Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[Johnm]

Good point, Scratchy!  Actually, posters from anywhere are welcome.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It appears no one else is going to post answers to the most recent puzzlers, so here are the answers:

For Lawyer "Soldier Boy" Houston's "Hug Me, Baby":
   * His playing position/tuning was A position in standard tuning.  The aural clues which indicates A position in standard tuning as opposed to Spanish tuning or DGDGBE tuning a la Lil' Son Jackson are his occasional V chords, which are definitely E chords, with the third of the chord at the first fret of the third string rather than D chords.  You can hear that as the song goes from :24--:25, and again at :44.
   * Lawyer Houston played the run from 1:39--1:41 as follows: The run starts on the + of beat one, with the fifth fret of the first string as he fingers a "long A" chord.  On 2 +, he goes from the fifth fret of the first string to the fifth fret of the second string.  On 3 +, he goes from the fourth fret of the second string to the third fret of the second string.  On beat 4, he does a grace note hammer from the first fret of the second string to the third fret of the second string and on the + of beat four, he re-strikes the first fret of the second fret, resolving down to the second fret of the third string on the downbeat of the next measure.
   * For his occasional V chords, "Soldier Boy" Houston continued to play the I note, the open fifth string, in the bass.

For Johnny Howard's "Vacation Blues":
   * His playing position/tuning was E position in standard tuning or EAEGBE.
   * In the intro to the song, you can hear Johnny Howard hammering into the major third of the I chord at the first fret of the third string, a couple of times.  That hammer eliminates Vestapol from the running, but still leaves cross-note tuning, EAEGBE tuning and E position in standard tuning in the running.  At :10, he goes to a IV chord with the low root of the chord hit on the fifth string.  This eliminates cross-note tuning from the running, since in cross-note tuning you have a V note on the open fifth string.  At this point, only EAEGBE and E position in standard tuning are the only remaining possibilities.  He never really hits a V chord, which would help greatly in differentiating between EAEGBE and E position in standard tuning.  In favor of EAEGBE, he never hits a note other than the I note on the fourth string, and that note is never inflected or hammered into.  In favor of E position in standard tuning is the relative rarity of the use of EAEGBE tuning.  If I had to choose, I would go for E position in standard tuning, but I don't consider it to be at all a certainty.  This is a very hard identification, especially considering the brutal sound quality, which Pro Scratchy mentioned.
  * Johnny Howard never hits or acknowledges the V chord.

For John Tinsley's "Girl Dressed In Green":
   * His playing position was A position in standard tuning.
   * John Tinsley slides into the seventh fret of the fourth string and plays an A chord at the beginning of his rendition, fingering in addition the sixth fret of the third string and the fifth fret of the second string, thus playing an A chord out of an F shape.
   * John Tinsley fretted the bass run he plays from :30--:32 as follows:  On beat 1, he hits the open fifth string.  On beat two he hits the bent third fret of the fifth string.  On 3 +, he goes from the open fifth string to the fourth fret of the sixth string.  On 4 +, he goes from the open fifth string to the third fret of the fifth string, resolving back to the open fifth string on the downbeat of the next measure. 

John Tinsley's playing and singing both remind me a bit of John Jackson, who, like Tinsley, hailed from Virginia.

Thanks to Old Man Ned, Prof Scratchy and blueshome for participating in the puzzlers and posting answers.

All best,
Johnm     

[Prof Scratchy]

Thanks to Johnm for posting the answers to this tricky round of puzzlers. I really would encourage as many fellow weenies as possible to have a go at these. You don?t have to answer the detail of the questions if you don?t have the time to work them out. Often the challenge for me is getting the tuning right! The puzzlers have introduced me to artists and songs that I never knew existed, and I?ve been collecting blues records for over fifty years. We really need to keep the pot boiling on this key forum feature, and I know there are lots of experienced listeners, collectors and players from around the world who visit here. Come on, get involved, folks!


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[blueshome]

"Come on, get involved, folks!"  Seconded!!

[Old Man Ned]

Exactly what Prof Scratchy said.  Couldn't agree more!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I looked back at the beginning of this thread and was reminded that when it was started, there was only one puzzler posted at a time.  Perhaps three at once is a bit of overkill, or seems too daunting for many folks to try.  To that end, I'll post just one puzzler this time, and it is by the very same musician that the first puzzler featured, Andrew Dunham.  Here is his performance of "Rocky Mountain":



INTRO

Rocky Mountain, Rocky Mountain, is a long ways to go
Yeah, Rocky Mountain, Rocky Mountain, is a long ways to go

My baby left me this morning, she left with the rising sun, says she's Rocky Mountain bound, 'fore the evening sun go down
Rocky Mountain ain't no place for me
Yeah, Rocky Mountain ain't no place for me

