AWESOME 4 PAGE Professional Chart. IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD AND EMAIL. AVAILABLE HERE $2.49. goo.gl/UymAap Includes How to implement all that is covered in this video in 3 different places on the guitar (Chords, Arpeggios, and Scales) and how to do all the Bonus Stuff discussed as well!. Hope you enjoy!
Oh boy, now you've made me wanna actually start memorizing scale notes. You are kinda like an acid hit.... opening up a whole lot of closed doors. Thanks brother.
Don't memorize too much. Gerry's style was almost purely improvised. The notes sound memorized, but if you listen and watch close, he sometimes lands flat or sharp of the chromatic progression, but evens it out by using tasty quarter step and half step bends. ( that's what I'm finding at least)
@@shawnharris9486 It was purely improvised but he was improvising while knowing the chord tones and a couple other tricks. Pretty hard to hit those notes that consistently just messing around. Accidently hitting a flat or sharp will happen regardless of how much theory you know. Memorize away 'cause it sure does help.
The moment that really has stuck with me from the first Grateful Dead concert I saw was Jerry singing the line "Can't talk to you without talking to me, we're guilty of the same old thing." Not about guilt, but about us all being pretty much the same. Jerry connecting with the audience in that way he had.
Althea is the tune that caught John Mayer's ear and started his deep dive into the music of the Grateful Dead. And that started his deep dive into humility, kindness and sobriety. The Grateful Dead made John Mayer a better person. And as an old Deadhead myself(65) first show in Tampa in 73 I welcome him to the fold.
Mayer was the PERFECT FIT for Dead & Company. He manages to preserve Garcia's "signature sound" while adding his own signature twist on top of it -- it's REALLY fantastic!
This lesson is incredible. Everything is explained so well, yet in simple terms, and you tie it all together nicely. Thanks for this. Love the guitar btw.
Fantastic video. I really love your energy and enthusiasm and it's easy to see how much it all means to you. You're not trying to sell us anything but you're doing it as if you're doing it for yourself. And I appreciate the honesty of it, something youtube could use more of these days.
Yet another amazing video Ian! Keep fighting the good fight! I've heard you say that you don't like most youtube music education videos, I have to completely disagree with you. While there are a lot of channels lacking quality, and just plain bad teachers and musicians, there are also many amazing channels, just like yours. All musicians, of all stages, are so lucky to have you and all the other people who share their musical wisdom for anyone, who has access to youtube, in the world.
I'm a self described metal head. Never liked the Dead. But, because of your channel I gave the Amazon series a shot last night. Loved the first episode. Learned a bunch I never knew. Like the Doc says, there's so much baggage with the Dead it can block people from getting to music. Looking forward to checking out the rest of the series. Thanks Ian.
Thanks Stitch. Very clear, and I think you expressed something important when you said how Jerry would play a 6th a lot simply because it makes you smile. It is a good goal for all of our guitar playing. It might be also worth mentioning that Jerry always referred his solos to the melody. You can almost always hear the melody, and pick any tune from just listening to a segment of his solo. Really nice clear and warm Jerry style tone from your guitar, too!
First Stitch - fantastic lesson. Very clear explanation on a relatively complex topic. @Dingo - Glad you mentioned Jerry’s solos are always melodic to the underlying song. You can always hear the main theme in his solos when he plays. I love that. And that’s what I’m trying to put into my playing now.
Jerry's style of playing was very unique. He loved throwing in those chromatic notes, which made his playing sound very playful and jazzy. The more I listen to Grateful Dead, the more I realize how much you need to have a solid understanding of music theory in order to follow along with some of their songs. Especially when they throw in random key changes... I would love to see you do a video of China Cat Sunflower. That song has and interesting chord progression with a key change and some amazing lead guitar parts by JG.
Another awesome example of this is Mississippi Half-Step, so many chords and lots of dominant ones too. Plus a bunch of key changes. I agree 100% Jerry truly is a master.
I watch a lot of guitar tutorials on TH-cam, though you'd never know that by the quality of my playing. Anyway, your videos are among the best! So clear, easy to understand, good audio, good video production -- top notch all the way. I particularly enjoy your easy-going style and sense of humor. Thank you!
Hey man, thanks for pointing out the psychology of the music. I feel that's an important point that even fancy-pants players have seemed to shrug off when I bring it up... but I mean, music is emotion/psychology, so why the heck would you ignore that? Love your channel!
FANTASTIC. Just learned that I'm going to be playing lead on this soon. I've never taken time to learn about Jerry's approach. I quickly learned that riffing in B Dorian is insufficient. This is a huge help.
And all this time I've been trying to solo on a mutated B minor scale and thinking "wtf, how do I nail this?!" You are god sent man, and the strange thing is that from the first video I have an odd feeling I know you from some strange "before" time. I've been looking for this teaching so long. Thank you so much.
