How Julian Lage plays freight train shouldn't be possible.

Рет қаралды 39,160

3 ай бұрын

I'm a huge Julian Lage fan, but it's not often that I find him riding in the folk-guitar lane. I thought it would be a really great chance to try to learn a little bit how he interprets this music. I had no idea what I was in for.
I recently rediscovered the interview Julian Lage did with Acoustic Magazine in 2009. The interview is fantastic, as well as the other pieces he plays for us on his Waterloo, but at the very end of the 20 minute interview is this utterly amazing version of Elizabeth Cotten's, Freight Train. Here's my best go at explaining a little of what he's doing, including some tab to help you learn it as well!
Full transcription is available on my Patreon!
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Пікірлер: 138

@bbowjazz 2 ай бұрын

Julian Lage’s ability to subtly manipulate time is just incredible. The way he weaves this into deft harmonic and melodic transitions is even more astounding!

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

Isn’t it amazing. That’s really the beauty of his playing, the notes could be anything as far as I’m concerned. Thanks for stopping by!

@andrewbowen6875 3 ай бұрын

These are the type of lessons I would encourage folk to learn as you start to pick out patterns that set you up for life imo

@devin.thunhorst 2 ай бұрын

He is such a beast. This video you found is a true gem. Good on you transcribing it! Thanks for sharing

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

Such a beast. And yeah man, as far as I'm aware they never clipped that performance and it's only at the end of the interview. He did record it for an album too, but this version puts that one the rest I think.

@firecrackerheart 2 ай бұрын

i really appreciate your passion for music, kyle .. . you bring out a real joy for music that's quite contagious .. . thanks!

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

I appreciate you too! Making these vids is the most the biggest creative outlet I have right now and it's awesome to know folks get something out of them.

@andrewbowen6875 3 ай бұрын

What a beautiful person Julian Lage is. He does a great mix of blues, jazz, country and bluegrass

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

Dude for real. He seems as great of a dude as he is a musician.

@davidthomas9960 Ай бұрын

I see that Ab chord as a chord borrowed from C minor. You could also think of it as that classic move where you go from playing the IV chord (the F in this instance) to the ivm in a song. In this case it would be like an Fmin9 first inversion for the first chord. In love that movement so much it’s so beautiful

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

I dig it!

@manuelcanepa8134 Ай бұрын

man, you are so cool! thanks for the video and having fun!

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Hah! Thanks for watching!

@USNAVDC 3 ай бұрын

Julian Lage is a music machine. Just unbelievable.

@kostringworks 3 ай бұрын

Totally! Such an inspiration.

@xchris1ian 2 ай бұрын

Absolutely loved this, definitely coming back for more! I loved your breakdowns, but even more your "I can't do that!" moments. Lovely video.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Ha! Thanks man, yeah I mean I'll be the first to admit that I am no contender for Lage. Thanks for watching!

@jeremyversusjazz 2 ай бұрын

Lage is astonishing. Youre pretty damn good yourself brother! Nicely presented.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Thanks bud!! Appreciate you checking out the vid, hope it was helpful!

@jeremyversusjazz Ай бұрын

@@kostringworks astonishing, yes! "helpful?" No amount of help gonna get me to your level much less lage's!

@DovidM Ай бұрын

Brad Mehldau has several recordings of Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright. Like Julian Lage’s playing on Freight Train, Mehldau takes some liberties with the source material but never strays too far from it.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

I am a huge fan of his music! I have yet to hear those covers though. I’m not sure how they slipped by me, I’ll check them out!

@shanehallusa Ай бұрын

Wow. The theory is over my head, but I really appreciated the tabs to get my feet wet. Thank you.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Absolutely dude!!

@charlescoleman6896 Ай бұрын

I saw Bill Frisell do this tune....he did it because the show was across the street from a historical marker for Elizabeth Cotten

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Fantastic. I bet it was unreal.

@charleshartlen3914 Ай бұрын

wow i would have neverfound that rendition if it wasnt for you. thanks so much dude! insta sub for ur awesome personality

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Ah thanks bud!!

@chriswenger5797 2 ай бұрын

Great video. Thank you for sharing your joys and insights into Julian’s performance. Really fun and inspiring.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

For sure! Thanks Chris!!

@chevy11786 Ай бұрын

I love the way you go through the song analyze and show the tab. Subscribed immediately. As far as Lage is concerned he has almost unlimited range.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Ah, that's fantastic. Hope you keep finding things of value here! And thanks for the encouragement, it's a lotta extra work getting the tabs in the vid, but I feel like it's gotta be helpful.

@republicanhaircutman Ай бұрын

If you haven’t heard it yet, Lenny Breau’s rendition is similarly mind-blowing!

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

I have!! I wanna try and learn that one too!

@demej00 2 ай бұрын

Oh man, too many great riffs here. Just got my fingers soaring now. I love a few jazz chords thrown into a blues song too.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Dude same.

@OIP_1 2 ай бұрын

wow i never would have heard julian's version if not for this video. awesome work

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

Thanks dude! Yeah it’s sick.

