Jamey PittmanA "perfect" game of the original Pac-Man arcade game ends on board 256 with the maximum score possible: 3,333,360.
All dots, ghosts, and bonus symbols must be consumed to achieve a perfect score, and no deaths may occur until reaching the final board (i.e., the "split screen"). On the final board, the 5 extra men are intentionally sacrificed; each death regenerates the 9 hidden dots on the right side of the split screen, allowing for an additional 90 points per man sacrificed.
Pac-Man - Perfect Game 3,333,360Jamey Pittman2017-02-18 | A "perfect" game of the original Pac-Man arcade game ends on board 256 with the maximum score possible: 3,333,360.
All dots, ghosts, and bonus symbols must be consumed to achieve a perfect score, and no deaths may occur until reaching the final board (i.e., the "split screen"). On the final board, the 5 extra men are intentionally sacrificed; each death regenerates the 9 hidden dots on the right side of the split screen, allowing for an additional 90 points per man sacrificed.
Performed using WolfMAME 0.178 on 1/26/2017.
Total game time: 5h 25m 54sFlatpicking Guitar - Katy DaleyJamey Pittman2023-12-06 | My take on a flatpicking solo for Katy Daley, using LRB's excellent version as a bed track.Remembering Tony Rice (June 8, 1951 - December 25, 2020)Jamey Pittman2023-01-01 | My humble tribute to a master of the acoustic guitar whose music means the world to me.Manzanita PracticeJamey Pittman2022-08-30 | Practicing the hardest part of one of the hardest pieces I know: Tony Rice's Manzanita.Edgar Loudermilk Band - Bull At The Wagon/Cherokee ShuffleJamey Pittman2022-08-30 | From the Brown County Bluegrass Festival in Georgetown, Ohio on August 27, 2022. The day before, Zack and John had worked out a pretty mando/fiddle duet for "Bull At The Wagon", an old-time fiddler's reel from the southwest. We decided to pair it with "Cherokee Shuffle" and give a test drive during our Saturday night set.Edgar Loudermilk Band - Take Me In Your LifeboatJamey Pittman2022-08-17 | From the South Grenville Bluegrass Festival in Ontario, Canada, August 2022Born With A Hammer In My Hand (Cover)Jamey Pittman2022-05-09 | Trying to keep up with Blue Highway's "Born With A Hammer In My Hand".Follow The Fool - Primus (COVER)Jamey Pittman2022-05-05 | Jamming along with the new Primus album today. I've absolutely no idea if this is *exactly* what Les is doing on the bass (it probably isn't), but it fits well enough and I'm having fun with it!Your Love Is Like A FlowerJamey Pittman2022-04-16 | Some late night practice with the Bluegrass Album Band. Tony Rice is the G.O.A.T.Flatpicking Schism (Timing practice)Jamey Pittman2022-03-03 | A great song for practicing timing (and time signature changes galore): Tool's "Schism".Salt CreekJamey Pittman2022-02-23 | Playing along to "Salt Creek" from Blake & Rice 2.Cold On The Shoulder (Tony Rice) - Flatpicking LessonJamey Pittman2022-02-08 | A quick demonstration of Tony Rice's kickoff to "Cold On The Shoulder".
