Stagger Lee Vid - billbbill

[Billbbill]

Meant to include this link - if anyone is interested

http://rukind.com/bickslicks/slee/index.html

This was from quite a while ago but the tab is probably close to what I'm doing now in this vid. There are vids for each part at this link as well - though not sure how useful they'll be - this new vid is 720 HD and pretty clear.

I should note that I've (finally!) come around to the 'correct' way of playing the little between lines riff during the 1st part (that begins with the F)

h/t to HawaiianDedhed who was well ahead of me on this - Mine is in the tab in the above link and is more of an arpeggio - I actually kinda line what I was doing - wrongly! - but below is what the man did.

Code: Select all

E|------------------
B|------------------
G|------------3-----
D|-------3h5--------
A|--3/5-------------
E|------------------

[DenverEd]

Great job. I love that song and the story, although it's a tough one to sing.

[tcsned]

nice job! That's a bugger of a tune to play. I've messed with it on and off for the last 25 years and have never felt like I could do it justice in front of people.

Is the Taylor a 310CE or a 710CE? Nice guitar

[playingdead]

Dude ... nice pillows! Nicely played.

Here's something I like to do on the intro playing this tune ... if you've seen Playing Dead perform Stagger Lee, you've probably seen me trying to remember it onstage right before the song, and occasionally screwing it up anyway when we start, but that's besides the point.

One the record (I think), and when they played it in late 78 (definitely), Garcia and Keith would do the intro together, where Jerry would play the ascending line, and Keith would play a descending counterpoint line. I always thought it sounded kind of cool, so I worked it out on an acoustic, and you can do it if you can just finger pick a little bit.

I recorded an MP4 video, below, which you may or may not be able to watch (Mac people are in luck). Not ready for primetime on Youtube just yet. Watch it in a mirror as needed.

http://52vincentdrive.com/stagger.mp4

http://52vincentdrive.com/stagger.mov

But to describe it, your first note is unison C's ... play one on the A string, 3rd fret, and one on the B string, first fret.

Second note is ringing a three-note open G chord ... open D, open G, open B.

Third note gives you a B-flat on the G string, 3rd fret, and an E on the D string, 2nd fret.

Fourth note is resolving on an F chord. Try it out ... it's fun.

Here's the band doing it. It's just a little two second thing, but it's pretty cool.



If people like it, I'll show you how to do the harmony intro to Jack Straw in a similar way.

[jester536]

if people like it, I'll show you how to do the harmony intro to Jack Straw in a similar way.

Count me in on that...vids are the most helpful for me...I hope both of you guys keep posting.

[Billbbill]

Great job. I love that song and the story, although it's a tough one to sing.

Tx DE - This is a tough one - especially as I'm at best an ok finger/flat hybrid picker. Between that and some flat vocals here and there this could (and will) be cleaner.

nice job! That's a bugger of a tune to play. I've messed with it on and off for the last 25 years and have never felt like I could do it justice in front of people.

Is the Taylor a 310CE or a 710CE? Nice guitar

Thanks man! Great eye! 310ce - love this thing. I did those instructional vids quite a while back as I really went to school on the tune - but never kept up with it or tried to sing it while playing - until about a week ago! Probably gonna do another one with the female vocalist in the band and trade off the appropriate parts as some is 1st person delia and 1st person baio - should be cool and I hope to have the picking down a bit better by then - and I'll be singing less which will by default help w/my vocals!

[Billbbill]

Dude ... nice pillows! Nicely played.

Here's something I like to do on the intro playing this tune ... if you've seen Playing Dead perform Stagger Lee, you've probably seen me trying to remember it onstage right before the song, and occasionally screwing it up anyway when we start, but that's besides the point.

One the record (I think), and when they played it in late 78 (definitely), Garcia and Keith would do the intro together, where Jerry would play the ascending line, and Keith would play a descending counterpoint line. I always thought it sounded kind of cool, so I worked it out on an acoustic, and you can do it if you can just finger pick a little bit.

I recorded an MP4 video, below, which you may or may not be able to watch (Mac people are in luck). Not ready for primetime on Youtube just yet. Watch it in a mirror as needed.

http://52vincentdrive.com/stagger.mp4

http://52vincentdrive.com/stagger.mov

But to describe it, your first note is unison C's ... play one on the A string, 3rd fret, and one on the B string, first fret.

Second note is ringing a three-note open G chord ... open D, open G, open B.

Third note gives you a B-flat on the G string, 3rd fret, and an E on the D string, 2nd fret.

Fourth note is resolving on an F chord. Try it out ... it's fun.

...

If people like it, I'll show you how to do the harmony intro to Jack Straw in a similar way.

Hey thanks vic! Didn't even realize piggy was in the shot until I was finished! Piggy kinda hides the "home" of "home is where the heart is" so I guess it's "piggy is where the heart is" - I do love some bacon!

Anyway I've watched you guys do this already - very, very nice! And I was familiar with the ascending/descending simultaneous line thing as I listened to versions from all era's (though strangely not the studio!) when trying to learn this. The early live versions do that same intro. Then there are 2 different "normal" intro walkups - the one I do which Is sorta 1/2 time and then one I'll call normal time. I learned that intro from your vid thanks! Time to amaze my friends! One thing though, the 2nd form you say all three strings open, b, g & d, but I think you're only plucking the b and d, right? That's what it sounds like - the open g sounds off - or maybe it's my ears! Thanks.

[playingdead]

I think it works either way ... I realized when I was watching the play back that the third "note" is really just a C7 chord shape plucking the D and G strings, too. You could play C7 -> open G -> C7 -> F just playing the appropriate strings.

And the real deal... LOL

[Billbbill]

I think it works either way ... I realized when I was watching the play back that the third "note" is really just a C7 chord shape plucking the D and G strings, too. You could play C7 -> open G -> C7 -> F just playing the appropriate strings.

I think you're right but messin around w/it I think I like G7 instead plain old G

[strumminsix]

Dig the vid! Question what chords are you using for the second form? , ,
The "Bayo, Bayo" part. I used to play C D, C D. but your video looks different. After the C, do you do a partial D or something different?

[Billbbill]

Dig the vid! Question what chords are you using for the second form? , ,
The "Bayo, Bayo" part. I used to play C D, C D. but your video looks different. After the C, do you do a partial D or something different?

hey Nick! How's it going! I'm pretty much playing D7 - D there, thus the D7 instead of the C. But that's primarily due to the picking I'm doing. The link in my initial post has just about all the relevant tab but I'll copy and paste what you're referencing here

Code: Select all

---D7--D-D7----D---G----------------------Gsus4/6-G

E|------------------------------------------
B|-1---3-1-1---3---0----0---------00--0----1---0---0-
G|----2---2---2-------2--2-0------------20---0---20--02
D|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---2---0---0
A|-0-------0----------------------------------------
E|-----2-------2---3---3---3---3---3---3---3---3---3



So pretty much this throughout that portion up to the G chord
b--1---3
g--2-
d--0-
a--0-
e--2-

so the d, a and e strings are the alternating bass with the droning D note and the 'C-D' portion voiced by the b and g strings which as I noted is pretty much a D7 -D thing

[strumminsix]

Wow! Thank you so much!