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Playing in the Zone: Dedication Jim (J R) McBain
Remembering a Gentleman Guitarist
I discovered Chet Atkins via a Duane Eddy album. ‘Trambone’ was one of the tracks that caught my ear and the album liner notes waxed lyrical about the composer and his unique finger-picking style. My curiosity aroused on my next visit to Launceston I bought ‘Teensville’ a Chet Atkins album, which was to be the first of many.
The album didn’t include ‘Trambone’ but it did have a spine tingling finger-picked version of Don Gibson’s ‘Oh Lonesome Me’.
It was Atkins’ technique that got my imagination fired up wondering how on earth anyone could play lead and rhythm at the same time – in affect like a
piano.
Soon I had the bulk of Atkins’ albums which I never tired of listening to in between praising his talent to anyone within earshot. I bought the Chet Atkins Guitar Method in a vain attempt to play like him.
Then one night I was invited to my first dance in Launceston. A four piece orchestra – guitars, drums and piano - was playing as we entered the hall. The tune was Don Gibson’s ‘Oh Lonesome Me’. The lead guitarist was Jim McBain, the technique was a faultless Chet Atkins finger-pick.
What more need be said…
Playing in the Zone: 12 Great Tunes from C to B
Ace Picker and Lute Player: New Kids in Town
Ace Picker & Lute Player:
New Kids in Town
By Phillip E Rainbird
Taskil. Limited Edition
320pp. TBA
Place: Launceston, Tasmania. Time: late 1970’s.
Ace Picker journeyman musician from the Sydney and Lute Player career public servant from Hobart, arrive in Launceston within three weeks of each other.
Ace is performing in a corner pub lounge bar while the just arrived Lute elects to drown his sorrows at a corner table.
Lute’s preoccupation with his troubles shifts to the musician’s performance and appearance; both of which have Lute reminiscing about similar sights that were the norm in the family hotel some fifteen years earlier.
Several drinks, musical items and reminisces later and with his mood for the better, Lute approaches Ace and the two make their acquaintance.
Thus begins a friendship which has the new kids in town confronting not only the personal challenges resulting from their changed circumstances but also the political, social and economic changes that were happening all around them.
* * *
Playing in the Zone: 12 Great Songs from C to B
Playing in the Zone is a transferable or movable scale, chord and arpeggio guitar method.
I developed the method because I wanted to learn all the fretboard positions, their notation and their tablature.
Playing in the Zone provides me with an effective means of combining sight reading with playing by ear.
To play along with my favourite records, the tracks must be recorded at concert or standard pitch – you’d be surprised how often this is not the case – Dylan’s Planet Waves for example, as well as some works of John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot, and the Kinks (the pitch of Waterloo Sunset is in no-man’s land!) to name but a few of my favourites.
The 12 Great Songs from C to B (or F to E) is a playing list comprising twelve recorded works beginning with C (or F) then C#/Db (F#/Gb), D (G) etc each in at least two zones: one based on what I term the Key of C major chord group and the other the Key of F major chord group and the 5th or A string and the 6th or E string scales respectively. It’s C to B (or F to E) because by starting in the open (first) position and then moving up the fretboard a semitone at a time you start with C open (F first) position and end up on B 11th (E 12th) position. Continue Reading
An Irish Swan Song
Monday July 11th 2005 9:30 GMT 52°3′31.68″ N, 9°30′25.92″ W
I’m into the evening hours of my first day in the Emerald Isle. I’m very settled in O’Meara’s pub, High Street Killarney continuing my discussion with local raconteur Niall Guerin. Pints had been had with more to come. For the price of a pint each, the trio of young musicians in the corner had played for me a Carolan tune – Si Beg, Si Mor, (Planxty version of course!)
An almost perfect end to a sublime day in this paradise called Ireland – it was about to get better. Niall enquired about my five-day hire and drive tour.
The Best Thing to Happen to Cricket
Cricket was never my game; ‘can’t bat and can’t bowl’ was the less than generous assessment. My old man was a grade cricketer and two of my siblings were working on following in his footsteps.
I was fielding fodder; the ball boy, and they were cunning sods in the way they got me to play.
Visiting from another Planet
After many years of collecting my mail from a private post office box I decided it was time I reverted to home delivered. I had lived long enough at the one address and had no intention of moving. I arrived at the service desk of the post office to cancel the service.