Wellā¦ itās happened again. Iāve lost count of how many times Iāve shared Folsom Prison Blues here over the years (including a couple of live open mics). Itās kind of become a yearly tradition for meāpartly because itās my go-to when I play in front of others, and partly because Iām always trying to improve it just a little bit each time.
This time around, I had the perfect excuse: my newest guitar, a Taylor AD14CE 50th Anniversary model. Couldnāt resist breaking it in with my favorite song. I also used a proper mic this time, so hopefully the audio is a step up from my last posting.
As always, Iād love to hear your thoughtsāwhether itās on the playing, the vocal delivery, or how the Taylor sounds compared to my past versions. Thanks for listening and for being such a supportive community!
Your guitar accompaniment was consistent, both volume and tempo. The balance between voice and guitar is very good. A very good version of an iconic song.
You could perhaps emphasise the picked bass notes a little more. If you breathe in more deeply, the phrases you sing will sound more confident and the projection will be better.
Nice job. Being a big Johnny Cash fan (as I am!), why donāt you take the next step and play the āboom chickaā style that Johnny was famous for? It would definitely fit the song better than the old faithful pattern, imo.
Justin teaches it in detail in his Folsom Prison Blues lesson:
Always worth checking out what the other Man in Black is up to
(although, the dog seems to have heard that song once too many )
You should introduce all your songs with āHi, Iām not Johnny Cash!ā
What can I say?
Solid rhythm, thoughtful vocals. Nice balance
I guess I miss the energy of the only version I know (including all the whoopinā & hollerinā of the inmates). Soulful and sad is good (God only knows- Iām a misery guts!), but think about cuttinā loose the next time you share
Edit: All this talk 'bout Cash made me go and record this fun song
Thanks so much jjw! I really appreciate the kind words and the suggestion. Iām a big Johnny Cash fan too (obviously), and I totally get the appeal of the boom-chicka rhythmāitās iconic. For solo acoustic covers, though, Iāve found I prefer a more laid-back strumming style when Iām singing. It just feels more natural for me in that context. That said, I agree the boom-chicka groove really shines with a full band behind it. Appreciate the link to Justinās lesson tooāheās always solid!
Hey LBro,
Haha, yeah the boom-chicka is definitely a classic for this oneāand Iāve played it that way plenty of times! For this version, I just felt like leaning into a more laid-back strum to match the vocal vibe I was going for. Sometimes itās fun to switch it up and see how it lands.
And yep, the wallās getting crowded! I totally get where your wifeās coming fromāmine says the same thing. But hey, each one has its own voice, right? I couldnāt really call myself a well-rounded guitarist without this latest addition!!
Definitely captured JC on this one.
Guitar sounds great. Good job on balance between guitar and vocals. Especially considering one mic (am I correct, one mic). Tough getting it right.
Can I ask what type mic it is?
For my audio only recordings I use a sm58 for vocal and a guitar pickup which gives me almost total separation so that I can balance after.
But for video I use a much lesser quality single mic. A Sampson something or other.
Good job on this song. Iāve been wanting to add a new bluesy type song to my music set. This is a great choice. I play Taylor 414ce, built 15 minutes from my house here in Southern California. Keep the music coming.
I havenāt visited yet, but yes they do tours there. A friend also told me they sell discounted guitars right from the factory there. One of these days Iāll make it in to see.
Iāve lost count of how many times Iāve shared Folsom Prison Blues here over the years (including a couple of live open mics). Itās kind of become a yearly tradition for meāpartly because itās my go-to when I play in front of others, and partly because Iām always trying to improve it just a little bit each time.
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