Topic: Jesse Thomas' Guitar Playing--Queries and Tips

[uncle bud]

Been fooling around with some Jesse Thomas stuff. I'm really curious about "My Heart's a Rolling Stone". This guitar part is very hard to put a finger (or fingers) on. Seems to bounce all over the place, from the lower register to a much higher one up around the 10 to 12 fret range. It seems to be played out of some kind of G position, and I am wondering whether it is possibly played out of G6 tuning, aka the Bo Carter tuning - DGDGBE. Thomas was influenced by Lonnie Johnson, whose guitar work I know very little about playing, though do know some people say he also used G6 tuning. No idea if he did or not. G6 tuning would allow for some of the quick changes between the lower and higher registers. I haven't heard Lonnie play anything like this myself.

Anyway, this one his me a bit mystified - does anyone have any opinions as to whether this is played in G6 tuning or not?

[uncle bud]

What, no Jesse fans?  OK, I'll add the music file for those who might be willing to provide input but don't have the song, which is admittedly a bit obscure.



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[Pan]

Hi Andrew.

I listened to the mp3 you provide. I'm not an expert on open tunings, but to me it sounds like the top strings are in standard tuning. The G6, and G triad chord forms, and the cool runs in thirds seem to indicate this to me.

The bass G note could maybe be fretted with the thumb, but tuning the 5th string down to a G would be much easier and big jumps could be avoided. Also, on the IV or C chord I hear the 5th or G on bottom, not C, which also suggests to me that you're right, and the tuning is DGDGBE as you suspected.

Let's hope someone more knowledgeable on open tunings will confirm. I hope this helped a little.

Cheers

Pan

p.s. cool tune.

[uncle bud]

Hi Pan - thanks for the thoughts on this. Your reasoning is much as mine was. One of the tricky aspects of this song for me is that I have no frame of reference for the "sound" he's getting with G6 tuning, if he is indeed in it. It's not like it sounds like a Bo Carter song or something.

I agree, cool tune.  I think Jesse was something like 18 years old at these first recording sessions. Jeez...

[CF]

Hey gang. I've been making an effort lately to learn some new tunes & this is one I used to play around with a bit in 'C' position. Listening to it last night it sounded to me like it is in 'G' position, capoed at the first fret. The lick leading into the E-A-D-G progression is pretty tricky-sounding & I just couldn't find it yesterday. It's not exactly like the standard 'G' position rag lick that you find a lot in Blake & even Fuller (ex. Fuller's 'Let Me Lay It On You'). Does 'G' position, capoed first sound right to you guys? Has anyone else here tackled this song before? [I'm interneting from the library lately so if i don't respond immediately, that's why]. I'm going to go over it again tonight & see if I can figure it out but any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[uncle bud]

Hi CF - I've worked on this, though not recently and never got it to where I wanted (could say that about most tunes I guess). G position is correct. The signature riff is tricky and I have not quite got the bass movement and fake it a bit - he goes early to an F# before going back to G to descend into the E position  - G, F#, E - and I still can't get it. The whole thing is one of the coolest moves I've heard. I love where he goes from the C to B7 later too ( G - G7 - C - B7 and back to G).

I can get into more detail later if you want.

[banjochris]

I believe Woody Mann tabbed this tune out in his Six Black Blues Guitarists/Six Early Blues Guitarists from Oak.
Chris

[GhostRider]

I believe Woody Mann tabbed this tune out in his Six Black Blues Guitarists/Six Early Blues Guitarists from Oak.
Chris

Chris is correct.

Alex

[uncle bud]

he goes early to an F# before going back to G to descend into the E position  - G, F#, E - and I still can't get it.

Sorry, the early note is actually a G I believe, before walking down again from G. Still can't quite suss the timing of that bass note.

[CF]

I love where he goes from the C to B7 later too ( G - G7 - C - B7 and back to G).

That is great. I don't know if I would have caught that, thanks Andrew.
I think I may have got the lick in 'G' but don't really know how to notate it. The intro is a series of 13 quick notes out of the 'G' position down to an 'E' chord. They start on the 'A' string (with middle finger) (1)first fret to (2)second fret, (with pinky)(3)'G' string 3rd fret/(4)'B' string open/(5)'G' string open/(with middle finger)(6)'G' string 2nd fret/(7)'G' string open/(with pinky)('B' string 3rd fret/(9)'G' string open . . . .

Then a quick run down from 3rd fret low 'E' string: ((10) 'E' string 3rd fret/(11) 'E' string second fret) . . .  you should be simultaneously going into your 'E' chord at ((12)'E' string first fret & 'G' string second fret plucked at same time/(13) open 'E' string plucked at same time as 'G' string first fret) . . . an E7 chord hit just before the progression the the A-D-G chords.

Sorry, that's confusing.

At some point under those 9 notes it sounds like he's hitting a bass note or two as well. Could just be incidental notes.

[Johnm]

Hi cheapfeet,
The way I hear it, Jesse Thomas hits a pick-up note (beat 4) at the first fret of the fifth string. He then hits the downbeat of the first measure at the second fret of the fifth string, picks the + of the first beat at the third fret of the third string, pinches the open fourth and second strings on beat two, gets the third fret of the sixth string on the + of beat two, on beat three picks the second fret of the third string, on the + of beat three gets the open third string, on beat four gets the third fret of the second string, and on the + of the fourth beat gets the open third string.

In the second measure, he strikes the third fret of the sixth string on beat one, strikes the second fret of the sixth string on the + of beat one, picks the second fret of the third string on beat two, gets the open sixth string on the + of beat two, picks the first fret of the third string on beat three, and brushes the top of an E7 chord on beat four of the second measure.

This is very sporty picking and treatment of time.  The coolest thing is the way he reverses the direction of the descending bass run on the third and sixth strings, starting it out in a treble-towards-bass direction on the + of the fourth beat in the first measure and then switching it on the + of the first beat in measure two to a bass-towards-treble direction.  In some ways, it sort of "out-Blakes" Blind Blake.
All best,
Johnm    

[CF]

Hey John, our transcriptions are real similar. I didn't have that bass note during the first part in the 'G' chord but I alluded there might be one . . . I don't necessarily hear the 2nd & 4th open strings plucked simultaneously on beat two, but it certainly works.
The movement to the 'E' chord sounds right too.
Neato.
Yeah this is a very sweet lick that is a refreshing take on one you hear so many rag guitar players do in 'G' position.
Thanks so much for the responses.
Now on to the rest of the song!

[uncle bud]

Thanks for that, John. My fingers are still not cooperating with that bass line but its good to have something to shoot for...

[ArthurBlake]

Hey gang. I've been making an effort lately to learn some new tunes & this is one I used to play around with a bit in 'C' position. Listening to it last night it sounded to me like it is in 'G' position, capoed at the first fret. The lick leading into the E-A-D-G progression is pretty tricky-sounding & I just couldn't find it yesterday. It's not exactly like the standard 'G' position rag lick that you find a lot in Blake & even Fuller (ex. Fuller's 'Let Me Lay It On You'). Does 'G' position, capoed first sound right to you guys? Has anyone else here tackled this song before? [I'm interneting from the library lately so if i don't respond immediately, that's why]. I'm going to go over it again tonight & see if I can figure it out but any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Yeah, it's a great song and I'd love to know it too, I recently discovered some of his later electric guitar work, and Jesse was great there too, like any great blues guitar player, Thomas sounds like no-one else, the bloke was a monster, very original, maybe we can ask Ari for this one, that I'd like to see.