@robnarai 2 ай бұрын

Great lesson! I had been hoping someone would one day try and break down that hidden gem. Glad that I’ve discovered your channel.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Right?! It is such a gem. Glad you discovered the channel too, hope you find more stuff that helps you out some!

@The_History_Man Ай бұрын

This is the first of your videos that I’ve watched (Im a big JL fan so presumably that’s why you popped up on my feed). Absolutely loved this video and loved how you break down and show us what he’s doing. I’m now subscribed and looking forward to more of your insights.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Ah thanks dude! Really fun one to make. I've got a Bill Frisell one in the hopper now!

@bobzmuda3456 2 ай бұрын

julian's a modern master. his new album is his best album so far imo

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

It’s amazing that this clip of freight train is almost 10 years ago. The dude has “had it” for so long!!

@Bumpkin-eo5xl Ай бұрын

This is a great episode!

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Dude thanks!! Was a really fun one to make.

@DavidRamos-nz4bh Ай бұрын

I woke up, grabbed coffee, this popped up, jaw hit floor and I hit subscribe!

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

That is what I'm talking about!!

@theblueguitars Ай бұрын

Exactly the same here, except with tea. Patreon as soon as I finish typing this comment.

@richardeckert1050 Ай бұрын

When the Artist & the Instrument become one singular vessel of creativity. The Players IQ.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Someday it happen for us mortals too, right?

@willymcnamara1429 Ай бұрын

i love julian and i am loving your commentary! thank you

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Appreciate it Willy!! So lucky the world has musicians like Lage to learn from!

@SonicMew Ай бұрын

hey man, subbed! like your easy going style! gl with your channel

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Niiice!! Thanks dude! Hope to see ya around the comments!

@kinan2934 Ай бұрын

First Chord is an Abmaj13.

@darkbloomvivian1087 Ай бұрын

ur analysis: "wow thats great"

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Exactly.

@mattbacon285 Ай бұрын

1:54 it’s a minor iv in first inversion. Progression goes F to Fm

@jimib3 Ай бұрын

Great video!

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Appreciate it!

@_blindminer 2 ай бұрын

Def earned my sub nice work on this!

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

Thanks dude! I’m still working through this transcription 😂. So much great stuff in here.

@tiananman Ай бұрын

that first chord is the "stay a while and listen" chord

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Exactly

@nathanielbrewster8457 Ай бұрын

Really good vid. He gets it!

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Thanks Nathaniel!

@billallen1594 3 ай бұрын

Excellent. Cheers Kyle I’d say that’s beyond most people’s ability 😩

@kostringworks 3 ай бұрын

😂 it’s beyond mine too!

@farflownfalcon1076 Ай бұрын

Great stuff!

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Thanks dude!

@elrafa782 2 ай бұрын

This Kyle is playing good too 😉 Congrats man

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

Thanks bud!!

@hegemonycricket2182 Ай бұрын

I would love to see a duet with Lage and Adam Ben Ezra...🤯

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Hadn’t heard of Ezra so I just checked him out, pheeeeew. Yeah that be amazing .

@gwilymselwood Ай бұрын

Lovely vid - music is joy thx

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Thanks dude! Yeah man, what would we do without it?

@StanL2-oj1sv 2 ай бұрын

He is so good. Love his rendition. Have you heard “northern shuffle” from his new album?

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

So good. I actually don’t know his new album as much, but I’ll put that track on now!

@dougsmith7580 Ай бұрын

I can do a one finger C chord on my ukulele. This might take a while to learn.

@mskcrc Ай бұрын

Julian Lage is an alien. It's just not possible to play like he does. Similar to Blake Mills. No matter how hard you practice, you won't be able to do what he does.

@dscataglini Ай бұрын

1:32 Easiest interpretation would be Abmaj7Add6 or Abmaj7/6. Since the previous bar was a plain F, this is probably a first inversion of Fm add2 (or add9 => F Ab C G) thus Fmadd9/Ab 5:08 You could call it a G9b13, I'd call it a G9#5 (in the Galt family) 7:53 That Bb69b5 or C7/Bb (3rd inversion of C7) I think is functionally a tritone sub of E, but sounds/feels like a suspension. (gorgeous)

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

There it is!

@JoobaSchoolofMusic 2 ай бұрын

That first “out” chord is Fminadd9 played in first inversion

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

That’s the ticket. Thanks!

@torontolarrivee7965 Ай бұрын

loved this. your guitar sounds great btw- handmade?

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Good eye! Yes I made it about 10 year ago after a Gibson 00.

@Djamieson713 Ай бұрын

you are a bad ass. i love your playing

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Appreciate you!!

@Rivulets048 Ай бұрын

Im pretty sure this song is called railroad bill

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

It’s freight train but man railroad bill is another killer folk song and pretty similar to!

@ejsrocket Ай бұрын

Your guitar is beautiful

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Thanks!! It’s a copy of an old Gibson 00!

@Izar_Sirius Ай бұрын

Genius

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

In a word!

@tompoynton Ай бұрын

Big David Rawlings vibes

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

The tastiest vibes around.

