How could you mean anything other than loving Amy? 
I'm still gonna give it my best shot. You're the BEST!
Y'all are all.... THE BEST!
Bil
776 2016-12-08 16:02:36
Re: Do It Yourself Christmas Messages. (9 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
777 2016-12-08 01:04:51
Re: Do It Yourself Christmas Messages. (9 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
I'll give it my best shot, Jan. Please don't hold it against me if I can't come up with anything. One of the symptoms of my type of dementia is a sudden lack of interest in doing something I set out to do. To illustrate: I may have the idea to do some reading and reach for a book, but maybe three seconds later the desire has left me. This is seconds!
I don't usually talk about the dementia and what its effects are, but felt I needed to explain why my postings are so sporadic sometimes. It's also why I have so much of my musical stuff stored with just a couple of lines.
I didn't write that for sympathy so don't do it, okay? It's just the way things are and as I've said many, many times before, I'm happy that I have my family (you and everyone here) to help me pull through those times.
Thanks for understanding.
Bill
778 2016-12-07 23:02:50
Re: Tears In Our Eyes (19 replies, posted in Songwriting)
Another "Tale Of Everyday Life" from our friend Tig. I think I may have said this before, but you have a knack of making the most mundane stuff into some really special songs. That is a talent I wish I had. Very nicely written, Jim.
Bill
779 2016-12-07 22:52:57
Re: "St. John The Conqueroo" And "Stavin' Chain"....... A Little Long (2 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Thanks, Jim.
I have always thought the name "St. John The Conqueroo" was the coolest one I'd ever heard and it fits so well in Willie's song. There are so many more "dialect infused" tunes (I know there's a better name than that, but I can't think of it at the moment). Just to give you one more example: "Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho". He what???. So here's an explanation from The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary ®...... (but I bet y'all have already guessed it! ) Can anyone else think of any other words such as these?
......"an old African American spiritual based on the story of Joshua in the Bible. 'Fit' represents a way of saying 'fought'. The song tells how Joshua captured the city of Jericho when he ordered the Israelites to blow trumpets until the walls fell down. It begins:
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho,
Jericho, Jericho;
Joshua fit the battle of Jericho,
And the walls came tumbling down."......
And here's a version from Hugh Laurie's ("Dr. Greg House" on tv) album "Let Them Talk" which I found on Amazon for a penny (plus $3.99 shipping)......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDo_2AqcYAI
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I learned to speak English, I fell in love with the language and its many nuances. I recommend highly the short book "Foxen In The Hen Hice" with some hilarious examples of why we pronounce certain words one way and others another way. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Foxen+in … 0133864435 . I know this part isn't about music, but it kinda is --- if you squint your eyes and look at it askance a little.
Bill
780 2016-12-07 15:51:55
Topic: "St. John The Conqueroo" And "Stavin' Chain"....... A Little Long (2 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
....... If you've ever heard "Hoochie Coochie Man" by the great Willie Dixon and "Winin' Boy" by Jely Roll Morton respectively, you may have wondered about those two phrases in the topic line respectively. Let's take "St. John....." first: Here's an explanation of what it is, followed by the tune.....
A "John the Conqueroo," also known as a "High John de Conquer," is the root of the St. John's-wort plant. In southern American black folklore, this root is used to cast or break evil spells--thus all the references to "root rubbing" in blues songs.
John the Conqueror, as the tale goes, was an African prince who was sold as a slave in the Americas. Despite his enslavement, his spirit was never broken and he survived in folklore as a sort of a trickster figure, because of the tricks he played to evade his masters. 'Br'er Rabbit' of the Uncle Remus stories is said to be patterned after High John the Conqueror.
Where do you get one? Look around--the St. John's-wort (any one of 25 Hypericum species) is common to the Northern Hemisphere. Look for an herb with yellow, flesh-colored, or purplish flowers; there are usually five petals on each flower. Hypericum shrubs generally have cylindrical seeds and clustered stamens.
By the way, if someone casts an evil spell on you with a John the Conqueroo, you might be able to counteract the spell with a Jack, a red cloth shaped in a cylinder and filled with dirt, coal dust, and a silver dime.Taken from Mosaic ®
=========================
Here's Willie Dixon's great tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSc3wM8fakk
=========================
"Winin' Boy" ------Q: What does Winin' (Winding) Boy mean? In the same song, what is a Staving Chain? Picking it up and shaking it?
