it is hard to explain - you misunderstood what i tried to say - this is what i am proposing:wjamflan wrote:Hey Rob. You are probably not alone in that, but let me see if I can explain why I don't do it that way, and more importantly, why I think Ed doesn't.rgalpin wrote:hmmm... I would start these patterns with an upstroke. am i alone in that?
The reason I believe Ed and Eric started these licks with a downstroke was how they were being used. For instance, let's look at the second lick (Lick 2).rgalpin wrote:so, my point / question / comment is i was surprised to see that lick starting with a down stroke
This lick is played 5 times consecutively by Clapton in the cadenza. Here it is written out two times in a row:
Sitting On Top Of The World (cadenza) - Lick 2 - twice
--------------H----P----------------------H----P-------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------
B---15---15---18---15---------15---15---18---15----------
G--------------------------17--------------------------17----
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------
-----D----U----------------U----D----U----------------U----
---------------------------|-LINK-|---------------------------
If you tried doing it your way, it would look like the following:
Sitting On Top Of The World (cadenza) - Lick 2 - twice - rgalpin
--------------H----P----------------------H----P-------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------
B---15---15---18---15---------15---15---18---15----------
G--------------------------17--------------------------17----
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------
-----U----D----------------U----U----D----------------U----
---------------------------|-LINK-|---------------------------
Do you see the link between the licks? I believe doing it your way would mean using two upstrokes in a row or having to switch to my down - up - down pattern in order to play them consecutively. In addition, Clapton played Lick 1 and Lick 2 consecutively, so you run into the same problem. Ed routinely combined these patterns in multiple ways to create whole new licks, but the concept was always the same.
I say give it another try with this in mind and let us know how you do. Allen is right to say that once you get this down, a whole slew of Ed's licks make sense and become much easier to play.
Hope that helps.
Bill
Sitting On Top Of The World (cadenza) - Lick 1 - twice - rgalpin
--------------H----P----------------------H----P-------------
E----15-------------------------15----------------------------
B---------15---18---15--------------15---18---15----------
G--------------------------17--------------------------17----
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------
-----U----D----------------D----U----D----------------D----
---------------------------|-LINK-|---------------------------
Probably the first thing I play when I pick up a guitar to noodle is to slide into a pentatonic position with a down stroke on the G string and then UP on the E and DOWN on the B followed by whatever. Ed ends a lot of his phrases with a similar thing picking the B string UP and then G string DOWN - again in the familiar blues pentatonic position.
I think it has to do with the way Ed "swings" all his phrases - those UP strokes are light and a little behind the beat squeezing them up closer timing wise to the DOWN stroke and creating a swing feel where the UP strokes are like "pick up" notes that land on the DOWN strokes.
So in the LINK area which you so clearly illustrated - (thank you!) you have that D U D pattern that swings like crazy with the hammer and pull off in between.
So - now that with your help I have been able to explain what I was trying to say what do you think about it?
I do it ALL the time - all over the place - everything has this little UP flick on the E string and DOWN stroke on the B string - I do it so much it's stupid. And I'm not kidding - it is stupid - but MAN it feels good!!