- Blaze Foley Clay Pigeons Guitar Tab
- Blaze Foley Clay Pigeons Tabs
- Blaze Foley Clay Pigeons Tab
- Blaze Foley Clay Pigeons Chords
Guitar lesson for
by John Prine • Lesson #294
Song: Clay Pigeons Artist: John Prine (originally Blaze Foley) Capo on 3rd Note:This is the way that John Prine plays it in the live performance I've seen Intro: G C G D, G C G D G G C I'm goin' down to the Greyhound Station, gonna buy a ticket to ride G D Gonna find that lady with two or three kids and sit down by her side G C Ride 'til the sun comes up and down around me 'bout two or three. Submit new tab Tablature guide Approval guide FAQ Correction: Blaze Foley - Clay Pigeons (ukulele) Comment. Preview Add correction. To suggest a correction to the tab: Correct tab's. Clay Pigeons by Blaze Foley. What a song!I got this mp3 from waddellhollowrecords.com via free download.
Video lesson
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Editor's notes
Hey friends, here's a brand new guitar lesson & attached PDF chord sheet for 'Clay Pigeons' as covered by John Prine (originally written by Blaze Foley). In this lesson I'll start off by showing you a no capo, 'easy strum' version of the song – using only the common G C D chords. In the second half of the lesson, we'll put a capo on the 3rd fret and learn the exact fingerstyle Travis picking tab that John Prine plays on his 2005 album 'Fair and Square'. As always, I'll break everything down step by step. Here's a list of what I teach in this tutorial, along with timestamps if you want to jump ahead:
Easy-strum version (no capo)
- 2:02 Basic chord shapes
- 2:36 Verse & chorus progressions
- 5:25 Strumming patterns
Travis Picking (fingerstyle, capo 3)
- 9:06 Chord shapes for Travis picking
- 12:34 Right thumb technique
- 14:08 Fingerpicking the intro
- 21:03 Fingerpicking the verses
- 24:14 Farewell
I recorded this on Monday, and John Prine passed away the following evening while I was doing the editing :( Obviously, horrible news. It's my hope that this lesson helps you enjoy his music & share it with others via guitar.
Lyrics with chords
Add capo 3rd fret to play along with John Prine.
Intro tab
My suggestion for learning this, especially if you're new to Travis picking: first, focus on just the right thumb, which will be playing alternating bass notes on the 6th and 4th strings. Only after you're comfortable with this, add the right index (and possibly right middle) fingers, which will be playing the notes on the thinnest 3 strings.
Part 1 of 2:
Part 2 of 2:
Here's the right thumb notes for each chord, to help you visualize what your right thumb has to have absolute mastery over. I think of this as an 'engine' that must keep chugging along at all times. Only after you're fully competent at playing this (through the progression, with the chord changes, etc) – should you add the additional notes on the thinnest 3 strings.
How to play the chords
If you're just strumming, you can use these typical voicings. However, if your aim is to play fingerstyle in the fashion of John Prine, see the chords I show further below.
To play fingerstyle, the first two chords you'll want to learn are the G and C (technically, the C is a 'C/G' - but we'll refer to it as a C for simplicity going forward). The great part about these two chords, is that your left ring finger stays in the exact same position for both chords. The only 'transition' you do is putting your left middle & index fingers down for the C, and then lifting them up again for the G.
Next, let's add this D chord (technically, it's a D/F# – but again, let's keep it simple and refer to it as D). This one is trickier, because you'll need do a bit more finger re-positioning than you will when playing the C & G. First learn this chord by itself, then practice going from the G or C to this chord, and back again. If this chord totally stumps you, ignore it and follow the rest of the lesson only using the G and C chords.
Fingerpicking the verse
During the verse, you'll want to keep up the Travis picking but slightly dial down the flourish. Here's the tab I like to use. This may not be 100% what John Prine plays, but it's close enough. Again, the main idea is to keep your right thumb chuggin' along like an engine, whilst adding occasional notes with your right index and/or middle fingers – just to flesh things out a bit, and make sure things don't sound too empty & minimal. Feel free to improvise, or otherwise deviate away from these tabs! These are just simple suggested starting points.
Strumming pattern
If you want to strum instead of playing fingerstyle, here's a few tabs I recommend trying out. Use what works for you! For both these patterns, I tend to play only the bass note (of whatever chord is being played) on the '1' count of that measure.
Chord progressions
Just for context, here's the chord progressions used in the intro, verse, and chorus of this song.
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Blaze Foley Clay Pigeons Guitar Tab
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Blaze Foley Clay Pigeons Tabs
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Blaze Foley Clay Pigeons Tab
| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Michael David Fuller |
| Also known as | Deputy Dawg |
| Born | December 18, 1949 Malvern, Arkansas, United States |
| Died | February 1, 1989 (aged 39) Austin, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Country, folk |
| Years active | 1975-1989 |
| Website | https://www.blazefoley.com/ |
Michael David Fuller (December 18, 1949 – February 1, 1989), better known by his stage name Blaze Foley, was an American country music singer-songwriter, poet, and artist active in Austin, Texas.