Both Win(d)ing Boy and Staving Chain were nicknames suggesting sexual prowess. Winin' Boy, the song, comes again from Jelly Roll Morton, the same session at which he recorded Mamie's Blues. From http://tafkac.org/songs/what_is_a_jellyroll_more.html (Graphic language on this site. Be careful) The Windin' Boy is a boy who can execute deft motions with his pelvis, (sounds like Elvis Presley...). See also the discussion of "Jellyroll," the first song on Steve's "Live and Pickin'" CD. This would seem like a man"s song, but Janis Joplin had no problem singing it as well. Just a great bragging, bluesy tune. "Stavin' Chain" (or more properly "Stave 'n' Chain") was a legendary (possibly real) late 19th century strong man who worked on the railroad and was known for his large "stave." (This from the same site above, which is apparently not on the world-wide web, but is on the internet. Taken from Steve Mann's, site "Mann Made" ®
And the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_habuNif_E4
==================================
Bill
781 2016-12-05 20:57:33
Re: NKD ... At Last! (24 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
TF, my friend!!!! So sorry to be just now joining the throng of our family wishing you well with your knee surgery and, of course, a speedy recovery and Dondra (who has had the surgery herself) wishes you the same, of course!
Speaking of "throng", I must admit when I read your topic "NKD At Last", I took it as "Naked" and wondered what took you so long???? ("wink, wink - nudge. nudge - say no more "
(Or did you leave it as "bait" hoping I'd jump at the hook???? . You know if anyone would, it would be me, right?)
Maybe this made you smile. Hope so, and please keep us informed as to how it all went.
Your Friends
Bill and Dondra
782 2016-12-04 07:07:35
Re: Do It Yourself Christmas Messages. (9 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Okay, here's what I have so far....... Please note that there are TWO versions of the rewritten "chorus" with the last lines left as yet unwritten, easy.
I'm not all that good at Geography, so I'm guessing that there is a good layer of snow in Auckland and Christchurch?
Be that as it may, I'd like MY Christmas message to be sent from my hemisphere to the one occupied by my Kiwi friends.
Please take a ......"gander" at what I've got so far and please remember, this is just a first draft. 
The song will need some repair. Here it is in its entirety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd4S8FGoEJU
Substitute Verse for "Cotton Fields" ------ takes place as the chorus comes in the second time
VERSION ONE: Oh when them snow balls start flyin'
You better duck or else you'll be cryin'
VERSION TWO: Those ain't cotton balls you see flyin
It's all in fun, so don'tcha start cryin'
In them old, snowy fields back home
Thanks
Bill
783 2016-12-04 05:25:25
Re: Do It Yourself Christmas Messages. (9 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
I'm going to see if I can come up with something for you, Maree and all our friends Pete, but I may need some help in getting it set up and uploaded.
Here's a preliminary idea:
1. The song itself would be "Cotton Fields". I would sing maybe 2 verses of the original, ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ToqDJXZdg8 ) which would then be followed by maybe a 1.5 minute guitar "music bed" filled with "spoken voice" (i.e. The Christmas "Message" from Dondra and myself); we then come back into the tune itself, but the last verse changed to fit the holiday.
2. I will ass-um-e that this is not a "competition" ---- just part of a greater message.
How does that sound to everyone? PLEASE make suggestions, because I will need them!
Bill
PS: Pete with both of us "thinking", you are wise to post an advisory! :-D
Your friend
Bill
784 2016-12-03 21:53:59
Re: Bob Dylan (5 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
TIGLJK wrote:
Typical Bob
Would anyone expect anything else?He is inimitable
Incorrigible too. Dude just can't be corriged.
Bill
785 2016-12-03 21:48:19
Re: Non-Traditional Christmas Music Thread (27 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Tenement Funster wrote:
We might as well get Porky Pig in on this thread, featuring the genius of voice artist Mel Blanc:
"And when those a-bee-ya, a-b-b-beeya, snowflakes, a-beeya, beeya, start fallin'........"
The phonetic version.
Bill
786 2016-12-03 21:39:08
Re: Has This Ever Been Done With An Accoustic? (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Yeah, CG: That's really all it was, and I'm sorry you misunderstood and even sorrier that I helped carry that along with my dumb comment, but sometimes I just can't help myself and it's, "Open back door to brain, and here's "Ol' Opie" ready to get into trouble again.
