Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[Forgetful Jones]

After typing the previous message, I re-read your detailed answer to the puzzle and realized what you meant. I almost deleted my message. (probably should have)

Hope it didn't come across as argumentative. I very much appreciate the work you put into the puzzlers. And I like these songs a lot.

Cheers!

[Johnm]

No problem, Forgetful Jones. I should be corrected when I'm wrong. I certainly didn't take it ill.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I have a couple of puzzlers for those of you who are interested. The first is "Trashy Gang Blues", and it features Mott willis on guitar, accompanying Willie Taylor. Here is the song:



The questions on "Trashy Gang Blues" are:
   * What playing position/tuning did Mott Willis use to play the song?
   * Where did Mott Willis fret the bass notes he plays under the first line of each verse?

The second puzzler is Jack Owens' rendition of "Ain't No Lovin', Ain't No Gettin' Along". Here it is:



The questions on "Ain't No Lovin', Ain't No Gettin' Along" are:
   * What playing position/tuning did Jack Owens use to play the song?
   * Where did Jack Owens fret the notes he hits in the bass under the first line of each verse?

Please use only your ears and guitar to arrive at your answers and please don't post any answers before 8:00 AM your time on Thursday, February 15. Thanks for your participation and I hope that you enjoy the songs.

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any takers for the Mott Willis and Jack Owens puzzlers? Come one, come all!
All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

"Trashy Gang" is played in C position, tuned down. Sounds to me like he's sliding up to the 8th fret of the 6th string, 5th fret of 6th and 3rd fret of the 6th to get those bass notes (probably fretting with his left thumb would be my guess).

"Ain't No Lovin" sounds to me like it's in A position, I think tuned to drop D, however – I feel like I can hear the low D droning behind the IV chord when he plays it up the neck. I think Owens is playing the 5th and 4th frets of the lowered 6th string, going for a similar bass line to "Future Blues."

Both very cool tunes!

[blueshome]

Trashy Gang sounds like C at once.
Ain't no lovin hearing the low D but thinking cross note

[frailer24]

Trashy Gang is in C, haven't worked on it much yet.
Ain't No Lovin', A out of drop D, bass notes are 2nd and 4th of the low D string. You can hear that low D pretty clearly halfway through the first verse.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any other takers for the Mott Willis and Jack Owens puzzlers? Come one, come all!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It seems as though everyone who wanted to respond to the Mott Willis and Jack Owens puzzlers has done so by now, so I'll post the answers.

For Mott Willis' "Trashy Gang Blues":
   * His playing position was C in standard tuning
   * In the first line of each verse, he is hitting thumb-popped notes on the sixth string, first sliding from the third fret up to the eighth fret, then returning down to the third fret, via the fifth fret in the first verse, and in all other verses going directly from the eighth to the third fret. What makes the phrasing against the opening line of the verse so distinctive is that he is playing the same pitches on the first string at the same frets, but he off-sets the timing between the bass and the treble with wonderful syncopation.

For Jack Owens' "Ain't No Lovin', Ain't No Gettin' Along":
   * His playing position was A position in dropped-D tuning
   * In the bass in the first line of each verse, he rocks between the second and fourth frets of the sixth string, E to F# (relative to the pitch at which he is tuned), and therefore rocking between a V and  VI note of the A chord in which he's playing. Musically speaking, Jack Owens' house had many rooms--he was anything but a one-trick pony who always played in cross-note. He had other tunes like this one that he used dropped-D tuning to play in A, and on his song, "I Love My Baby", even played in Spanish tuning with the sixth string tuned down to C, something I have never heard any other musician of his generation do.

Thanks to those who responded to the puzzlers, and I hope that you enjoyed the songs.

All best,
Johnm

[Blues Vintage]

I got a puzzler. Here is Blind Blake playing Hard Pushin' Papa.

Out of what guitar position is Blake working here?

How does he play the intro?

What lick is Blake playing exactly after "don't know when to stop" at 0.51 and 2.25?

How does he play the ending?

[Blues Vintage]

I need some help with Hard Pushin' Papa. I don't have all the answers.

It's in G position, standard tuning, capo II.

The intro is basically the same as the end of the repeating turn-around throughout the song. The common country blues turn-around in G.

If anyone can figure out the exact licks he's playing at 0.51 and 2.25?

[banjochris]

For the ending (I don't have a guitar with me so bear with me!) he plays the third fret of the 2nd string and the open 1st string twice in quick succession then comes down hard on a G7 chord. He might still be holding down that D on the 3rd fret of the second string for that last chord.

At 0.51 and 2:25 sounds to me like he's starting on the 1st fret of the 1st string, then playing kind of a roll where he plays 3rd fret 3rd string, open 2nd string, then moves that over and plays 3rd fret 2nd string followed by open 1st string, then right back to the G7 chord, 1st fret 1st string. Hope that makes sense!
Chris

[Blues Vintage]

Thanks Chris, makes sense.
Sounds pretty close, I'll keep working on it.