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Author Topic: Harry Smith anthology tab?  (Read 3849 times)

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Offline outfidel

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Harry Smith anthology tab?
« on: April 19, 2004, 12:38:17 PM »
I've been listening once again to Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. There are a few pre-blues/early blues fingerstyle pieces that I'd love to learn, including:
- "James Alley Blues" by Rabbit Brown
- "99 Year Blues" by Julius Daniels
- "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" by Blind Lemon Jefferson

Does anyone have the guitar tab for these songs? Thanks!
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Offline Rivers

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Re: Harry Smith anthology tab?
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2004, 11:21:10 PM »
Jerry Ricks has a good take on James Alley Blues, though not the way Rabbit Brown played it. He does it in open C tuning, C G C G C E. The melody comes readily to hand once you find your way around and the low tuned C is tres funky. It's on his Deep In The Well album.

See That My Grave..., I bluff it in E std.

99 Year Blues, I learned Jorma's 1 chord version, also unauthentic but fun so what the hell. I did lift all the lyrics from the original though:

99 Year Blues, Julius Daniels, Atlanta 1927

Bring me my pistol, three rounds of ball
I'm gonna kill everybody, won't leave this poor boy alone
Poor boy alone, poor boy alone, poor boy alone, poor boy alone.

On Monday I arrested, Tuesday I was tried
The jury found me guilty and I hung my head and cried
Head and cried, head and cried, Lord and cried, Lord and cried.

Then I asked the judge what would be my fine,
Says a pick and a shovel way down Joe Brown's coal mine
Coal mine, coal mine, coal mine, coal mine. (Coal mine...)

Be light on me judge, I ain't been here before
Give me 99 years, don't come back here no more
No more, no more, no more, no more, my Lord

Be light on me judge, I ain't been here before
Give me 99 years, don't come back here no more
No more, no more, my Lord.
« Last Edit: April 10, 2005, 10:17:24 PM by Johnm »

Offline frankie

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Re: Harry Smith anthology tab?
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2004, 12:34:04 AM »
James Alley Blues - key of D, std tuning, tuned low.? I've heard arguments that he's playing out of dropped-D, but I hear it in std.

99 Year Blues - key of G, std tuning, kinda late for guitar but it sounds like he may be tuned high/capoed.? I'd totally forgotten about this...? nice tune!

See That My Grave is Kept Clean - key of E, std tuning, recorded it twice...? one sounds high, the other doesn't.? Either way, it's squarely in E without a whole lot of pyrotechnics.

Offline outfidel

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Re: Harry Smith anthology tab?
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2004, 10:53:10 AM »
Rivers & Frankie -- great info, thanks!

 :)
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