White Ripple Community Band October 3rd, 2016

Much like two weeks ago, we focused like a laser beam on one particular song and worked on ways to flesh it out. Like Wagon Wheel, this is one of those ultimate jam band songs that it seems like everybody knows, so knowing this will make you right at home at Paul Henry's Art Gallery, the Fox Gallery in Lake Station, and One Best Life at Tinker's Attic in Highland... and pretty much everywhere else across the United States of America.

You Ain't Goin Nowhere by Bob Dylan. There are so many good covers of this song (and the original is pretty nice, too) but Roseanne Cash's to my mind is the closest to what we're doing.

The chord progression is a simple one: G, Am, C, G-- four beats each, with verse and chorus the same. Simple songs like this one are sweet because everyone can add something a little different to the mix. Linda does a beautiful job holding down melody on the clarinet, which leaves the rest of us to fill out the rhythm of the piece. There are a couple of ways we can do that.

We can fingerpick.

The following are tricks I learned from Celebrating Tradition, a class at the Old Town School of Folk Music taught by the awesome Peggy Browning and Maura Lally. If you're not going to White Ripple Community Band on Monday nights you should be going to their class instead.

Anyway, here goes--

D shape on the 7th fret of the guitar = G chord. Play only the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings.
Fret the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings of the 5 fret = Am chord
C chord can be played as an open chord, but I think it sounds prettier as a C barre chord

Here's a video to demonstrate.

This Saturday night is Second Saturday at White Ripple Gallery & Co. We're going to start jamming at 7 p.m., and we hope to see you there! Lots of good folks, lots of gorgeous, thought-provoking art. 6725 Kennedy Avenue, Hammond, Indiana.