I only got into the Dead in the past couple years, having never realized how amazing their catalog was. I had boxed them in as a psychedelic hippie band with some pretty cool tunes, but that was it... Man, have I have been overwhelmed with how amazing they are! The Skull and Roses and Europe 72 albums just opened my mind and made me ravenous for all things Dead and Jerry related. Thanks for all your lessons (and especially the Dead ones)! My passion is for Dead and Allmans music (among other things), so it almost seems like your videos are a gift from the heavens. Sorry for carrying on, but thanks again!!
It's never too late to get on the bus. Yes, Jerry was very special. He and the band turned concrete buildings into cathedrals of divine light. Welcome.
You can hear shades of St. Stephen in there the 1st time you solo over it. Well and the 2nd attempt. I goota go, im watching the Stich Method. Love the Dead. Family since 87
Thank you Ian! Are you interested in doing one of these for "Eyes of the World"? Unbelievable jam song. Dead and Co was the reason it finally connected. Definitely one of their wheelhouse songs so far
As a long time Deadhead who attempts to play guitar I just wanted thank you again for these videos. I never have been interested in learning other people's songs note for note, but the "In the Mind Of" lessons have given me the tools to make a big breakthrough with what I do.
I'm a bass player, so I love watching these types of videos just to understand a bit more about what's going on "on top" of the songs. After reading a while ago that it was Althea that turned John Mayer onto playing Dead tunes, which obviously sent him to a place none of us would have expected with Dead&Co, and having recently seen Oteil sing the lead for Althea on the recent Voodoo Dead shows ... I've got a huge appreciation for Althea that I never had when I was following Jerry Garcia and the boys around on tour. Thanks for giving this tune some bonus in my mind!
Honestly, that is probably the best music doc I've ever seen, not being biased. So well done and thank you for this lesson. I produced a doc with Al Franken (not yet released) in Feb of 2016 and wish I knew he was a deadhead at the time. Thanks again man...you've taken my guitar skills from a 20 year plateau to me playing mindlessly all over the neck, everything makes sense, as I know you've now received that comment a hundred times. I'm literally playing for hours after work everyday. Love the blues master class, would love a part 2, and would love an in depth lesson on the Dorian mode (if I've missed it, my apologies), and would love to see a lesson showing a 1 killer lick from each position of the pentatonic, as well as mixolydian and dorian. Anyways, keep it up man!
Matt Bradley you never saw the Grateful Dead PBS special in the 70’s. Al was back stage doing comedy bits with Jer and the boys. Way before he ran for office, at that point he was a writer for SNL. What is Al doing now that the MeToo movement stripped him from office. Scary days we are living in.
Dude, what an awesome video! Just found your channel. I really love the joy and enthusiasm that you bring to your teaching, and... it actually makes sense! As someone who's been playing the guitar (mostly by ear) for almost 30 years and has always struggled with theory - I really appreciate what you are doing here! Thanks!
Well done, brother! I am smiling like a goof right now...Althea is just one of those songs that has that intangible factor that you can't quite explain..like it's on the tip of your tongue but you can't vocalize "it." I got back into guitar and have been focused on playing at least an hour a day...it's 10:47 in Wyoming and I started at 7:00 this morning, so this was a perfect way to end the session. The little Garcia tricks were huge! Love it! Thanks, man!
I'm really liking how you broke this down. It was really cool how the more you broke it down, the more you could start to hear the "Jerry" in the soloing. Subscribed!
Garcia is definitely one of the most underrated guitarists of his era. "Althea" is one of my all-time favorite jamout songs. I could improvise over it for hours on end. I VERY STRONGLY suggest watching some videos of John Mayer playing this song with Dead & Company for some really interesting lead ideas! He manages to preserve Garcia's signature sound while bringing freshness to the song as well.
So helpful! I have always loved so much music, but never got into the Dead, despite so many friends telling me how great they were... until I tried to play along with some tracks, particularly Althea -- and I had no idea what was going on. I didn't even know where to begin. Now, Jerry is one of my all time favorite guitarists. Thanks for one of so many fantastic lessons/instructionals!