@carld2796 2 ай бұрын

Ok, Julian is a wonderful talent (just had the privilege of seeing him in Antwerp, Belgium-really good!), but, Kyle, are you picking all of this up on the fly and playing it or did you break it down before?

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

I wish I was that quick! Nah spent a like a week transcribing the whole thing in my off-hours.

@tybot1980 Ай бұрын

Stormy Kromer.

@PhilipPoland1987 Ай бұрын

I was wondering why suddenly my cover of that song is getting so many views, you're probably th reason :D

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Heck ya!! I love that.

@JAYDUBYAH29 Ай бұрын

1:44 it’s almost a “Mu” chord per steely dan. F sus2 with the root and the second voiced close together and the 3rd in the bass. Except this is the b3 in the bass here… so I guess Mu minor? If you revoice it, it’s kinda an Abmaj13 . If you played the open A in the bass instead t would be a classic Steely Dan mu chord.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Nice. A little bit later he plays it in a new position as more of a stock maj7 shape too.

@BrianMarcus-nz7cs 2 ай бұрын

Subscribed , fine 👍

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

Heck yeah! Thanks!! Hope to see ya around the comments.

@oleg-avdeev Ай бұрын

People like Julian Lage make it feel illegal to say that you can play guitar...

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

It does change the whole perception of what the hell where all try to do here doesn’t it.

@demej00 Ай бұрын

Yeah. And he motivates me to work a little harder too. What I hate is 5 year olds that can put me to shame.

@NessieJapan Ай бұрын

Anyone else hear some Gypsy Jazz in there?

@kieranl5249 Ай бұрын

I like the video,but please give more credit to Libba Cotten, she is an American treasure

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Fair! I do have several videos on her and her tunes too, but thanks for letting me know! The original edit did have a little section on her, but the vid was getting so long as it was. Appreciate your suggestion though!

@jovi_way Ай бұрын

Thumbnail looks like Joe Goldberg from You.

@johnnybongshow5257 2 ай бұрын

she played a right-handed guitar left handed like albert king?

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

Yup!!

@TIKIWOLF Ай бұрын

First song I ever learned to finger pick. But was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay simpler than this funky jazz bluez train. ,-~•💨💨💨 🚂🚃🎶🎵🎶🎵 🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🚃🚞

@richardgrier8968 2 ай бұрын

It's an Fm with the third in the bass.

@strings41 2 ай бұрын

You should also listen to Lenny Breau's version of Freight Train.

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

Duuuude I just did recently. It’s pretty out there, and I realllly like it.

@RDHamel 2 ай бұрын

Minor 4th - an f minor.

@kostringworks 2 ай бұрын

Nice! That’s a good way of looking at it!

@henrygilbert3798 Ай бұрын

Really difficult to focus on what you're saying with the music you're talking about playing at the same time. Can't focus on both at the same time!

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

I mighta got a little too excited. Sorry!

@jadeowenhamblyn4405 2 ай бұрын

Fmadd9/Ab

@renakmans3521 2 ай бұрын

This sounds like it’s for someone who doesn’t know much about out guitar. Julian is surely great but I think he’ll admit the things you’re pointing out have been done many times.

@freddymclain Ай бұрын

you're a very perceptive player....most folk cats know little, if anything, about 'Fats.'

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Thanks Freddy! Yeah I'm all about Fats and that whole piano world. In my next life I'm gonna try to be a piano player.

@cfibanez 2 ай бұрын

Lage is simply one of the most skilled and technically proficient guitarist of his generation. However, he is yet to come up with original music and style that defines him and sets him apart. Several of his contemporaries without Lage’s virtuosity, such as Halvorson, Okazaki and Hekselman, are truly innovative and genre defining. Lage remains the perfect session guitarist.

@BungleJoogie68 2 ай бұрын

...who?

@iamgates7679 Ай бұрын

Just as some viewer feedback; playing the clips while talking the way you do at the volume levels both are at minimizes the value of both the music/guitar playing you’re trying to show, and you’re own commentary. I’d think turning the clips down, your mic up, or waiting would all be viable options. Great video otherwise :)

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Word! Thanks for looking out!

@phillychurch Ай бұрын

I liked it. I can hear 2 things at once. And follow both. Great video.

@phillychurch Ай бұрын

Like a director’s commentary on those…oh what are they called…laser discs. It works. It’s been vetted.

@craigballington2214 Ай бұрын

I respectfully disagree. Can hear both fine, and you Get more done without getting boring.

@keithwigley1256 Ай бұрын

And in trying to be to clever has totally lost the real soul of the original ..

@LoveMyCountry2845 Ай бұрын

It's cool and all, but cramming a bunch of sophisticated stuff into a song that is beautiful in its simplicity isn't exactly a good thing. Honestly he's kind of killing the whole vibe of it. He's distracting from the story of the song and making it all about the guitar playing.

@kostringworks Ай бұрын

Innovation can be a hard pill to swallow for sure!

@LoveMyCountry2845 Ай бұрын

@@kostringworks Innovation suggests improvement, and for me that's not what we have here. But of course just my opinion.