Day 28 - Okay Edge, Play the Blues!

 

I love the U2 album Rattle and Hum.  Released way back in 1988, I purchased the album immediately (I was a huge U2 fan) and played it every day for a long, long time.  One of my favorite songs on the album is Silver and Gold. 

Silver and Gold is a really raw song and is best described in the words of Bono during the live performance of the song which is the album version:

This song was written in a hotel room in New York city 'round about the time a friend or ours, Little Steven, was putting together a record of artists against apartheid. This is a song written about a man in a shanty town outside of Johannesburg. A man who's sick of looking down the barrel of white South Africa. A man who is at the point where he is ready to take up arms against his oppressor. A man who has lost faith in the peacemakers of the west while they argue and while they fail to support a man like bishop Tutu and his request for economic sanctions against South Africa.

Am I buggin' you? I don't mean to bug ya...

Okay Edge, play the blues...

Often the words "Okay Edge, play the blues" pop in my mind.  I don't know why, since I am not a blues fan. In fact, the only time I have really been exposed to the idea of playing the blues MYSELF is during the first run-through of the Justin Guitar course.  I enjoyed the 12-bar blues and the "cha-chink" triplet rhythms.

Totally random and unnecessary sexist comment: 

 

OMG Bono is hot.  Well, at least he was in the day.  When I listen to U2 these days it's the older stuff, but they were my favorite band in the late 80's early 90's.  Yes, I thought Bono was hotter than Jon Bon Jovi at the time -- a fact my sister sometimes jokingly reminds me of.  An interesting (or not) coincidence is that both of my favorite hotties are amazing philanthropists - not just pretty faces.

Back to the blues...

 

Sadly, after that first exposure, I went about my musical way - mainly playing my Bon Jovi style music - and didn't give the blues a second thought unless I came across the odd 7th chord in a song.

 

 

 

This week, in my review of Stage 5 of the Justin Guitar course, I was re-acquainted with the blues.  And, the Bono quote "okay Edge, play the blues" again entered my mind.  Hence, the seemingly random reference to Rattle and Hum and U2 that opened this blog post!

 

Blues in A: A7 A7 A7 A7 D7 D7 A7 A7 E7 D7 A7 E7

Blues in G: G7 G7 G7 G7 C7 C7 G7 G7 D7 C7 G7 D7

Blues in E: E7 A7 E7 E7 A7 A7 E7 E7 B7 A7 E7 B7

During my practice I worked on 12 bar blues in the keys of A, G and E.  I can play them all, but not flawlessly.  And my timing, as I have mentioned countless times before, stinks.  So, for the next few days I will do my triplet rhythms, practicing these chord progressions, WITH THE DREADED METRONOME.  By God, I will make that metronome my bitch by the time this year is over!