As my friend dino will tell you, sometimes I manage to stay just this side of trouble, but other times, it gets to my fingers before I can stop it, and there it lays, until such times as either I or someone catches the "smell". Then either I delete it myself or get it deleted with a warning.
If I may speak for my buddy Scott we didn't intend to offend anyone. Least of all you who's proving almost daily what an asset he is to Chordie.
Thanks for understanding and allowing us to explain how that all happened.
Bill
787 2016-12-03 01:03:44
Re: friday's blues fix (1,560 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
A TRIPLE Play.
Mr. Musselwhite was in great demand during the STAX years (think Otis Redding, Booker T. And The MG's, Sam And Dave, etc..... On this Trifecta, badeye shows us that Charlie Musselwhite doesn't like to waste time!
Great harp. Thanks Mr. badeye!
Bill
788 2016-12-02 18:48:57
Re: Has This Ever Been Done With An Accoustic? (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
beamer wrote:
There is no way to say this without being funny,
but you need a new nut if you are going to do this, I would keep my original one in case I would want to go back to a regular set-up. Get a new one that you can file and play with.
Engaging sphincter.....
789 2016-12-01 20:17:46
Topic: Have Any Of My Chordie Friends Given Up CD's? (11 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
In favor of streaming, I mean?
Well, I have not. Every now and then I'll buy a cd/dvd on Amazon and I'll get a free upload, but I never set out to buy an album in streaming format, nor do I buy just a single that way.
Why?
Heck, I don't know! :-) Especially since I went from vinyl, to 8-Track, to Cassette, to CD and now they want me to go back to vinyl. I mean, isn't it ironic that ol' "Opie" willingly and gladly jumped from format to format with both feet, but now all of a sudden he's "balking" at going to streaming, and he'll have to be dragged by both feet back to vinyl????
What say you, my brethren and sistren? Are you too "On the horns of a dilemma"? Do you feel like you're beating your head against a dead horse?
Are you really buying into this "I'm a purist and I love to hear those pops, scratches and skips! I also like paying a thousand bucks for a cartridge and needle! Why, my cartridge is sooo sensitive a tiny speck of dust on its counter weight will gouge a deep extra groove into my High Def BINAURAL copy of "Dark Side Of The Moon"! I would rather not tell you the price of my electronics, but I did put a third mortgage on the house and the wife and kids are now living with her folks.
See that sign on my living room door? It says, "Please remove your shoes before entering and make sure you are wearing properly grounded cashmere socks. A shower is required, followed by an infrared light "bath" and the donning of your germ free coveralls with hood. Also I'm offering $100.00 to anyone willing not to come anywhere within a 5 mile radius of our house and ..... "The Precious"
=======================================================================
Don't worry. That was just a bit of satire. I really haven't lost what's left of my mind. But I am willing to bet that some of you know someone like this.
790 2016-12-01 13:39:34
Re: December 2016 FSOTM - Winter Wonderland - VIEW for 2nd song! (14 replies, posted in Featured Song of the Month)
"Parson Brown"????
I thought they were singing "Orson Bean"
Huh. Guess I musta misheard the lyrics. Or something.
Bill
791 2016-12-01 02:41:25
Re: Bob Dylan (5 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Yeah, okay --- I get it, Dino, my friend: It's all about calling attention to one's "cause" (George C. Scott refused his Oscar to "call attention" to the plight of the American Indians back in the 19th century), but what you're really doing -----Bob ---- is calling attention to YOURSELF, aren't you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmwqnqL3Hbg
So what 'good" have you done, -----Bob? ----- with your little dog and pony show?
You lost some of that "class" I always thought you had.
You had a choice, Bob; you could have done what anyone of us fortunate enough to win the prize could have done: Received it, shook hands, smiled and said thanks; Then you could have shown an equal amount of gravitas the President was prepared to show you and shown him that you too can be gracious and a gentleman, but no...... you took the "low road" didn't you, Bob?
You wanted to show all of us what you're made of, right Bob?
Well, you certainly did that........ didn'tcha................ Bob?
------------- The above is my opinion only and not necessarily those of the staff and management of Chordie.com. -------------
Bill
792 2016-11-30 15:09:21
Re: Free Ride mashup (11 replies, posted in My local band and me)
Russell_Harding wrote:
Strummerboy Bill wrote:Re: TF's last sentence up there: Hadn't thought of that, but yeah ---- I'll do my part to support RETRO BUZZ and buy a t-shirt.
