Topic: Curley Weaver's Guitar Playing: Queries and Tips

[LB]

Trying to pick out the notes on Curly Weavers No No Blues. I seem to be having luck in Open G tuning and starting off striking the 6th and 5th string then sliding on the 12th fret. Seems he may even be kinda strumming back and forth on that repeated part of the slide lick. Then seems like he's doing a strum of the open G a little but walking up/down/up with some hoppy bass notes before going into the IV chord. This cant really be heard well on my recordings of No No Blues but in this Birmingham Gambler song his notes seem to leap out better. The other part I am having trouble hearing is where he goes to the V chord and pops and harrasses the bass notes in a way that's a little unusual to my ear. Everyone I have heard that mimicks his style leaves out some of these finer details and I am just having trouble getting the licks in those two spots clear in my head. I think I have it then listen and I dont. I would gladly buy accurate tabs to this particular tune and I have looked for people that are as nuts over it as I am. No luck but this might be the right place to ask. If Curly was not singing so effectively I could hear more of these licks hiding in there.

TIME MARKERS in reference to attached MP3
If you play this MP3 the time counter will read about 00:06 seconds where he hits the first lick I am not getting clearly and ends at about 00:09 second mark. The second part I have trouble with is from about the 00:40 second mark and ends about 00:44 seconds.

Any help greatly appreciated....

[uncle bud]

Hi LB,

Maybe a stupid question but are you factoring in the second guitar player here? Discographical info tells me the second guitar is played by either Fred McMullen or Buddy Moss. I'll have to give it another listen.

[LB]

That crossed my mind and I have some guesses of what those other licks are. I think if I could get my head around what notes are getting hit I can come up with something workable with a single guitar. Yeah that's the thing that is still true today in Atlanta. Alot of acoustic blues players still play in 2's. I personally back up a few people in town and most of what I do is bass notes, fills and extra stuff to fatten the sound and sing some backup vocals. I may not have that information in the liner notes but I will go back and look some more. Any light that can be shed on this is appreciated.

[Johnm]

Hi Little Brother,
I dug out the recording of Curley Weaver playing "No No Blues" that I have, and he is definitely playing it solo, in Spanish tuning at Bflat.? Assuming he was playing a 12-fret-to-the-body guitar, he probably had it tuned all the way up to Bflat; otherwise it would be pretty inconvenient to get at that slide stuff he is doing at the twelfth fret.? I can't do notation or TAB here, but I will try and explain as clear as I can what he was doing over the V chord.? I will show measures and what he is hitting on each beat of the measures.? Since he is not playing any eighth notes here it should work pretty well.? Here goes:

? ? 1? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?2? ? ? ? ? ?3? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?4

|? slide into? ? ?brush? ? ?open? ? ? ? ? brush D7? ? ? ? ?|
? ?4th fret,? ? ?G, open? 6th string? ? in treble,
? ?5th str.? ? ? treble,? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? open 1st str.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? top 3? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 1st fret 2nd str.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 2nd fret, 3rd str.

? ? ? 1? ? ? ? ? ? ? 2? ? ? ? ? ? ?3? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?4

|? Open? ? ? ? brush? ? ? ?brush? ? ? ? ? ?brush? ? ? ? ? ? ? |? ? ?
? ?6th str.? ? ? G as? ? ? ? G again? ? ? ? D7 as
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?above? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? above

? ? ? ?1? ? ? ? ? ? ?2? ? ? ? ? ? ?3? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 4

|? ?Open? ? ? ?slide? ? ? ? ? Open? ? ? ? ? brush? ? ? ? ? ? ? |
? ? 6th str.? ? ?into? ? ? ? ? ?6th str.? ? ? ? D7 as
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?4th fret,? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? above
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?5th str.

Hit all those single string bass notes you are playing hard and come out of the end of that last measure landing strong on the open fifth string and you can't go wrong.? This is a great tune!

All best,
Johnm

[LB]

John, Oh boy I have to go to an all day sports even with my son and I am going to be thinking about this the whole time I am gone today. Thanks so very very much. I cannot thank enough!

Bunker, That is awesome. Thanks for the lyrics. You have done me a great favor!  I hope I can pay this back or pay it forward. I will work hard on this song for sure.

[LB]

Just to make this thread more convenient for others that follow. This is the actually No No Blues MP3 also

attached: NoNoWeb.Mp3

[Bunker Hill]

Just for clarification, the No No recorded for QRS (7082) in 1929 was originally listed?by them as Clifford Gibson and for two decades appeared as part of Gibson's session discography. When a copy of the 78 surfaced in the mid 80s the QRS listing error became obvious.

