Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[Old Man Ned]

Memphis Minnie's "Chickasaw Train Blues" I'm hearing in C and I'm being reminded of Big Bill Broonzy.

Walter Vinson's playing on "The World Is Going Wrong" I'm hearing in G using the open G tuning rather than standard. I keep hearing the 5th open G followed by a slide on the 6th string from the 2nd to 4th fret and then the open 5th string again that is making me go with the open G tuning.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any other takers for the Memphis Minnie and Walter Vinson puzzlers? Come one, come all!
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It appears that everyone who wanted to respond to the Memphis Minnie and Walter Vinson puzzlers has done so, so I will post the answers.

For Memphis Minnie's "Chickasaw Train Blues":
   * Her playing position was C position in standard tuning, as everyone who responded had it. Good!
   * The fill in the third measure of her verse accompaniments is played like so: Beat one has a chromatic triplet descending the first string, third, second first fret. Beat two has a triplet going from the fourth fret of the second string to the open first string to the first fret of the second string. Beat three has a triplet descending the third string, third fret, second fret, open, and beat four has a triplet going from the first to the second fret on the fourth string resolving to the third fret of the fifth string. Minnie thumps away on her open sixth string under the run, hitting on all four beats. Dave had this run mapped out perfectly, well done!
   * I agree with the responders that Minnie's playing and rhythmic feel on this song particularly bring to mind the playing of Big Bill Broonzy.

In response to Prof Scratchy's query as to where Minnie did the bend to C in her out solo around 2:54, I would guess at the fourth fret of the third string, then immediately moving the little finger down to the unbent third fret there for the Bb note that follows. I suppose she could have gotten the bend to C at the third fret as well, but that would be a pretty extreme bend of a whole step to be that close to the nut, where even an unwound third string would be fairly taut and hard to bend that far in pitch.

For Walter Vinson's playing on The Mississippi Sheiks' "The World Has Gone Wrong":
   * I believe he was playing in G in EGDGBE tuning, a tuning I had only previously encountered in the playing of Tommy Johnson, who used it to play in C. He could not be playing in G position in standard tuning because in his opening phrase he slides up the sixth string to a G note and then brushes a G on the fifth string and a D on the fourth string on the downbeat of the measure, so this suggests at the very least, his fifth string was tuned down to G. In the treble, he never plays higher than a I note, G on the first string, so it would be easier to execute if he left the first string at E, meaning he'd never have to fret above the third fret. At this stage of the process, I thought he was in DGDGBE, as Dave had it, but in listening to the remainder of the tune I noticed that at a couple of places toward the end of his rendition he thumps on a low VI note E, listen at 2:40 to hear it, and it would be counter-intuitive to be hitting that note while still fretting actively in the treble, unless it was an open string that didn't need to be fretted to be sounded.
   * For the fill, he brushes the third fret of the first string and the open second string on the + of beat one, and on beat two plays a triplet going from the first fret of the first string to the third fret of the second string and back. On beat three he plays a descending chromatic triplet on the second string, third, second, first fret. and on beat four he plays a triplet going from the third fret of the third string to the open second string, dividing the last note of the triplet into two sixteenth notes which are the open third string and second fret of the four string, resolving to the open third string on the down beat of the last measure.

I hope that folks enjoyed the songs, and thanks to Prof, Dave and Old Man Ned for participating. I'll look for some more puzzlers.
All best,
Johnm 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I have a couple of new puzzlers for those of you who are interested, both performed by Lester McFarland, an early Country musician who was probably best known to audiences of his day as a member of the duo Mac and Bob (Gardner), who recorded over 200 titles from the '20s into the '30s, on most of which McFarland played mandoin. Both players were blind, and met in a school for the blind. Despite not normally being featured on guitar in the duo's recordings, McFarland recorded a number of solo sides, and he was really a good player. The two puzzlers are his versions of "Chattanooga Blues" and "Joe Turner's Blues". Here is "Chattanooga Blues":



For Lester McFarland's "Chattanooga Blues":
   * What playing position/tuning did he use to play the song?
   * Where did he fret the little interior moving vamp behind his singing of the first four bars of his verses?
   * What later, better known Hillbilly Blues recording was obviously based on "Chattanooga Blues", and who recorded it?

Here is "Joe Turner's Blues:



SPOKEN EXCHANGE: Unnamed woman: Listen here, Joe, you all done goin' away, leave me here? Lester: Gal, if you don't b'lieve I's leavin' you, you just listen, while I sings you this song. Unnamed woman: Boy, I sure is gonna listen.

INTRO

Sweet babe, I'm gonna leave you, and the time ain't long
No, the time ain't long
You don't believe I'll leave you, 'til the day I'm gone

You'll never miss your water 'til your well goes dry
'Til your well goes dry
You'll never miss your baby, 'til he says goodbye

Then you'll be sorry, oh, sorry to your heart
Sorry to your heart
Someday, babe, you and I must part

And every time you hear a whistle blow
Hear a steamboat blow
You'll think of the day you lost your Joe

SOLO

Then you'll be sorry, oh, sorry to your heart
Sorry to your heart
Someday, babe, you and I must part

And every time you hear a whistle blow
Hear a steamboat blow
You'll think of the day you lost your Joe

For "Joe Turner's Blues":
   * What playing positions/tunings did Lester mcFarland use to play the song?
   * Where was the interior ascending/descending line behind the singing of the opening of the first verse fretted?
   * What is the IV chord of the second playing position that he modulates to and ends the song in?