The transcription PDF can be downloaded here: drive.google.com/file/d/1BvCp9Z_a2cs7AQhY7vDgVGPkNOeH8sLh/view?usp=sharingBury Me Beneath The Weeping WillowJamey Pittman2022-01-23 | Inspired by Clarence White.Whiskey Before Breakfast (Traditional)Jamey Pittman2022-01-23 | Some late night ideas for a flatpicking standard: Whiskey Before Breakfast.PiledriverJamey Pittman2022-01-23 | Messing around with "Piledriver" by Newfound Road.Arkansas TravelerJamey Pittman2022-01-15 | Crosspicking on Arkansas Traveler, ala David Grier (or as close as I can get anyway).Nine Pound Hammer (Redux)Jamey Pittman2021-12-30 | Some late night rhythm/lead improvisation over Nine Pound Hammer to pass the time.Saint Annes ReelJamey Pittman2021-12-15 | Part of an arrangement idea I threw together last year for Saint Anne's Reel, played on a 2006 Martin D-18 Authentic 1937.Likes of Me - Tony Rice - Flatpicking LessonJamey Pittman2021-08-25 | A quick demonstration w/TAB of Tony's intro/solo to 'Likes of Me' from the Cold on the Shoulder album.Church Street BluesJamey Pittman2021-06-04 | One of my favorite Norman Blake tunes as performed by Tony Rice.Martin D-18 Authentic 1937 - Bill CheatumJamey Pittman2021-04-30 | The fiddle tune Bill Cheatum played on a Martin D-18 Authentic 1937.Monroes HornpipeJamey Pittman2021-04-30 | Trying to keep up with the Bluegrass Album Band on Monroe's Hornpipe.Ridge Road Gravel (Flatpicking Lesson)Jamey Pittman2021-04-29 | I've received many requests over the past month to break down the crosspicked section from my "Ridge Road Gravel" video. I've been meaning to do so for weeks ... but I'm lazy. Better late than never, right?
A PDF of the transcription can be found on my Google Drive: drive.google.com/file/d/1nX9fFiMHHN4vdYa8qyznhK46LPHhnm8f/view?usp=sharingEight More Miles to LouisvilleJamey Pittman2021-04-01 | "Eight More Miles to Louisville" was written by Louis "Grandpa" Jones. First released in 1946, it became his signature song.Ridge Road GravelJamey Pittman2021-03-26 | Ridge Road Gravel - one of my favorite Norman Blake tunes.Streets of London - Tony Rice - Flatpicking LessonJamey Pittman2021-03-24 | A quick demonstration w/TAB of Tony's intro/solo to 'Streets of London' from the Church Street Blues album.Angeline The Baker (Flatpicking Fiddle Tune)Jamey Pittman2021-03-05 | Arrangement ideas for "Angeline the Baker" (sometimes called "Angelina Baker").New Chance Blues (Blake & Rice)Jamey Pittman2021-03-05 | "New Chance Blues" from the Blake & Rice album.Nine Pound HammerJamey Pittman2021-03-05 | Rhythm practice playing along to Nine Pound Hammer from Ronnie Bownman's Cold Virginia Night LP.Church Street Blues - Tony Rice - Flatpicking Guitar LessonJamey Pittman2021-02-13 | Here's a link to a PDF of the transcription (standard notation and tablature) of this solo: drive.google.com/file/d/1wDViAMbNqI2AkPXM0M3EcakRkpiTmPp4/view?usp=sharing
A demonstration of Tony's approach to Church Street Blues (by Norman Blake). This version is from the album as opposed to his Homespun video performance, which is slightly different. I play it through at speed, and then again slowly with the transcription visible at the top of the screen. Enjoy!Ten Degrees Intro - Tony Rice - Guitar LessonJamey Pittman2021-02-10 | Here's a link to a PDF of the transcription (standard notation and tablature) for this solo: drive.google.com/file/d/1AHvrG6fuwoVLKzMSAwpGvJkZYI5K1HLy/view?usp=sharing
A quick look at Tony's intro to Ten Degrees off the J.D. Crowe & the New South album (Rounder 0044). Enjoy!Blue Ridge Cabin Home - Tony Rice Solo - Flatpicking Guitar LessonJamey Pittman2021-02-10 | Here's a link to a PDF of the transcription (standard notation and tablature) of this solo: drive.google.com/file/d/1fnRrc0ff4YORGpBnHKf_5jopMWRueS1I/view?usp=sharing
A very no-frills demonstration of Tony's solo on Blue Ridge Cabin Home from the first Bluegrass Album Band album. I play it once at speed along with the track, and then play it slowly with the transcription visible at the top of the screen. Enjoy!Im Not Sayin - Tony Rice Solo - Flatpicking Guitar LessonJamey Pittman2020-07-01 | Here's a link to a PDF of the transcription (standard notation and tablature) for this solo: drive.google.com/file/d/1kp8Uxu6U8CIbFq-Ee-n8rMtCC0yL_xTF/view?usp=sharing
The Gordon Lightfoot tune "I'm Not Sayin'" on the first Blake & Rice album contains one of my favorite solos from Tony's entire discography. Sublimely melodic and perfectly executed, it captures everything I adore about his unique and influential style. It occurred to me recently that I've never once seen a decent transcription or lesson for this solo. And so, for better or worse, I took it upon myself to make video lesson about it. I've actually never attempted to create a video lesson before, and so I apologize in advance for the many rough edges, the amateurish editing, and my tendency to ramble on far longer than I should at times.
