Hawkeye Herman - Give Me a Grandma Every Time Guitar Lesson
Give Me a Grandma Every Time
Hawkeye introduces one of his original songs entitled "Give Me a Grandma Every Time." This song features many techniques taught in the Phase 2 Blues Series.
Taught by Hawkeye Herman in Songs with Hawkeye Herman seriesLength: 14:22Difficulty: 3.5 of 5
Supplemental Learning Material
Songs with Hawkeye Herman
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsHawkeye Herman teaches classic blues songs.
Lesson 1
Death Don't Have No Mercy
Hawkeye teaches the classic song "Death Don't Have No Mercy" by Reverend Gary Davis.
Length: 23:38 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Baby What You Want Me To Do
Hawkeye teaches his interpretation of the classic Jimmy Reed blues song, "Baby What You Want Me To Do."
Length: 25:19 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Give Me a Grandma Every Time
Hawkeye introduces one of his original songs entitled "Give Me a Grandma Every Time." This song features many techniques taught in the Phase 2 Blues Series.
Length: 14:22 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
I Used to Ride that Train
Hawkeye presents another original song entitled "I Used to Ride that Train."
Length: 33:24 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
St. James Infirmary
Hawkeye presents his take on an 18th century traditional folk song. Hawkeye breaks down all of the techniques used in his rendition of the song.
Length: 38:08 Difficulty: 4.5 Members Only
Rocket to Chicago
Jump on board with Hawkeye as he demonstrates his song "Rocket to Chicago." With this song, Hawkeye uses his guitar to imitate the sound and feel of a steam engine train.
Length: 11:42 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
About Hawkeye Herman
View Full Biography
""One of America's finest acoustic guitarists and blues educators."
Cascade Blues Association
"Herman plays with a sensitive, reflective touch that continually draws
attention to his vocals, which are effectively understated and free of
affectation... Herman can rock with the best of them. A solid choice for fans of
traditional acoustic blues."
Living Blues Magazine
" ...plays haunting music on a mournful guitar."
Los Angeles Times
"The only thing better than hearing this live album is seeing Hawkeye Herman
in the flesh. Whether adding his own spin to blues classics or offering his
own songs, Herman is a one-man history of blues, noteworthy guitar player and
inimitable communicator. Miss him at your peril."
Blues Access
With over 40 years of performing experience, Michael "Hawkeye" Herman
personifies the range of possibilities in blues and folk music. His dynamic blues
guitar playing and vocal abilities have won him a faithful following and he leads
a very active touring schedule of performances at festivals, concerts, school
programs and educational workshops throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
His original music has been included in video dramas and documentaries and in
four hit theatrical productions.
In 2000, Hawkeye was awarded Philadelphia's
Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre for best original music in a
theatrical production. "Everyday Living," Hawkeye's first nationally released album
from 1987, now reissued on CD, features the late blues giants Charles Brown and
"Cool Papa" Sadler, and established the demand for his now long-standing
festival and concert touring. His latest CDs and DVD, "Blues Alive!" (CD), "It's
All Blues To Me" (CD), and "Hawkeye Live In Concert" (DVD) have been greeted
with rave reviews. Hawkeye's journalistic efforts have been published in numerous
national and regional blues and music-related periodicals.
In 1998 he was the
recipient of the Blues Foundation's "Keeping The Blues Alive" award for
achievement in education. He served on the Board of Directors of the Blues
Foundation for six years. Hawkeye was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of fame in
2004. In September of 2005, Hawkeye composed, at the request of the British
Broadcasting Company (BBC), "Katrina, Oh Katrina (Hurricane Blues)," detailing the
hurricane disaster on the Gulf Coast. The song was aired to over 7 million
listeners on the popular "BBC Today" program. He is the cofounder of the Rogue
Valley Blues Festival, Ashland, OR.
