Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any other takers for the Ranie Burnette puzzler on "Hungry Spell"?  Come one, come all!
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It looks as though everyone who is likely to respond on the "Hungry Spell" puzzler has posted, so I'll post the answers.  Here they are:
   * The playing position/tuning that Ranie Burnette used for "Hungry Spell" was the EAEGBE tuning that Roi suggested, tuned a minor third low, so that the strings ended up being tuned C#-F#-C#-E-G#-C#.  Having gone to that tuning he then played out of an E position.  Very well done, making this identification, Roi!
Here is a bit of the thought process involved in making this identification.  Burnette is playing in the key of his sixth string, and it is obvious from listening that his first string is tuned to the same pitch, two octaves higher.  This suggests the following playing position/tuning possibilities:  E position standard tuning, Vestapol tuning, cross-note tuning, and EAEGBE tuning.  Vestapol and cross-note tuning are both eliminated as possibilities because Ranie Burnette through-out the course of the song hits a IV note on his open fifth string, hammering to the V note on the same string.  Since both Vestapol and cross-note put their V note on the fifth string, they would not work for what Ranie Burnette is playing on the song.  That leaves E position standard tuning and EAEGBE tuning in the running.  EAEGBE tuning wins out by virtue of Ranie Burnette never hitting a note on his fourth string lower in pitch than a I note; in fact, all he ever plays on his fourth string is the little grace note hammer from the second to the third fret resolving to the I note on the open fourth string that Pan described.  These factors taken in combination point towards EAEGBE tuning being the solution.
If you've never played in EAEGBE tuning and are having a hard time wrapping your mind around it, here are two ways of thinking of it, which may help.
   1) You can think of it as E position in standard tuning, but with the fourth string raised a whole step so that the octave bass above the sixth string is an open string, rather than fretted at the second fret of the fourth string; or,
   2) You can think of it as cross-note tuning, but with the fifth string lowered a whole step so that you have a usable IV note root on the open fifth string.  Not having a usable low root for the IV chord is probably the most limiting aspect of cross-note tuning, and EAEGBE tuning solves that problem. 

EAEGBE tuning is a terrific tuning with a lot of unplumbed possibilities and it was used most notably by Furry Lewis, Clifford Gibson, Henry Spaulding ("Cairo Blues"), Lane Hardin and a couple of other players.  If you've never played a song in it, I encourage you to put your guitar in the tuning and give it a shot.  In fact, if you put your guitar in tune with Ranie Burnette's, I venture to guess that you'll have his entire guitar part figured out in less than half an hour.

   * Ranie Burnette plays his signature lick, starting at :43 as follows:  On beat one he strikes the open sixth string.  On beat two, he hits a grace note hammer from the second fret to the third fret of the fourth string.  On the + of beat two, he picks the open fourth string.  On beat three, he re-strikes the open sixth string.  On the + of beat three he picks the open first string.  On beat four, he does a grace note hammer from the open second string to the second fret of the second string.  On the + of beat four, he re-picks the open first string.  In other iterations of the lick, he does an additional grace note hammer from the second fret of the fourth string to the third fret of the fourth string on the + of beat one.

Thanks to all who participated.  It's such a cool piece, and the tuning really just sort of "gives" you the piece, it lays out so beautifully and easily there.  I will look for another puzzler to post soon.  Please let me know if anything was unclear or you'd like more in the way of an explanation.

All best,
Johnm 

[Pan]

Doh! I thought he played the hammer on on the V note on the 6th string higher up on the neck.

Congratulations to Roi for solving this one!

Cheers

Pan

[Old Man Ned]

Yep, congrats to Riog. Just when I thought I was getting the hang of figuring these out, scuppered by the EAEGBE tuning :-)

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It has been brought to my attention that there is film footage of Ranie Burnette at about the 19:00 mark of this film made in 1989 by Dutch Country Blues enthusiasts, up on vimeo.  I've watched the footage and the link worked for me.  Here is the link:    .  Thanks for the tip, Harriet!
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I have a new puzzler for you.  The song is "Let Me Be Your Side Track", take 2, featuring Jimmie Rodgers singing accompanied by Clifford Gibson on guitar.  Here is their performance:



I saw two little monkeys playin' up and down a tree
Yes, I saw two little monkeys playin' up and down in a tree
One said to the other, "Come on, let's make whoopee."

