The Boogie according to John Lee Hooker instructional video

[@RogerSloop]

Franck, glad I found this... thank you sir. I've always treasured John Lee Hooker's music. I have (somewhere) some recordings John Lee did solo. It's almost like you are getting to hear him busking. He is the sole 20th century blues artist (including R. Johnson) whom I find captivating, thoroughly entertaining and imminently authentic as a singular performer. All the wrinkles and warts - regardless of recording quality - sound timeless and true. It's a privilege viewing your instruction on this important and seminal American musician. You display a fitting respect and capable understanding of the nuances of this important work; and provide a rare window into delicate mechanics of a nearly inimitable art form. Bravo ! And again I thank you ! Please keep up your valuable instruction. Roger/Georgia/USA

[@davejive1]

So cool. Yeah it’s got to come out. Play the boogie. Thanks man

[@abrigospardos]

Let the boy boogie woogie 'Cause it's in him And it's gotta come out

[@FabianGuidone]

God blessyou!

[@KeithLegendre]

WONDERFUL VIDEO THE GROOVE IS THE HEART YOU FEEL IT AND LIVE IT! More please!

[@abrigospardos]

Bravo!! 👏 👏 👏❤

[@kirkfletcher2845]

That was incredible ❤

[@JohnnyBurginBlues]

this is freakin great

[@ariostel]

If you ever find yourself in Western Mass, look me up. I would be honored to buy you a beer at the local pub.

[@zrwz66]

Yea, that drone blues is tough to get down, but when you finally do, you GET DOWN!

[@22over7]

Frank; I'm a 78 year old Yank who's been playing acoustic guitar for my whole life. I lived in Paris, played in Paris in the 70's, and settled in the SW of France. Thanks for this not small gift. (I don't dare tune my Gibson J-50 up a whole note, so I'll take it all down a half). I can;t wait to start grunting a la John Lee, lol.

[@daveschoenhoft7526]

great lesson man thanks for the knowledge, will bring many future smiles and yes keep them coming

[@billyraylaray]

Good work. A lot of soul. I learned a lot. Life long fan of the Blues, and it started in 1968 with John Lee Hooker, listening to Fench LP pressing in Germany R L Burnside!

[@pushrodify]

Thank you Frank-working on this. Metronome advice greatly appreciated.

[@HarryVsingersongwriter]

WOW! Thanks for explaining something I marvelled at when I bought my first album ever, House Of The Blues. I had never heard anything like the boogie, I was totally baffled. Now I know why! Thanks Franck! I'll do more than just a compliment. When I was 13 (I'm 74 now) my Mom gave me money to buy an album. My first LP.... I had heard the word "Blues" but I didn't have a clue. So I looked for the letter B in the record shop and found (thank God) House of the Blues J.L. Hooker. The first track you hear is Love Blues followed by Boogie Chillun. You could listen using 2 phone like horns to hold to your ears so you had some stereo. When I started listening my face must have changed considerably cause the girl behind the counter tapped me on the shoulder and made a gesture: listen to me. She invited me to the part of the store where classical music (the only "real" music in the early 60's in Holland) could be bought and heard - in a soundproof little room with 2 beautiful speakers... I heard the wonder of a man who played one chord and made it sound like 3, and when he started to sing I was completely blown away. The most beautiful sound ever. I never really figured out how it was done, some music is like sacred ground to me and I dare noit touch it, just listen and marvel...Thank you so much Franck for this video that shows me what I been listening to! Love from Holland. ❤

[@davemassie3726]

Love it man! The black & white Rocks! Don't change a thing and thanks for sharing, Looking forward for tour next vid!

[@terrybull3798]

Thankyou for such an enlightening video. That is a masterpiece of approach and technique,

[@johnhoffman3836]

Boogie for the doctor, boogie for the nurse. Keep on boogieing till they throw me in the hearse Cheers from the Micronesia Blues Society on the island of Guam.

[@kurthemmings2718]

Can’t wait for the next one Keep up the good work

[@millerwilliam2391]

Finally someone using the a tuning

[@TheBiggusdee]

Great video tutorial. Very clear and down-to-earth

[@dwaynemustard7905]

Thanks Franck, this helps to round out the John Lee Hooker approximation that I have been playing for years (in open G, mind you).

[@rogermoser853]

Great stuff..well played...really soulful..music in your soul...I can tell..

[@bealestreator8940]

Very nice! I remember you as an especially melodic blues player, Paris Slim, just a FEW years back at Eli's Mile Hi club in Oakland California :-) You asked 4 suggestions, so: angle your camera a bit towards the tuners, for example at 3:47, so that intermediate players can tell what fret you're at w/o counting frets. Excellent inside knowledge here, thank you! btw sorry to hear that even in Paris there's sirens all the time.

