classic Jerry... in a performance worth a lifetime from his very last
show in Chicago... here are 3 full solos which perfectly illustrate his
spidery / whispery playing technique beautifully ... ... also includes
chord breakdown showing all chords, and how Jerry played them ...
track breakdown =
0:00 - Carlo "mirrors" Jerry's 1st solo = (played 2x to help get
everyone acquainted with the solo ... without even realizing it, you
will be memorizing it ... and you will soon learn every note, and
nuance... this will be the "goal" of each of these 3 solo lessons from
that evening ... to play each lick exactly like i am doing here ...
exactly like Jerry did that night ... incredibly... it can be very
simple... the genius, and magic, it it, is in conjuring it out of thin
air... creating a melody to live for ages ... off the top of his head...
he was playing like a champion, right up to the end...
these solos show Jerry at the top of his (end) game ... ... the
beautiful thing that he had become ... from the thrashing earlier days,
to the spidery, whispery licks, with such clarity and understanding ...
so many "signature licks" that, to me, helped define his later sound,
and which i love so much! ... the licks herein are pure musicality... no
egos ... no showing off... pure Jerry with his band... playing his
heart out ... no one else had ever before achieved his awesome tone and
feel ... coupled with an incredible imagination and sense of humor on
the guitar ... not to mention, the total excellence of his singing... no
one has ever come close, and probably never will, to Jerry Garcia ...
in any way ... it is unbelievable that he ended up playing three solos
in this song ... i think the second two were off the cuff.. .and
unplanned... totally like the Dead since their very beginning... solo
two shows him straying off the beaten path... "creating" a structure
that didn't exist before... melding the chorus back to the verses...
trusting tha tthe band will pick it up... the most subtle nuance... and
yet, they do pick it up... in spite of 80,000 screaming people... Lesh
figures it out first... then the band falls right in, and they are right
there with him ... for one, final time in his life, jerry said, "the
hell with it"... "i am just playing what i feel"... "what i hear" ...
and the band hears and feels the same thing... and they create an
awesome masterpiece together .. hopefully you will enjoy my rendition
of his playing that night ... i sure enjoyed making this video... may
you all have a most Grateful day!
2:05 - solo 2 - mirroring Jerry = 2x
4:05 - solo 3 - mirroring Jerry = 2x
...
begin "solo 1" lesson ...
5:30 - solo 1- lick 1
10:15 - solo 1- lick 2
15:10 - solo 1 - the solo so far = (licks 1+ 2)
15:55 - solo 1 - lick 3 ("ghost bend and release" e string 10th fret 1st finger)
20:05 - solo 1 - the solo so far = licks 1+ 2+ 3
20:53 - solo 1 - lick 4
25:25 - (licks 3 + 4 combined)
26:23 - solo 1 = lick 5 = (Jerry goes up high with cascading licks)
30:55 - solo 1 - lick 6
34:10 - solo 1 - lick 7
37:49 - solo 1 - lick 8 (like lick 4= ascending fast triplets to 16th w slide)
41:58 = (licks 7 and 8 combined)
43:20 - whole solo - mirroring - with voice cues
45:20 - solo 1 = using verse 1 and 2 as backing track
.. begin "solo 2" lesson ..
46:20 - explaining the chords being played under the solo
49:15 - solo 2 - lick 1
51:48 - solo 2 - lick 2
57:13 - (licks 1 + 2 combined)
57:53 - solo 2 - lick 3 =(Eb arpeggio)
1:04:30 - (licks 1+ 2+ 3 combined)
1:07:50 - solo 2 - lick 4
1:01:11 - (licks 1+ 2+ 3+ 4 combined)
1:12:02 - lick 5
1:18:05 - lick 6
1:20:19 - (licks 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 6 combined)
1:22:50 - lick 7
1:25:10 - lick 8
1:33:10 - (licks 4+ 5+ 6+ 7+ 8)
1:35:00 - entire solo 2 ... (licks 1+2+3+4+ 5+6+7+8)
...
begin "solo 3" lesson ..
1:37:03 - lick 1
1:41:40 - lick 2 - part 1
1:45:00 - lick 2 - part 2
1:47:00 - (licks 1+2 combined)
1:47:20 - lick 3
1:51:32 - lick 4 - (part 1)
1:55:30 - lick 4 - (part 2)
1:56:30 - lick 4- (complete)
1:57:18 - complete solo (1+ 2+ 3+ 4)
1:58:30 - using repeating ride out (F-C-Bb) section as backing track for solo 3
2:05:00 - how to play the intro
2:07:02 - how to play the chords