Thanks Stitch, when I hear this song I feel like I am in a graveyard, sweet death music, and everything is alright with the dead and death in the garden. Death does not feel like it has to be feared. Your video explained a lot about the Dorian scale to me. Doesn't Jerry use the e Dorian on the Other One? It is a sweet dead peaceful sound that mode. I can read about the Dorian scales, but watching someone explain it really helps, and thanks for showing all the tricks that are used with it. You are truly Gratefully Dead. Best William T St Clair
Althea is my favorite dead song! And also, yeah, “A Long Strange Trip” is amazing! I’ve watched it like 6 times lol. My fav parts are the great lines that Big Steve and Sam Cutler both say. They made it so entertaining. Jerry’s daughter Trixie as an adult stole my heart when she was talking about her dad 💔 She is just so cool. I just wanna give her a big hug, she stole my heart. Also: Jerry’s final solo from the Althea they used- from Nassau Colosseum, I would love to see you break that down. It gives me the biggest goosebumps every time he goes up and his that high root or whatever it is he’s hitting- it hits that nerve and makes me shiver. And then when he goes way back down low again and it just sounds so barky and filthy. What a clinic. That final solo from Althea at the Nassau Colosseum. I don’t have a guitar on me at this moment, but what is he doing there that makes me have such a physical reaction ? like nails on a chalkboard but in a good way. That’s cool. Idk if he’s grabbing the B root note at the highest octave or what, but that makes my hair stand on end every time he does it. Oddly enough the same thing happens to me with Alicia Keys voice when she hits that high or low note “If I ain’t got you”. What is happening there Stitch?
I haven't played my American Beauty and Live Dead Albums for 40 years. 59 years since acid. You've shown me how great they actually were. I suppose I thought at one time I thought they were groovy too.
I have been playing guitar for 17 years. I've been addicted to your videos for about a week now. You're definitely my favorite teacher on the internet! Thank you so much!
I watch it anytime I'm close to prime video. Jerry's friendship with the Hells Angels! lol. Jerry covered a lot of spaces. He's the best guitar player that's ever played. Bob's close. In my opinion anyhow.
Great video. Another thing that's noticeable about Jerry's solos is the way he incorporates the melody from the lyrics into the solo. This is especially the case with songs like Peggy-O and Althea where the solo sounds a lot like the melody that he just sung, albeit with some subtle differences and improvisations.
Jerry died the year I was born so all I've been lucky enough to see is dead & co. This sounds a lot like how John Mayer plays it. He's got some sweet tricks too but I don't think we'll ever come across another to do it exactly like Jerry, no matter how hard they try. Great video
I enjoy your videos. Curious, do you know what pickups are in your red semi hollow? I'm trying to decide vintage output alnico 2s or 5s, or mix 2 in neck and 5 in bridge. Any thoughts? Thanks
Hi Ian, I love your style! Been into the Dead forever and Althea is one of my favorite jamming songs. Love your observation of incorporating the minor 3rd - Bluegrass style - just before the close... definitely adds a lot. One thing I like to do when trying to be Jerry-like is throw in passing chromatic tones outside the key signature, on the way to target chord tones.... eg on the turnaround from the E to the Bm, I might play a 16th note run like this: B (5th of the E chord), C (chromatic passing note), C# (note in B dorian), D(3rd of Bm chord). And of course chromatic note options are endless, as long as one doesn't hang on them them to long :-) Your passion for this stuff shines through! Keep doing this!!
i wish i would have had direction like this when i played. this is exactly the style of instruction i needed but didnt receive. its been like 12 years since ive played one but im motived to pick up a guitar again soon.
Owsley created the sound system that layed the groundwork for the next 30 years. There is no stadium rock concert without Owsley, Alembic and the Grateful Dead.
Been playing for many years, have a minor in music theory. Major just never CLICKED. Could shred all day long in minor modes, you're bring it all together for me on guitar - and not in just in a conceptual way. YOU THE MAN!
Are there any tips you could give for doing long form soloing? Like the extended building and tension that occurs in Garcia’s playing? It seems like you are able to easily simplify things that would normally be difficult. I’m guessing practicing constantly is the answer but if there are any tricks that help, you would be the guy! Thanks
fantastic guidance. I was in a jazz coma for a long time - and many of your tips are fantastic as well as targeting a lot of bebop practices. Jerry obviously knew a lot of this stuff. thanks again bro
Great video. Really enjoyed it, gave me some additional lines of thought for soloing in this song. Took me a long time to find anything useful to do during this. Such a beautiful song though....frigging Jerry....love it.
Well I’m sure that there will be some heads that disagree Or maybe not because any Althea is a good Althea. But that Hampton show was one of my top favorite shows. There was something about Hampton that the dead really grooved on. I don’t really know what it was? Lived in Hampton for several years. It was good but the Dead really just played smoking hot shows there. Anyway that show was really sweet. Thanks
Could never wrap my head around the modes and relating to chords until I saw it in terms of the Grateful Dead, always kind of "bs'd" my way through. Wonderful job, playing, and explanation. Wish I could've seen this video during my college days struggling through the jazz curriculum. Thanks for posting!
thanks for the video man.. awesome! i always tried to understand how jerry moves through the scales, chords and notes but never could.. please dont stop the "in the mind of jerry garcia" videos, im having a lot of fun! congratulations, long live the deadheads!