Listen, mama, I know when you're hanging 'round
Yes, I know, pretty mama, when you are hanging around
'Cause I don't see no fire, but I am burning down
(Yodel)

There's something 'bout you women, always making me sore
There's something 'bout you women, keep on making me sore
No matter how much you get, you keep coming back for more

SOLO

Let me be your sidetrack 'til your mainline come
Let me be your sidetrack 'til your mainline come
'Cause I can do more switchin' than your mainline's ever done
(Yodel)

When you see a spider climbin' up a lonesome wall
When you see that spider, climbing up a wall
You can tell the world, he's going to get his ashes hauled
(Yodel)

The questions on "Let Me Be Your Side Track" are:
   * What playing position/tuning did Clifford Gibson use to play the song?
   * Where did Clifford Gibson fret the fill that he plays from :22--:24?
   * Where did Clifford Gibson fret the fill that he plays from 1:06--1:08?
   * Where did Clifford Gibson fret what he plays over the V chord in his solo, from 1:42--1:43?
Please use only your ears and your instrument to come up with your answers, and please don't post any answers prior to Friday morning, January 9.  Thanks for your participation.

All best,
Johnm

[Prof Scratchy]

Here's my attempt to answer the questions (str/fret)

*Spanish tuning

*1/0 -2-5-2 -0-2-0 ; 3/3bend x 2-0; 4/2; 3/0 x2

*double stop 2/8 +3/9 x3, down two frets x3> down three fets x3> 3/3 bend; 2/0 ; 3/0

*D7 chord fingered  2/1; 3/2 with alternating  bass 6/0>4/0 plus first str open then first str 2nd fret

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any other takers for the "Let Me Be Your Sidetrack" puzzler?
All best,
Johnm

[Old Man Ned]

Open G, (a wee bit sharp?).
Then pretty much as Prof Scratchy has it apart from the fill that he plays from :22--:24
I'm hearing first string 0-5-3-2-0-2-0; 3str 3 bend; 2str open; 3rdstr open; 4th str 2; 3rd str open; brush 4th & 3str open. Though not quite sure about the last few notes, they're pretty fast and flurried.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It looks as though everyone who intends to respond to the "Let Me Be Your Side Track" puzzler has responded, so here are the answers:
   * Clifford Gibson did use Spanish tuning to accompany Jimmie Rodgers on the tune, just as everyone responded.  Well done!
   * For Clifford Gibson's fill from :22-:24, I have him fingering it as follows, and I may start the phrase a hair before :22, now that I re-checked it.  He is playing a swung eighth note, underlying triplet feel.  On 1 +, he goes from the third fret of the second string to the fifth fret of the second string.  On beat two, he plays a triplet, going from the fifth fret of the first string to the fifth fret of the second string to the open first string.  On beat 3, he plays another triplet, going from the open first string to the second fret of the first string back to the open first string. On beat 4 + he goes from the third fret of the third string to the open second string, On beat 5, he plays another triplet going from the open third string to to the second fret of the fourth string and the open fourth string, and on beat 6 he hits the fifth fret of the first string.  The reason the phrase is six beats long is that Jimmie Rodgers doesn't allow two full measures of four beats each after his vocal phrases, so with Jimmie consistently short, Clifford has to adapt and play one six-beat measure after each of the vocal phrases rather than two four-beat measures.  The way Clifford Gibson achieves this adaption of his more customary timing and phrasing is really masterfully done.  I should say that the solution here is pretty much exactly the same notes that Prof. Scratchy had, with the only difference being the use of some second string third fret notes in lieu of the open first string.  Since the two notes are unisons, it is very difficult to say which Clifford Gibson chose to play, in many instances.
   * For the phrase from 1:06-1:08, I have it figured as follows.  On beat one, a triplet fretting the first two strings at the fifth fret, on beat two, a triplet fretting the first two strings at the third fret, on beat three, a triplet sliding into the fourth fret of the third string and the third fret of the second string, on beat four a triplet  going from the open third string to the second fret of the fourth string and back to the open third string.  In many ways, Prof. Scratchy's solution makes more sense in terms of the left hand, for he puts all of the triplets on the first three beats on the second and third strings, moving a single position down the neck intact.  Once again, since the notes are the same, it's tough to say exactly how Clifford Gibson fingered the passage.
   * For the passage over the V chord, from 1:42-1:43, Clifford Gibson played the following:  On 1 +, he goes from the second fret of the third string to the first fret of the second string.  On 2, he pinches the fourth fret of the fourth string and the open first string and on the + of 2 he picks the second fret of the third string.  On beat three, he hits the fourth fret of the fourth string with his thumb, and on 4 + he goes from the open first string to the second fret of the first string.  A V7 chord in Spanish always sounds so pretty when you get the fourth fret fret of the fourth string in there, as Clifford Gibson did  here and as Buddy Boy Hawkins did on many of his recordings.
I feel like everyone was really hearing this song well.  It's unusual, in a way, because it is the only Clifford Gibson accompaniment in Spanish that I can think of, including both his own songs and those where he backed Ed Bell as Sluefoot Joe, where he was not capoed way up.  I'm sure this was just a function of Jimmie Rodgers' vocal range, but it's interesting to hear how Clifford Gibson sounded in Spanish down at the base of the neck--pretty great, which is not exactly a surprise.
Thanks to roig, Prof Scratchy and Old Man Ned for participating, and I'll look for another puzzler to post soon.
All best,
Johnm   

