Leadbelly

This is the first blues album I ever owned and I got it off my Dad. He bought it new in 1954.

You can read about this wandering psychopathic Guitarslinger here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_Belly

This album made me take up the guitar and I was thinking about this album this morning while I was practicing scales. Even after thirty plus years of guitar playing I have started practicing scales every morning the way that other people go for a jog. All these scales are very familiar to me from different musical situations but there is something very relaxing and focusing about working through scales and harmony and practising position playing correctly up and down the neck. Today I was practising the Ionian Imaj7th scale. It has a very floaty jazzy feel to it and is very ubiquitous. It has some long stretches that can be a bit tight on fast runs but that is what art is all about. If you don't stretch yourself to the limit you get nothing back in return and that is something always worth remembering.