The Velvet Underground : Debunking the myth of Ostrich tuning 

Same here

@Slater Slater sure buddy

@Slater Slater If you woulda, you woulda

Glad I could fulfil your quest!

I agree, thanks

@@scottsteele7109 p

Since 2012 for me. The world finally has meaning

+1, thank you so much!

... oh, I learned from Sonic Youth records 😂

We used to realise because our guitars went out of tune or we couldn't tune them properly and discovered cool stuff like droning power chords. Penny dropped that it sounded very Velvets. My mispent youth.

I went to a guitar teacher back in the '80s and asked him to teach me how to play Venus in Furs and he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Finally he decided it was in a different tuning but didn't know what that tuning was...

Glad I could help out. New video re 'There she goes' should be uploaded by the time you read this.

Agreed The problem with Guitar magazines is that they're often too glossy to use as toilet paper. But we should still try.

I remember I bought a guitar magazine. Once.

Joel Pollen glad you enjoyed it Joe. Thank you.

Thank you Patrick. I feel this information is largely overlooked. Lou Reed was very gifted when it came to writing not only songs but his own mythology. I admire him for that.

Thanks, amazing what a difference a tuning makes. He appears to have only used it on All Tomorrow's Parties.

If you play Sweet Jane with a drop D, it instantly sounds about right. BUT I think this was played in standard, tuned a whole step down. So nothing really fancy going on here.

Thanks very much Ian. Apologies for the rambling explanation, I didn't expect it to take off in any way. If you want to learn more, I suggest you check out Cam Forrester's channel. Incredible passion for the same topic.

Thanks Arthur. It's a little long winded but I did it on the fly, never expected much engagement. Thanks again!

Thank you kindly. I have another one planned but it's a little more on the informative side. I may split it out over several vids.

@@briangough7680 subscribed, I'll wait for them :)

They were the geniuses, I'm just a bloke with a guitar. But thanks.

Film them and share! :)

@@briangough7680 already have done some on my channel! But specifically the ostrich songs this will be really helpful. I always suspected it was more of a myth

@@jonwarhol360 nice work. How do you record the four guitar like once like that? Separated vids with a click?

@@briangough7680 thanks! I record one track at a time. Usually start with chords or bass. I build everything then do the lead track last.

I managed to do a cover of Venus in Furs based on your info. Worked out really well.

That's a loverly thing to say You know something crazy, I'd never figured that connection before. Thanks for that nugget!

Huh...never heard that song before, thanks for the tip. Vocal melody immediately reminded me of "Golden Retriever" by SFA, but I guess it's not exactly an original one.

Thank you!

That's very kind of you, thank you very much

Thanks! That's very kind of you.

Is there a link to that channel, please?

Yes, I've seen @Bloxsy has a video up that includes this. Is that the one you're referring to? I'm not sure if it's right to be honest, but it sounds good!

@@briangough7680 yeah that's it! honestly it sounds pretty right to me but i'll bow to your superior knowledge on it! the tone sounds pretty good though

Thank you

Ugh ... Gary Glitter They did have a Gretsch (White Falcon I believe) that was de-fretted. “Not on that guitar, but on another Gretsch I had. We were experimenting around and thought a fretless guitar would be really cool. You’d have to be really good. But as a solo instrument it wasn’t a bad idea. That way you could slide into notes.” www.guitarworld.com/magazine/lou-reed-talks-about-velvet-underground-songwriting-and-gear-1998-guitar-world-interview

Those are very generous words indeed. My awareness of Lou'd playing started with Songs for Drella. I still love everything about that record regarding his tone and his ability to invent. Those 1 string solos where he lamps onto the G string with his middle finger and doesn't let go - classic Lou! Also check out The Blue Mask where he plays with Robert Quine. Just amazing stuff. The guy was obsessed with electronics and tonality. When all of these things come together on a Lou record, it rarely disappoints.

