Thanks, WC! I was looking at it the other day and thought about how it could have used some compression, ie the top notes were too much louder than the low ones. Gotta get back to basics. Where do you hail from? What are you working on these days? -Chris

Thank you, Rory! It's great to hear from you. You might try learning the song "And It Stoned Me," by Van Morrison. It has the same strum pattern but with an extra chord, and then there's a bridge, a chorus and a little melodic figure, as well. Same key/chords. I give Zoom lessons, BTW. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn in one private lesson after you've been working so hard to figure things out by yourself. Thanks again, Chris

Thank you, Bones! I'm glad that it was helpful for you. I hope this finds you well and that you're getting plenty of practice in during this challenging year. Take care, Chris

Doug, Thanks for writing! I spoke to Mike Maggio and he did indeed sell some guitars at one time with his name on them, he said they were as you describe, Strats in a natural finish. He added, "Small world!" Do you still have it? -Chris

Thanks, Jim! It was easier to narrow it down to LPs, and then stuff that I've mainly been listening to currently. There's a story behind almost every great record, if you think about it, especially if you've been listening to them for a long, long time. Like when I went by In Living Stereo to hang out and listen to some stuff, I had to bring that Brahms record. It really came to life on that outrageous system, like it was a living, breathing creature. That record has been with me for years. It kind of has a life of its own. Like the time the old lady underneath me in Sunnyside banged on the floor while I was listening to it. She only banged like twice. The other time, it was for EPMD! That I could understand... -Chris

Hi, Bruce I really dig King Zapatas' playing as well. I saw GCJ recently without him and something was definitely missing. The song is a relatively simple minor blues. I think the chord progression is in my post. You should be able to figure out a great deal about what KZ is playing by watching the video and other videos that include him. Get in touch with me on email if you want to continue the discussion. This blog is associated with my website, chrisbottaguitar.com, which has a link for my email. I'm really interested in rhythm guitar, and other guitarists who appreciate it. It's an art. Thanks for writing! -Chris

Fred, Sorry for the late reply. I looked online at the museum's website and didn't see much info, as you must have, as well. I suggest contacting the Shack Up Inn, which is located in Clarksdale. That's how I got the info that led me to the caretaker, Floyd. Believe me, it was just a piece of paper stuck up on the wall, probably hand-written with the phone number and basic info. I only saw it by chance. OK, maybe it was printed and on a bulletin board I don't remember it that way. There are many fans that make the pilgrimage and you've probably found your way by now. Let me know how it goes. Chris

Hi, Jim This post, https://onpracticingguitar.chrisbottaguitar.com/2017/09/compound-strumming-pattern-in-hey-joe.html has links to some other similar posts, including the one above and one for Dead Flowers. They're all related. There's also a good one for Wild Thing. Thanks for visiting and for your comment! I'm starting to do some Zoom/Skype lessons. Let me know if you're interested. -Chris

Thanks for your comment, Charlie. I was talking about the repetitive aspect of the riff, not the sound. It's more a physical, technical thing. I will have to give my Bo Diddley records some further spins. Definitely some nice tremolo on Heart of Stone, as well. I've only come to use tremolo regularly in the past ten years or so. Growing up I used to think it sounded really dated. But more recently, I realized it was on many of the records that I loved, even after the '60s.

Thank you Lyall! A lot of time went into it with all the recording and the researching of the songs and their mixes. But the mix listening part was really fun and not that time-consuming by comparison to the production phase, especially the mixing process, which is usually tough. I will see you at the jam! -Chris

Jim, Sorry it took me so long to get back. Thanks! It was a long time coming. Yes, we missed the youtube and smartphone age! It's too bad. But that old film stock took some damn good pictures and it still does. -Chris