[@redelk2974]

yes, i enjoyed your video. now to implement. great groove

[@geoff-l3v]

Compelling listening, thank you so much for an insight in to this boogie style. The best lesson I've seen.

[@cathytai]

This is ... priceless. Thank you!

[@johnhackley1626]

Greetings from the Santa Barbara Blues Society.

[@wiemiromarsoichdir5516]

Congraz to your premiere :-) and the open A tuning.

[@laurencewaring8039]

Fantastic instruction. Thank you.

[@colmtansey8359]

Great video. 🎉

[@joelastleymusic]

cool stuff Franck

[@ronjonshirtshop]

Thanks! Your talented!!👍

[@larryn2682]

*you're

[@professorwhoopee]

Franck I found this very helpful. Thank you

[@brucehelppie6119]

sounds great!

[@MarkScorelle]

Thanks, I always wanted learn to play JLH boogie

[@davidbrown217]

..."I heard Papa tell Mama....let that boy boogie woogie...it's in him,and it's gosta come out..." J.L.Hooker. Blues4Life.❤

[@millerwilliam2391]

Sound good bud

[@jimajello1028]

This guy knows his stuff!. Also, pay attention to his tunnings. Cool dude. Truly eats, sleeps & loves music. Pay attention to it all. Bring yhat thyyhem right down front

[@jimwallace9262]

Well done Franck, keep the good stuff coming.

[@peteshock2757]

Excellent lesson that progressed into real feel. You are also good at hats.

[@martinaakervik]

Nice ...well play'd and atmospheric intro too, hehe.

[@rockabillyrevolution]

very cool video many thanks sir

[@patgaff2536]

Love the video. I’m a big JLH fan. Thanks.

[@zrwz66]

What a cool groove.

[@vguitarman]

Fraaaanck!!! So cool man, thanks for sharing. You should start the vid with you playing, a preview of the lesson

[@mejbarron]

I like it! Thanks.

[@andrewmacginitie1301]

thanks for sharing your knowledge :)

[@johngafa3480]

I saw your video and it has been a revelation. Ive always wanted to duplicatete the intro to the live 'Refried Boogie' by Canned Heat, and that Spanish tuning is the key to it. I have the double album, Hooker 'n' Heat, where Canned Heat resurrect John Lee Hooker and I hear alot of the licks from it in your playing. Can you confirm to me that this is the tuning used by Blind Owl on the Refried Boogie album ? Would really appreciate your feedback

[@FrankGoodman-r3s]

A sucker for comments......hmmmmm. How bout this: My God what a character! With a hat collection. And a menorah. And a vintage lighter. Nice. And the instruction could definitely help a learning guitar player get a toe hold on the groove.

[@eamonbutler6369]

Great lesson. I’m not sure about the tuning , how do I avoid breaking strings. You really got a groove though.

[@brianmckay1684]

Great video

[@jaylow759]

Nice! Sounds like the real deal.

[@thegeneralmojo]

❤👂😎Thanks, I love your right hand timing and damping and lifting up where needed and the explanation about the tuning is a big penny dropping for me . With John Lee's big hands it's so hard to see what he was doing , especially what he's pressing with his left hand and therefore also hard to figure out how he tuned. I could never make it sound right in standard tuning or open Etunings. I had read about this tuning, but it didn't click in my head because I didn't realize he was thumbing on the so called "A" string and not on the E string. It somehow worked thumbing like that in open G tuning with a capo on the second fret, but then there were other "problems" , wich string for the index and other fingers and how to tune them . Always had the feeling I did something wrong and now you showed me what it was. Now it finally begins to sounds better. Indeed the picking looks more easy than it is but probably will be after some time but the hardest part is to get that shuffle swing in your muscle memory and keep it lgoing, oose but very driving as well. I image Hubert Sumlin felt the same when Howling Wolf told him to ditch the pick. It's hard in the beginning but makes a lot of difference, especially if you can control the dynamics between thumb and finger(s) better after a while. John Lee's Boogie groove is a great way to begin developing that groove. that sounds like coming from Mali, but with an extra "american " driving forcethat we learned to cal the Boogie from his records. I have one little point of attention to mention: Without a fingerpick especially on the index and middle finger it can sound a little softer compared to the thumb when you want to, and with not too long nails you can subtlely enhance the groove by altrenating between up and down picking anytime when wanted. You subconsciously seem already doing that a bit without mentioning it. That gives it what you called that "swing". In essence that is as "easy" for the muscles as ordinary "campfire" strumming.with aan ordinary pick, but getting the timing and dynamics right matters of course, and keeping the thumb going at the same time at just the right volume is hard for the muscles,and the brain for a while until you can stop thinking and focus on singing or the left hand variations when needed. Not much variation needed if you got it going and stamp your feet. to express the feeling of the vocals, but little dynamic variations and throwing in a 7th note in the right spot will embellish the groove especially if you can vary the dynamics of the indexfinger or other fingers while keeping the thumb at constant driving volume.. That's like bass and drums in combination with stamping your feet. I hope I explained what I mean well enoug in english (I'm Dutch :) . Anyway thank you, I got a lot to practice all over now. Great. But my thumb 'finger dynamics still souds shitty compared to John Lee or you even in the now better tuning .Lotta tiresome but inspiring meditative funky work to do. Hope I inspired you too to think about ditching the fingerpicks for this style in particular. , and use your nails , because you sound great but I think you will immediately sound even better after a very short getting used to it.I guess people only used fingerpicks to sound louder when not amplified. Indeed you already make everything "dance", no need for a metronome as well. . But I think John Lee used only his nails and his thumb, from what I saw on videos close up.. You can make grooves even more dynamicly subtle with nails/thumb variations I think. Don't take it as critique , your groove is great and you opened up something for me I couldn'e get right for 50 years and almost gave up but it's already improving a lot since your explaining filled in what I had overlooked 😅