Wow.... I eared this out yesterday for a friend. You are right it’s a great tune. Thanks for confirming my ear. You seem like a nice guy. Keep up the great work.
You are the coolest dude ever. I've learned how to play all chords and the pentatonic in most positions after a a few weeks of readig/YT vids at 30, which I was told wouldn't be possible at my age and was wasting my money/time etc but I think that posed a challenge to prove them wrong. It's the best hobby I ever had. I am tone deaf however I have to test a chord against a song before I get the rhythm. I know I have years to go but I'm really proud to progress like I have :) Oh and Jerry's style is my inspiration so this is the best video so far on my long strange trip :)
Thank you very much for taking the time to make this wonderful video. I often find teachers on TH-cam too fast and too much heavy technical stuff it makes it hard for me to comprehend I’m 57 years old and been to several dead shows and my mind doesn’t work quite as well as it used too! Your pace and calm demeanor make it easier for me to comprehend what you’re trying to say thanks again and keep up the good work!
Thanks a great video to watch and to learn some of the tricks. I love Jerry's solos. Althea was never a big song for me but after the documentary I went back and listened to it. Thanks
AWESOME 4 PAGE Professional Chart. IMMEDIATE DOWNLOAD AND EMAIL. AVAILABLE HERE $2.49. goo.gl/UymAap Includes How to implement all that is covered in this video in 3 different places on the guitar (Chords, Arpeggios, and Scales) and how to do all the Bonus Stuff discussed as well!. Hope you enjoy!
Hi I purhased but after payment, nothing happened. can you email me? I may have even paid twice
What is your email? I’ll send it to you
@@StichMethodGuitar Hi, thank you - I received it via email (I guess through PPal). You are fantastic - thank you.
Why the hell you have only 296k subs???
I always wanted to play like this, but before this lesson I was lacking in some direction! :)
Cause I dressed myself in Green.
Then got thrown in the Jailhouse by a Chick named BERTHA.
BUT ALTHEA WAS HIS TRUE LOVE.
Cool down boy.
Easy Jim…
Oh boy, now you've made me wanna actually start memorizing scale notes. You are kinda like an acid hit.... opening up a whole lot of closed doors. Thanks brother.
Don't memorize too much. Gerry's style was almost purely improvised. The notes sound memorized, but if you listen and watch close, he sometimes lands flat or sharp of the chromatic progression, but evens it out by using tasty quarter step and half step bends. ( that's what I'm finding at least)
Don't be such a bollox
@@shawnharris9486 It was purely improvised but he was improvising while knowing the chord tones and a couple other tricks. Pretty hard to hit those notes that consistently just messing around. Accidently hitting a flat or sharp will happen regardless of how much theory you know. Memorize away 'cause it sure does help.
The moment that really has stuck with me from the first Grateful Dead concert I saw was Jerry singing the line "Can't talk to you without talking to me, we're guilty of the same old thing." Not about guilt, but about us all being pretty much the same. Jerry connecting with the audience in that way he had.
Paul Perkins Same Offense
The first thing I realized when I started watching this video was how similar your voice is to Jerry’s!
Yes he really does!
and he looks like him😎
I'm sensing a tribute band...
Holy shit it's true
Didn’t pick up on it until I read your comment. Now it’s all I hear
Althea is the tune that caught John Mayer's ear and started his deep dive into the music of the Grateful Dead. And that started his deep dive into humility, kindness and sobriety. The Grateful Dead made John Mayer a better person. And as an old Deadhead myself(65) first show in Tampa in 73 I welcome him to the fold.
Mayer was the PERFECT FIT for Dead & Company. He manages to preserve Garcia's "signature sound" while adding his own signature twist on top of it -- it's REALLY fantastic!
This lesson is incredible. Everything is explained so well, yet in simple terms, and you tie it all together nicely. Thanks for this. Love the guitar btw.
In the mind of Jerry Garcia : dark star please!!!! Nothing on TH-cam nearly as good as your lessons stitch!!
Fantastic video. I really love your energy and enthusiasm and it's easy to see how much it all means to you. You're not trying to sell us anything but you're doing it as if you're doing it for yourself. And I appreciate the honesty of it, something youtube could use more of these days.
Yet another amazing video Ian! Keep fighting the good fight!
I've heard you say that you don't like most youtube music education videos, I have to completely disagree with you. While there are a lot of channels lacking quality, and just plain bad teachers and musicians, there are also many amazing channels, just like yours. All musicians, of all stages, are so lucky to have you and all the other people who share their musical wisdom for anyone, who has access to youtube, in the world.
Any chance you'd do an "in the mind of D Boon?" The Minutemen are so darn great.
