Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[joe paul]

I agree with David and the Prof on the Curley Weaver song, Spanish starting on the IV. Good counting skills, fourteen it is!

The Ralph Willis sounds like A to me with the sliding up 3 frets move. There's the matchbox line in there in the last verse and the verse before the solo is very reminiscent of Statesboro Blues. The playing reminds me a lot of Blind Boy Fuller in A, but I can't think of one song in particular... Untrue Blues partly, Mamie too for the IV chord moves.
Both choices are fun tunes.

Gordon

[blueshome]

Going with the Prof, Spanish and A.

[Forgetful Jones]

Man these songs are just fantastic. I'd never heard either one before. What a great feeling it is when you get to experience a "new" song for the first time.

Curley Weaver
Might he be playing in Dropped D tuning? A position
IV  I  IV  I  V  I
For the signature riff start in a Long A position. Keep that index finger in place at the 2nd fret and play around the 5th & 3rd frets on the 1st String and the 5th, 3rd and 2nd frets on the 2nd string. Pinky at 5th fret. Middle finger for 3rd fret.

Ralph Willis
I think Standard tuning A position.
The song reminds me of Blind Boy Fuller in style. I can't recall which song though.

[banjochris]

Spanish for Curley Weaver – it's one of the fairly few examples of him playing in his mother's style that she reportedly taught to Barbecue Bob. For instance:



And Ralph Willis is in A. Musically speaking he's in Fuller mode – some of the licks remind me of "Untrue Blues," but in 12-bar rather than 8 bar format. And lyrically the song is a rework of Luke Jordan's "Church Bell Blues."

Chris

[Old Man Ned]

I'm hearing Ralph Willis's "Worried Blues" in A standard, capo around the 3rd fret. Can't put my finger on the tune but it's reminding me of Blind Boy Fuller. The solo strategy is the 3 frets up thing.

Curley Weaver, I can't get past the sound of sizzling bacon in the background, sorry.

All the best,
Ned
   

[Johnm]

Hi all,
There have been no new responses to the Curley Weaver and Ralph Willis puzzlers in the past several days so I'll post the answers.

For Curley Weaver's "Dirty Deal Blues":
   * His playing position/tuning was Spanish tuning, as I believe everyone who answered this question had it. I had not remembered that Curley Weaver ever recorded this accompaniment, so frequently used by Barbecue Bob and Charley Lincoln, too, and as Chris noted, it is supposed to have been taught to that whole crew of players by Curley Weaver's mother.
   * Curley Weaver's bar structure, at least in the front end of the first two phrases recalls a favorite structure used a lot by Booker White and Fred McDowell in later years, starting the first two four-bar phrases by singing over the IV chord in the first two bars and answering with the signature lick in the third and fourth bars. He is really long in the last phrase, following the tagline, so that his structure ends up looking like:
    |    IV    |    IV    |     I     |     I     |

    |    IV    |    IV    |     I     |     I     |

    |     I     |     I     |     I     |     I     |     I     |     I     |

Which gave him a fourteen-bar structure he stuck with throughout his rendition
   * Curley Weaver fretted his signature lick at the fifth fret of the first string, the open first string, and then walked down the second string in a chromatic triplet from there, second fret, first fret, open second string, resolving down to the open third string. Barbecue Bob used the very same lick to the extent that it became almost a mannerism of his playing.

For Ralph Willis' "Worried Blues":
   * His playing position was A position in standard tuning, as most of you had it.
   * The song is a re-working of Luke Jordan's "Church Bell Blues", lyrically, as Chris had it. Ralph Willis re-worked "Church Bell Blues" at least twice in his recording career, and possibly three or four times. It's a set of lyrics and phrasing model that seem to have held a special appeal for him.
   * Ralph Willis used the "three frets up" strategy for the opening of his solo, as a number of you noted.

I feel like people really did well on these puzzlers. I sure wish Ralph Willis had recorded more solo numbers, because he was really a good guitarist. I think he's a bit like Gabriel Brown, in having the commercial misfortune of continuing to play acoustic guitar (for the most part) in a period of Blues recording when it seems like the market for the music found that to be passe, and then to be too early to benefit from the renewed interest in acoustic Country Blues guitar that came in in the '60s. Both of these artists just seemed to be caught in a lull in acoustic guitar recordings of the blues, and it's too bad.

I think I'll post the next set of puzzlers sooner rather than later, because I've already identified one really good tune to put up and I just need to find one more. Thanks for your participation, and I hope that you enjoyed the songs.

EDITED TO ADD: I have attempted to transcribe the lyrics to The Curley Weaver song back in the original post for these puzzlers and would appreciate help with any lyrics I may have gotten wrong and the bent bracketed space in the first line of the last verse. It is really a whupped record, and I find it hard to hear. Thanks for any help with the lyrics.

All best,
Johnm

[Blues Vintage]

Can't help you with a definitive answer on the last verse but it sounds to me like "telephone" not "the phone"

3.3 I hear something like  "he never cut out all just right" 

[David Kaatz]

Curly never goes to the V chord?

4.1 and 4.2, I don't hear freight train, but I can't figure out what he is singing at all. Freight train certainly makes fits the context.

5.3, I hear:
Every man in Atlanta, treating me like his dog.

Maybe 6.1 is I like to telephone, ...     but that doesn't make much sense as the next line, to me.

