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#1
08-06-2011, 11:49 AM
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The Clap (by Steve Howe)
This is really the hardest tune I learned in my life. It is indeed the tune that blown me away at first listening when the "Yes Album" was published and I was a very young campfire-strummer.
I then decided I would have turned to a fingerpicker. Some of you can figure it, some not: at that time (early 70's) ther were no PCs, no YouTube, no iPod, no Mp3, no tabs. There were vynils, turntables, ears and much, much of willing to learn by ourselves. Still I cannot play one take without errors, I probably have one of the largest catalogue of the errors that can be made playing this tune which I practice since 35 yeras. But I know that some day The Perfect Take will come out from my fingers. For now, please take a look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYcaFXlx8zM
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http://www.youtube.com/user/tubemacs57 Last edited by Me&MyGuitar; 08-07-2011 at 01:28 AM. 
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#3
08-06-2011, 12:52 PM
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You nailed it! Congrat's for even taking it on! Steve is timeless.
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#4
08-06-2011, 01:35 PM
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By the way...it's called "Clap." Just "Clap." Not "The Clap."
Mistakes calling it THE Clap annoy Stevie no end. Especially Atlantic! Nice job, BTW. I tried learning Meadow Rag years ago but gave up! Maybe I should give it another go? I play a few of his classical numbers (Mood for a Day, Surface Tension, Pyramidology).
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#5
08-06-2011, 02:34 PM
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Quote:
 I think that the mistake was originated by the first take, the "Yes Album" one, when before starting to play Howe says: "This is the song of THE clap"
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http://www.youtube.com/user/tubemacs57
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#6
08-06-2011, 04:52 PM
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nice playing, looks like a hard song to learn, i would not even want to try.
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left handed taylor 310CE Martin D-28 genz benz shenandoah acoustic 88 aria pro III egnater tourmaster 4212 http://www.youtube.com/user/dannylightning http://www.myspace.com/dannylightningrocks
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#7
08-06-2011, 06:42 PM
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Quote:
Not to take anything away from you (or Mr Howe for that matter), but I remember going to see Yes in 1974, with a guy who was a fan. I was desperately bored by all the pretension, until Steve Howe played this tune. What was interesting was it got by far the best response of the whole concert - but I also thought "that's nice - but I've heard it all before." That's because I'd seen guys like this in little London folk clubs, playing to about 20 people, in the late 60s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91u_0PccY4c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeYFA-1KfjY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c6evjH_Oh4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YTUi...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icjTDureArw Cliff and Gerry never got the recognition they deserved (both dead now), but they naturally led me to the originals... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm1qtX7Mz5w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slUKmlcarkg Of course, we all come to this stuff by various routes  . Steve Howe did a great job on Clap and must have turned a lot of people on to fingerstyle, even if he wasn't doing anything McTell, Grossman, James, etc hadn't done before. Let alone this guy, of course:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES3ZbCO_FLs
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#9
08-07-2011, 01:53 AM
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When I listened for the first time at Clap I was about 15 (now 54) and did not even know anything about Stefan Grossman & c (keep in mind I live in Italy), which soon after became one of my inspirating guitarists. Anyway, as I've never gained my wage playing live guitar, my aim was then simply to improve my playing for myself and my friends-in-guitar.
From a technical point of view, this tune became (and still is) one of my personal training field. It is not apparently so difficult as is; the fingering is not so complicated but there are some critically fast licks which are not familiar patterns to a "standard" fingerpicker. The rhythm frequently changes and by the time of halfway your left hand becomes tired and weak if not properly trained, and just like during a marathon the fatigue suddenly keeps you slowing down and making mistakes.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/tubemacs57
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#10
08-07-2011, 04:03 AM
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The first time I heard Clap was probably mid to late 70s. Coming from a similar background to JonPR I my reaction very much the same.
I really enjoyed all those clips and I'd forgotten how good Blind Blake was. One I might add is this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-c66SJPuUI Some of Chet's stuff can get a bit cheesy by modern acoustic standards but he brought an element of smoothness and perhaps sophistication to what otherwise can be a rather rough and ready genre. I was trying to find a you tube version of him playing Shadow Waltz. That's real class.
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#11
08-07-2011, 04:36 AM
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Quote:
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#12
08-07-2011, 04:39 AM
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Quote:
 Personally I'm slightly more drawn to the rougher blues stuff, but it's interesting to imagine what Blind Blake would have done with an electric guitar - probably something very like Chet and Merle. Likewise, if Chet had lived a few decades earlier, he'd have been pumping out blues and rags on an acoustic... You work with what you've got.
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#13
08-07-2011, 05:24 AM
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Quote:
Here's Meadow Rag: http://youtu.be/D_bra08ybAI
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#14
08-07-2011, 09:11 AM
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Quote:
Maybe it's just my cheap, commercial taste? I'd never leave my seat during "Roundabout"or "Mood for a Day", but the Clap has "intermission" written all over it, to me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgmYNi5Nnsk
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#15
08-07-2011, 09:14 AM
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Here's what always seperated Chet from other guitarists, IMO. His willingness (and ability) to do pieces like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJRlgRxVnR0 Jimmy
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