You are so correct, it is incredible. Minutemen Forever.
I told Althea that treachery was tearing me limb from limb.
Althea told me, now cool down boy - settle back easy, Jim!
This is just great. I smiled and laughed all the way through because it gives me so much joy. Your teachings are a light in a world of darkness.
I'm a self described metal head. Never liked the Dead. But, because of your channel I gave the Amazon series a shot last night. Loved the first episode. Learned a bunch I never knew. Like the Doc says, there's so much baggage with the Dead it can block people from getting to music. Looking forward to checking out the rest of the series. Thanks Ian.
Excited for you my friend
Check this out, you might like it, th-cam.com/video/zq8sp6WF3bQ/w-d-xo.htmlm16s
Huge thrash metal fan here. I bought a dead album one day while record shopping, fell in love with them
listen to live/dead
It’s been a while since you posted......how far down the rabbit hole have you fallen?....if you’re like the rest of us pretty far I bet, lol.
I have an Althea backing track on my channel! Come on over and jam on it!
th-cam.com/video/KOKuqZkvzZc/w-d-xo.html
I just did :)
Thanks Stitch. Very clear, and I think you expressed something important when you said how Jerry would play a 6th a lot simply because it makes you smile. It is a good goal for all of our guitar playing. It might be also worth mentioning that Jerry always referred his solos to the melody. You can almost always hear the melody, and pick any tune from just listening to a segment of his solo.
Really nice clear and warm Jerry style tone from your guitar, too!
First Stitch - fantastic lesson. Very clear explanation on a relatively complex topic.
@Dingo - Glad you mentioned Jerry’s solos are always melodic to the underlying song. You can always hear the main theme in his solos when he plays. I love that. And that’s what I’m trying to put into my playing now.
Althea on Live Without a Net is what made me a deadhead.
Not the "eyes of the world" with Branford Marsalis? I was there....just stellar!
@@bretschwartz go back to 73-74 for the best eyes and 80' -81' for the best Altheas
That double cd set did it for me too. I was 17
Jerry's style of playing was very unique. He loved throwing in those chromatic notes, which made his playing sound very playful and jazzy. The more I listen to Grateful Dead, the more I realize how much you need to have a solid understanding of music theory in order to follow along with some of their songs. Especially when they throw in random key changes... I would love to see you do a video of China Cat Sunflower. That song has and interesting chord progression with a key change and some amazing lead guitar parts by JG.
Another awesome example of this is Mississippi Half-Step, so many chords and lots of dominant ones too. Plus a bunch of key changes. I agree 100% Jerry truly is a master.
That documentary made me a dead fan.
Chris Isaak's Wicked Game is another ii-I-V progression in the key of A.
Holy smokes! Thank you for this.
Dude you literally sound JUST LIKE JERRY when you talk ! The hell and kinda have the look! Right on man great upload.
you really sound like jerry man.. i thought the same kkkkkkk
Dude your channel is absolutely amazing i love your videos
I watch a lot of guitar tutorials on TH-cam, though you'd never know that by the quality of my playing. Anyway, your videos are among the best! So clear, easy to understand, good audio, good video production -- top notch all the way. I particularly enjoy your easy-going style and sense of humor. Thank you!
Dear Sir,
This video, and your approach, is simply very very COOL ! Thanks
That will give me hours of stuff to think about, work on !
LoloYodel
Hey man, thanks for pointing out the psychology of the music. I feel that's an important point that even fancy-pants players have seemed to shrug off when I bring it up... but I mean, music is emotion/psychology, so why the heck would you ignore that? Love your channel!
That might be a neat video. Examples of a variety of emotional progressions and chord tones! Thanks again! Exclamation points!
FANTASTIC. Just learned that I'm going to be playing lead on this soon. I've never taken time to learn about Jerry's approach. I quickly learned that riffing in B Dorian is insufficient. This is a huge help.
And all this time I've been trying to solo on a mutated B minor scale and thinking "wtf, how do I nail this?!" You are god sent man, and the strange thing is that from the first video I have an odd feeling I know you from some strange "before" time. I've been looking for this teaching so long. Thank you so much.
I only got into the Dead in the past couple years, having never realized how amazing their catalog was. I had boxed them in as a psychedelic hippie band with some pretty cool tunes, but that was it... Man, have I have been overwhelmed with how amazing they are! The Skull and Roses and Europe 72 albums just opened my mind and made me ravenous for all things Dead and Jerry related. Thanks for all your lessons (and especially the Dead ones)! My passion is for Dead and Allmans music (among other things), so it almost seems like your videos are a gift from the heavens. Sorry for carrying on, but thanks again!!