​@@briangough7680 Totally agree re Blue Mask and Drella. Both great albums for many reasons. Fernandos bass and Quines guitar is real beauty and the beast stuff. And Cale and Lou working together so well on Drella (and yet clearly at odds ;) I really like Reeds playing and love the one string solos, a brutal technique yet occasionally squeezing out a really delicate ,touching melody (I'm Set Free). But for lou at his primal, brutal best ... its stuff like *That* guitar after the false stop in Satellite of Love on Take No Prisoners 1978! Thanks for the reply and insights.

Yes, exactly. I should have mentioned this too. Nice catch.

Thank you

Love it

John Doe I need to catch up! Maybe it’s the way to go?

@@briangough7680 If you're gonna actually utilize all the strings like Tosin Abasi or Sarah Longfield (or whatever her name is, can't remember lol) then I think it's awesome. But if they're just having a wankfest to see who can be the lowest and most "brutal", then miss me with that bullshit. Though I do absolutely adore Meshuggah, and always will.

John Doe hah

wait until you guys hear about lutes

The dissonance is very important!

Thanks Derek. I enjoyed making it. Had no intension of putting it up on RU-vid but glad I did! : )

Hah hah - What ever I do, I can't control my mouth. It's been a life long battle. : )

Thank you! I have more stuff in the pipeline but I'm very slow.

younger generation here, and eager for knowledge :)

I have a few pieces up my sleeve but I've been very lazy about publishing them. But perhaps today is they day! I was mistaken about the bass on Run Run Run. So mistaken in fact that I can't even recall saying it, although there it is, now on video and now on RU-vid • With regard to 'I can't stand it': yes, Lou's love of minimal solos is fully evident in both. If ever there was a solo that typifies Lou's soloing for me, it's that solo on 'I'm set free'; sliding his ring finger on the G string, substituting that falsetto vocal found on so many of the Doo Wop records he loved. However, the solo on 'Foggy Notion' (to my ear) is Sterling. And I'll tell you why I'm so confident. Sterling has a particular trade mark you hear towards the end of that solo, it's a twiddle. If ever you want to hear Sterling in classic noodling mode it's the instrumental of 'I'm going to move right in'. Loads of twiddle • With regard to Sister Ray: the trebly cheese grater sound is Sterling; the muted fuller sound is Lou At 4:23 you can hear that classic Lou read G string bending shizzle going on. Sterling is playing those fills between Lou's lines, very similar in style to the opening of Foggy Notions. And again, a fair amount of his trade mark twiddle happening • Good point about the amp tape, where the mic was positioned etc. - could be. But without knowing what mic was involved, the actual position of the recorder etc. it's difficult to confirm I reckon?

@@briangough7680 No argument about Sterling playing lead guitar on Foggy Notion!

Very mush my pleasure : ) I've discovered a couple of other videos since that cover off the tunings. Lots to dig into.

: ( My mouth goes in 50 different directions when I play

@@briangough7680 :O :)

I always assumed he was riding the Zeitgeist. But given that the first record was recorded in 1966, his instinct was prescient to say the least. I also wonder about the influence MacLise may have had on the band, given his experience with India / Nepal.

@@briangough7680 True. Maclise rarely gets talked about in the story of The Velvet Underground. He certainly was an interesting character. I know little about him, other than he didn't seem interested in commerciality and left the band early on. I can remember reading about John Cale returning from a trip to the UK with some British records. One of the songs that Lou and John were influenced by was "Watcha Gonna Do About It" by The Small Faces. The feedback break on it seemed to have an influence on Lou's use of high volume and controlled feedback. Beyond that I suppose they must have had various influences through Cale and his classical background. Thanks.

@@AnthonyMonaghan I didn't know that about the Small Faces, excellent insight and makes a lot of sense. There are bootlegs of the band with MacLise on drums (sans Lou and Nico) but it's difficult to gauge whether or not he's deliberately adhering to the recorded versions or if he's playing his own original patterns. For example: Venus in Furs ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Czm-6rle_IQ.html

Expert fart-sniffing face being unveiled with every strum of that guitar 👌🏼

Tymon m sure!

