Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[Old Man Ned]

I've not got a lot further with the Robert Curtis Smith puzzler but if pressed now I would say, without much confidence, Dminor though I haven't got a clue about the IV and V chords.

[Prof Scratchy]

Still a mystery to me, I'm afraid!

[blueshome]

I?m hearing Vasterpol at Eb with the usual 1st position IV and V chords.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It seems like a good time to post the answers to the Robert Curtis Smith puzzler on "Calvary", since the most recent response came in four days ago.  Here are the answers:

For Robert Curtis Smith's performance of "Calvary":
   * His playing position was G position in dropped-D tuning, tuned a half-step low, so that he was sounding in the key of F#.  The steps in establishing that as his playing position will be outlined below. 
   * Adjusting for Robert Curtis Smith's having been tuned a half-step low, Prof Scratchy's response in his first answer was spot on, for Robert Curtis Smith played both his IV chord and his V chord as ninth chords, fingered X-3-2-3-3-3 and X-5-4-5-5-5, respectively.

The easiest aspect of the song to hear, I think, was the two ninth chords that Robert Curtis Smith played for his IV and V chords.  The use of them would suggest that he was either playing in G position or A position.  In fact, the melody, which he phrases right underneath his singing, sits in a beautifully convenient and economical way in the left hand, when playing in G position, going from a hammer from the third to the fifth fret on the fifth string, continuing up to the third fret of the fourth string, moving upward to the fifth fret of the fourth string, and upward from there to the third fret of the third string.  You can fret all of these melody notes by using your index finger to fret the notes at the third fret and your third or ring finger to fret the notes at the fifth fret.  When he resolves to a full I chord, around 11:45 on the attached link, he plays it as a 7#9 chord, fingered with the Root, G, played at the fifth fret of the sixth string, and the remainder of the chord fretted as follows:  X-5-4-6-6.  Up to that point, and through most of the first verse, it seems plausible that he was simply playing in G position in standard tuning.  At 12:08, though, near the end of the first verse, he plays a little ascending line on the sixth string going from a low V note up to a bVII note.  Were he playing in G position in standard tuning, that low V note would not be available, so the only other possibility given the other chord positions that he played is that he was playing in G position in dropped-D tuning, which would make that low V note available.  I should add that I think that Robert Curtis Smith almost certainly fretted that low root at the fifth fret of the sixth string with a thumb wrap. 

Is the Lonnie Johnson/Bo Carter DGDGBE tuning, and using it to play in G position a possibility?  Not really, because Robert Curtis Smith voiced both his IV and V chords with their roots on the fifth string.  The DGDGBE tuning would require him to finger them at X-5-2-3-3-3 for the IV chord and X-7-4-5-5-5 for the V chord, making them implausible knuckle-busters.

I don't know how many of you have listened to all of Robert Curtis Smith's songs on the link that had "Calvary" on it, but he plays every single one of those songs in dropped-D tuning, a playing position and tuning he never employed on either his Prestige Bluesville album or the tracks of his that were released on Arhoolie.  Of these later recordings on the link, all but two were played in dropped-D tuning in D position.  The other two were played in dropped-D tuning in G position, and those songs were "Calvary" and "Milky White Way" which immediately precedes "Calvary" on the link.  Robert Curtis Smith's tuning is a bit rough on some of those tracks, but they are definitely worth listening to, and his sound in dropped-D tuning was all his own.

Thanks to Prof Scratchy, Old Man Ned and blueshome for participating in the puzzler, which I think might have been the toughest in the whole series.  I hope folks liked "Calvary" and found these later tracks by Robert Curtis Smith as exciting as I have found them.

All best,
Johnm

[Prof Scratchy]

Wow! A puzzler indeed. I don?t think I?d have worked that out in a month of Sundays, but it seems obvious when explained!


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[blueshome]

May have been tough but it proves yet again that I?ve a tin ear to be so far off.

[Old Man Ned]

For me, that was the toughest puzzler yet. My gut feeling was that he was playing out of G, but the dropped G tuning I would never have got. It still messes with my head that Mance Lipsomb has played in A out of a dropped D tuning. I good lesson learnt though, and a reminder to me why I love this music so much. These guys like Robert Curtis Smith are so inventive. I love that G7#9 chord.

Thanks, as always, for the detailed explanation John.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I hope that all of you who are interested in the song will try to work it out in G position in dropped-D tuning, working from Robert Curtis Smith's recording.  Remember to get in tune with him first, approximately half a step down from standard tuning--otherwise it is way too confusing to try to reproduce what he's playing a half-step away from where he is sounding.  The trickiest move in the song, which he does a couple of times, involves moving quickly from the G he is fretting at the fifth fret of the sixth string up to a Bb, played either at the eighth fret of the sixth string or the first fret of the fifth string, then resolving upward into the C note at the third fret of the fifth string.

As it turns out, playing in G in dropped-D tuning has some real advantages, in addition to having that wonderful sounding low root for your V chord.  If any of you have heard my second Blue Goose album, "How About Me", I played the title track out of G position in dropped-D tuning.  I later discovered that dropped-D works exceptionally well for a host of positions, including F, C, and A, as well as G.  One of the nicest features of playing in dropped-D for positions other than D is that it enables you to play a low root on the sixth string for chords played out of the D position up the neck.  Give it a try--you might find that you really like it.  And you don't have to necessarily play the sixth string with a thumb wrap if that is uncomfortable for you.  You may find that either the third or fourth finger can work well fretting the sixth string, too. It really makes a lot of things available that are not reachable in standard tuning.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I have a new puzzler for those of you who are interested.  The song is "Peach Tree Blues", as performed by the Tennessee musician Charley Sangster.  Here it is:



The questions on Charley Sangster's "Peach Tree Blues" are:
   * What playing position/tuning did he use to play the song?
   * Where is he fretting his V7 chords?

Please use only your ears and your guitars to arrive at your answers, and please don't post any answers before 8:00 AM your time on Friday, August 24.  Thanks for your participation and I hope you enjoy the song.
All best,
Johnm

[blueshome]

No one else?s head going on the block so....
Standard tuning key of G capoed up a little. V7 played out of C7 position from 3rd fret.

[Prof Scratchy]

I agree with blueshome!


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[Old Man Ned]

That's the same that I've up with too.

[Johnm]

Thanks to blueshome, Prof Scratchy and Old Man Ned for their responses to the Charley Sangster puzzlers.  Anyone else care to respond?  Come one, come all!
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It doesn't appear that anyone else is going to respond to the Charley Sangster puzzler, "Peach Tree Blues", so I'll post the answers.  Here goes:

For Charley Sangster's "Peach Tree Blues":
   * His playing position was G position in standard tuning
   * He played his V7 chords using a C7 shape moved up two frets.

In this instance, blueshome had both questions nailed in the initial response to the questions, and Prof Scratchy and Old Man Ned concurred, so it was an instance of every response being correct in all regards--well done!  Thanks to you guys for responding and I hope that people enjoyed Charley Sangster's rendition of the song.  I'll look for another puzzler to post soon.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I have a new puzzler for those of you who are interested.  It is Lattie Murrell's "Blues For Mattie Mae".  Here it is:



The questions on "Blues For Mattie Mae" are:
   * What playing position/tuning did Lattie Murrell use to play the song?
   * What is the earliest point in the rendition at which you could identify the playing position/tuning?
   * How is Lattie Murrell playing the passage from :11--:14?

Please use only your ears and your guitars to arrive at your answers, and please don't post any answers before 8:00 AM your time on Sunday, September 9.  Thanks for your participation, and I hope you enjoy "Blues For Mattie Mae".
All best,
Johnm