[uncle bud]

Also for clarification, where I referred to two guitars, I meant Birmingham Gambler, the first song attached.

[LB]

Fascinating and also Cora Mae his daughter says she never really heard her Daddy's songs on records but instead in person and this gives a totally different perspective. John I played these licks in the car today traveling without the benefit of working them with the recordings but I am going to try and tackle No No and maybe even tab it out. If anyone has any tab work they can contribute or even sell me I am pretty dedicated to getting this song down. Cora Mae is in the hospital but she might be able to come at least visit the New Years gig she was going to star in. I wouldn't mind being able to play this song right or even back up her vocals. Thanks again for giving me the help. I really appreciate this more than you realize.

[LB]

One more comment... John I see what you mean about the tuning. I am used to hearing it done in open G but he's up there. I might have to be careful attempting to match Curly's recording. Thanks.

[lebordo]

I believe the No No Blues version Little Brother posted was the 1928 Columbia version -- just Weaver and his guitar.? The 1929 QRS version is easily distinguishable because of Eddie Mapp's harmonica.? For comparison, I've attached the 1933 ARC recording which features Weaver and his own guitar, with an unknown 2nd guitar.

[dj]

For comparison, I've attached the 1933 ARC recording which features Weaver and his own guitar, with an unknown 2nd guitar.

That "unknown 2nd guitar" can be read as "almost certainly either Buddy Moss or Fred McMullen, 2nd guitar", since Buddy and Fred were the two other guitarists on the ARC multi-day session during which "No No Blues" was recorded.

[Johnm]

Hi Little Brother,
There's no need to do it in Bflat just because Curley recorded it there.  I reckon he did it there to accommodate his singing voice, so unless you are going to need to sing it that high, there's no real reason to do it in Bflat as opposed to A or G, which will put less tension on the strings and be easier to fit on the guitar in terms of the up-the-neck passages.  Just a thought.
All best,
Johnm

[LB]

Hi John,

I will be heeding your advice since Cora Mae performs it in open G. I tried tuning it up so I could play along with Curly on the record but I may be better served using software to lower him down to G for practicing. I just knew strings and parts were about to start popping off as I tuned it up to Bflat. Whew!  Thanks again for all the responses. I am still working on these things. Stuck on a Tampa Red thing today but soon back on NoNo Blues.

Thanks
LB

[LB]

Hi All,

Although this post below by JohnM was some help to me I still cannot get a handle on this song and I know d a m n well I can play it with my eyes closed. I am just getting thrown off by some kinda screwball order of licks and strums he's doing during the changes. Bad part is none of the recordings make it easy to hear what he's doing. Does anyone have this tabbed out by any chance or know where there is a lesson available or publication with the tabs note by note? I cannot get this to come together in my head or hands and it's frustrating the h e l l out of me. I can strum and play through what John is saying below too but I darn sure cannot hear how it fits in or relates to what I am hearing in the recording. I know I'm whining but geez this thing has be frustrated. Any ideas? Help? 

PLAY 1933 ARC Recording Sample

PLAY other version


=======================
JOHN M's post from an earlier thread trying to help me

Hi Little Brother,
I dug out the recording of Curley Weaver playing "No No Blues" that I have, and he is definitely playing it solo, in Spanish tuning at Bflat.  Assuming he was playing a 12-fret-to-the-body guitar, he probably had it tuned all the way up to Bflat; otherwise it would be pretty inconvenient to get at that slide stuff he is doing at the twelfth fret.  I can't do notation or TAB here, but I will try and explain as clear as I can what he was doing over the V chord.  I will show measures and what he is hitting on each beat of the measures.  Since he is not playing any eighth notes here it should work pretty well.  Here goes:

    1                 2           3                   4

|  slide into     brush     open          brush D7         |
   4th fret,     G, open  6th string    in treble,
   5th str.      treble,                      open 1st str.
                    top 3                      1st fret 2nd str.
                                                  2nd fret, 3rd str.

      1              2             3                 4

|  Open        brush       brush           brush              |     
   6th str.      G as        G again        D7 as
                   above                          above

       1             2             3                  4

|   Open       slide          Open          brush              |
    6th str.     into           6th str.        D7 as
                   4th fret,                        above
                   5th str.

Hit all those single string bass notes you are playing hard and come out of the end of that last measure landing strong on the open fifth string and you can't go wrong.  This is a great tune!

All best,
Johnm