And you'll remember I've already volunteered to drive the tour buzz/limo.
Come on guys! We gotta get started!
Does any of what TF and I have written sound familiar?
Your Fan,
Bill
Noted Bill we are concentrating on the music at the moment for a large event next summer and some other gigs and putting together a great song list.
Heh-Heh, I know Russell just yankin' yer chain a little. All in fun. Once you get your repertoire nailed down in stone (or however that goes), y'all will start fine tuning and polishing the act. God, I wish I could be a part of something like that again.
Bill
793 2016-11-30 10:17:47
Re: Prog Rock Wednesdays (580 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
I left them a short note on their uplink but just to give you the Readers' Digest version:
1. Style: An interlacing of of various instruments to produce a sound which is so unique it makes one think of a "tone poem" and...
2. Tone Poem: It took me away to a quiet Autumn Sunday evening just before sunset, walking on a path through a park with my wife and enjoying the multi-colored leaves.
I am of course taking a little "license" using the term "tone poem" since it is (according to Wiki) : "A piece of orchestral music, typically in one movement, on a descriptive or rhapsodic theme...." and belongs in the Romantic period.
Still, that is what it invoked in my addled old brain and I'll be checking out more of their work.
Thanks, my friend!
Bill
794 2016-11-30 09:56:30
Re: Has This Ever Been Done With An Accoustic? (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Well, of course you're right, my friend. I wish I'd think things through before posting these inane questions of mine.
Thanks for explaining all of that, TF and your time was worth way more than 2 cents as is all that you contribute here.
Thanks!
Bill
795 2016-11-30 09:51:45
Re: Free Ride mashup (11 replies, posted in My local band and me)
Re: TF's last sentence up there: Hadn't thought of that, but yeah ---- I'll do my part to support RETRO BUZZ and buy a t-shirt.
And you'll remember I've already volunteered to drive the tour buzz/limo.
Come on guys! We gotta get started!
Does any of what TF and I have written sound familiar?
Your Fan,
Bill
796 2016-11-30 01:10:37
Topic: Has This Ever Been Done With An Accoustic? (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Take the G B E top strings (or bottom strings - however you refer to them) and switch them from wire to nylon on a normal accoustic?
Thanks
Bill
797 2016-11-30 01:03:07
Re: Tuesday's Flying Fingers (474 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
I not only listen, I also read the comments below the upload, TF. Apparently Mr. Dawes so inspired an older gentleman who had gone through multiple cancer operations, to continue with his guitar playing. He calls himself a "wannabee" guitarist.
I am not as informed as I should be regarding guitarists such as Mr. Dawes, but watching and listening it's easy to see how his playing and his style would instill such inspiration. BRAVO!
Bill
798 2016-11-30 00:55:46
Re: NEED HELP PUTTING CHORDS INTO A SONG (28 replies, posted in Songwriting)
I wanted to add, that this is a prime example of what we Chordians do for each other, UD&BW! You post a request for help and here in just a little while here the come, always ready to lend a hand to help get you going. All those people in this thread are also a very nice example of what I always say to a new member to the site: "Teach Us Something!". I bet if one would take the time to go through all the posts here and follow what is written, you could save yourself a really nice sum of cash getting your guitar training right here.
Welcome to the "crew" UD&BW! We're here to help. :-)
Bill
799 2016-11-30 00:44:55
Re: NEED HELP PUTTING CHORDS INTO A SONG (28 replies, posted in Songwriting)
SCOTT! Man! Thank YOU for posting that link to autochords! I didn't even know it existed and I now have it bookmarked.
I think that's called "serendipitous".
Anyway, thanks again, because it's proving to be a godsend to me as well - especially for the 12 Bar Blues!
Your Friend
Bill
800 2016-11-30 00:40:02
Re: Sixtyfive (14 replies, posted in Poems)
I had to smile as I read my way through your poem, Phill! :-) I think it fits so many of us and is right on the mark as it makes me say to myself "Oh God! That happens with him too???
That very last line for instance, describes me perfectly --- about 4 times a night! ..... Are you thinking of working it into one of your "Iphill fine" musical works.
Thanks for the smiles as I related to your words, my friend!
Bill