GUITAR INTERLUDE

When I got to Rocky Mountain, I found that dissipatin' woman, I stood and watched that woman, tears rolled down her cheek
I stood and watched that woman, ah, tears rolled down her cheek
Said, she's a dissipatin' woman, she ain't no good nowhere she go

When I found that woman, I could hardly keep from cryin',
Oh yeah, I could hardly keep from cryin'
(GUITAR FILLS)
Yes, she's a dissipatin' woman, she ain't no good nowhere she go
Ooo, she ain't no good nowhere she go

GUITAR SOLO

You know, you know, you know
You know my time ain't long
Yeah,  you know, you know my time ain't long
Yes, I'm gon' find that woman, find her Rocky Mountain-bound

Now, look here people, Rocky Mountain, ain't no place for me, but I've got to go to Rocky Mountain, to find the one I love
Rocky Mountain ain't no place for me

OUTRO



The questions on Andrew Dunham's "Rocky Mountain" are:
   * What playing position/tuning did he use to play the song?
   * Where is Andrew Dunham fretting the first two strings from :52--:56?
   * At 2:16, Andrew Dunham is playing a harmonized triplet on two treble strings.  What strings is he playing there, and where is he fretting them?

Please us only your ears and your musical instruments to come up with your answers, and please don't post any responses before 8:00 AM your time on Tuesday, October 10.  Don't feel as though you need not respond unless you can answer all three questions.  The first question is by far the most important, because it determines the answers to the second and third questions.  Answer them all or just one.  Thanks for participating and I hope you enjoy Andrew Dunham's "Rocky Mountain".
All best,
Johnm

 

[Old Man Ned]

I'm hearing Andrew Dunham's "Rocky Mountain" in A standard with Andrew Dunham fretting the first two strings from :52--:56 at the 8th & 7th frets respectively and then the 5th fret for both strings.
   
At 2:16, the harmonized triplet on two treble strings I'm hearing on the 2nd and 3rd strings at the 5th and 9th frets respectively.

[Prof Scratchy]

I agree with Old Man Ned for the first two parts of the puzzler: A standard, then 'fretting the first two strings from :52--:56 at the 8th & 7th frets respectively and then the 5th fret for both strings'. For the third part, I'm going to say that he might have been playing the open first string against the bend  fourth fret of the second string.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any other takers for the Andrew Dunham puzzlers on his "Rocky Mountain"?  Come one, come all--live dangerously!
All best,
Johnm

[blueshome]

Forgot to post - what the Prof said - A standard etc.

[harvey]

John I agree with posting one at a time I think that works. However not many responses! 
Little bit influenced by earlier posters I will admit however I did get to A standard.

:52 to :56 I think is on the 7th/8th fret

[blueshome]

Hooray! That's one more - come on guys and gals.

[Prof Scratchy]

And how about someone not from the UK for a change? Come on, US, EUR, OZ folks!

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[alyoung]

I don't usually stick my head up for this -- I hate being wrong alla time. But after all those pleas ... key is A natural (it threw me for a bit until I realised he was in concert pitch); I also propose 7/8 frets on top strings for the 52-56 bit, and I think the triplet MIGHT be either 5th fret 2nd string against open top (tuning's a bit suss) or bent 4th fret 2nd string against open top.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
The Andrew Dunham puzzler on "Rocky Mountain" has been up for a good while, so I think I'll post the answers.  Thanks to harvey and alyoung for joining Old Man Ned, Prof Scratchy and blueshome in posting responses.

For Andrew Dunham's "Rocky Mountain":
   * His playing position/tuning was A position in standard tuning
   * For the passage from :52--:56, Andrew Dunham fretted the first two strings, first fretting both strings at the eighth fret, then fretting both strings at the fifth fret, then rocking back and forth between those two positions, always fretting both strings simultaneously at either the eighth or fifth fret.  Those parallel fourths that he plays in this passage have almost an Asian sound to them.
   * At 2:16, the harmonized triplet that Andrew Dunham plays involves fretting the third and second strings, both at the fifth fret.  At 2:15, he slides into the fifth fret of the second string.  As he begins to brush the two strings, he adds the fifth fret of the third string for the triplet at 2:16.  When he resolves his melody downward from the triplet to the third fret of the second string, he takes the third string along for the ride, too, fretting the third string at the third fret as well, getting a really exotic sound there, by playing a B flat note on the third string, third fret, while playing an A blues.

I sure wish Andrew Dunham had been recorded more, even though most of his recorded titles are pretty similar to each other.  His tone on the electric guitar is very exciting-sounding to me, and the roughness and "countryness" of his playing is quite appealing.

I think I will stick to the one-song puzzlers in this thread going forward.  I think it makes participating less of a job.  Thanks again to all who posted this time, and I hope folks enjoyed the song.  I'll look for another song to post soon.

All best,
Johnm