Topic: Rev. Gary Davis' Guitar Style--Queries and Tips

[Blind Charley]

Hi everyone!

I just registered myself, although I've been following the forum many years ago for tips and advices in guitar pickin' and for the rich information (historical/trivia) about this music and songs I love and the musicians I admire. I play the blues most in Piedmont Style, with Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Blake, BB Fuller and Buddy Moss as inspiration. Gettin' better all the time, although slowly...

Well. There is one RGD tune I really love just called "Blues in E", wich it seems to be an instrumental for the House of the Rising Sun. One thing about RGD music is that I have not idea what he is doing until I get the first movements, and I can't find no tabs or videos of this tune in order to beging my approach to it.

Does anybody know how to play this "Blues in E"? Any tip would be very useful.
Thank you all!!

[Rivers]

There are a couple of songs from Rev Davis with that generic title, one is on disc 1 of the Demons & Angels compilation, and a 12 string guitar version (tuned way down) on a hard-to-find disc called I Am a True Vine. There may be others. Which one are we looking at?

edit later: it's likely the 12 string version on I Am a True Vine. Someone (not the Rev, maybe Stefan Grossman?) starts singing along to it with the lyrics to House of the Rising Sun.

You'd need to be tuned down 3 half steps to play it out of E position. Its pitch on the recording is C#. Which is a lovely key, actually, but best done on a tuned-down 12 string if you want to nail that sound.

[Blind Charley]

You're right, Rivers!

Im talking about that tune: 12 stringed, lowtuned, with Grossman/Hawkins singing a couple of lines.
But more than the tuning/pitch Im interested in the positition/chords/runs of the piece; I'd play it in standard, as I play McTell tunes. I won't try to change the tuning since I ruined guitar long ago because of the constant switch from standard to open G, vestopol, etc...

So, beside that, do you have any idea of how it can be played?

PD: Excuse my bad english, please.

[Stuart]

Is this the one?

[Blind Charley]

Is this the one?

Yes indeed.
I'ts a really really good piece isn't it?

[Rivers]

It's a very nice piece I agree, thank you for posting it. I award extra points for it being in major. The A minor version is nice but too well known to be interesting, to me anyway.

Charley, I think your best bet would be to get a 12 string, tune down to the recording and just work with it. You are almost certain to make progress with that approach. Also, listen to other bluesy pieces that the Reverend played out of E position. I can't think of any right now however.

[Blind Charley]

Thank for your kind responses, Rivers.

I agree that the way to get it is by understanding the others E-Blueses from RGD, like Ice Pick Blues (Cross and Evil Woman Blues) wich is a nice tune but too close to Mountain Jack Blues in term of runs and triplets. This "Rising Sun Blues" contains diferent kind of licks.

What a joy we would have if there were more blues records of RGD. By listening his St. Louis Blues and Rising Sun we can say for sure that he had very very diferent approaches to the blues.

Greetings!

[Vermonter]

Is this clip from one of the Stefan Grossman cds?

[Rivers]

The version I have is on this: https://www.allmusic.com/album/i-am-a-true-vine-mw0000072110

[Stuart]

Here are the Discogs.com pages:

https://www.discogs.com/Rev-Gary-Davis-I-Am-A-True-Vine/release/2276335

https://www.discogs.com/Rev-Gary-Davis-I-Am-The-True-Vine/release/6986386

I don't recall Stefan releasing this particular version on any of the Reverend Gary Davis CDs he's released. There's a different song with the title, "Blues In E," on the "Demons and Angles" set, however. You could post your question on The Woodshed. I'm sure he'd answer it.

[Blind Charley]

Thank you, Stuart.
Greetings!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I merged a query on Rev. Davis' "Blues in E" into this thread.
All best,
Johnm