Country Blues > Country Blues Licks and Lessons
Miller's Breakdown
Johnm:
Hi all,
Any other takers for the Ma Rainey and Edward Thompson puzzlers? Come one, come all--answer as few or as many questions as you wish.
All best,
Johnm
banjochris:
I won't comment on "Farewell Daddy" because I've seen someone play it note for note so I didn't have to figure it out myself! Except to say I love this track and yes, Ma Rainey is a hell of a singer. In a way, her vocal is the accompaniment for the guitar on this piece rather than the other way around, and that takes some impressive concentration to keep that going.
Agree with Forgetful Jones on "Muddy Water" – sounds like A capoed up to me. I also agree that there's another instrument involved. It sounds to me like someone playing lap-style slide just sliding into the tonic for both the I and V chords. You can hear it most clearly around 1:07 where it suddenly slides into the third and then the tonic an octave higher than previously. You can hear it more clearly right at the end of the song as well.
Chris
Prof Scratchy:
Like banjochris, I've seen this song performed authentically, so have a good idea of how it was played. Was Ma Rainey a great singer? Yes! By contrast, Edward sounds like a kazoo. Not his fault though!
I'm stuck with the key and playing position, but I'm going to guess he's capoed round about the fifth fret, playing in G standard. Also, fooling around some more, I find it works well in G6 tuning too, probably my best guess at present.
Old Man Ned:
I'm struggling with "When You Dream of Muddy Water". Sounds like the IV chord is absent. The two notes that the melody rocks between sound, to me, like a G and a Gb. You'd think this would give me some indication to the playing position/tuning that Edward Thompson used but I'm as seriously whupped as the recording. I did consider going out and walking down to the crossroads for inspiration but it's raining and turning chilly outside.
Re "Farewell Daddy Blues" and Was Ma Rainey able to sing well? Ma Rainey was able to sing extremely well.
All the best,
Ned
Johnm:
Hi all,
There have been no new responses for several days to the Ma Rainey and Edward Thompson puzzlers so I though I would post the answers.
For Ma Rainey's "Farewell Daddy Blues", the unnamed guitarist:
* Accompanied her out of A position in standard tuning, as Forgetful Jones had it in the initial response and others agreed
* The progression of the piece is varied somewhat over the course of the rendition, especially in the eighth bar. For the most part, it parses as follows:
| I | V7 | I | I |
| IV | IV | I | VI |
| V/II | V7 | I | V7 |
The guitarist sometimes played the second bar as a Vm7, leaving the third string open with the minor third rather than fretting the major third at the first fret. The eighth bar was played variously as four beats of VI, two beats each of I and VI, or four beats of I. I like the way the treatment was varied throughout the rendition. In the ninth bar, I never actually hear a II or II7 chord played--in most verses the guitarist just emphasizes the II note at the second fret of the fifth string, and at other times simply plays a V7 chord.
I particularly like this guitar part, and especially like the way that the guitarist plays across the first four bars of the form, harmonizing with Ma Rainey's vocal in a way that is both very pretty and quite unusual. I also like the ways the guitarist varies the accompaniment over the course of the rendition. I suspect the guitarist would have been happier being given another crack at the coda, but the person in charge of the session was probably happy with Ma's take and so they stopped there.
The question I posed about Ma Rainey's singing was intended to be rhetorical. God, I love her singing. She had a "sadder but wiser" quality that comes across in her singing that I find really affecting.
For Edward Thompson's "When You Dream Of Muddy Water":
* His playing position was A position in standard tuning, as Forgetful Jones and banjochris had it. The giveaway is the V7 chord, which is an E7 position in standard tuning.
* In his primary melodic lick, he is rocking back and forth between the fourth fret of the second string, the bV of the A position in which he is playing, and the open first string, the V of of A position. This is just as Forgetful Jones had it.
* Edward Thompson never plays a IV chord in the course of the song.
I agree with Forgetful Jones and banjochris that Edward Thompson is joined by a seconding guitarist (uncredited in DG&R) who sounds to be playing Hawaiian lap-style slide, focusing mostly on the bass strings . If you can stand listening to Edward Thompson's vocal enough to get some of his lyrics, it turns out that he is singing a version of "Red River Blues", or at least he has two "Red River Blues" verses in the song. I may make it a long-term project to try and figure out all of his lyrics.
Thanks to all who participated in the puzzlers, and I hope that people enjoyed the songs. I'll look for some more to post.
All best,
Johnm
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