Background[edit]
Foley was born Michael David Fuller in Malvern, Arkansas on December 18, 1949.[1] He grew up in San Antonio, Texas and performed in a gospel band called The Singing Fuller Family with his mother, brother, and sisters.[1] As a child, Blaze contracted polio, and as a consequence, one of his legs was shorter than the other, causing him to drag his foot while walking.[2] He was nicknamed 'Deputy Dawg' early in his career.[3] In the spring of 1975, he was living in a small artists' community just outside Whitesburg, Georgia when he met Sybil Rosen.[3] Rosen and Foley were in a relationship and decided to leave the artist community together to support his music. He went on the road and performed in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, and, finally, Austin, Texas.[3] Together, they ended up in Austin. Foley tried to get into songwriting, but after the move, he experienced a lot of career pressure.[3] Foley started drinking more and the bar scene complicated his relationship with Rosen, which eventually ended.[3]
Foley was close friends with Townes Van Zandt and was greatly influenced by him.[4] Foley's stage name was inspired by his admiration of musician Red Foley[4] and the stripper and burlesque performer Blaze Starr.[5]
Music and lyrics[edit]
The master tapes from his first studio album were confiscated by the DEA when the executive producer was caught in a drug bust.[6]:190 Another studio album disappeared when the master copies were stolen with his belongings from a station wagon that Foley had been given and lived in.[6]:180 A third studio album, Wanted More Dead Than Alive, was thought to have disappeared until, many years after Blaze died, a friend who was cleaning out his car discovered what sounded like the Bee Creek recording sessions on which he and other musicians had performed. This was Foley's last studio album, and he was scheduled to tour the UK with Townes Van Zandt in support of the album. When Foley died, his attorney immediately nullified the recording contract and the master tapes subsequently disappeared (reportedly lost in a flood).
Foley worked with Gurf Morlix, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Schwartz, Billy Block, Calvin Russell, and others.
Death and legacy[edit]
On February 1, 1989, Foley was at a house in the Bouldin Creek neighborhood of Austin, Texas[7] when he was shot in the chest and killed by Carey January, the son of Foley's friend Concho January. Foley had confronted Carey January accusing him of stealing his father's veteran pension and welfare checks.[8] Carey January was acquitted of first-degree murder by reason of self-defense. He and his father presented completely different versions of the shooting at trial.[9] Concho January, who has since died, liked to drink and proved an unreliable witness even though he tried to testify against his son.[8]
At his funeral, Foley's casket was coated with duct tape by his friends.[10]Townes Van Zandt told a story where he and his musicians went to Foley's grave to dig up his body because they wanted the pawn ticket that Foley had for Townes's guitar.[4]
Film and television[edit]
Foley's music is featured prominently in a feature-length documentary film about him entitled Blaze Foley: Duct Tape Messiah, released in 2011 by filmmaker Kevin Triplett.
Foley's song 'Let Me Ride in Your Big Cadillac' featured prominently at the end of Episode 8 (July 2016) of the first season of the television show Preacher.
'Cold, Cold World' is featured in Episode 4, Season 5 of The Mentalist.
In 2016 his song 'Clay Pigeons' featured on the soundtrack of the movie Homestate.
In January 2018, Blaze, a biographical drama directed by Ethan Hawke,[11] premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The screenplay was adapted by Hawke from the novel Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze by Sybil Rosen. The film stars musician Ben Dickey as Foley, Alia Shawkat as Sybil Rosen, and Charlie Sexton as Townes Van Zandt.[12]
Music[edit]
Townes Van Zandt wrote the 1990 song 'Blaze's Blues' about his friend [13] and first released it on his 1991 live album Rain on a Conga Drum - Live in Berlin. He re-released it multiple times, notably on his two-disc album Live at Union Chapel, London, England.
Lucinda Williams wrote a Foley tribute song titled 'Drunken Angel' for her 1998 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.[14]
Gurf Morlix wrote a Foley tribute song titled 'Music You Mighta Made' for his 2009 album Last Exit to Happyland. On February 1, 2011, Morlix released a 15-song collection of Foley cover songs titled Blaze Foley's 113th Wet Dream.
Kings of Leon recorded a Foley tribute song titled 'Reverend' on their 2016 album Walls.[15]
In 1998, a various artist Foley digital tribute album was released titled Blaze Foley: In Tribute and Loving Memory...Volume One, which includes Foley's work by 15 artists (Deep State Production).[16]
His 1979 song 'If I Could Only Fly' was covered on Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson's 1987 duet album Seashores of Old Mexico, with the song reaching Number 58 on the BillboardHot Country Songs singles chart. It was covered again by Haggard on his 2000 album If I Could Only Fly. Joe Nichols recorded it as a duet with Lee Ann Womack on his 2007 album Real Things. Nanci Griffith recorded it on her 2012 album Intersection. Kimmie Rhodes recorded it on the aforementioned 1998 Foley tribute album Blaze Foley: In Tribute and Loving Memory...Volume One.
His song 'Election Day' was covered by Lyle Lovett on his 2003 album My Baby Don't Tolerate.
