Topic: Geeshie Wiley's "Last Kind Words"

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I recently transcribed Geechie Wiley's "Last Kind Words Blues" for a lesson and was struck again by the impression that the entire song accompaniment consists of two guitarists playing the same part in unison.  You can especially hear that it is two guitars playing in unison on the slides to unisons at the fifth fret of the second string and the open first string and the fourth fret of the third string and the open second string, mostly because the unisons are not perfectly matched in their timing.  I know that the other cuts on which Geeshie Wiley and Elvie Thomas were paired tend to have guitar parts which are right on top of each other--in "Motherless Child Blues", for example, it is really hard to separate out the two parts.  I was wondering after listening to "Last Kind Words" though, if anyone knew of any other country blues recordings on which the same part was played in unison by two players.  It's a pretty bold duet concept, since it becomes so clear when the two parts diverge from each other, and it's kind of a precursor of the Be-bop approach to playing instrumental heads, in which the trumpet and saxophone play the melody in unison.  It sure makes for a striking sound in "Last Kind Words Blues".
All best,
Johnm 

[Rivers]

Thank you for confirming what I've always thought, which goes against conventional wisdom somewhat. My first theory was 12 string, or at least some doubled courses on the top end. Two guitars was my second thought, and I still hear that.

[Cartouche]

John, any chance this tune will be in your upcoming Guitar Workshop book/CD?

Thanks,
Marc

[Johnm]

Hi Marc,
Welcome to Weenie Campbell!  "Last Kind Words" will not be in the book, but I have transcribed it and do private lessons through the mail.  If you go to my website, www.johnmillerguitar.com, and go to the "Teaching" section it lays out my teaching policy, costs, and songs which have already been transcribed.  I've transcribed a lot of songs since the list was last brought up to date, all of which would qualify for the pre-transcribed rate.
All best,
Johnm

[Cartouche]

Great, I'll check out the site.
Thanks,
Marc

[Gumbo]

Hi all,
I recently transcribed Geechie Wiley's "Last Kind Words Blues" for a lesson and was struck again by the impression that the entire song accompaniment consists of two guitarists playing the same part in unison.  .....  I know that the other cuts on which Geeshie Wiley and Elvie Thomas were paired tend to have guitar parts which are right on top of each other--in "Motherless Child Blues", for example, it is really hard to separate out the two parts.

Any attempt to follow Uncle Bud's radical idea to discuss the music of Wiley and Thomas in light of the NYT article seems like it would get swamped in the ethical discussion on the other thread, and since John's opening observation is related, I'm curious. Elvie Thomas is quoted as saying that she and Geechie picked bass for each other when one of them sang, ie the non singer played the bass parts.

Does this fit with what you are hearing?

[Johnm]

Hi Gumbo,
I'm still hearing the rendition the same way as when I posted previously.
All best,
Johnm

[Kokomo O]

I'm so glad to see this thread. When I listen to Last Kind Word Blues I too hear the unison thing happening. Same with Skinny Leg Blues. But with Eagles on a Half I do hear the bass accompaniment that L.V. Thomas describes in the article. I've been wracking my brains listening to these tunes since reading the article trying to figure out why I'm not hearing one guitar playing a normal fingerpicking arrangement and the other playing bass.

 

[jtbrown]

I definitely hear the unison playing John describes in "Last Kind Words" (though I doubt I would have picked up on it on my own), and I also hear the "bassing" in "Eagles on a Half."  To my ears, though, "Skinny Leg Blues" is a lot less clear-cut.  I'd say it sounds less like two guitars playing in unison and more like what John referred to in his original post as separate guitar parts that are "right on top of each other," possibly with some "bassing" from Thomas as part of her contribution.

In any case, to the extent that there is a discrepancy between what we hear on the records and what L.V. Thomas told McCormick, it may simply reflect the fact that the records contain a small and not necessarily representative portion of Wiley & Thomas's repertoire.  (In fact, according to Thomas, the six issued sides were only a small fraction of what they recorded during their four sessions for Paramount.)  Even if the non-singing member of the duo usually did "bass" for the singer, as Thomas said, it wouldn't be all that surprising to find the practice under-represented in the handful of recordings available to us.

Todd Brown

[Johnm]

Hi Todd and Kokomo O,
I should say that I've always heard the accompaniment on "Eagles On A Half" as being played by a single guitarist at one go, the only one of the songs LV and Geeshie did that has a solo guitar accompaniment.  It sits perfectly naturally as a solo guitar part, feels great for a player doing it that way, and I taught it that way on my "Jackson Blues" DVD lesson.  I think it is extremely implausible that a seconding guitarist would have placed what is essentially a monotonic bass line with occasional chordal brushes and little connecting runs in such a rhythmically locked way with a guitarist playing only the treble portions of the arrangement.  I reckon it is all one player.
All best,
Johnm

[jtbrown]

Thanks for clarifying that, John.  Listening again with your comments in mind, I think I hear what you mean -- and even if I didn't, of course I'd still trust your judgment over mine!  I suspect the main reason I thought I heard a second guitarist "bassing" (apart from the fact that I was looking for one) is that for much of the song the bass part sounds a lot louder than everything else that's happening on the guitar, as if it were being played more emphatically and/or closer to the microphone. I really thought I was hearing two separate instruments, but I guess it's just an effect of Wiley's technique, perhaps accentuated by microphone placement. 

Todd