[@davidbusen545]

I've played in many tunings over the years and found them all to be way big fun but open a has always broken my g-string. Always said I'd broken more g-strings than a hundred strippers but to my point you have such a casual way of describing it that makes it sound easier in fact it truly is easier. Thanks for keeping On Keepin On. Also, I just subscribed.

[@peterslade1146]

Perfecto 😘 Mucho Gracias. Pedro. (Espania)

[@davidpotsdam]

Yo bro very helpful. Hip man

[@Sldumas1983]

Dang that’s awesome

[@millerwilliam2391]

love the hat

[@georget7028]

Cool daddy-o.

[@rzambory2938]

whoa ! thank you !

[@gwag8410]

Very cool!

[@thomasbruneau4504]

Once you pick it up, you can't put it down.

[@joezappo7626]

very cool!

[@leosulentic9597]

MERCI BEAUCOUP

[@aqua5680]

Paris Slim

[@bighardbooks770]

Starts at: 8:49

[@megagatvol]

I heard my mama an’ papa talking

[@roybrewer7865]

yep

[@jerrydavis2737]

Rhythm baby Rhythm!

[@billleff5849]

Nice video Franck! Do you know if Magic Sam used this tuning in Sam’s Boogie aka Feelin Good) I have always played it in standard but it’s hard as hell to play in standard!

[@wolfspa1040]

That's George Thorogood thru'n'thru....another guitpik'r that was highly influenced by the boogie woogie styln's of JLH ....Thorogood stuff Peace Out......& Boogie Beyond ✌😎🤙

[@chrishayne9066]

♠️

[@ReneBPena]

I thought Spanish Tuning was in C, C-Señor😄

[@olddoggeleventy2718]

I'm Bad Like Jesse James

[@eamonbutler6369]

I thought Spanish tuning was a G chord.

[@2009framat]

Thumb 25 because I saw John Lee Hooker almost exactly 45 years ago live - still got the ticket (link) kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKiznpeYrLt8pcU Best regards from Berlin Frank

[@davidpotsdam]

And there aint nothin' in West Memphis there is a booze store as you get to arkansaw but thats it blue boy liked beale St . Me i live in NOLA ,Paris is one io ain't tried yet.

[@AnthonyMiller-yy3et]

Still no work?t

[@37BopCity]

Your guitar playing sounds good, but you're only playing half the song. You have to sing it too, that's how you do a John Lee Hooker tune,.

[@lebe220]

One step at a time

[@erniewilliams2790]

While not perfect, this guy comes about as close to sounding like Hooker as anyone I have seen. Be thankful he showed you how. Now you want him to teach you how to sing like Hooker too?

[@Timtime67]

You should post it.

[@jaik195701]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWOZiKWoadqqhtksi=Xj7zX0lfzOY_qU_D

[@John-wr6yo]

In my opinion john lee hooker was at the bottom of the pile when it came to great blues ,and blues men. There are so many better artists back in the day and his music was nothing more than a very crude groove with alot pissing and moaning. Elementary repeditive bull shit.

[@abrigospardos]

OK, fair enough. You said it's your opinion, and opinions are just a sophisticated form of ignorance. John Lee was a great bluesman and that's not an opinion, I'm totally dogmatic about it.