Tymon m added the timings in the description there. Let me know if you have questions.

Brian Gough Thank you!Everything is clear now.

Tymon m no problem

Hah hah hah

I also love it!

@@briangough7680 my faves though are Pale Blue Eyes, Rock and Roll, and What Goes On Live Version

No love for Sterling Morrison.

Someone else mentioned that story in the comments. I need to go back and read that book; it's been a while. It sounds like a filler song, but of course - by any other band's standards - it's not.

Too many! I think All Tomorrow's Parties typifies the best parts of the Cale and Reed collaboration. But there are so many

Thanks. And yes. Not covered in my video but was aware. However, not sure I fully buy it. Listening to the recently unearthed demos (which Reed mailed to himself) you can hear he's already tuned one step down. Not only that, but this - Lou's guitar is tuned one HALF step down for Heroin & Venus & Furs, both of course featuring Cale's Viola. The other song on that record that foregrounds Viola is 'Black Angel's Death Song,' which is in C. In this instance, Lou's guitar appears to be tuned one whole step down; meaning he's resting primarily on a D shape. Perhaps this should be my next video! : )

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EAvkDrkUfoo.html

@@sodiumlights That's an interesting piece for sure. It sounds something like a 1 to a 4 chord (e.d. E to A) where the 4 chord is moving from major to minor. I don't recognise it but it could be a re-arrangement of an older song like Candy Says? - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oUUANzSB2Uc.html

@@briangough7680 it baffles to heck outta me for sure...maybe one day Laurie will get back to me haha

I know, but not extensively. The album was mostly stewarded and recorded by Yule and Reed.

Would love to. Let's see what time has to say, but I have a plan./

There have been a few requests for tabs, so I better pull the finger out …

@@briangough7680 please do man. everywhere online swears that it’s in e flat tuning, you’re the first person i’ve seen utilize that tuning and play it that way and it would be awesome to have the correct way to play be more common on the internet

To be honest Andrew, Venus in Furs sounds like it's in E flat. So it's possible Lou used a Capo on this one. Another song he uses a Capo on is 'I'll be your Mirror'.

@@briangough7680 thanks Brian!

He put it in the description

Interesting re folkies. I’ve often wondered if Lou was originally writing for folk clubs (ie Greenwich Village). This really comes across on the Ludlow Street demos.

@@briangough7680 Yep,the demo of ATP sounds extremely country.

What have the Edge and John Cale got in common? They're both Welsh and had trials for major UK soccer teams. Only one of the above facts is true. Your guess.

@@briangough7680 Both had Welsh parents, did you know that you're the illegitimate son of La Monte Young?

Hah hah - yeah, I could have clipped them further

I'm not sure. You prompted me to take a look at it again. If there is Bass on this track, it appears in the left channel and is buried behind the second rhythm guitar and drums.

This is what a lot of write ups would have you believe but in reality it's a no. I would need to make another video to explain this (which I may yet do) but for now … you'll just have to take my word.

@@briangough7680 I went back and listened and I believe you are right! If I’m hearing correctly, he is even playing the D-E-F, etc. melody during the fast-picking ending.

@@lordofthemound3890 So he's holding a D chord shape BUT a) His guitar is tuned a half step down b) the top E string is tuned one whole step down to D (or D flat to be exact). Does this make sense?

I'm terrible with tabs : (

@@briangough7680 thank you anyway, it's the first time i see Velvet underground played well

@@matteocampus931 Thank you

I can’t but maybe

@@briangough7680 use headphones. On the left channel you´ll hear Sterl´s ryhthm guitar and Moe´s drums, on the right channel John´s bass and Lou´s lead guitar. At arround 1:22 John´s bass drops out and reappears at 2:37, the same happens between 3:03 and 3:32. This is the lineup according to Wiki: Lou Reed - lead guitar, double-tracked (on chorus) lead vocals John Cale - bass Sterling Morrison - rhythm guitar, backing vocals Maureen Tucker - drums Hope you get to hear Cale´s great bass line.

