I can play stairway to heaven solo. Learned it note for note, and HAVE had it in my back pocket since the summer of 1977 when my cousin originally laid it out for me in like a 3 part process; and it worked really good I think…I don’t normally give guitar lessons; however, in ’97, someone that caught us while making a living on the road,,approached me and asked IF, I would be interested in teaching him…22year old dude from Chicago,,,name J.T..(We are still friends to this day),, but anyway,,, I didn’t think he was ready really and I was actually right; but when I got home to south lake tahoe, Ca where AM not living at this particular time; but usually DO, as it is my home, and have lived there just up from the clubs @ the Nevada/California state line…So,, after a couple of weeks,,I get a call from J.T..who thought he’d move on out to Tahoe.. Big change for him being from the south part of chicago…but he had a love of the blues..and my cousin who IS a blues man..(Lonnie Mack)..Lonnie did make a regular stop at "Legends"..(Buddy’s joint), and JT saw us there,,,although, he just happend upon me, at a booth, foolin’ with someone’s accoustic,,,and trying to get it to take a tuning,,and stay… So, I was using "Stairway to heaven" as a "control"…and he heard me..and I CAN imitate J. Page’s version And one of my own,,and have actually been doing it since high school in the mid ’70′s when I’d play the whole tune,,,about 12 or 13 minutes long when laid down properly,,,and sang with the right "Feel",,etc…I have actually officially taught that song to about 5 people in the last 30+ years,,,and the last one WAS J.T,,,and he paid me a total of 0.00, but I had to give him a whole new way of aproaching the instrumant,,,And "Undo" some really bad habits that he’d picked up somewhere;;So, we spent a good 3 weeks ‘De-Programming" his incorrect aproach to the guitar in general,,,as it prevented him from being able to "Move on" alone..and teach himself stuff, and he couldn’t grasp what changes, and how subtle,and chilly the whole mellow thing was, when it came to getting his abiltiy to play with a, or as part of, maybe is what I meant to say.. of a Unit…or team,,,and if enough "Nare-Do-Wells" showed up in the same place, then maybe even a quick "Thow-it-together band"…and I even layed out the basics or the basic Nashville picker’s # system that they,,them..and I’m not ashamed to say I myself have better success with that old number way of dealing with other players..it’s just a better way… You know what i’m talking about,,??? Like if we didn’t know each other; but we could still just walk on each other’s bandstand and earn a night’s work because of the # system…?? Like,,I turn to you and simply say: this song’s an Old Merle Haggard thing called "Footlights",,,(for the "Chance that you Might already know of the song..what it sounds like, or anything at all that could help…),,,so,,let’s say you say "I’m not a walking, fossil steve,,and I have never heard of your ancient monk’s chant……So,, we’re lucky ’cause even though I don’t actually read music near well enough to be of any practical use when entertaining for paychecks and percs….BUT..I can look at you and even if it’s noisy and wildly busy in the club…we will be fine, even without ever having practiced together at any time in the past..I’ll say,,,"Merle’s Footlights"..in "D",,, go 1, 4, 5, with a 7th,,,get "Out of the way" for a lead break that my Telecaster Master over there’s going to ease into from HIS que, that’s coming from Bob,,"Grizzly" Smith,,,my Pedal Steel Guitar genious…(Watch out though; as this only applies with Bob, during actual sets throughout the night, and the genious thing will go away later,,,and the opposite effect replaces the other…Anyway,,,after the Guitar’s lead break,,there’s one verse, and one more run at the chorus..however?? just as Steve wraps his solo,,we’re going to modulate on full step…alright with that so far??? Remember,,we started in "D"..right?? So,,You must also either be a, or become a,,singer of harmony parts,,as I’m not going to take bread out of our pockets just because one of us can’t sing harmony…You’ll find that to be the case in virtually every situation, where there’s a club owner, and pickers, that do it as thier sole form of making a living.. So,,back to the quick rundown for the opening number of the nights 3rd set.. after the lead break, there’s a full step modulation, You sing 5th part with me on the very last 2 lines of the song…And just follow, and watch my eyes,,,and within’ a week or so we’ll sound like we’ve been playing with one another for many years… Right on/??? Anyway…that’s pretty much what J.T got for the "Really just sybolic" 500 bones..(I always get something out of teaching a pretty much of complete beginner what I’ve been toiling with since the summer of ’68, when I was 7 years old,,and got my 1st electric guitar at the "Flea Market" in San Jose’, CA
for 20 bucks and an old Silvertone amp..1/12,,and almost no controls, of any kind… So,,I’ve got "some" experience under my belt that does tend to make things easier not for me only,, but everbody leans on me from time to time, and It ‘doesn’t bother me man.. Who do I think I am anyway??? You know what I’m sayin’.. we’re all in it to sound FANTASTIC, and for the drunks, and customers,,,to drink more,,and more,, that’s what we’re technically there for…it helps to remember that..And if your thinking "Oh **** that,,I don’t want to deal witht that ****…here’s the thing that real music player’s must face sooner or later..and that’s "Do you want to do this for your weekly bread,,,pay your bills, and send the kids to school, etc..??? Or,, do you want to work at K-Mart,,and meet us on Friday & Saturday ONLY??? Well,, then sorry dude; gotta let you go on your way..because we’ve chosen to do this for more money than Sears can pay us for selling new tires,,or working at some "Jive-Turkey"
music store,,pedaling strings and giving away picks to Johnny the Trombone student that hangs out at the store, pounding on one of the Drum Kits until we all want to choke the little turd,,and his trombone… I choose to show up for 4, maybe 5 sets a night,,,4,,maybe 5 nights a week.. Scale’s usually around 0.00 a week these days; although I make Much Much, more when we hit the road,,,,that’s a whole nuther trip,,,Steve with the Stairway to Heaven Licks, & tricks…
elcamaro72@hotmail.com
Bear in mind man; I wasn’t able to read your whole email…and took you to be pretty much a novice learner young player..No offense…I came back and used the "Edit" thing on here to help me explain why this letter is so ,well,,the way it is…I was worried that you wouldn’t follow my "Jive talkin’,,which I tend to do..(I still call pickers "Cats" sometimes… I know I am a dinosaur, and that I’m one for the road… but,,that’s show biz,,,Right??
’1977 was a little over 30 years ago,,,,and once the "Cat was out of the bag"…that I knew that particular tune, the WAY I did,, well, you can imagine what happens next… before you know it the same clown is standing on a cocktail table howling "FREEBIRD" over and over; and I usually give in to that request as well. As it took Almost as long to learn the proper way to deliver that beautiful song without wrecking it… "Less is more" if you can dig what I’m shoveling on that line of thought..?? It’s always been about the quality for me..
and my family..of which almost all play for thier bread. And have as long as my memory’s started forming…so,,,"FreeBird" was a "Must Learn" for me back then too.. BUT,,I have some how lost my "Feel",,and I can’t get a decent "Freebird" out of the old wooden box without a month or so to "Woodshed" …all of them for that matter…
I’m zipped man…
email me IF perhaps you want to discuss any other musical interests’s ,,as I have a few of my own
lately and not a soul that has the foggiest idea what I’m "Lippin’" about..
Later man!
Halsey…
that is very rude guys,,..


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