Curtis Mayfield hammer ons

[mandobob]

There's a common hammer on for guitar (TAB):
-x-
-2-h-3-
-2---2-
-2-h-4-
-x-
-5-----

In the example its a I to IV type move that has a million variations; I use it constantly on guitar, and am having trouble finding a similar move the mando. Suggestions?

[mandocrucian]

Doing the double hammer-ons won't be as easy, and sometimes you won't be able to duplicate all the pitches because the mando tuning will spread the notes wide up-down the neck.(depending on the actual lick). Strip it down to two strings instead of three and you can put this stuff in all the time.

I actually use this lick (in various forms). I did a version of Jimi's "Wait Til Tomorrow" (in tandem with "Good Morning Mr Walker") for the Joseph Spence tribute CD Out On The Rolling Sea (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Audjp7i2og74r) and it's Hendrix's opening into riff. On mando, it was on the top strings as an E>A, then D>G #move.

===4=s=5========
===7==(7)=======
===9=h=11======
===============

fingering is i-m-r to i-m-p (i=index).

Unless you use the stretch fingered triplestop on the E, you won't be able to make a smooth enough transition to the next by refingering. So slide the first finger rather than try to use a hammer-on, and keep the 2nd (m) planted on the 7th fret E as an anchor/pivot.

Most people don't realize that a whole lot of the mellow style Hendrix guitar actually derives from Curtis Mayfield. #"Little Wing", "Wind Cries Mary", "If This Be Love", "Gold & Rose", etc). Mayfield never gets the recognition he deserves for his guitar playing, at least among the general public.

Niles Hokkanen
<span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'>Blues Mandolin Boot Camp (http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/holiday/mandolinbuilding.html), Oct 1-4, 2006
Mandocrucian catalog (http://http://www.users.waitrose.com/~john.baldry/mando/hokkanen.html)</span>

[Steve L]

Niles, do you know if Curtis used standard guitar tuning? I thought I had heard somewhere he did not, but what he might have used instead I have no clue. I agree he is vastly under valued.

[mandocrucian]

Standard guitar tuning from everything I've seen transcribed of his playing.

Albert Collins, however, put his Telecaster into a Dm open tuning, and then proceeded to capo up the neck anywhere from the 5th to 10th fret. At the 10th, scale length is same as a mandolin. 7th fret=Weber mandola scale. So I consider him as much as an electric mandola player as an electric guitarist!

NH

[mandobob]

Niles
Thanks for that! While I am a guitar hack, I get a great deal out of that move; Dylan, Hendrix, etc.
Mayfield's guitar playing is an elusive goal for me, has been since I was a kid.
Now if I could just play leads like Al Green sang...

[Steve L]

I guess I've answered my own question. #If you look Curtis up on Wikepedia, it states that he was self taught on guitar and tuned it F# A# C# F# A# F# throughout his career. #I thought I remembered an article about him in Guitar Player that said he used an open tuning...an unusual one at that.

I think he is often pictured with a capo on his axe as well.