Hi Elm !

I actually don't think anyone can pass down info to another, in lots of detail, what a musical associate played very accurately, despite well meaning intentions - and especially over many, many decades gap of time (without losing vital information, somewhere, in the process)

Look at Robert Johnson copying stuff from Son House and Willie Brown et al. He doesn't play their stuff exactly (but possibly didn't really want to - wanted to have his own style).
Then look at Johnnie Shines, Honeyboy Edwards and Robert Lockwood Jnr - they got reasonably close to Robert Johnson's style - but when they play his songs, there is still a gulf between their styles, despite being close musical associates. Then imagine one of them teaching you how RJ used to play a particular song ? Did you not ever think "That's not how it goes !" ?

Any time you try to pick up something from someone, your own interpretation of what you have observed and/or learned from and/or been taught by them - is going to be different than the original guy. Then learning stuff of someone, who learned of someone else (etc etc) - it just doesn't work as far as I can see - I can't see enough EXACT technical information about one guy's style being wholesale taught to successive generations of enthusiastic musicians, keen to learn exactly a particular style, and it all coming out right, just like how some guy 80 years ago played it.

As far as I can see, you lose something in the translation, at each successive generation.

Rather than learning off some guy who learned of some other guy, who played with THE guy (Charley Patton in this case - you might be better of listining directly to THE guy (still Mr Patton in this case !!) via good CD's.

If you lose something in the translation, each time - you stand a better chance cutting out the middle men and learning direct from the master from CD's (still, Mr Patton, in this case !!!) and from other guys who have also been listening to the same CD's !!!!!!!!!!! This way you are not diluting the "lessons" at each stage.

THAT is why we discuss all of this stuff - to learn from each other !! You pick up something that I've sussed out, I'll pick up something you have sussed out ! Help each other out.

However, I was young once (I'm the grand ole age of 34 1/4 now !) and do remember my teens and twenties thinking I could play Elmore James better than anyone else on the planet (still do, but that is an issue I still need to resolve in my own egotistical head !!! I also used to think I was Elvis AND James Brown combined !!!). One day, in time, we all (hopefully) get to a stage we don't see the need to keep to ourselves, stuff we think no one else knows about (but probably does) and where we might eventually want to SHARE with others.

Peace.

Hi CharleyPatten85 !!

Having read all of your posts - its amazing how one post after another, we all drew a "picture" of you in our own minds, I began to see a lot of you in me (at your age). We learned more about you from each successive posting. I know what I was like back then - very enthusiastic about blues, arrogant, protective of what I'd learnt - and no where near as good as I thought I was ! I'm sure others (deep down) might feel the same.

It comes quite natural to me (and possibly to others) to think you are like that too.
Some of the replies to your posts were supportive and some were less so, perhaps even argumentative, and some designed to try and find "the real you" !! (I'm slightly guilty !)

HOWEVER ! You took it all in your stride and have proved yourself well (you could have seriously kicked off and told us all to **** off, for example, BUT you didn't !!!
It does seem harsh for some of the treatment/questions you got, especially as a newbie to this forum - but perhaps you can understand that to some of us, having tried for years (or even decades) to get close to loved style of music, some "young wipper-snapper" comes along "claiming" to know it all, already ! Sometimes, things sound too good to be true - and thus we can have a hard time accepting or wanting to believe "it" could be true !
You did well to accept all this calmly. This, in particular actually, further strengthens my belief that you probably can play this stuff as good as you say you can.

Can't wait now to hear you !
You should hear my band mate though - he is damn good.
He has a few "sound bites" on the Weenie Cambell website. You found it yet ?
His username is "Prof Scratchy". If you "search" prof scratchy within that forum, you will find his postings plus the links for his soundbites.
He is great at Blind Blake and does a good Charley Patton too.

Looking forward to more of your posts,
All the best,
Richard Snakehips O'Donnell.

I'm not familiar with that phrase (greeting ?) !

I assume it is a traditional (from where, I not know) greeting ?

All the same, many thanks !

Good day to you, too !

PS - is it you who is coming to the Dundee Blues Bonanza in early July ? (in Scotland)

Another point I would like to make, playing one's material is one thing...to be a good vocalist, and capable of really singing it is another...too many times I hear peoples recordings, and to be honest, the singing is weak. The guitar playing may be ok, but the vocals just don't cut it. I give everyone, and anyone, credit for actually doing it...but to sing and play on the SAME LEVEL, is really what I look for in a musicians ability. To me, that's the complete package...unless one is recognised as being an instrumentalist. Again, just my opinion.

It's very likely that I'll be visiting New Orleans in November..!!
Would be great to see and hear you play while there!!

What's the names of clubs and places where you perform..?!
Hope to see you then!

Been away for last 36 hours down to London for my latest neice's Baptism.
Just got back.

www.weeniecampbell.com should work, I think.

You will need to sign up to the forum, I think.
You should appreciate that forum big time.

Don't think anybody was fooled anyway.

quote:

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Originally posted by snakehips:
He could have been somebody worth listening to !
But obviously not. Sad really.

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Well, he can still be well worth listening to for all we know, but whether he'll share his stuff with us or not is up to him. I agree on the sad part.....

Steinar

He was guilty of a certain degree of bluster -- shouldn't have described himself as professional or a potential teacher if he couldn't give the wheres and when on past public performances or provide us with recordings.

But I would be intrigued in hearing how much of Patton's sound he managed to capture. I think it's encouraging that someone who's only 20 years old would even try.

He was a big help to me in private emails with Patton's lyrics ... he knew nearly every one I asked him (the recordings confirmed he was almost certainly right), and I'm able to make out about 80+ percent of them, so I gave him only the toughest ones. I noticed nobody else stepped up, so he was definitely a great resource on that.

I hope the juke joint thing comes about in New Orleans, whether it's him or someone else doing it.

Anyway, you've livened things up a bit around here. Don't go away mad. Really. Stick around. Get to know people. Share a bit.