Topic: Tunes in Each Position

[Annabel]

Hi Everyone!

I'm new here (new to country blues as well), coming as a result of John Miller's fantastic lessons through Grossman's Guitar Workshop. Nerd that I am, I'd like to make a systematic study of each position, learning tunes in each that have some of the most common licks. I'm learning good licks from John's Ear Training DVDs, but would like to learn some complete tunes in each position. I've begun compiling a list from what John mentions in the video, but there are so many songs and I like all of them. Could anyone recommend 3 or 4 really essential tunes every self-respecting country blues guitarist should know in each position that I could start with? (I haven't tackled open tunings and dropped D yet). Below is the list I've compiled so far. I hope there aren't any mistakes! If so, please let me know.

Nice to meet you all.

C Position

Diddie Wah Diddie?Blind Blake (and also John Jackson)
Bad Luck Blues ?Blind Lemon Jefferson
I?m Satisfied ?Mississippi John Hurt
Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight ?Mississippi John Hurt
Ain?t No Tellin??Mississippi John Hurt
I Shall Not Be Moved ?Mississippi John Hurt
Blessed be the Name ?Mississippi John Hurt
Police Sergeant Blues- Robert Wilkins
Alabama Blues-Robert Wilkins
He?s in the Jailhouse Now-Blind Blake
I?m Busy and You Can?t Come in?Sylvester Weaver
That Won?t Do?Arthur Petties
Billy Lyons and Stack O?Lee?Furry Lewis

A Position

Sally Long?Sam McGee
I?m A Rattlesnakin? Daddy?Blind Boy Fuller
Weeping Willow?Blind Boy Fuller
Farewell to You Baby?Carl Martin
Seven Sister Blues?Edward Thompson
Drunken Spree?Skip James
When the Hearse Roll Me From My Door?Buddy Moss
Kind Hearted Woman Blues?Robert Johnson
Little Queen of Spades?Robert Johnson
Me and the Devil Blues?Robert Johnson
Coffee Blues?Mississippi John Hurt

G Position

Sleepy Man Blues?Bukka White
Down the Big Road Blues?Matie Delaney
Honey Baby Your Papa Cares for You?Elizabeth Cotten
Spike Driver Blues?Mississippi John Hurt
Salty Dog ?Mississippi John Hurt
If I Miss the Train?Mance Lipscomb
Casy Jones?Mississippi John Hurt
New Highway 51?Tommy McLennan
Step it Up and Go?Blind Boy Fuller

E Position

Saturday Blues?Shirley Griffith
Avalon Blues?Mississippi John Hurt
Cow Hooking Blues ?Mississippi John Hurt
Oh Mary Don?t You Weep?Mississippi John Hurt
Lazy Blues ?Mississippi John Hurt
Depot Blues?Son House
Hey, Hey Baby?Big Bill Broonzy
One Dime Blues?Blind Lemon Jefferson
Beulah Land ?Mississippi John Hurt
One Thin Dime?Mance Lipscomb
Florida Bound?Edward Thompson
Babe You Got to do Bette?Blind Boy Fuller
Prison Cell Blues?Blind Lemon Jefferson
Railroad Blues?Sam McGee
Deep Blue Sea Blues?Tommy McLennan

D Position

Big Leg Blues ?Mississippi John Hurt
Fishing Blues?Henry Thomas
Since I?ve Laid My Burden Down ?Mississippi John Hurt
Fare Thee Well Blues?Joe Calicott
Tallahatchie River Blues?Mattie Delaney
See See Rider ?Mississippi John Hurt

F Position (I haven't gotten to this video yet, so I only have the ones mentioned in the booklet so far)

Turtle Dove Blues?Peg Leg Howell
Shake it and Break it?Charley Patton

[Pan]

Hi Annabel.

I won't make any recommendations for tunes -too many to choose for me, and I can't get around to decide what is essential and what is not! 

Nevertheless, you could look for the WeeniePedia page on the left margin, and you'll find these categories on the musicianship department. Plenty to songs to pick up in each position, and you could follow the links to the actual threads discussing the songs.

http://weeniecampbell.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Guitar

Such as the "Adventures in F position" -thread, among other things.

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?Itemid=114&topic=1131.0

Also check the "tags" link on top of this page, to find topics.

I hope this helps.

Oh, and welcome to Weenie Campbell! Have fun!

Cheers

Pan

[Annabel]

Thanks for the suggestions, Pan, I appreciate them.

[funkapus]

As a relative neophyte, I am confused.  What's the difference here between "position" and "key"?

I've sometimes seen people refer to a first-position G major scale vs. a second-position G major scale etc.  Similar sort of thing?

[Johnm]

Hi funkapus,
Key is the key at which a performance sounds, position is the position that the piece is played out of.  So if Charley Jordan played "Hunkie Tunkie" out of E position capoed to the fifth fret, he would be sounding in the key of A, but playing the song out of the E position.  Playing position and tuning are the crucial factors in determining how a piece was played, because a person may be tuned low, tuned to standard tuning and playing without a capo, or capoed way up the neck, and if you have the playing position identified correctly, you should be able to figure out how to play the song.  If you get the playing position wrong, you're going to have a difficult time playing what the person played, even if the key at which you're playing matches the key at which the song was recorded.  You might look and listen to the examples and read the discussions in the "What is this Musician doing?" thread to get some additional insights as to how you can determine playing position/tuning by ear.
And hi to Annabel and welcome to Weenie Campbell!
All best,
Johnm 

[NotRevGDavis]

funkapus
John didn't mention this but his DVD Improving Your Ear for the Country Blues Guitarist is extremely helpful for understanding "position".
It may be years before I get it as good as most people here but it has helped me understand more about how to figure songs out and where to play them correctly.

[Pan]

Hi all

Reading this thread again, I just realized that I had used the terms "key" and "position" interchangeably in my previous post, which I have now edited. Apologies if I have added to the confusion! 

Pan

[Annabel]

I just realized on the Guitar Workshop site that Stefan Grossman has two lessons in the format I was talking about (tunes classified by position to teach the licks in each): His 3 DVD Country Blues Guitar and his How to Play Blues Guitar Combo set.

I'd still love to see a John Miller DVD set with this format, though. 

[funkapus]

Hi funkapus,
Key is the key at which a performance sounds, position is the position that the piece is played out of.  So if Charley Jordan played "Hunkie Tunkie" out of E position capoed to the fifth fret, he would be sounding in the key of A, but playing the song out of the E position.

Hi John.  So just to make sure I understand, position (as used here) can be thought of as the chord shape used to make the root chord of the piece?  So if a song is played in the key of C#, using A-D-E chord shapes with a capo on the 4th fret, one would speak of playing the piece in the A position?

[Johnm]

Yes, that is right, Chris.
All best,
Johnm