Topic: Blind Boy Fuller's Guitar Playing: Queries and Tips

[finn]

Howdy all,  I've started to work out Fuller's version of the Harlem Hamfat's song "Oh Red".  I recognised a chord shape that Big Bill uses in "Hey Hey" and so thought Fuller's was also in the key of E.  But.... Fuller grabs that chord with no gap. In E, that puts it too far up the neck to play it so slick. It must be in C. You can hear an F shape in the song (which I initially thought was used for the A chord). Anybody know if I'm on track with working it out in C ? 

[Rivers]

Which chord shape did you recognize? That would help narrow it down.

And welcome to WC

[finn]

Big Bill uses a flat 3rd with a 6th on top for an E chord in "Hey Hey".                                                   In "New Oh Red" Fuller uses the same flat 3rd with the 6th. I think he's playing a 1st position C and then goes right to this chord. It seems like it's a 1st position D7 shape moved up 3 frets;  the notes C, E flat & A on top. I think he may use the open A in the bass with it....   It's a cool sound in a cool song.                                                                                                                                                   Hey, thanks for the welcome! This is my kinda place.

[Rivers]

Could be a two finger double stop-type chord? Closest I have gotten so far is std tuning, C position, the accent chord in question could be as simple as x 0 x x 4 5,
capoed up 3 frets of course.

It's a real quick change from a 1st position C and easy to bend/vibrate. Lot of damping going on on the bass end, Floyd Dipper Boy Council is taking care of business on the bass strings. Actually sounds pretty good like this: x 0 0 0 4 5, discordant but raggy.

I'll be interested to hear what others might say.

[banjochris]

Sounds like a partial diminished 7th to me -- xxx545, but he might hit some open strings too. And yes, definitely in C position.

[finn]

Thanks for the helpful replies,  it's a fun song to explore... Tim

[crustypicker]

can anyone help me out with this tune. i learned it in the key of A/D7th/ G/G7th/ C back to A but theres some wierd little walks hes doing, i found one way of keep in all flowing and its to pinch the b string on the 3rd fret and walk it with the C bass note up a whole step then walk the bass from C to B to B FLAT back to A. but i here him doing something else. any help is apreeciated

[crustypicker]

ps i think blind boy fuller plays it in key of D

[Johnm]

Hi crustypicker,
Fuller sure enough played the song out of C position in standard tuning.  One thing that complicates matters is that it was a duet, and Gary Davis is playing too.  I don't have the recording available, but I know that on at least one other of their duets, Fuller was playing out of C position capoed up and Gary Davis was playing out of F position.
All best,
Johnm

[crustypicker]

 here it is

[Johnm]

Yup, Rev. Davis is playing out of F position in standard tuning.
All best,
Johnm

[crustypicker]

anything on the ending its really abrupt but i feel like theres some special chords im missing for ending

[Johnm]

Fuller does a quick C-C7-F-F-C-G-C, with the final C played up the neck like a "long A" chord with the little finger on the first string three frets above an index finger partial barre.

[crustypicker]

thank you

[jtbrown]

Crustypicker,

Just to clarify, the chord progression you outlined in your first post is actually a VI-II-V-I progression in the key of C, not in the key of A; that is, it starts with an A chord, which is the VI chord in the key of C, and it resolves to a C chord in the final two measures.  Similarly, Fuller plays out of C position, using the same chord forms you're using, but with a capo on the fifth fret.  That means his version is in the key of F, not D. 

As for the little up-and-down bass run you asked about, which leads from the C chord back to the A to restart the progression, try this: D string open, D string first fret, D string second fret, then A string third fret, A string second fret, A string first fret, A string open.  (The part that's played on the A string is what you've been doing; the part that's played on the D string is the same three notes you've been playing on the B string, but an octave lower.)  As I think you already know, these are all quarter notes, and the run starts on the third beat of the seventh measure, so it's preceded by two beats of a C chord; you can play the root and then strum the chord before starting the run.  Also, while this is the run that Fuller uses the at the end of each verse, he uses a different one at the end of most of the choruses.  If you need help with that one, let me know and I can give you a pretty close approximation of what he's doing.

Hope that helps.  "Rag, Mama, Rag" is a fun song to play, and it's also very useful as a gateway to songs that use circle-of-fifths progressions in more complicated ways.

Todd Brown