[Johnm]

Hi all,
The new puzzler is Carl Martin's "Badly Mistreated Man".  I think I first heard this song on the old Yazoo anthology, "Guitar Wizards".  Here is the song:



I worked hard, baby, I worked hard every day
I worked hard, baby, I worked hard every day
I even turned over in your hand every cent of my pay

I been done so dirty, treated so low-down mean
I been done so dirty, treated so low-down mean
You've even accused me of women that I ain't never seen

People, what's the use of lovin', when I can't see why I should?
People, what's the use of lovin', when I can't see why I should?
Especially when you got a woman and she don't mean you no good

SOLO

I woke up this mornin', got on a stroll
Met my baby, got her told,
"Look-a-here, baby, you're thinkin' wrong.
Let your papa help you to sing this song.
I grabbed my coat and hat, down the road I'll start.
Before I would work I'd rather part.
I wouldn't work for no human bein',
Neither no woman that I've ever seen.
Eighteen hundred, ninety years,
All of my women sit in rockin' chairs.
But ever since nineteen and twenty-three,
All of my women been workin' for me.
I got a mind, never work no more.
I been badly mistreated, I been drove from door to door."

Here are the questions:
   * What playing position/tuning did Carl Martin use to play "Badly Mistreated Man"
   * Describe where to fret the phrase he plays twice from :03-:08
   * Where is Carl Martin fretting the phrase he uses to accompany his singing in the first verse, from :10-:19?
   * Where did Carl Martin fret the fill he concludes the first verse with, from :33-:36?

As always, please use only your ears and your guitar to arrive at your answers, and please don't post any answers before Wednesday morning, January 14, so that plenty of people have an opportunity to listen and come up with their own answers.  Thanks for participating.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any takers on the Carl Martin "Badly Mistreated Man" puzzler?  Come one, come all!
All best,
Johnm

[Prof Scratchy]

This puzzler is extremely puzzling. But as there are no takers I'll put myself forward once more for the first bite of the cherry of shame. (This makes bnemerov's day, so who am I to deny him)? All right, I'm going to say E standard tuned a half step low. The phrase from 03 to 08 sounds very like the Brownie McGhee turnaround' - a D7 chord up two frets to sound E7, descending to the first fret but sounding the open E string against the Eflat7. There's something else going on here though, and I cant work out what it is! Could he be taking a B7 shape up two frets and descending similarly, sounding the open E String on the way down? Or something else completely different. For the second part of the question - what does he do under the singing - well it could be that he slides up to the E at the seventh fret of the fifth string, but then reassumes a first position E chord, bending the G note of the third fret of the first string, then first string open, then second fret second string, then bent G again on first string, then first string open. Or he could be doing something much more sensible and simple up the neck, but I can't work it out! The last part of the question defeats me, and makes me convinced I'm barking up the wrong tree (again) with the rest of my answer. I'm sure everyone else will have sussed this, but from me, for now, it's back to the studio...
 

[Pan]

Hi all

I agree with Professor Scratchy on E-position standard tuning, tuned a little low.
Here are my takes for the other questions.

   

* Describe where to fret the phrase he plays twice from :03-:08

I hear an E chord: X-X-2-4-0-4, followed by what could be seen as an F#7: X-X-(2)-3-2-0, to a B7: X-X-1-2-0-2, followed by an open position E chord: X-X-2-1-0-0.

   * Where is Carl Martin fretting the phrase he uses to accompany his singing in the first verse, from :10-:19?

That?s a tough one to hear underneath the vocals. I think Professor Scratchy might be right with the slid note, maybe from the  2nd to the 7th fret on fifth string. He could then go down to the open position, as Professor has it, but I find it easier to play the slightly bent G note on the 8th fret of the 2nd  string. This is followed by the open 1st and 2nd strings, and the all the 3 notes are repeated. While the last open 2nd string is ringing he has the chance to neatly go down to repeat the slid bass note starting the lick, if I?m not mistaken.

 

* Where did Carl Martin fret the fill he concludes the first verse with, from :33-:36?

It sounds to me like he?s sliding from the 2nd to the 4th fret on the 3rd string, and simultaneously playing the two top open strings. The open strings are left ringing while he plays the 2nd fret to open string to 1st fret all on the 3rd string. Finally the open two top strings are played again.

Looking forward to hear again, if I'm anywhere near the truth.

Cheers

Pan

[Prof Scratchy]

Think you are nearer to the truth than I was, Pan!