#john ely

[linusjf]

Stevie Wonder: Eyes lie...

Salvador (BA) – O Cantor Stevie Wonder fala na abertura da 2ª Conferência de Intelectuais da África e da Diáspora em Salvador. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) “Eyes lie if you ever look into them for the character of the person. ” —Stevie Wonder.

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[bosoxfan]

I really hope John Ely gets called up if we need another pitcher. He's doing pretty good down in Pawtucket. And he kinda went to my high school, so it'd be awesome to see him pitch for the Sox

[theintelligentfan]

The Non-Roster Players Invited to Red Sox Camp

The Non-Roster Players Invited to Red Sox Camp #RedSox #SpringTraining #MLB

John Ely:  Originally a third round draft pick by the White Sox, Ely was traded to the Dodgers as part of the Juan Pierresalary dump trade in 2009.  At the time he was traded, Ely was coming off of his best minor league season came in 2009 while pitching in Double-A (2.82 ERA, 1.22 WHIP over 27 starts).   In 2010, Ely achieved his 15 minutes of fame.   Due to injuries in the Dodgers’ rotation,…

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[super400]

Dominant Chords and Minor Sounds

As I’ve stated in many posts I’m pretty much obsessed with the late great Emily Remler’s guitar playing. Her style is so (for lack of a better, more accurate term) progressive. She also has an amazing sense of economy, never wasting a note. Everything she plays has meaning. She also has a sense of time that is nothing short of astonishing.

The music I do (or, more accurately, try to do) on lap steel is completely different from Emily Remler’s music. There is, however, at least one similarity: the use of minor sounds against dominant chords. Emily often uses the jazz minor scale against dominant chords to create her improvisational lines.

With John Ely’s help, I’m learning to improvise on steel, and minor sounds against dominant chords are a major part of my approach. As I’ve stated in previous posts, I utilize the 8-string version of A6 tuning on steel (F#, A, C#, E, F#, A, C#, E low to high). Whenever that 8th string or the 4th string is in play, minor sounds are going to happen. I’m slowing putting together a playbook of solo lines that consistently utilize the 1st and 8th strings. Those lines includes many two and three note minor chords that I use against dominant chords.

Once we take away the unique augmented and diminished chords, most people think about chords in three different and distinct camps: major, minor, and dominant. For the most part, these categories work. In the area of improvisation, however, things aren’t so clear. Using minor sounds against dominant chords can add much to one’s sense of improvisation.

[super400]

"You Know the Story, But You Don't Know What It Means"

That line comes from Moonstruck, one of my favorite movies. It also applies to me in terms of my lap steel playing.

When I began playing lap steel, I chose A6 tuning (F#, A, C#, E, F#, A, C#, E low to high) because that was the tuning my mentor/teacher/father figure Irvin Payne used primarily. I didn’t understand the tuning, not really. I mean I found a few chord positions and I knew a few ways to harmonize melody notes, but that’s about the extent of my A6 knowledge. When people asked me what tuning I used, I would proudly say, “A6. It’s the best!” The truth, of course, is that I had no idea back then what A6 tuning was, and by extension, how good or bad that tuning was.

One of the best part of my lessons with John Ely is the way that he has taught me some of the intricacies and features of this tuning. I’ve learned just how very special A6 is, and more importantly why it is so great.

As my musical re-education continues, I’m finally learning what the story of A6 really means, and that’s pretty exciting to me.

[super400]

Major Lap Steel Marathon Planned

I started playing steel guitar at about 4:30 A.M. this morning.  I plan on hitting it hard today.  I have to work on some guitar and tenor banjo stuff today, but most of the day will be devoted to trying to make some headway on this steel guitar.

Tenor banjo master Buddy Wachter once described trying to learn basic tenor technique and the principles of chord/melody play at the same time as trying to learn to skate in the middle of an ice hockey game.  All of these huge fast guys are flying by, and there you are, trying to stay up on your skates.

Wachter's analogy is a good one, and it definitely applies to my lap steel re-education.  After taking nine lessons with John Ely, I now know what it is going to take to achieve even a modicum of success on this instrument.  As I play, I'm trying to keep all of those technique things in mind while at the same time trying to learn all of the harmony things that seem to be so specific to this instrument.  This dualistic task is not going to be easy, and that's fine.  I don't like stuff to be easy. (Even if I did, it wouldn't matter.  Nothing's ever been easy for me.  Nothing.) I'm going to chip away day after day with the talent and time I have, and we'll see what happens.

Stay Tuned.

Tony L.

[super400]

#9 Was a Good One.

Well. I just finished lesson #9 (of 10) with John Ely.  It went really well.  I didn't play too badly (not compared to last week anyway).  John covered lots of new stuff today, and he went back over some of the stuff from previous lessons and expanded upon it.  Overall, I'd say #9 was my favorite session with John so far.  I hate to end these weekly sessions, but there is no way I could keep these sessions going after school starts back.  For me, teaching high school is a pretty hard job.  I can't spend any less time on it than I do and be successful at teaching on any level, and the amount of time needed for that job doesn't leave much time for lap steel practice.  The most I can hope for is a great lesson #10 next week and a commitment to continue to build on the great concepts and techniques John has taught me.

[super400]

Tritone Substitution and More

John spent much of the lesson discussing how the tritone substitution works on the lap steel. I’ve used that move on guitar for twenty years. It’s an important part of what I do. I do it some on tenor banjo, but not much.

His discussion got me thinking about something. I know that the bII7 subs nicely for the V7 because the IIIs and VIIs of the bII7 become the bVIIs and IIIs of the V7. That’s the tritone in a nutshell. But if that’s true, can I not sub in the VII7 for the IV7? Those IIIs and bVIIs invert as well. If I’m playing a blues in E, the IV7 is A7. Can I not play Eb7 instead? The III and bVII of the A7 chord (C# and G) are the same as the bVII and III of Eb (also C# abd E).

If this move works—I haven’t taken my idea to the guitar yet—my soloing is going to change as will my chordal work.

This idea of subbing the VII7 for the IV7 may be something that others do all the time, but I just discovered it while eating a banana before my third. dental appointment in two days.