ATKINS CHET, IN THREE DIMENSIONS VOLUME 1: 50 YEARS OF LEGENDARY GUITAR. TABLATURE
By John McClellan and Deyan Bratic. For Guitar (Fingerpicking). Transcribed solos. Country. Book. 208 pages. Level: Advanced.
This tribute contains twenty-two of Chet's greatest solos and duets along with interviews with his daughter, Merle Atkins Russell and close friends such as Jerry Reed, Vince Gill, Eddy Arnold, Don Mclean and many others. This book offers touching insight into the character of an American original, who did much to shape the course of music history and the guitar. Most importantly, Chet Atkins helped thousands of people over the course of his life through kindness and generosity. To quote Jerry Reed, "There is only one." This book is a tribute to a special man, a special artist... a hero to the millions of lives he touched. The Atkins Family has shared many rare photographs which are presented in a special eight-page color insert. Selections include, Heartaches, Caravan, When You Wish Upon a Star (live version), Music to Watch Girls by, Stars and Stripes Forever, Jerry's Breakdown, Nashtown Ville and many others. All music is in standard notation and in tablature.
Introduction to the Music
Thoughts About Chet's Musicianship
In the words of Chet Atkins, "This is my opinion and it oughta be yours!" When you see a legitimate artist, you know it right away. Chet's core musicianship can be summed up succinctly. Rhythm, sound, color, counterpoint, and intonation were everything to Chet. Oftentimes, guitarists that play Chet's material make the mistake of playing too fast, out of tune, and with no regard for timbre or tone. To play Chet's music in this way is disrespectful to his artistry. We have an obligation to his memory to observe the following:
• Play in tune! Chet never played out of tune.
• Relax. Play in time, he never rushed his tempos, even when he played fast, the tempo was relaxed. He rode the beat, rather than pushing it.
• Make a beautiful sound ... the quality of tone is important. Chet always had a beautiful fundamental in his sound. Listen to his old "Gretsch Country Gentlemen" on Chester and Lester, or his nylon sound on Chet Atkins Picks on Jerry Reed or The Night Atlanta Burned!Someone once said, "You will never produce a beautiful sound, if you don't first know what one is." Chet was all about playing pretty. Sound was everything.
He thought it was important to play to the strength of the guitar rather than to its weaknesses. He also felt the need to improve. I think we get set in our ways and stop growing, something Chet never did. Think about it! • Don't arbitrarily make fingerings easier if it destroys the timbre of the phrase. When Chet fingered a passage a certain way, it was because the color of the notes was important to him! He used the color or timbre of the guitar better than any guitarist who ever lived. Chet also conceptualized music vertically and horizontally in a contrapuntal way, this influenced his fingerings, usage of color and his overall musical vision.
• Sing. Chet was always singing! Singing through the guitar! He stressed the importance of knowing the lyrics to the songs you play, as this will help you create a more complete legato in your musical lines or phrases.
• Listen to all types of music as Chet did. For example, he loved the jazz pianist Erroll Garner's Concert by the Sea. (available on CD at most record stores). Chet was very deep musically, he learned from everybody!
Jorge Morel called Chet, "The pure artist of the guitar!" I often think Chet is under appreciated. By considering the points I have just stated, we can all further Chet Atkins' memory and musical legacy.
About the Transcriptions
If you want to really learn from the master, listen carefully to a given piece several hundred times. This is the level of dedication given to Chet and his music within these pages! Every attempt has been made to transcribe " hat Chet really played into notes in a musical score. But how can one accurately translate so many nuances?
• Musical notation isn't enough. It's like trying to explain the secret to producing a painting by Monet or a fine wine. It is impossible! You will find errors, and that is a good thing. It means you're listening and you care. Any mistakes that exist are made because we are human, not because of complacency. Our criteria for transcribing Chet's music was baser upon the diversity of the music and the diversity of Chet's fans. The musical elements that made each piece unique include sound/timbre, phrasing, rhythm, and technique. All these elements were given an extra degree of scrutiny during the transcribing and final proofing. We also used current computer technology to assure accuracy in translating the notes from the recording to the guitar, and finally, to paper...