Fair warning -- This was made with intermediate-or-higher level pickers in mind. As such, this lesson is not super in-depth. I play the solo once at normal speed, I spend some time highlighting the 3 main positions used (along with a few observations and tips), and then I play the whole thing again very slowly. I don't go so far as to discuss where every finger goes for every note, nor do I explain the direction of every pickstroke. I was able to keep it down to around 10 minutes in length (which is still several minutes too long if I'm being honest).
A few additional notes -- The tune is in the key of Eb Major and played out of D position capoed at the 1st fret; I speak throughout the entire video as if we're in the key of D Major and playing D Major scales, because that's how I envision the neck with a capo at the 1st fret for this song. And while I'm reasonably confident that the notes and positions demonstrated in the video are correct, I do not share that level of confidence when it comes to some of the pickstroke direction choices -- I tend to do what feels natural for my own hand in this regard.
All in all, this was an interesting experiment for me. Putting this video together took WAY longer than I anticipated, although I did enjoy making it for the most part. Perhaps I'll make others in the future. I hope you enjoy it!
Timecode Spoilers Solo played at normal speed - 2:40 Solo played slowly - 8:50Pac-Man Grouping TutorialJamey Pittman2017-01-08 | A tutorial explaining the various elements of my grouping strategy for the original Pac-Man arcade game. Grouping (a.k.a., freestyle) play involves using the enemy pathfinding logic to the player's advantage by directing the four ghosts to converge and move as a single unit through the maze. Once together, the ghost group is lured to an energizer where all four are eaten for maximum score. Grouping techniques are used for all boards where the ghosts are edible (1-16 and 18).
General overview:
- At the start of each board, park Pac-Man in a hiding spot and wait until the ghosts stop reversing direction.
- Consume enough dots to trigger the first bonus fruit to appear and eat it.
- Group the ghosts together and lure them to the energizers, eating all four for maximum score. Eating very few dots before luring the ghosts to all four energizers is to ensure that Blinky (red) doesn't start moving faster than the other ghosts too early (once that happens, grouping becomes more difficult).
- Re-group the ghosts after the last energizer hit and maintain control of the group while clearing the board of the remaining dots and eating the second bonus fruit. Starting on board 9, Blinky will start speeding up early enough in the clearing process as to require employing additional tactics to keep him together with the group.Pac-Man Grouping Strategy II - Max Score Thru 9th KeyJamey Pittman2017-01-02 | A more efficient example of my grouping strategy for the original Pac-Man arcade game. Grouping (a.k.a., freestyle) play involves using the enemy pathfinding logic to the player's advantage, causing all four ghosts to converge and move as a single unit through the maze. Once together, the ghost group is lured to an energizer where all four are eaten for maximum score. This strategy is used on all boards where ghosts are edible (1-16 and 18). Patterns designed to quickly clear maze are used for the remaining boards. One pattern is used for boards 17, 19, and 20. Starting at board 21 (a.k.a., the 9th key), a different pattern is used that works until board 255, at which point the game displays a half-corrupted maze due to a programming glitch and you cannot progress further.Pac-Man Grouping Strategy - Max Score Thru 9th KeyJamey Pittman2016-12-19 | A grouping strategy for the original Pac-Man arcade game. Grouping (a.k.a., freestyle) play involves using the enemy pathfinding logic to the player's advantage, causing all four ghosts to converge and move as a single unit through the maze. Once together, the ghost group is lured to an energizer where all four are eaten for maximum score. This strategy is used on all boards where ghosts are edible (1-16 and 18). Patterns designed to quickly clear maze are used for the remaining boards. One pattern is used for boards 17, 19, and 20. Starting at board 21 (a.k.a., the 9th key), a different pattern is used that works until board 255, at which point the game displays a half-corrupted maze due to a programming glitch and you cannot progress further.Pac-Man 3rd/4th/6th Key Pattern - WhiplashJamey Pittman2011-01-31 | My maximum point pattern for the 3rd, 4th and 6th key boards. It takes just 90.1 seconds to complete and works on the original Pac-Man arcade as well as MAME. It's called "Whiplash" due to the quick reversal and turns required when eating the second energizer. The ghosts only turn blue for 1 second before returning to normal on these boards and this pattern is designed to get them very close to Pac-Man before hitting the energizers in order get them all. This video demonstrates it being used on the 3rd and 4th key.