@@ForARide You're right. Mia culpa. Listening to it again in Mono it becomes a lot more apparent. Cheers.

Ahriarah yes. I left this out.

@@briangough7680 anyway. I loved your video

Ahriarah thank you. Had you figured this stuff out too?

Thanks for your critique I made this video on the fly, uploaded it as an experiment So far I’ve had a very positive response and a lot more views than I expected Videos generally shouldn’t run over 1:30 mins if you want to hold attention But if they do go over that, chapters can be used to break things up The problem with video vs text is that the viewer has less control of the content. It’s hard to jump forwards and backwards etc. I work in UX, so I know all this stuff. Equally, the Velvets records are very imperfect. They could have been recorded better, edited better, mastered better and marketed better. But fuck it. That’s why we love them. And that’s why I believe people respond well to this video. I’m just a bloke with a guitar. I’m not in it for the money. It’s free content for you to enjoy or ignore. Bon chance!

@@briangough7680 Thanks you the reply! I meant my comments as more of a critique. I hope my negative comments do not overshadow the positive ones. I have watched the video a few more times and you come across as a good guy I'd gladly buy a drink in a pub while swapping stories. You have talent and hopefully a band. I agree with you on the sound quality of those records. The first VU album I bought was "1969 Velvet Underground With Lou Reed Live." Back in 1977 I was in a bus station when a guy came up to me with about 50 albums under one arm offering to sell them. Besides this double live record I got several other very good ones. Later I imagined this guy had probably just stolen them minutes before. That live album turned into my favorite record of all times. I am an artist and did thousands of paintings and drawings while listening to it. I wore that record out and it took years to find another copy in a record store. Finally when it was replaced, I took it out of the sleeve and recorded the album a couple of times on the best quality cassette tape I could find. Brian, keep making these videos and keep playing. I hop you're writing, too, telling about your time through your eyes. Don't ever stop rocking!

@@garfieldfarkle Thanks, and sorry if I was being curt. I regret the video being a disjoined mess. But if I'd spend more time thinking about it, it'd never have gotten made! I've never really listened too hard to live 1969. Perhaps I should give it more of an ear.

@@briangough7680 Thanks, man, I thought I'd been a bit sharp in my initial reaction, so let's meet in the middle, shake hands and have another round. I was sitting in that bus station with a gym bag full of marijuana I was selling as I made my way to Charlotte, where my best friend attended the university there. So I was sitting there stoned when that guy came up to me with the records to sell. One of them was a double album blues with Robert Johnson, Little Milton , Elmore James - great, rootsy stuff that was about impossible to find back then. I lost it years later and could never replace it. After the guy left is when I realized these records must've been stolen, and an image of him crawling back out of someone's window with an armload of records came to mind, followed by the thought that there I was, with visible contraband in my hands to attract the cops pursuing him and enough pot in my gym bag to send me to jail for 10 years. "1969 Velvet Underground Live with Lou Reed" became not only my favorite album, but it was the longest double album I ever had. It averages over 26 minutes of music on each side. I was doing a lot of acid back then and the extended hypnotic versions of these songs were just the thing to listen to. I'd be fine if "New Age" went on hammering for another 20 minutes The version of "Sweet Jane" on there precedes the studio recording of the song. Back in the late 80s the Cowboy Junkies had a hit with a cover and their version follows the one on "1969." A bunch of the songs have different lyrics and arrangements The liner notes by Elliott Murphy are fantastic. He starts off imagining it is 100 years in the future and how he hopes the record is received. Reading it now gives a tasty poignancy. Unfortunately, there's no John Cale. Don't stop rocking and I look forward to seeing The Brian Gough Experience touring the U.S. soon.

I probably over did it being honest. 11s would do fine.

Listed below the video

No.