Could be... He said that an old bluesman (a friend of Robert Johnson) named Lonnie Johnson taught him it. If you look at my comment on the last posting I put down a little more about it. I also got an email from the host of dylanchords.com he wrote this.
Umm, tricky one. I've actually meant to write something about this. He's been talking about this before, in recent interviews (and, possibly, in the Burling interview from 1966, where he goes on about "mathematical music"). I think - to be honest - that a lot of it is less clear-cut as a method than what he presents it as, and all this stuff about even and odd numbers - well, I don't think it makes sense as a consistent system, but that may not matter, if it has worked for him. Judging from the points he makes that are more or less clear, and that can be applied and compared to what he does on stage, it seems fairly clear that he's talking about the peculiar guitar style that he has developed during the Never Ending Tour years: the little two-three-note figure solos that he has kept churning out and that at times has driven most of us crazy, but which also -- in a strange way and to a surprisingly high degree -- work, musically. Outgrowths of this is probably also the sing-song/"up-singing" style of the recent years: it all fits his description fairly well, of a system of infinite permutations of very simple formulas, nothing to do with improvisation or inspiration, but a schematical approach to the basic chords and melodic shapes, which can be applied to just about any song -- which is what he does. That said, I don't think it is a system that someone else can learn to use -- it is hardly insignificant that there are twenty years of touring and music making between the time he first learned it and when he understood how to put it to use. It has taken him those years to gain the musicianship (and perhaps also the need for routine which persistent touring must bring with it) which he then could cross-fertilize with what Lonnie Johnson had told him, to produce his new method. In other words: I think Dylan should receive more of the credit for it than Lonnie.
2 Comments:
Could be...
He said that an old bluesman (a friend of Robert Johnson) named Lonnie Johnson taught him it. If you look at my comment on the last posting I put down a little more about it. I also got an email from the host of dylanchords.com he wrote this.
Umm, tricky one. I've actually meant to write something about this. He's
been talking about this before, in recent interviews (and, possibly, in
the Burling interview from 1966, where he goes on about "mathematical
music"). I think - to be honest - that a lot of it is less clear-cut as a
method than what he presents it as, and all this stuff about even and odd
numbers - well, I don't think it makes sense as a consistent system, but
that may not matter, if it has worked for him.
Judging from the points he makes that are more or less clear, and that can
be applied and compared to what he does on stage, it seems fairly clear
that he's talking about the peculiar guitar style that he has developed
during the Never Ending Tour years: the little two-three-note figure solos
that he has kept churning out and that at times has driven most of us
crazy, but which also -- in a strange way and to a surprisingly high
degree -- work, musically. Outgrowths of this is probably also the
sing-song/"up-singing" style of the recent years: it all fits his
description fairly well, of a system of infinite permutations of very
simple formulas, nothing to do with improvisation or inspiration, but a
schematical approach to the basic chords and melodic shapes, which can be
applied to just about any song -- which is what he does.
That said, I don't think it is a system that someone else can learn to use
-- it is hardly insignificant that there are twenty years of touring and
music making between the time he first learned it and when he understood
how to put it to use. It has taken him those years to gain the
musicianship (and perhaps also the need for routine which persistent
touring must bring with it) which he then could cross-fertilize with what
Lonnie Johnson had told him, to produce his new method. In other words: I
think Dylan should receive more of the credit for it than Lonnie.
7:38 PM
the bass player is sooo cute
3:11 PM
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