Topic: Bo Carter's Guitar Style--Queries and Tips

[Johnm]

Hi Ross,
For the most part at that place in the progression, Bo is brushing the open sixth and fifth strings, which don't necessarily go all that well with a C# chord, but it's his tune and that's how he heard and played it.
All best,
Johnm

[One-Eyed Ross]

Thanks.  I'll give that a whirl.  It's easier than finding a finger stretcher.

[obrigadotony]

Hello folks it's been a while.

So I've resolved by the end of January to finish learning all the tunes on the Great John Miller Bo Carter lesson.  I wanted to point out a quirk in the song at the beginning that I hope the rest of you hear:

"Hey, I wonder where?s that policy-writin? man now?"

It seems here that BO cuts his phrase short by one beat at the point he says "now"
If you count each beat of 4/4 in triplets, he seems to stop short on the four beat in order to better accent his lick beginning on the 5th fret (A) of the E string.

I noticed because I kept getting lost when trying to play along with the recording until I took a step back.  I would liken it to when Robert Johnson does a bar of 3/4 in Kind Hearted Woman at the end of the first verse ("4/4 - But all these evil-hearted women; 3/4 - Man they will not let me be"

John - Am I hearing this correctly?  I'm hearing this type of thing more and more as my ear develops and it's really cool (I think another example is Jessie Mae Hemphill in that tune she does on the Deep Blues doc - I have to check that out again!)

[Johnm]

Yup, you are sure enough right, Nick.  Bo is short in his second bar, because he sort of rushes his phrasing on"is that policy-writin' man now".  Normally, he would hit the word "now" on the + of beat four in the second bar, and hold it into the downbeat of the third bar when he begins his instrumental response lick, but in that first line he arrives there on the + of beat three, and starts the fill on what would have been beat four.
It's another reminder of how phrase length and pulse are more important than metric consistency in this music.
All best,
Johnm

[obrigadotony]

Here is a query for anyone who plays or loves the song "Pussycat Blues"   I've been working at it and while on paper it looks rather simple, this is a really tough one to play convincingly and with a bit of attitude.

I'm hearing something unorthodox just before Bo does his walk down on the high E string (5th fret, 4th fret, 2nd fret) in order to get to the E7 Chord.  Before he plays the A on the 5th fret, 1st string, I'm hearing an E and a C#.  It seems to come out of nowhere the first time but Bo repeats this little 'preamble' to the walk-down lick often throughout the song.

Any ideas out there as to what he is doing?  To me it sounds most like he is picking the E on the 5th fret second string and also picking the C# on 2nd fret 2nd string.   This just seems odd to me but I guess that's what makes Bo so great.  I can't see him using the open E string given the that he seems to be riding the "Long A" chord shape.  It also doesn't sound like he is doing a pull-off.

I'm  interested to hear anyone out there who has listened to this track closely...

Nick

[Johnm]

Hi Nick,
I assume you're talking about the "Pussy Cat Blues" that Bo played out of A position in standard tuning, not the one he played in E position.  Could you name the time (minutes and seconds) in the rendition that you're talking about?  In the long A, I just hear Bo hitting the C# on the B string and the A note at the fifth fret of the first string, if you're talking about the beginning of the song.  Also, he hits the third fret of the first string, not the fourth fret, when he walks down to the E7 chord.  Please indicate more exactly where in his rendition you're questioning.
All best,
Johnm

[obrigadotony]

Hi John - yes I'm talking about Pussy Cat Blues in A position, standard tuning that I learned with your DVD lesson.

The first instance of the C# happens 4 seconds in and is just as you say - he is only hitting the C# - I realize this after giving the tune a listen after reading your note.  For some reason my brain is 'filling in' an E but it's clearly not there which is why it sounded so funny when I played the E.

Even now listening, my brain still 'trying' to hear that E note. Funny how the mind works.  Thanks John. 

[Chezztone]

There's an E on the fourth string, Nick, you're probably hearing that one. Ch.

[Mmaddox]

I?ve been trying to learn dinner blues by bo Carter in open D tuning. According to John Miller the opening chord is a strange chord that anticipates the tonic . To my ear the chord slides up to the tonic . Prob doesn?t matter much but I play it sliding up. Any thoughts?

[Johnm]

Hi,
John Miller here.  I assume you're talking about the verse accompaniment.  If you are, Bo does not slide the chord up into the tonic, he bounces it in place. 
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I merged the recent thread on Bo's "Dinner Blues" into his "Queries and Tips" thread.
All best,
Johnm