Notes:
1) Reverse direction the instant you hit the second energizer or the pattern will break. Pac-Man freezes for a few frames when eating an energizer which helps immensely but it can take a some practice to learn to do this consistently.Fast Pac-Man Cherry Pattern (Maximum Points)Jamey Pittman2011-01-25 | A very fast, maximum point pattern for Pac-Man's cherry board that takes about 67.5 seconds to complete. Has been tested on the original Pac-Man arcade as well as MAME. It is based off Don Hodges' "Cherry Bomb" pattern that is slightly faster (67.4 seconds) but was redesigned to avoid a quick reversal/turn that was very difficult for me to time reliably using a keyboard for input in MAME.
Notes:
1) Shortly after the first energizer, be sure you are pressing/holding UP as you travel right-to-left under the monster pen and keep doing so until you see "1600"; then press/hold DOWN. If you aren't already holding UP before you eat the ghost, the pattern may break.
2) On the final energizer, press/hold RIGHT when you see "200". Then let Pac-Man travel almost all the way to the outer maze wall before you reverse direction. If you reverse too quickly, the pattern may break.Pac-Man Ghost Movement BugJamey Pittman2011-01-20 | You can trigger a curious anomaly in the original arcade Pac-Man by eating a ghost just as it exits the monster pen in the middle of the board. If timed correctly, the eyes will return to the pen and the regenerated ghost will begin moving straight up through the walls of the maze! If a second energizer is consumed and the confused ghost is eaten again, its disembodied eyes will become confused and move wildly about the maze. Sometimes the eyes will eventually self-correct and find their way home but sometimes they remain "lost" for the rest of the level.
Visit The Pac-Man Dossier at http://home.comcast.net/~jpittman2/pacman/pacmandossier.html for more information on everything Pac-related!Pac-Man: Level 256 Split Screen TrickJamey Pittman2009-01-09 | This demonstrates an straightforward way to trap three of the four ghosts against the right edge of the screen, making collecting the 9 dots hidden in the jumbled right half of the screen (as well as the other dots) much easier.
Check out The Pac-Man Dossier at: http://home.comcast.net/~jpittman2/pacman/pacmandossier.html for info on level 256 and lots more.Pac-Man: Cherry Pattern with Ghost Pass-Thru BugJamey Pittman2009-01-09 | A perfect score on level one is 14,800 points; all four ghosts are eaten at each energizer plus both bonus symbols. Pac-Man also goes right through Blinky at 0:40 for your viewing pleasure. ;)
Check out The Pac-Man Dossier at: http://home.comcast.net/~jpittman2/pacman/pacmandossier.html for more info on everything Pac-Man.Pac-Man Ghost House TrickJamey Pittman2009-01-09 | Watch Inky, Pinky, and Clyde closely after Pac-Man gobbles them up -- they they get stuck in the ghost house and can't get out!! Check out http://home.comcast.net/~jpittman2/pacman/pacmandossier.html for the ultimate Pac-Man reference guide, revealing the A.I. used by each ghost, info on the 256th level, and the flaw in the logic that controls the ghost house allowing this little trick you're watching.