Man of Mystery middle bit

[John Boulden]

At our club meet last Frioday a member (Brian) played MOM and really nailed the middle section around the 12th fret.

Anyone got one of those slowed down videos showing this. I almost have it - but not quite. Be glad of any help.

I still cannot understand how HBM managed to make this sound so fluid and easy as he was using hi-tension strings and probably the guitar was straight out of the box with no further setting up. Guitar set-ups were unheard of in 1960 wern't they.

Anyway, even today its still an amazing piece of work.

John Boulden

[roger bayliss]

I do not think it was straight out of the box and unaltered as some pictures show paper under the strings at the nut for instance... lowered action perhaps.
Sorry I do not have video to show you at present try going to a Shadows club and getting someone to run through it for you.

[Gary Allen]

You can always slow it down in windows media player and play to it about a million times..That might help

[mikebmavellous]

Hi John, this is also one of the bits that has always challenged my fingers!! I remember going to the scarbrough shads summer weekend and seeing a guy called Ian McCutcheon play this... he made it look so easy, and I know he sells backing tracks on here. Why not drop him an email, he might help explain how he did it. Ive seen many others but his, for me was spot on. And by the way, I dont earn commision or anything so have no axe to grind, although he did buy almost buy a guitar from me! Hes a nice chap. he may help.
Mike

[MeBHank]

I have nothing against Ian (superb bloke and great guitarist), but Hank was using 0.013" strings, Ian uses 0.009"s for ease of use and so that the risk of hitting a bum note is lessened. Fighting against 0.013"s shows just how good Hank was. Try playing that solo at speed with the gauge that Hank used. It's murder!

The paper under the strings was to stop the strings rattling on the frets only when playing open strings - it plays absolutely no purpose whatsoever when you fret a note. I have to do this on one of my Strats as the nut is cut fractionally low for the gauge I use (mere gauge 0.012"s). The only easy way to properly raise the action is alter the height of the saddles.

HTH...

J

[cockroach]

I always thought that the improvised or semi-improvised "wild" parts in Man of Mystery, FBI and a few others were the EASY bits to learn and play...for me it was the main melody lines that needed care and practice!

Then again, by the time I first got an electric guitar, it was 1965, the era of the Beatles, Stones, Kinks etc- and it was more "natural" to learn and play more improvised rock/n/roll/r'n'b style lead parts after mastering the rhythm chords and riffs- and hardly any local bands (incluidng my first band) were playing Shadows stuff by then- but then - many years later- when I got back into instrumental guitar stuff, and went back to learn the set piece melodic stuff by the Shads, Ventures, etc- ooer! It needed discipline to play it the same each time!!! It was hard work!

I could play the Man of Mystery wild bit BEHIND MY HEAD if need be, but I still bloody well have to CONCENTRATE to play the main melody theme without mistakes, or getting lost!

[Bojan]

I always thought that the improvised or semi-improvised "wild" parts in Man of Mystery, FBI and a few others were the EASY bits to learn and play...for me it was the main melody lines that needed care and practice!

Then again, by the time I first got an electric guitar, it was 1965, the era of the Beatles, Stones, Kinks etc- and it was more "natural" to learn and play more improvised rock/n/roll/r'n'b style lead parts after mastering the rhythm chords and riffs- and hardly any local bands (incluidng my first band) were playing Shadows stuff by then- but then - many years later- when I got back into instrumental guitar stuff, and went back to learn the set piece melodic stuff by the Shads, Ventures, etc- ooer! It needed discipline to play it the same each time!!! It was hard work!

I could play the Man of Mystery wild bit BEHIND MY HEAD if need be, but I still bloody well have to CONCENTRATE to play the main melody theme without mistakes, or getting lost!

But, then again, from what you say, you probably play the middle bit differently every time . . .

[ScouserJoe]

John,

This is a passage I always had great difficulty with until I got hold of Lick Library's DVD 'Learn to Play Hank Marvin', volume 1. It's a bit long-winded as the guy takes you through every note of the number step by step, but it's an interesting tuitional video nevertheless and might help you ' nail ' a version of it which you can then develop with time. Other party pieces include the solo in F.B.I. if that's a problem for anyone.

[SELEDA284]

This all reminds me of the first time I saw & heard Phil Kelly play this back in the early 90's at his home, (when Ade & I travelled there to meet him for the first time).... wow ... the notes flowed fluently & effortlessly from his fingers & was a joy to watch.... ....same goes for the fast 'twiddly-bit' ( )in Shadoogie.....

[John Boulden]

Dear Scouserjoe,

That's interesting. Never heard of such a video. Any idea how I get a copy?

JB