China Cat Sunflower - Cris Jacobs
About this masterclass
In this session, Cris shows us the parts he users to re-create his version of China Cat Sunflower by The Grateful Dead! Nothing better, jump in!
Drums: 1/8 Rock, 92 BPM
Track 1: Jerrys part (base layer), Bob's part (overdub)
Track 2: Bass Part
Track 3: Melody / Solo
Transcript
In this masterclass, instructor Cris Jacobs breaks down the iconic Grateful Dead song "China Cat Sunflower," demonstrating how each individual part comes together to create the complete sound. Cris is a Baltimore music scene staple known for his authentic interpretations of Dead material, including his popular Jerry Christmas performances.
The masterclass begins with Cris layering the Jerry Garcia guitar part, followed by the Bob Weir rhythm guitar section. He emphasizes how each piece of the song is essential to capturing its spirit. His deep understanding of the material shines through as he builds the arrangement piece by piece.
Cris then tackles the Phil Lesh bass line, adding another crucial layer to the composition. He continues by demonstrating lead guitar work, showing viewers how to approach the song's melodic elements with authenticity and feel.
Throughout the session, Cris showcases not just technical proficiency but a genuine love for the music that has made him one of the go-to interpreters of Grateful Dead material. His approach captures both the instrumental complexity and the improvisational spirit that defines the Dead's catalog.
This masterclass is available for download to Teleport pedal users, allowing members to practice and jam along with Cris's expertly crafted loops. It's the first in a series of Dead-focused masterclasses that will be released over the coming months.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the channel. I've been waiting this day for a long time. This is one of my good friends, Chris Jacobs, and here in Baltimore, he's one of our staples on the music scene. And I especially wanted to have him do these Teleport Masterclasses and do some Dead tunes because you do it about as good as I've seen anybody do it. I enjoy it. It's true, man. So here in Baltimore, you do the very Jerry Christmas and- Mm-hmm ... a bunch of other things. And not just the Jerry parts, not just the Bobby parts, but the singing, too. You really- Yeah ... encapsulate the spirit of the music. Thanks, man. And there's so many people that love that music that watch this channel, and so I just wanted to have you come on here, and as the first one, maybe do a little "China Cat." Yeah, man. And what I love about "China Cat" is that it really is each of the little pieces- Mm-hmm ... make the song. Totally. Right? Totally. And so I'm just going to sit back and watch you make it. And for everybody out there, you can hit the link in the description to download this to your Teleport pedal, and then also check out his whole slew of Masterclasses that are going to come out for the next month or two. Yep. All right, here we go. Start this one with the Jerry part. Do the Bobby part. I got it. Open it up. Do it. You can do it. All right. So we got the main guitar parts. Let's try this Phil Lesh bass as best we can. That's it, man. Let's try to play a little lead here. Keep going. You can do it. Save the work. All right. I'll keep going. Dude, I just love it, man. Yeah. Thank you so much for doing this. Thanks, buddy, appreciate you. What a great pedal. It's the best loop pedal I've ever used. It's- I appreciate that, man ... yeah, man. It's, there's just so many cool features and functions and idiot-proof measures for guys like me. Dude, and the drum machine and the counting- Yeah ... is the big one. Yeah, and not losing your work. Yeah. So you kind of fool-proof it against dummies like me. Yeah, man. Well, I really appreciate you doing this. Thank you. And for everyone out there, if you're not hip to Chris, I'll drop a link to his Instagram and anything else he wants me to include in the description. And, of course, you'll be able to download this as a member and jam with him, and then each week, you're going to get fresh uploads with him and a bunch of other artists for being a Teleport member. And just my two cents, I hope they call you for the Dead & Company gig. If there is more, yeah. Let's see. If there is more- ... it should be Chris. I'll try. That is coming from me. I mean it. Thank you, buddy. Yeah. Thank you. John Mayer's doing a fine job, I'd say. Yeah, he is doing a fine job, but you got to have two. Yeah, I'm down. You got to have two. I'm down. Thank you for watching, my friends. I'll see you soon. Cheers.
Songs in this masterclass
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