John Cephas on Playing Skip James

[gitgurl60100]

its open g my friend!!! I was his student for 5 years!!! LOL!!! xoxo

[sickmaninthebox]

@gitgurl60100 maybe watch the video till the end its in D minor

[GuitarSlim1959]

@gitgurl60100 Guess you weren't paying attention then. It's open D minor. He even says it in this video for crying out loud. He did do a little Skip James in G, but not here my friend.

[BadAssBluesman]

thats very bad man

[deltabluesdavidraye]

Open d minor.

[cblanch]

Open D Minor (cross note tuning), not open D (vestapol tuning)..your 3rd string is tuned down to F (not F#, as it is in open D)

[DirtyKwa]

does anybody know the tuning for this wonderful music?

[ibchilln]

@DirtyKwa open-D, see related video

[skipplet]

@DirtyKwa DADFAD

[steffenmball]

open d minor i belive

[TheGeeBear]

@DirtyKwa The tuning is open Dm. It's the same as open D except you tune the third string down from a F# to F.

[DirtyKwa]

@TheGeeBear Thanks=]



[GuitarSlim1959]

@DirtyKwa

Actually it's open D Minor. 

[Macariotron]

I understand some of y'alls concern for the future of the blues, but you can't make people like things they don't; all you can do is play what you love and keep it alive for yourself and anybody willing to listen.

Look on the bright side: all a bluesman needs is a voice and an instrument. Classical music, jazz, rock and roll, klezmer, etc all require ensembles, which makes them harder to organize and more expensive to perform.

Anyway, RIP Cephas. You had a unique voice/phrasing style.

[sugarkang]

is that a wayne henderson guitar?

[ironlion37]

Legend! I was lucky enough to see John & Phil a couple times at my high school in Richmond, VA. From all the pain and suffering that has occurred in the South - this music- performed by this man, is a precious diamond that came out of that place.

[subterranean47]

First off I'm not racist at all so no one take this wrong, but its a damned shame blues is dying in the African American community.

[StephenLovesAnime]

i agree, and i think its a damned shame its dying period, its a treasure we need to keep

[brocklightning]

@subterranean47 , you right but see sadly most Blacks see blues as poor blacks music cotton picking music and they don't want to be associated with it they want the flashy R&B that relect the progresstion of black folk it's sad

[melrhyne]

@subterranean47

What up Sub47.

It's not dying in the Black community!!!

It's just not as "profitable" to advertise them, as it is KWS, Lang, Bonamassa, and ahem, Mayer.

Check out Corey Harris, Bernard Allison, Kirk Fletcher, Eric Gales,

The Carolina Chocolate Drops (for hill/country) and countless others!

I know you are gonna have fun checking this stuff out!

Peace :)

[subterranean47]

@melrhyne I appreciate all the new names to check out but I still say its dying. I'm white but I spend a good bit of time around blacks and I have yet to meet anyone under 50 who can name a bluesman other than BB

[joenvernaillen]

@melrhyne Damn, those are all great artists and I never heard of them!! Thankx for that man! xx

[Charlesogden]

John was a close personal friend of mine. What he played was not technically hard, but the feeling...that was everything. He could take a simple three chord blues and make it sound like the most moving piece of classicla music you ever heard. I still miss him, and love these videos.

[Englewoodsy]

Does anyone know... that looks like a Wayne Henderson headstock... was it a Henderson he was playing there?

[zjh1209]

R.I.P. we'll miss you my man.

[misteretrain]

I had the privilege to learn from John at Augusta Heritage Blues Week a couple of years ago. He taught Skip James (including this song) and Piedmont style classes. He was a very good teacher who had a patient way of explaining. He's going to be missed by a lot of people including me.

[ddelmonte2000]

I also had the privilege of learning from the Man. There is a memorial service in Washington DC on March 29 at the Museum of Natural History from 1-3 on March 29 and a reception to follow at the Westminster church in SW from 4-7.

[aquamancj]

Man i sure wish i coulda seen him

[AbsofNalts]

RIP Big man, singing the blues in heaven.

[crayhead]

RIP John...loved your stuff!

[crookedroad]

Rest in peace Mr. Cephas.......

[sarahalferty]

amen john!!!!

jeffrey

[brokeass89]

i wish this guy would teach me guitar

[getupanddosomething]

i don't think he meant the playing is standard, rather that the songs themselves are blues standards

[sandmonkey322]

I saw him play in NY this weekend, it was amazing.

[NapalmPedals]

open D minor - D A D F A D

[empiremonkey]

Anyone know if this is the tuning he used for 'So Glad'?

[Heeey333]

Standered

[empiremonkey]

ok! Thanks!

[blueshrooms]

It isnt "standard" fool.

[friiiikan]

Depends how you wanna play it. But Skip used open D tuning. DADFAD.

[empiremonkey]

I think a lot of people might think it is in standard because of Eric Clapton.... I will go with DADFAD.