It's never too late to get on the bus. Yes, Jerry was very special. He and the band turned concrete buildings into cathedrals of divine light. Welcome.
Jeff Johansen Amen. Glad to be abroad. And, hey, it's fun having so much to discover, so it's like a delayed gift. Lol
Aob better late than never. I soaked it all up also. I knew truckin and Casey Jones from the radio. In 1976 I got turned on to a new way of life
You can hear shades of St. Stephen in there the 1st time you solo over it. Well and the 2nd attempt. I goota go, im watching the Stich Method. Love the Dead. Family since 87
Please do a video elaboarating on the chromatic runs of garcia. Im trying understand that jazzy side of his playing.
Thank you Ian! Are you interested in doing one of these for "Eyes of the World"? Unbelievable jam song. Dead and Co was the reason it finally connected. Definitely one of their wheelhouse songs so far
Yes! I agree! Maybe a focus on how Jerry and Winton working together on the solos.
I have an Eyes vid on my channel, let me know if you like it
As a long time Deadhead who attempts to play guitar I just wanted thank you again for these videos. I never have been interested in learning other people's songs note for note, but the "In the Mind Of" lessons have given me the tools to make a big breakthrough with what I do.
I'm a bass player, so I love watching these types of videos just to understand a bit more about what's going on "on top" of the songs. After reading a while ago that it was Althea that turned John Mayer onto playing Dead tunes, which obviously sent him to a place none of us would have expected with Dead&Co, and having recently seen Oteil sing the lead for Althea on the recent Voodoo Dead shows ... I've got a huge appreciation for Althea that I never had when I was following Jerry Garcia and the boys around on tour. Thanks for giving this tune some bonus in my mind!
Great lesson, Ian. Love watching your old videos.
Honestly, that is probably the best music doc I've ever seen, not being biased. So well done and thank you for this lesson. I produced a doc with Al Franken (not yet released) in Feb of 2016 and wish I knew he was a deadhead at the time. Thanks again man...you've taken my guitar skills from a 20 year plateau to me playing mindlessly all over the neck, everything makes sense, as I know you've now received that comment a hundred times. I'm literally playing for hours after work everyday. Love the blues master class, would love a part 2, and would love an in depth lesson on the Dorian mode (if I've missed it, my apologies), and would love to see a lesson showing a 1 killer lick from each position of the pentatonic, as well as mixolydian and dorian. Anyways, keep it up man!
Matt Bradley you never saw the Grateful Dead PBS special in the 70’s. Al was back stage doing comedy bits with Jer and the boys. Way before he ran for office, at that point he was a writer for SNL. What is Al doing now that the MeToo movement stripped him from office. Scary days we are living in.
Dude, what an awesome video! Just found your channel. I really love the joy and enthusiasm that you bring to your teaching, and... it actually makes sense! As someone who's been playing the guitar (mostly by ear) for almost 30 years and has always struggled with theory - I really appreciate what you are doing here! Thanks!
Thanks Anthony, so glad you enjoying the channel! Hope you enjoy the rest of the stuff on here! Rock on
I know nothing about music theory, but I really enjoyed this.
I wish I could hear you play the entire song from beginning to end.
You rock by the way, and you have inspired me to learn how to identify and understand what is going on on the neck of a guitar. Keep it up, Ian. :)
16:13 Oh I am definitely smiling and it all makes sense.
Well done, brother! I am smiling like a goof right now...Althea is just one of those songs that has that intangible factor that you can't quite explain..like it's on the tip of your tongue but you can't vocalize "it." I got back into guitar and have been focused on playing at least an hour a day...it's 10:47 in Wyoming and I started at 7:00 this morning, so this was a perfect way to end the session. The little Garcia tricks were huge! Love it! Thanks, man!
Thank you man! You are a great teacher & have such good concepts of Jerry's playing. Thank you for sharing & making this video for the world.
My pleasure Thomas! Rock on!
Dear god does anyone get the Carlos Santana advertisement before this... uggg... the WAY over compressed guitar tone is so awful..... :-)
I'm really liking how you broke this down. It was really cool how the more you broke it down, the more you could start to hear the "Jerry" in the soloing. Subscribed!
Thomas Point.... what's up brother!!!!
Ha!!!
Thanks for teaching ❤️ 🙏
Garcia is definitely one of the most underrated guitarists of his era. "Althea" is one of my all-time favorite jamout songs. I could improvise over it for hours on end.
I VERY STRONGLY suggest watching some videos of John Mayer playing this song with Dead & Company for some really interesting lead ideas! He manages to preserve Garcia's signature sound while bringing freshness to the song as well.
So helpful! I have always loved so much music, but never got into the Dead, despite so many friends telling me how great they were... until I tried to play along with some tracks, particularly Althea -- and I had no idea what was going on. I didn't even know where to begin. Now, Jerry is one of my all time favorite guitarists. Thanks for one of so many fantastic lessons/instructionals!
