Difference between revisions of "Blind Willie McTell Guitar Keys and Positions"
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+ | '''Blind Willie McTell Guitar Keys and Positions'''<br> | ||
'''compiled by Chris Berry'''<BR> | '''compiled by Chris Berry'''<BR> | ||
with additional notes from Andrew Mullins<BR><BR> | with additional notes from Andrew Mullins<BR><BR> |
Revision as of 23:49, 21 March 2009
Blind Willie McTell Guitar Keys and Positions
compiled by Chris Berry
with additional notes from Andrew Mullins
For those not familiar with playing Blind Willie McTell on a 12-string guitar, the first thing to note is that McTell tunes down from concert pitch to varying degrees: his low E or sixth string is generally tuned down anywhere from C# to A, or even lower. You can see examples of how this works in the tables below by looking for tunes played out of an E position. For instance, "Drive Away Blues" is played out of an E position, but sounds at the C# below a standard-tuned guitar - the relationship of the string intervals is the same as standard tuning but everything is tuned down 1 1/2 steps (with a 1/2 step being equal to one fret). The later prewar recordings of "Broke Down Engine" are also played out of an E position, but McTell is tuned even lower, just sharp of A. By the time of the version on the Atlantic recordings, he is at Ab.
This tuning down generally requires heavier string gauges in order to maintain enough tension on the strings. For some valuable information on 12-string gauges and setups, check out this page at Todd Cambio's Fraulini Guitars website. It has excellent examples of 12-string setups for playing McTell and other artists in your attempt to get an authentic sound.
Warning: once you start putting heavier gauge strings on a 12-string guitar, do not tune to standard concert pitch! Use of these gauges is meant for tuning the guitar low as McTell and others did. Failure to follow this advice could result in your guitar folding in half. No fun. In some of his earlier recordings, McTell does not tune down very far. If you are using heavier gauges, you'll want to be careful. In some cases you may be better off tuning lower and capoing up a bit.
The recordings used for reference in compiling this document are:
- ● Blind Willie McTell 1927-40 Classic Years box set on JSP for prewar material and Library of Congress recordings
- ● Blind Willie McTell and Curley Weaver - The Post-War Years 1949-50 on RST Documents/Document BDCD-6014 for the Regal/SIW recordings
- ● Atlanta Twelve String on Atlantic
- ● Last Session on Prestige/Bluesville (Original Blues Classics)
In the tables below, the song title is followed by playing position, then actual pitch, then Curley Weaver's playing position, if applicable. A "+" symbol means that the pitch is sharp of this key, but less than a fret.
Contents
Prewar Recordings
6-string guitar
Order | Title | Position/tuning | Pitch |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Writin' Paper Blues | E | D+ |
2 | Stole Rider Blues | drop D | C+ |
3 | Mama T'ain't Long Fo' Day | Spanish | F# |
4 | Mr. McTell Got the Blues | C | B-flat+ |
5 | Mr. McTell Got the Blues | C | B-flat |
12-string guitar
Order | Title | Position/tuning | Pitch | Curley Weaver |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Three Women Blues | Vestapol | E-flat | |
2 | Dark Night Blues | C | B | |
3 | Statesboro Blues | drop D | C#+ | |
4 | Loving Talking Blues | G | F# | |
5 | Atlanta Strut | C | B-flat | |
6 | Travelin' Blues | Vestapol | D | |
7 | Come On Around to My House Mama | C | A | |
8 | Kind Mama | C | A+ | |
9 | Teasing Brown | C | B-flat | |
10 | Drive Away Blues | E | C# | |
11 | This Is Not the Stove to Brown Your Bread | C | A | |
12 | Love Changing Blues | Spanish | E | |
13 | Talkin' to Myself | E | C# | |
14 | Razor Ball | C | A+ | |
15 | Southern Can Is Mine | C | A-flat | |
16 | Broke Down Engine Blues | E | C | |
17 | Stomp Down Rider | G | E | |
18 | Scarey Day Blues | E | C# | |
19 | Rough Alley Blues | E | C# | |
20 | Experience Blues | Vestapol | C | |
21 | Painful Blues | C | A | |
22 | Low Rider's Blues | C | A-flat | Spanish |
23 | Georgia Rag | C | A-flat+ | |
24 | Low Down Blues | Spanish | E-flat | Vestapol |
25 | Rollin' Mama Blues | Spanish | C# | Vestapol |
26 | Lonesome Day Blues | C | F# | Spanish |
27 | Mama, Let Me Scoop For You | G | D | |
28 | Searching the Desert for the Blues | E | C | |
29 | Warm It Up to Me | C | A-flat | G |
30 | It's Your Time to Worry | G | D+ | Vestapol |
31 | It's a Good Little Thing | G | E-flat | Vestapol |
32 | You Was Born to Die | Spanish | D | Vestapol |
33 | Lord Have Mercy If You Please | Spanish | D | E |
34 | Don't You See How This World Made a Change | Vestapol | B | E |
35 | Savannah Mama | Vestapol | A | |
36 | Broke Down Engine | E | A+ | |
37 | Broke Down Engine No. 2 | E | A+ | |
38 | My Baby's Gone | G | C | |
39 | Love-Makin' Mama | C | F | G |
40 | Death Room Blues | C | F+ | G |
41 | Death Cell Blues | G | D+ | E |
42 | Lord, Send Me an Angel | E | A | C |
43 | B and O Blues No. 2 (take 1) | G | C#+ | E |
44 | B and O Blues No. 2 (take 2) | G | C#+ | E |
45 | Weary Hearted Blues | A | E-flat | E |
46 | Bell Street Lightnin' | C | F# | G |
47 | Southern Can Mama | C | F# | almost inaudible, likely G |
48 | Runnin' Me Crazy | E | B-flat | C |
49 | East St. Louis Blues (Fare You Well) | E | B-flat | C |
50 | Ain't It Grand to Be a Christian | Vestapol | A-flat | |
51 | We Got to Meet Death One Day | Vestapol | B | |
52 | We Got to Meet Death One Day | Vestapol | B | |
53 | Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around | Vestapol | B+ | |
54 | I Got Religion, I'm So Glad | Vestapol | A-flat | |
55 | Dying Gambler | Vestapol | F#+ | |
56 | God Don't Like It | Vestapol | G | |
57 | Bell Street Blues | C | F# | E |
58 | Let Me Play With Yo' Yo-Yo | C | F# | G |
59 | Lay Some Flowers On My Grave | C | F | G |
60 | Ticket Agent Blues | E | A-flat+ | |
61 | Cold Winter Day | Vestapol | B | Vestapol |
62 | Your Time to Worry | G | C | |
63 | Cooling Board Blues | E | A | A |
64 | Hillbilly Willie's Blues | C | F |
Notes
Library of Congress and Postwar RecordingsNote about McTell's string setup: Frank Basile has determined that on most of McTell's recordings from 1940 on, he used not only an octave on the third course of strings, but on the second course as well. He points out the octave second course can fool your ear into thinking tunes that were actually played in a C position were in G, tunes in D sound like A. For the octave on the second course, Frank used a .012 gauge string. Library of Congress Recordings
Atlantic Recordings
Regal/SIW Recordings
Last Session
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