Please use only your ears and guitars to arrive at your answers, and please don't post any answers before 8:00 AM your time on Thursday, March 25. Thanks for your participation and I hope you enjoy the songs.

All best,
Johnm

[rein]

I ll give my answers backwards but it is the same song as Johnson City Blues by Clarence Greene (which I have to admit I never heard until a facebook performance by someone led me to your lesson on that song, thanks for that !),that one is in A, but I don't think this one is in A( the bend  note in the intro that resolves to the tonic). my idea is that is played in G position, and the phrase behind the vocals is on the D string between the 6(E) on the 2nd fret and the open string.

I am not through puzzling on joe turner, but it is funny that he quotes the song that Mance Lipscomb recorded as Ain' t you sorry.
Greetings, rein

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any other takers for the Lester McFarland puzzlers? come one, come all!
All best,
Johnm

[MarkC]

John -
Can you clarify your second question regarding Joe Turner? Currently reads:

 “Where did the interior ascending/descending line behind the singing of the opening of the first verse?”

[Johnm]

Hi Mark,
Thanks for the catch. I changed to language to say what I had intended it to say.
All best,
John

[MarkC]

Joe Turner’s Blues - sounds like standard tuning, starts in C.

Interior ascending/descending line is on the G string when he’s playing a C chord, same phrasing when he goes to an F chord, then the line is on the B string.

I think it modulates to F, the IV chord is Bb. In F, I think he’s playing alternating bass starting on the fourth string F, alternating with the C on the fifth string.

Sounds like mostly first position cowboy chords to me (except for the Bb, which isn’t really a cowboy chord). Sounds to me like he may have been a fan of Blind Lemon Jefferson.

[Prof Scratchy]

Just spotted this puzzler. I’m puzzled, but I’ll say E standard for the first and C standard for the second.

[MarkC]

Chattanooga Blues

As the Professor said, I agree that it’s in E standard, but tuned down a half step to Eb (slightly sharp I think).

He’s playing cowboy chords for E, A7 and B7 (all a half step flat, but I’m writing it as if in E). He also slides the B7 up two frets.

The interior vamp - sounds to me like a first position E chord, with the melody of the vamp on the open high E, the C# (6th) and the open B on the B string.

As Rein said, Johnson City Blues is the song based on this one.

The County Sales album “Old Time Mountain Blues” that includes the Johnson City Blues recording also has Lester’s K.C. Whistle Blues, done with slide guitar.

Are Chattanooga Blues and Joe Turner Blues on any reissue albums? I think both songs are really great.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any other takers for the Lester McFarland puzzlers? Come one, come all--answer one question or all of them.
All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

Sounds like mostly first position cowboy chords to me (except for the Bb, which isn’t really a cowboy chord). Sounds to me like he may have been a fan of Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Agree, before he modulates it sounds like he's trying to imitate "Dry Southern Blues."
Chris

[Old Man Ned]

Almost missed the bus for this one.

 Lester McFarland's "Chattanooga Blues":
   E standard for playing position/tuning

"Joe Turner's Blues":
   C standard for playing positions/tuning

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I'll post the answers for the two Lester McFarland puzzlers, "Chattanooga Blues" and "Joe Turner's Blues". Here they are:

For "Chattanooga Blues":
   * His playing position was E position in standard tuning, as most of those who responded had it.
   * The interior movement that he frets behind the I chord in the first four bars of the verse occurs on his third and second strings, with him rocking from the first fret of the third string and the open second string, where those strings are in the E position, to an open third string and the second fret of the second string, which suggest an A7 (IV7) chord.
This wonderfully economical way of rocking between a I chord and a IV7 chord will always work if you start by voicing the third and the fifth of the I chord (and they can be inverted, with the fifth being the lower-pitched voice and the third the higher-pitched voice), and then resolving the third downward in pitch by one half-step, and the fifth upward in pitch by one whole step. In doing that, you change the third to a flat third, which then functions as the flat seventh of the IV chord, and you change the fifth to a sixth, which then functions as the third of the IV chord. Try it in other keys, and I venture to guess that you'll encounter some left hand moves you've already utilized in other tunes. It's great when something so simple and elegant also sounds so good.
  * The song that covered "Chattanooga Blues" was Clarence Greene's "Johnson City Blues", which many of you had. Clarence Greene's altogether different approach on the guitar made his cover so effective and so much his own.

For "Joe Turner's Blues":
   * His playing position was C position in standard tuning, as I think everyone had it.
   * In his I chord in his verse accompaniments when playing in C, Lester McFarland walked up the third string in the middle of his C chord, open, second fret, third fret, and walked back down in reverse. It is similar to what Lemon did on "Dry Southern Blues" under his C chord, though Lemon just rocked between the open third string and the second fret of the third string, never venturing up to the third fret.
   * The IV chord of the key to which Lester McFarland modulated was indeed Bb, as Mark C had it.

I think it's interesting that in Mac And Bob, the long-time and very popular duo that Lester McFarland recorded in,
he played mandolin on the great majority of the tracks. He sure played guitar well for someone for whom it was not even his main instrument. He had another track, "K. C. Whistle", that you can find elsewhere on this site, probably in this thread, that is really a nice slide piece in Vestapol.

Thanks to all who participated, and I hope folks enjoyed the songs.

All best,
Johnm