Welcome to the club!
The song gives me Goosebumps from days past. Still one of the most beautiful songs i've ever heard.
Great lesson dude its a little over my head but not so over my head that I get nothing from it. Its getting me out of my comfort zone thanks
Probably the happiest guitar lesson I've ever been given. Thank you
Thanks Stitch, when I hear this song I feel like I am in a graveyard, sweet death music, and everything is alright with the dead and death in the garden. Death does not feel like it has to be feared. Your video explained a lot about the Dorian scale to me. Doesn't Jerry use the e Dorian on the Other One? It is a sweet dead peaceful sound that mode. I can read about the Dorian scales, but watching someone explain it really helps, and thanks for showing all the tricks that are used with it. You are truly Gratefully Dead. Best William T St Clair
Exceptional video! Thanks for sharing.
“Go to Heaven” is one of my very favorite albums. Absolutely love it. Very Smokey album👌
Just found your channel, Thank You for breaking down these beautiful songs with a technical eye. So excited to play and learn. Be well
Althea is my favorite dead song! And also, yeah, “A Long Strange Trip” is amazing! I’ve watched it like 6 times lol. My fav parts are the great lines that Big Steve and Sam Cutler both say. They made it so entertaining. Jerry’s daughter Trixie as an adult stole my heart when she was talking about her dad 💔 She is just so cool. I just wanna give her a big hug, she stole my heart.
Also: Jerry’s final solo from the Althea they used- from Nassau Colosseum, I would love to see you break that down. It gives me the biggest goosebumps every time he goes up and his that high root or whatever it is he’s hitting- it hits that nerve and makes me shiver. And then when he goes way back down low again and it just sounds so barky and filthy. What a clinic. That final solo from Althea at the Nassau Colosseum.
I don’t have a guitar on me at this moment, but what is he doing there that makes me have such a physical reaction ? like nails on a chalkboard but in a good way. That’s cool. Idk if he’s grabbing the B root note at the highest octave or what, but that makes my hair stand on end every time he does it.
Oddly enough the same thing happens to me with Alicia Keys voice when she hits that high or low note “If I ain’t got you”. What is happening there Stitch?
I haven't played my American Beauty and Live Dead Albums for 40 years. 59 years since acid. You've shown me how great they actually were. I suppose I thought at one time I thought they were groovy too.
Absolutely wonderful and you explain everything perfectly absolutely jerry
I have been playing guitar for 17 years. I've been addicted to your videos for about a week now. You're definitely my favorite teacher on the internet! Thank you so much!
I watch it anytime I'm close to prime video. Jerry's friendship with the Hells Angels! lol. Jerry covered a lot of spaces. He's the best guitar player that's ever played. Bob's close. In my opinion anyhow.
This video is absolutely amazing. Your passion for teaching this is palpable. Thank you!
Great video. Another thing that's noticeable about Jerry's solos is the way he incorporates the melody from the lyrics into the solo. This is especially the case with songs like Peggy-O and Althea where the solo sounds a lot like the melody that he just sung, albeit with some subtle differences and improvisations.
That's the key!
This guy has it.ALWAYS learn the melody.
And in fact, the Bm - E - A progression is the very stereotypical ii-V-I jazz progression.
Every time I hear or read about Henry Kissinger, I can't help but think of the GD movie sketch..."Vell, Fuck You.."
Jerry died the year I was born so all I've been lucky enough to see is dead & co. This sounds a lot like how John Mayer plays it. He's got some sweet tricks too but I don't think we'll ever come across another to do it exactly like Jerry, no matter how hard they try. Great video
You did great in this.. THANK YOU for sharing with world!
This is really really good, man. Jerry’s my favorite I love the way you break down this great solo
THANKS!!!!!! Been trying for ever on my own to make sense of this. Cant
wait to practice this. Awesome video
I enjoy your videos. Curious, do you know what pickups are in your red semi hollow? I'm trying to decide vintage output alnico 2s or 5s, or mix 2 in neck and 5 in bridge. Any thoughts? Thanks
Even if I don't play: fascinating. I know this song by heart (Rockpalast).
Hi Ian, I love your style! Been into the Dead forever and Althea is one of my favorite jamming songs. Love your observation of incorporating the minor 3rd - Bluegrass style - just before the close... definitely adds a lot. One thing I like to do when trying to be Jerry-like is throw in passing chromatic tones outside the key signature, on the way to target chord tones.... eg on the turnaround from the E to the Bm, I might play a 16th note run like this: B (5th of the E chord), C (chromatic passing note), C# (note in B dorian), D(3rd of Bm chord). And of course chromatic note options are endless, as long as one doesn't hang on them them to long :-) Your passion for this stuff shines through! Keep doing this!!
i wish i would have had direction like this when i played. this is exactly the style of instruction i needed but didnt receive. its been like 12 years since ive played one but im motived to pick up a guitar again soon.
