CLIPS AND COMMENTARY FROM CANADA'S BEST KNOWN UNDISCOVERED OLD WHITE BLUESMAN

Friday, July 4, 2008

Open Tunings

I've been avoiding open tunings on the guitar ever since I've been playing.
But on this Friday afternoon I'm sitting here with my guitar tuned to a very
odd "C" tuning and fumbling away at it as I process all the memories of
Oliver Schroer that are floating about the internet. Oli would approve of
open tunings, I'm sure. If I write just one song in an open tuning then I'll
be committed! I'll have to remember how to re-create it. I can blame Harry
Manx for this. I used to joke that every time he came to my place there
would be at least one guitar re-tuned to some open tuning and he's done it
again, but this time he showed me a few chord shapes to go with it. Harry
came east to do a few festivals (3 sold-out nights at the Montreal Jazz
Festival!) and we went to hear Johnny Winter last night - Johnny can still
play but we cut out before it was over.

I played the last day of the tazz festival at Grossman's with Roberta Hunt
and we had a blast. I love playing with an acoustic piano. I invited her to
join me for a few tunes at the jazz fest Volunteer Party but I knew that
would be a tough gig - this is the last chance for the volunteers to
socialize amongst themselves before next year so it's not a very attentive
crowd. Some people got into it.