... ou doing up here?" I told him. In order for him to sign my book, he had to give me his guitar, there was just no where to put it. He said, "Hold this!" He took the book; he was looking for suitable page to sign; he never did anything in a hurry. He was very careful. As he was looking at the book, he said, "Play me a little something!" So I put my foot up on the rung of the stool, I played, "Quiet Nights," that Jobim tune. He signed the book and we swapped back. All this is happening in a few seconds. He said, "You got a nice touch there ... you want to play on this show with me tonight?" Meanwhile, I could hear them start the introduction of Chet. He is getting off the stool, and I turned and said, "I don't have anything prepared, I better not!" Then, they were saying, "Here he is ... Chet Atkins!!" And walking away he says, "You'll be fine, sit there until I call you." And that was it. So then I got a choice, stay there like he told me to do, because he is going to call me, and if I'm not there, then that embarrasses him. I wasn't so stupid that I didn't know that! I am kind of stuck ... it is ice cold in there, I was freezing, my hands were pouring sweat. I was scared to death, but I didn't dare do something as rude as not play. Eventually, Boyce Hawkins, the host, is holding this cheap Gibson CO classical, asking Chet questions you would ask Chet Atkins. He asked Chet to play another one. Chet said, "Well Boyce, I found a kid out there in the studio. His name is David Conrad, he is from North Carolina ... " He remembered everything I said to him in those few seconds back stage, he just tossed it off! So he said, " Let's get him out here, he'll pick a tune for us!" ow, this Boyce fellow, freaked ... this was a live show shot to tape. He was looking from left to right, right to left, like a dog watching television. There I am, Chet kind of waving to me to come on in. I walked across the front and shook their hands and sat down between them. Boyce proceeds, now he is profesional and he cannot allow dead air space, so he jumps right in and says, "So you're from North Carolina. Are you in school? I said, "No sir, I am about to start college, I am visiting friends here. He said, "Chet says you're a pretty good guitar player, but I need you to play for the folks. You have got to prove it!" He shoves that little neo-classic into my hands, I'm trying to tune while he is asking me what I was going to play! The action was bad, not unplayable, mind you, but not ideal. Chet is sitting there and Boyce is looking at me and I am trying to tune this piece of junk of a guitar, Boyce says, "What are you going to play for us?" I said, "I would like to play "One Note Samba," by Jobim. I like Bossa Nova a lot!" Now keep in mind, As I'm still trying to tune ... something inside of me is telling me this is not what they are wanting to hear. The instant it became awkward, Chet gets up and went around and took the guitar from me and handed me his. Chet said, "I think he would rather play this one." It was a Juan Estruch, a beautiful guitar. I think this one was stolen while he was on one of his tours, it just never showed up at the airport. What a wonderful guitar, and personally at seventeen years old, I had never played a guitar that fine, never held one. The action was really low, perfect for me, of course, it came tuned and it played itself. It was just like velvet! I shouted, "A-flat," the band set up a groove, and away I went. Chet was sitting over there just noodling and tuning that bad guitar. I was very comfortable with the piece. When it came time for the bridge (sings the bridge), I just knew the chord progression there. It dawned on me, I had never done any chord melody there. So when I arrived at the bridge, I yelled, "Take the bridge!" I leaned over into Chet's face and he just ripped on through it, and played the heck out of it. On the bad guitar, of course the tone was all together different with Chet playing. From that point on, we were a duet. When we finished that one, we did "Satin Doll" and "Girl from Ipanema." Man, there were as many people coming up to me after the show as there was for Chet. At this point, I'm thinking, "I am not going home. I am not going to college. Momma can just send all my stuff over here!" We finally made our way to each other. I said, "This was one of the most wonderful things of my life, I'm committed to this! What can I say? Were do we go from here? Chet looked at me, then said, "Well, you're going back home to North Carolina and go to college, and I am going to go get a haircut! [laughs] He could see I was pretty disappointed and said, "Nah!, you go back home, I'm going to be here anytime you want or need me. Stay in touch, I'm not going anywhere! Go to school and come back and I'll be here ... we will pick another one!" Back then, there were a lot of golf tournaments throughout the South, still are, Pro-Am and Pro-Celebrity etc ... Chet, Jerry Reed, Boots Randolph and Floyd Cramer had a show called the All Stars. The whole deal with them, they made X. Cosse [Chet's manager] book these shows around golf tournaments. They would come and play, ...