My fav dead song brought me here. Thank you!!! What guitar are you playing?? I love it.
Owsley created the sound system that layed the groundwork for the next 30 years. There is no stadium rock concert without Owsley, Alembic and the Grateful Dead.
Your Jerry chops are so awesome and you are so helpful on getting jerry's mindset at LEAST graspable for a guy like me!! Thank you so much!
Thank you for this video.......Jerry is a musical hobby of mine......
Sounds lik "Curtis Lowe" and "Werewolves of London" had a baby.
Dude, you're awesome! Keep it up!!! Any chance of a lesson on "Death Don't Have No Mercy" off Live Dead? That solo.....
You’re incredible. Keep up the good work. I learned a ton from this!
Very well done, thanks. I was lucky enough to camp out at several Dead concerts, great times.
Been playing for many years, have a minor in music theory. Major just never CLICKED. Could shred all day long in minor modes, you're bring it all together for me on guitar - and not in just in a conceptual way. YOU THE MAN!
Are there any tips you could give for doing long form soloing? Like the extended building and tension that occurs in Garcia’s playing? It seems like you are able to easily simplify things that would normally be difficult. I’m guessing practicing constantly is the answer but if there are any tricks that help, you would be the guy! Thanks
Well done, as a Garcia player, I can tell you I employ exactly the "tricks" you've highlighted here to help get 'that' sound.
fantastic guidance. I was in a jazz coma for a long time - and many of your tips are fantastic as well as targeting a lot of bebop practices. Jerry obviously knew a lot of this stuff. thanks again bro
Great video. Really enjoyed it, gave me some additional lines of thought for soloing in this song. Took me a long time to find anything useful to do during this. Such a beautiful song though....frigging Jerry....love it.
I can't follow the musical language except in small bits. Really like the sound of your picking though
Way over my head but interesting. Definitely captures some of Jerry’s complex magic.
I understand its in the key of A but is jerry basically spicing up the E mixolydian? If not why?
Thanks!! you have cleared up a ton on questions I had! Appreciate you Jerry Passion.
Well I’m sure that there will be some heads that disagree Or maybe not because any Althea is a good Althea. But that Hampton show was one of my top favorite shows. There was something about Hampton that the dead really grooved on. I don’t really know what it was? Lived in Hampton for several years. It was good but the Dead really just played smoking hot shows there. Anyway that show was really sweet. Thanks
Could never wrap my head around the modes and relating to chords until I saw it in terms of the Grateful Dead, always kind of "bs'd" my way through. Wonderful job, playing, and explanation. Wish I could've seen this video during my college days struggling through the jazz curriculum. Thanks for posting!
thanks for the video man.. awesome! i always tried to understand how jerry moves through the scales, chords and notes but never could.. please dont stop the "in the mind of jerry garcia" videos, im having a lot of fun! congratulations, long live the deadheads!
Thought I couldn't love Jerry and his playing any more! Thank you!! And... your voice isn't NOT a little like Jerry's ;) Great video, I'll be back!
Wow.... I eared this out yesterday for a friend. You are right it’s a great tune. Thanks for confirming my ear. You seem like a nice guy. Keep up the great work.
You are the coolest dude ever. I've learned how to play all chords and the pentatonic in most positions after a a few weeks of readig/YT vids at 30, which I was told wouldn't be possible at my age and was wasting my money/time etc but I think that posed a challenge to prove them wrong. It's the best hobby I ever had. I am tone deaf however I have to test a chord against a song before I get the rhythm. I know I have years to go but I'm really proud to progress like I have :) Oh and Jerry's style is my inspiration so this is the best video so far on my long strange trip :)
Thank you very much for taking the time to make this wonderful video. I often find teachers on TH-cam too fast and too much heavy technical stuff it makes it hard for me to comprehend I’m 57 years old and been to several dead shows and my mind doesn’t work quite as well as it used too! Your pace and calm demeanor make it easier for me to comprehend what you’re trying to say thanks again and keep up the good work!
Thanks a great video to watch and to learn some of the tricks. I love Jerry's solos. Althea was never a big song for me but after the documentary I went back and listened to it. Thanks
Such an amazing video! I can't believe you don't have more subs! I'm curious, what do you think of John Mayer playing lead guitar for Dead and Co
Love it!! I've been waiting for this video for a long time. Thanks Ian..... I'm forever grateful!!
Thanks!
Does Chris Isaak Wicked Game follow same idea for key and progression?