no followers yet - the videos are very rough, just recorded with my laptop. If the blog gets some readers, I'll redo the videos with more organization, a camera and mic.

This post is not about Gypsy Jazz, so I apologize if I put it in the wrong place. The lessons are free and I'm just doing this for fun and a love of all sub-genres of swing. Even if you have no interest in western swing, you may find a useful chord or progression there.

So, please check out westernswingguitar.blogspot.com. Please follow it, if that is something you do - comment, ask questions, offer advice or criticism and tell anyone you know who may be interested in playing western swing (or swing rhythm in general) about it. In the future, I'll get into lead playing a little - single string, thumbpicking and chord melody and probably teach a few songs int their entirety.

Archtop Eddy

Hot dog! Western Swing is some great, great stuff and I'm sure there will be plenty'a folk here interested. What is the link to your blog? AE

Passacaglia

Archtop Eddy wrote:

Hot dog! Western Swing is some great, great stuff and I'm sure there will be plenty'a folk here interested. What is the link to your blog? AE

What Archtop said.

oldsouth

Cool - I'm glad y'all are interested!

westernswingguitar.blogspot.com

klaatu

Yeah, what Eddy said, from me, too. I for one don't mind at all that you posted this in a GJ forum. I've got a feeling that there are a lot of Western Swing fans on here. Bob Wills' guitarists probably listened to the Hot Club Quintet. Western Swing rhythm is not the same as GJ, but you can hear similarities.

There's a moment in the last chorus of the 1937 Lady Be Good with Grappelli, Eddie South, and Michael Warlop on violins (starting at the 2:55 mark) where you'd swear you were listening to the Texas Playboys.

klaatu

Wow, I just looked at your blog. Great stuff! Thanks for the page on Emmett Miller, a mostly unrecognized pioneer. And I finally know how to pronounce Quebe Sisters!

oldsouth

Thanks Klaatu. Be sure to give hugh and Karl Farr a listen - the Farr Brothers were the musical core of the Sons of the Pioneers. Their stuff on their own is very much informed by Lang and Venuti and by the Hot Club. Another great duo was Clayton McMichen and Hoyt "Slim" Bryant - harder to find their stuff though.

klaatu

I grew up listening to the Sons of the Pioneers, many Saturday afternoon Western matinees back in the 50s. I haven't listened to the Farr Brothers on their own, though, thanks for the tip.

Archtop Eddy

Ben said: I for one don't mind at all that you posted this in a GJ forum. I've got a feeling that there are a lot of Western Swing fans on here.

I second Ben's thoughts on this and say, "By all means please feel free to discuss Western Swing here!" AE

Jazzaferri

Careful. It might be contagious LOL

lacrossehotclub

Cool and great timing - lately I've been working with the Whit Smith's Chordination DVDs, which are another great resource. The Hot Club of Cowtown rides that line between gypsy jazz and western swing quite well.