Fingerbuster

A minute of madness! I first learned this fast little finger-wrecker from a guitarist about 40 years ago. I haven't played it much recently as the fingers are not as limber as they were all those years ago! Then I thought - what the hell - get it on film before I seize up entirely...

I don't know who wrote it - it's certainly not Jelly Roll Morton's "Fingerbuster", but it bears a passing resemblance to James P. Johnson's "Carolina Shout".

Chords in my version are:

G / D / Em / Bm / C /D /C /G /
A / / / D / / / G / / / G / / /
G / D / Em / Bm / C / D / C / G /
A / / / D / / / G / / / G / / /
G / / G / / / G / / / G / / /
G / / / G / / / A / / / D / / /
G / / / G7 / / / C / / / Gdim / / /
G / F# / F / E / A / D / G / / /

http://www.mjra.net/WillFly/

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• Will
• Fly
• guitar
• fingerpicking
• country
• blues

[HenfieldWill]

Davey showed me his version of this at "Les Cousins" around 1965, and I was also shown a version by a guitarist called Mike Deighan - who now plays banjo with a 1920s-style jazz band called "The Temperance Seven". I suppose what I play is an amalgam of the two. :-) Will

[Morahman7vnNo2]

That Didn't Sound Like Wille "The Lion" Smiths Finger Buster.

[HenfieldWill]

No, it doesn't - as I wrote above right, I really don't know where this comes from. I've always just known it as "Fingerbuster!" :-) Will

[BlindSnoopyRhodes]

Whoooo Hoooo! Dang! It's a good thing that isn;t a 3 minute song or you wouldn't be able to hoist a beer without shaking for at least a week Bro! Amazing once again Will, way to go!

Oh, I am liking the hair too man, very chic!

BSR :)

[HenfieldWill]

It's really Mozart's second-best wig... :-) Will

[brucenator]

@HenfieldWill

Awesome, Will! I just read that Steve Howe based 'The Clap' on Davy Graham's 'Fingerbuster.' I haven't found the original recording yet, but this will do nicely. It's good to hear great guitar-players like yourself keeping music like this alive. Beautiful.

It reminds me of a friend from my hometown, who now lives in Seattle and calls himself Johnny Mercury, who swears by the 50's-style players as the "only real guitarists."

Thanks!

[MrTenorGuitar]

@nicecoolbuddy Davy's version is on the CD version of "The Guitar Player" (the original vinyl album didn't include it) - but I really play the version I learned from Mike Deighan.

[nicecoolbuddy]

@HenfieldWill Davey Graham's fingerbuster on Guitar Player?

[LeftyPaulChepstow]

Hi Will. I just bought a camera and am about to have a go at putting some stuff on YouTube. I thought I'd check out if anyone had done fingerbuster - and there you were! I learned it nearly 40 years ago (as a bet that I couldn't do it!!) and it was from a Davey Graham album. I dont know for sure if he wrote it. Nice playing man - I shall post my version soon. LeftyPaul from Chepstow.

[kamelisan]

Sorry I didn't read the preview, but it sounds like Morton's fingerbreake. xD in another key maybe, but it's basically the same to me xD.

[kamelisan]

It's also known as "Fingerbreaker", composed by Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton. It's a piano composition for those who wonder :P

[jdk2k2]

Hmm, sounds a bit like Davey Graham's "Fingerbuster".

Maybe that will put an end to a 40 year mystery of "What am I playing?"