Topic: Snigglin' Blues - Frankie mp3

[frankie]

Just whipped this up in the kitchen (really...).  It's still rough.  How can anybody sing over this?!?

[Slack]

Cool!

I'm sure you'll figure out how to sing over it, no doubts. 

cheers,

[frankie]

Uff!  Right now I feel like I need to grow another brain...

[Slack]

Maybe this will make you feel better.  I'm working on Little Son Jackson's 'Gamblers Blues', the guitar part under the vocal, very simple, bur is the same for all three lines of the verse (all sung over the one), - and I'm having a helluva time trying to stop my voice from following the damn guitar part! 

So I can;t even imgaine attempting Snigglin Blues. 

cheers,
slack

[frankie]

Well, here's crack #2.? I streamlined the thumb a little this time around...? listening to the original, it seemed to me that BB's playing is more sparse than I initially thought.? I also noticed that on the first two verses, he sounds like he's trying to add 2 beats onto the beginning of the (essentially) 16 beat guitar riff to accommodate the beginning of his vocal phrase.? He doesn't completely work it out, though...? even though when he does the 2nd fret bend on the 1st string, he ends up making the phrase 2 beats longer in that spot.? After the second verse, he sounds to me like he gives up trying to add the two extra beats at the top of the riff and starts his vocal phrase with the guitar riff (which starts on the "and" of 4).

The way I worked out the right hand as kind of a dialogue between the thumb and the index finger.? Oversimplifying:? thumb, brush, brush - thumb, brush, brush.? There's only one phrase that really seems to incorporate an underlying bass pulse.? Not sure I "have it", though.

Still trying to work out exactly how I'm going to approach singing it...

[Slack]

Sounds like you are pretty darn close to "having it" to me.  Nice job.

Sorry, cannot help you with the singing.

[Johnm]

Hi Frank,
It is sounding pretty darn good.  One place I am hearing consistently different than what you are playing--as you begin each vocal phrase of the first two lines of the verses, I hear you hammering to the second fret of the fourth string, followed by an open third string, followed by a brief pause, then a first fret second string resolving to an open second string.  When I listened back to Barefoot Bill, it sounded to me like he was hitting an open first string consistently where you have the pause between the open third string and the first fret of the second string.  Putting that open first string into what is currently the pause would follow the vocal phrasing closer, too.    The vocal entrance would coincide with the open first string.  I may have it dead wrong, though.  My version is on vinyl and has been played a lot.  It's a little hard to hear. 
I find this kind of time--driving, but perfectly straight up and down, not swung at all, really challenging.  It reminds me of some Robert Wilkins tunes like "I'll Go With Her" and "Falling Down Blues".  Keep up the good work.  It's a really cool tune and I have never heard anybody play it other than Barefoot Bill.
All best,
John

[frankie]

One place I am hearing consistently different than what you are playing--as you begin each vocal phrase of the first two lines of the verses, I hear you hammering to the second fret of the fourth string, followed by an open third string, followed by a brief pause, then a first fret second string resolving to an open second string.? When I listened back to Barefoot Bill, it sounded to me like he was hitting an open first string consistently where you have the pause between the open third string and the first fret of the second string.?

In my first crack at it, I was putting a bass note in the place you're describing, which in retrospect felt too "banjo-esque", although it strikes me as an interesting way to use the thumb in general.? It had nothing to do with what I thought he was doing, it's just what my thumb felt like doing...

I was toying around with the open 1st string idea this morning and listening to the original - there certainly is some kind of treble brush going on there, as well as at the end of the guitar line where he plays the open 6th string followed by the 6th string, second fret.? Every time I listen, I hear something else...

It's a really cool tune and I have never heard anybody play it other than Barefoot Bill.

Me, neither...

Thanks for all the encouragement, guys!

[frankie]

I think I worked out the last of the conceptual kinks in the guitar line - it's still rough playing.  There's a little brush that happens over the bass run at the end of the riff that, for some reason, makes me think of Junior Kimbrough.  The way the thumb moves reminds me a little of Furry Lewis and the way he'll double up on his bass notes - that's the way I interpreted some of it, anyway.  I'm not sure that I'm duplicating exactly what his right hand is doing, but I think I might be close in a couple of spots.

It's amazing how wrong one can be about that kind of stuff, though...

[Slack]

Sounds great Frank, very interesting to hear your progress through the various takes - and it really provides a nice "road map" for anyone who wants to play the tune - thanks for doing the audio sharing!

[frankie]

Thanks, Slack.  I hope I'm not eating up too much server space.  I've been trying to keep the clips short & to the point, although I understand if people don't find this particularly entertaining.  It's the first time that I've taken the time to record my progress as I try to understand a tune.  I'm not sure if it's entirely a fruitful enterprise (or even remotely interesting to anyone else), but it's weird to listen to the three takes and hear how the tune changes (subtly, in some cases) as I listen & play more.  There are two more spanish tunes that I want to get through (Levee Camp Moan and Black Gipsy Blues) - not sure that I'll do the whole thing in such a public way with those, though.

Then there are a couple of tunes in standard G that are kind of 'outside' sounding and interesting (to me, anyway):  Ramblin' Thomas' Sawmill Moan and Sam Butler's Some Scream High Yellow.  I might do something on the forum with one or both of those - plenty of lyrical and right-hand challenges with those two!

A boy's gotta have goals...

[Slack]

Thanks, Slack.  I hope I'm not eating up too much server space.  I've been trying to keep the clips short & to the point, although I understand if people don't find this particularly entertaining.  It's the first time that I've taken the time to record my progress as I try to understand a tune.  I'm not sure if it's entirely a fruitful enterprise

Hi Frank,

Don't worry about the server space, we've got a gig and  I'd like to encourage you to do more 'audio interaction' - I don't see any other forums doing this kind of thing for listening/figuring out either guitar parts or lyrics... which is a cool thing to do, IMO.

The forum software has a nice 'attachment manager' - and if space gets short, we'll just start deleting the oldest attachments (or get more space).  Always good to keep files as small as possible - but have at it and make use of this thing.

 

[Johnm]

Hi Frank,
I just listened to version 3--sounds great.  The flow is sounding more continuous and unimpeded.  That straight up and down "strong" time is coming through--like James Brown says, "Hit the one!".  I agree with John D., it's very illuminating to hear the piece evolve as you work things through and get more comfortable with it.  By the time you get done "snigglin'", you are steady going to know this song!
All best,
John

[frankie]

It's slowly starting to come together as I play it more, and I'm starting to take little chips out of the vocal.  I'm not so sure I can muster up the courage to post my vocal progress...  P.U.!

[uncle bud]

Sounding good Frank. A cool tune that's, frankly, rendered cooler by hearing it broken down like this and worked through. Singing it - well, even without having to play over that guitar part, the singing is going to be a challenge, I'd say. Barefoot Bill certainly hits the higher range...