Country Blues > Country Blues Licks and Lessons
The Guitar of Snooks Eaglin--Queries and Tips
Pan:
Thanks John, that's really interesting.
I've usually associated these types of changes to bebop, even in the 12-blues format. Like with Parker's "Blues For Alice", and such. It's nice to know that our blues heroes came up with these kind of changes even earlier on!
Here's a chart for "Blues For Alice" (I couldn't find an original YouTube video with Parker).
Here's a video of the Leroy Carr And Scrapper Blackwell tune, "Longing For My Sugar" (frustratingly cutting short of the song):
Cheers
Pan
JebusKryst:
Thank JohnM,
I've only recently heard about Snooks and this version of St James Infirmary just blew me away!
I'm definately going to learn this version with the help of your breakdown.
Just thought I'd pop my head up and say thanks.
Also, this is an incredible site! I've only just stumbled across it but I think I'm gonna stick around for a while!
jostber:
--- Quote from: JebusKryst on February 21, 2012, 03:28:20 AM ---Thank JohnM,
I've only recently heard about Snooks and this version of St James Infirmary just blew me away!
I'm definately going to learn this version with the help of your breakdown.
Just thought I'd pop my head up and say thanks.
Also, this is an incredible site! I've only just stumbled across it but I think I'm gonna stick around for a while!
--- End quote ---
That's right, you will find a lot of great information on the early blues here. :) The complete Snooks Eaglin discograhpy:
http://www.wirz.de/music/eaglin.htm
Johnm:
Hi all,
I merged two threads on Snooks' playing of "St. James Infirmary" and "Lipstick Traces" to start a "Snooks Eaglin Guitar" thread. It seemed like he merited it, and I think the interest is there.
All best,
Johnm
Johnm:
Hi all,
I was searching around on youtube last week, looking for tunes to put in the puzzler thread, and came across this song by Snooks Eaglin, "By The Water", evidently recorded for Imperial in 1960. It's really more R & B or Soul than blues, so it seemed more appropriate to talk about it in a separate post. Here is Snooks' performance of "By The Water":
Snooks starts out with a bright sound on the guitar, and as I listened through and he arrives at the turn-around towards the end of the form it became apparent that he was playing out of Bflat position, not as Papa Charlie Jackson did, using X-1-3-3-3-3 as his home position for his I chord, but instead working out of an E shape up the neck, either barred or with a thumb wrap--6-X-8-7-6-6. Snooks sounds completely comfortable and unconstrained by his grabby I chord, which really ties the left hand up. He rocks a lot to his IV chord, Eb, which he frets 6-6-8-8-8-6, another grabby voicing, without it impeding his flow in any way. The song has a 16-bar progression, that Snooks varies in subtle ways in its three verses. For a song of this type, it is perhaps a bit unusual in that it doesn't have a bridge. Here is his progression, and the song is played with an underlying triple feel, in 6/8.
Verse 1
F7 || Bb Eb | Bb F7 | Bb | Bb7 |
| Eb | Eb | Edim7 | Edim7 |
| Bb | G7 | C7 | F7 |
| Bb Bb7 | Eb | Bb | F7 |
Verse 2
| Bb | F7 | Bb | Bb7 |
| Eb | Eb | Edim7 | Edim7 |
| Bb | G7 | C7 | F7 |
| Bb Bb7 | Eb Ebm | Bb | F7 |
Verse 3
| Bb | F7 | Bb | Bb7 |
| Eb | Eb | Edim7 | Edim7 |
| Bb | G7 | C7 | F7 |
| Bb Bb7 | Eb Bbdim7 | Bb Faug | Bb9 |
As it turned out, the chord voicing that made it possible to identify Snooks' playing position as Bb was the G7 chord, for Snooks chose to use the open "Cowboy Chord" voicing, 3-X-0-0-0-1, which with the sound of its open strings lives in only one place on the guitar. Having that chord oriented made it possible to put everything else in place in relationship to that chord.
This seems an awfully pretty song to me, and I think it could be a good candidate for a jug band or small ensemble version, especially if the 6/8 meter was jettisoned, and the song was done with a 4/4 or cut time feel. With such a nice progression, it could also make a nice solo guitar piece. Anybody care to give it a try (doesn't have to be in Bb!)?
All best,
Johnm
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