His song 'Clay Pigeons' was covered by John Prine on his Grammy Award-winning 2005 album Fair & Square and by Michael Cera on his 2014 album True That.
In 2009, at the request of Foley's estate, Texas singer-songwriter and old-time music historian Jon Hogan was tasked with adding music to three unearthed songs from lyrics found in Foley's handwriting after his death. The three 'new' songs 'Every Now and Then', 'Safe in the Arms of Love', and 'Can't Always Cry' were recorded by Hogan on his 2010 tribute album Every Now and Then: Songs of Townes Van Zandt & Blaze Foley.[17] In 2017, Hogan and musical partner Maria Moss re-recorded 'Can't Always Cry' for their album In Dreams I Go Back Home.
Quotes[edit]
About Foley[edit]
- 'He's only gone crazy once. Decided to stay.' – Townes Van Zandt[18]
- 'Blaze Foley was a genius and a beautiful loser.' – Lucinda Williams[11]
Discography[edit]
| Album name | Year released | Publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| If I Could Only Fly/Let Me Ride in Your Big Cadillac | 1979 | Zephyr Records | 7' 45-only release; 1000 |
| Blaze Foley | 1984 | Vital Records | LP-only release; 7497-33 |
| Girl Scout Cookies/Oval Room | 1984 | Vital Records | 7' 45-only release; 7077 |
| Live at the Austin Outhouse (...And Not There) | 1989 | Outhouse Records | cassette-only release |
| Live at the Austin Outhouse | 1999 | Lost Art Records | [7] |
| Oval Room | 2004 | Lost Art Records | [7](Munic/Indigo) |
| Wanted More Dead Than Alive | 2005 | Waddell Hollow Records | |
| Cold, Cold World | 2006 | Lost Art Records | [7] |
| Sittin' by the Road | 2010 | Lost Art Records | [7] |
| The Dawg Years | 2010 | Fat Possum Records | |
| Duct Tape Messiah soundtrack | 2011 | Lost Art Records | |
| Blaze Foley (reissue) | 2012 | Big Pink | (Big Pink re-issue of Vital Records LP) |
| Blaze Foley The Lost Muscle Shoals Recordings | 2017 | Lost Art Records | featuring the Muscle Shoals Horns, Foley's first recorded album from a 1984 session recorded at Broadway Sound Studio.[7] This album was missing for many years due to the DEA drug bust of the executive producer.[7] |
Literature[edit]
- Carmen und Kai Nees: Blaze Foley - Ein Aussenseiter, der zur Legende wurde - Self-published in 2018; ISBN978-3-00-058564-7 - Book in German.
- Carmen und Kai Nees: Blaze Foley - From Misfit To Legend - Self-published in 2018; ISBN978-3-00-060018-0.
References[edit]
- ^ abJasinski, Laurie E. (2012). Handbook of Texas Music. Texas A&M University Press. p. 566. ISBN9780876112977.
- ^Cocoran, Michael. 'Blaze Foley: Killing of a Songwriter'. MichaelCorcoran.net. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ^ abcdeFreeman, Doug (October 31, 2008). 'Faded Love'. Austin Chronicle. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ abcNichols, Lee (December 24, 1999). 'A Walking Contradiction'. Austin Chronicle. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^'Watch Blaze Foley Season 1 Episode 8 Online'. Cinemax. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ abRosen, Sybil (2008). Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze Foley. University of North Texas Press. pp. 180, 190. ISBN9781574412505.
- ^ abcdefgFreeman, Doug (May 5, 2017). 'Blaze Foley's Lost Muscle Shoals Recordings'. Austin Chronicle. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ abDansby, Andrew (May 24, 2009). 'Film takes a peek into Blaze Foley's peculiar life'. The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ^Delgato, Berta, 'Self-defense claimed in singer's death', Austin American Statesman, September 28, 1989, p. B1.
- ^Hardy, Robert Earl (2008). A Deeper Blue: The Life and Music of Townes Van Zandt. University of North Texas Press. pp. 208.
- ^ abEhrlich, David (January 28, 2018). ''Blaze' Review: Ethan Hawke Directs a Gonzo Indie Country-Western Opera About an Unsung Legend — Sundance 2018'. IndieWire. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^Gleiberman, Owen (January 22, 2018). 'Film Review: 'BLAZE''. Variety. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^https://www.austinchronicle.com/features/2018-08-17/the-ballad-of-townes-and-blaze/
- ^Buford, Bill (June 5, 2000). 'Delta Nights - A singer's love affair with loss'. The New Yorker. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- ^https://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/kings-of-leon-reveal-the-story-behind-reverend-1.3953608
- ^https://www.discogs.com/Various-Blaze-Foley-In-Tribute-And-Loving-Memory--Volume-One-BFI-Volume-One/release/3778228
- ^https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/jonhogan
- ^'Blaze Foley: The Outlaw Legend You May Not Know About But Should'. Wide Open Country. December 19, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
Blaze Foley Clay Pigeons Chords
External links[edit]
- Blaze Foley: Duct Tape Messiah at IMDb