The first time I met Chet Atkins was around 1986. A guy named Dave Burgess, who I was involved with at the time, wanted me to meet Che. Chet had heard Dave was working with me and [mentioned he] would like to meeet me, the reason being, he had produced Perry Como's version of "And I Love Her So;" Chet wanted to meet me because he loved the song. He liked good songwriters. So we met, and he was a little distant when we were talking. We were talking when something funny carne up ... I mentioned the actor Claude Akins. Chet said, "Yeah when we would be out on the golf course, I would always get his golf calls!" [laughs] Chet Atkins and Claude Akins ... that was funny! Somebody mentioned Bruce Springsteen, and Chet-this is the other side of him; he hated bulls--t-he didn't wait a second, he said, "He's the biggest hype in show business." Wow! I thought, this is my kind of guy! He didn't pull any punches. He says what he thinks. That is what I remember from my first meeting with Chet.
The one thing I got from Chet was that he was his own man, he wasn't a part of the gang. He was a singular individual. He definitely knew how to play the game and he knew how to do what needed to be done in order to win the awards, make the money, and have the hit records and stuff. But he was in his own world! It was very obvious to anyone who had any brains, if you were around this guy-he was a genius. Walt Whitman, I love this quote, said, "The artist, finding no sphere worthy, invents one or creates one." So he was in a sphere he created for himself. If you go back and see how he developed through his guitar, not just his own sphere but the entire phere of country music as it was, which was probably the best dimension country music was ever in. The 1950's, with Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. Of course there were other great producers, Owen Bradley and people like that, but he was right there doing it himself. But, he was also an artist.
The other thing that he was, like Chuck Berry-he was a tinkerer. He was an inventor, a guy that loved elctronics. He had a mathematical side to his mind.
One of the other things I remember was being on a television show with Cheto It was Chet, myself. The Jordanaires, and some other group I don't remember. Chet and I ended up doing "Vincent" together; this was on the Nashville Now program with Ralph Emery. Chet did a funny song called "If Jesus Wore a Rolex." I remember Minnie Pearl was on the show also. Chet was getting a kick out her. What a funny lady! Oh yes, Bill Monroe was on the show, too. Chet told me he wanted me to hear a song. Chet was as I am ... somewhat fixated on his father. He did a song about his father. I was very touched by it, and touched by the fact he wanted me to hear it.·He was interested in having me hear this song.
He was so effusive in his praise of my singing, writing, and everything that I was doing. I began to realize how important I was to him; then it dawned on me how important he was to me, and it was just a beautiful thing. I was very appreciative of it and we became more friendly with each other.
Sometime in the 1990s Chet told me he was bragging about me. I said, "You were?" He said they had just come out with a comprehensive Chet Atkins package and "Vincent" was on it. The song meant something to him; it became sort of like a mantra.
Toward the end of Chet's life I stopped by for a visito I remember Paul Yandell was there. Chet would not talk much. He was very frail. Every twenty minutes or so he would engage uso As we were about to leave, I knew. would never see him again. He looked me in the eye, he was very lucid, and he said, "Don, I want you to know that I was very proud to be able to know you." I didn't know what to say. As we drove away, I was devastate! So that's il. .. the rest is ali show business!
Contents:
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction to the Music
David Conrad - "It's a Wonderful Life"
Caravan
Black Mountain Rag
Minuet - J.S. Bach
Eddy Arnold - "Make the World Go Away"
Heartaches
Cy Coben on Chet - "Chet's Tune"
Streets of Laredo
Tony Brown - "The King of Nashville"
Lagrima
Johnny Smith - "Walk Don't Run, Chet..."
Take Five
Going Home
Bob Beckham - "I know That's Right!"
Music to Watch Girls By
Vince Gill - "I Was in Guitar Heaven"
Avalon
Minute Waltz
Mainstreet Breakdown
Merle Atkins Russell - "Thank You Very Little"
The Stars and Stripes Forever
Jerry Reed on Chet - "Hail to the Chief"
Drive In
Jerry's Breakdown
Jorge Morel - "The Pure Artist of the Guitar"
Choro da Saudade
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
When you Wish Upon a Star
John McClellan - "A Boy's Tale"
Ray Stevens - "I Haven't Got the Carrot Yet!"
Oh By Jingo
Don Light - "He Nailed it Again!"
Nashtown Ville
Harry Warner - "They Called Him, Sir"
La Vie en Rose
Don McLean - "Starry, Starry Night"
Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)
Italiano
English