This musician has definitely carved out a
spot for himself in the contemporary acoustic blues/folk field, and has earned a
reputation as one of the most accomplished artists in the genre, and
audiences throughout the US/Canada/Europe have come to know and appreciate Hawkeye's
talent, dedication, and captivating performances.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Dear Hawkeye, I like very much the idea of this song. I also listened to your song Im itching`. I think both songs make people feel good and smile. I think the grandma song is a good message to men over 50, dreaming of young women. I am still practicing elements from the lessons up to where You start with the botttleneck, and I am having a good guitar time. I have problems with the muting technique to use the heal of the hand properly. But most of all I think it is difficult to gain independence between singing and guitar. I wonder wether it would be good exercise just to read a text loudly and playing different patterns on the guitar at the same time. What would You recommend to do? Many regards, Peter
Thanks for your comments, Peter. I'm glad you're enjoying these lessons ... and appreciate the 'good feelings' of the songs ... as well as my 'tribute' to honor and appreciate older women, "Give Me A Grandma Every Time." ;-) Yes, it is difficult, in the beginning, to learn to sing and play the guitar at the same time. One should have the lyrics/text totally/completely committed to memory ... and have the guitar aspect also committed completely to memory ... in order for facilitation of doing both things at once. I suggest you memorize the lyrics faultlessly ... so that the lyrics/words come to you quickly and easily without error ... and you must do the same for the guitar playing/chords, etc. ... practice the guitar only until you can play it smoothly/evenly from memory. Only after you can sing the lyrics faultlessly and play the guitar aspect from memory ... can you then start to put the song together as a whole. It's is not easy doing two things at once; singing and playing the guitar ... and so the best way to learn how to d so is to break down the learning process into it's separate components ... learn the two aspects faultlessly ... separately ... and on then practice putting the two components together. Repetition is the key. It is very frustrating and difficult to learn to sing and play a song if you try to do both things at once from the beginning. You must be patient and learn each task separately. Once you can sing the lyrics without hesitation by themselves ... and you can play the guitar chords/aspect without hesitation by itself ... THEN you can practice putting the two aspects together. People who try to learn to sing and play songs without learning the separate components of each song first ... are setting themselves up for failure. Be patient, and practice each aspect of a song, lyrics and chords, so that they can stand alone ... before you try to put the two together into a whole. That's my advice and opinion. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
Hi Hawkeye...I am trying to learn "give me a grandma every time" I am having trouble with the bar chord you are playing toward the end of the song.. looks like you are barring the 5th fret. What chord is that and is there something else instead of the bar chord that I could use? Thx, Ron..fellow hawykeye fan too
ok....its an A7 barr chord...thx
You've got it! I think you may find the tune at youtube.com, as well. Thanks for enjoying these lessons.
Great! I have made it to lesson 30, (3 times into those lessons), it's coming together. This song spurs me to forge ahead. I also am starting to play chords in other ways, it's amazing what a difference that makes.
So glad to hear than you're progressing well and enjoying these lessons. Yes, playing different 'inversions' of the same chord(s) adds interest to the music for the listener and the musician ;-) Keep up the good workl!
I Love this song. I'm trying to learn the lead in the break part on your album any chance for some tabs on that? Still hope to see you on East Coast.
Thanks for the comments, Craig. Much appreciated. So glad you like the song. It's a 12 bar blues in the key of A ... are tabs needed for that? ... just play standard blues changes; A/D/A/A7/D/D/A/A/E/D/A/A ... and see if you can figure our the signature lick I'm playing ... which should be quite easy by using the video controls to stop/replay. I hope you'll be adventurous and try to figure it out ... ;-) Thanks again for enjoying these lessons and this original Hawkeye blues song.
Great stuff Hawkeye, please can you do more phase 3 stuff so that I can learn in tandem with your phase 2 stuff. To solo over this I know I can use A minor pentatonic scale, but I have heard that it is better to use scales for A, D and E when the chords change. Would I therefore just use A, D and E minor pentatonic scales to play over the appropriate chord... I really want to start combining rhythm and lead, and these lessons are perfect for that. Thanks!!
Hi Stu. Thanks so much for sticking with my blues ‘program’ here ...and for enjoying these lessons. The JamPLay.com studios are in Colorado and I live on the West Coast ... I can only get to the JamPlay.com studios two or three times a year to tape lessons ... usually from 9 am to 5 PM with a break for lunch, for three days straight ... grinding out the lessons, without notes, one after the other. So, I apprecaite your request for more of my Phase Three lessons, and more are on the way ... but please keep in mind that I was last in the ‘studio’ taping lessons in late October, some of them Phase Three, and that JamPlay.com should have plenty of my lessons ‘in the can’ and backlogged for a few months to come ... when they start to reach the ‘bottom of the barrel’ ... they let me know and we set up a tim for me to fly out to Colorado to film more lessons. Okay ... so yes, you can play along with me on this song using the Am pentatonic blues scale ... and you should be using that scale to play along and express yourself the entire length of the fingerboard, not just at the fifth fret ... if you can do this in a facile manner ... then you might try ‘moving’ the pentatonic blues scale as the chords change ... ;-) ... let me know how it works out for you. Again, thanks so much for your kind comments and good questions.
how much I'd like to play for living and not also in my spare time...
"How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" a tourist asked a man on the street in New York CIty ... and the man answered, "Practice, that's how you get to Carnegie Hall!" Just keep enjoying the learning process and practicing ... you might find yourself fulfilling your dream of being a blues musician/performer. Have faith in your ability, don't get frustrated, be patient with yourself, progress at your own speed ... and enjoy the journey ... the music makes it all worthwhile, whether you only play for yourself/friends/family, or for thousands of blues fans ... the joy is in the process of learning more and playing the blues. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
again hawkeye another fantastic lesson am really gettin into this. also i got a guild gadf20na with fishman pikup in it great small body guitar plays like a dream and great sound in it . plugged or unplugged. have a great day
Yes, enjoy your Guild guitar and it's 'blues voice.' The more your learn/practice/play ... the better it will sound. ;-)