[Old Man Ned]

If this is any help at all, in the 6th verse I'm also hearing 'telephone', could it be 'had to telephone' ?

In the last line of the 3rd verse I'm hearing  "No matter what time I go there, he never put out all his lights

All the best,
Ned

[Johnm]

Thanks, Harry, Dave and Old Man Ned for the lyric suggestions on "Dirty Deal Blues". I will listen a bunch more and announce any changes I make to the transcription here.

Re your comment about whether Curley went to a V chord in "Dirty Deal Blues", Dave, I usually judge whether someone playing in Spanish tuning goes to a V chord in the course of a blues progression by a couple of factors:
   * Does the player put a V note in the bass, either on the open sixth or open fourth string in the bars of the form in which the V chord characteristically arrives?
   * Does a player finger a Spanish tuning V or V7 chord on the second and third string? If a player frets the second fret of the third string and the first fret of the second string, that's a V7 chord, whether or not he/she puts the root of the V chord in the bass. If the player leaves the second and third strings open and just free-hands stuff in the treble, I don't hear that as a strong indication of a V7 chord, even if the player hits a V note in the bass, though I might give them the benefit of the doubt if they do that.

In Curley's playing of the song, he does a bass run into the open fourth string in the ninth bar, so that does give him a V note in the bass there. He does a bass run from the open sixth string into the open fifth string for the downbeat of the tenth bar. In neither bar does he fret either the second fret of the third string or the first fret of the second string, so there's no chordal indication of a V7 chord in the treble.

So whether he goes to a V chord is a judgement call. I suppose a case could be made for a V chord in the ninth bar, but I don't think you could make one for the tenth bar. To me, it sounds like he just stays in his I chord from the signature lick in the seventh bar through the end of the form. Like I say, a judgement call. In any event, he never fingers a V or V7 chord.

All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

Some lyrical suggestions on the Curley Weaver, John –

2.3 ...YOU won't even let me in

3.1, 3.2 I go THERE EARLY in the morning...
3.3 ...He NEVER CUT out all his lights

4.1, 4.2 I'm gonna HIRE ME A TAXI, go RIDE away from here
4.3 MY HOME up the country, mama, I WANNA know what I'm doin' 'round here

5.3 ...TREATIN' me like his dog (not totally sure but there's an extra syllable so it's not treats)

6.1 I RAN to the TELEPHONE, TOOK the receiver down
6.2 I WENT to the TELEPHONE, TOOK the receiver down

some bits from Blind Lemon in this one – Electric Chair and Gone Dead on You.

[Johnm]

That really is great hearing, Chris, thanks so much, I've made the changes, and have a couple of tweaks.

4.1, 4.2 I'm gonna hire me a taxi, GON' ride away from here

5.3 Every man in Atlanta, HE treats me like his dog

I think in 5.3 the "he" is strange at the front end, sounds like he momentarily had a little phlegm in his throat. Thanks!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I have a couple of more puzzlers for those of you who are interested. The first is Memphis Minnie's solo number, "Chickasaw Train Blues", recorded August 24, 1934, in Chicago. Here it is:



INTRO

I'm gon' tell everybody what that Chickasaw have done done for me
I'm gon' tell everybody what that Chickasaw have done done for me
She done stole my man away, and blowed that doggone smoke on me, she's a low-down dirty dog

I ain't no woman, like to ride that Chickasaw
Ain't no woman, like to ride that Chickasaw
Because everywhere she stop, she's stealin' some woman's good man off, she's a low-down dirty dog

I told the depot age' this mornin', I don't think he's treat me right
Told the depot agent this mornin', I don't he's treat me right
He done sold my man a ticket, and that Chickasaw is leavin' town tonight, he's a low-down dirty dog

SOLO

I was down at the railroad track, that Chickasaw even wouldn't let me ride the blind
I was walkin' down the railroad track, that Chickasaw wouldn't even let me ride the blind
And she's stopped, pickin' up men, all up and down the line, she's a low-down dirty dog

Mmmmmmmmmmm, Chickasaw don't pay no woman no mind
Mmmmmmmmmmm, that Chickasaw don't pay no woman no mind
And she's stopped, pickin' up men, all up and down the line

SOLO

For Memphis Minnie's "Chickasaw Train Blues":
   * She used what playing position/tuning?
   * Where did she fret the fill in the third bar of her verse accompaniments?
   * Does her rhythmic feel in this playing position bring to mind another player's time in the same playing position? If so, who?

The second puzzler is the Mississippi Sheiks "The World Is Going Wrong", focusing on Walter Vinson's playing of the song. Here it is (and don't make this ID too hastily--listen a few times):



For Walter Vinson's playing on "The World Is Going Wrong":
   * He used what playing position/tuning?
   * Where did he fret the instrumental response to the last line of the first verse, from :33--:36?

Please use only your ears and your guitars to arrive at your answers, and please don't post any answers before 8:00 AM your time on Tuesday, March 9. Thanks for your participation and I hope you enjoy the songs.

All best,
Johnm   

[Prof Scratchy]

Memphis Minnie plays in C standard. Her fill is something like:

****321************************3**3********************************
*********431*****************************************************
**************210******0******************************************
*******************12**********2*********************************
**************************3**3**********************************
***************************************3***********************

Her style and tempo are reminiscent of Big Bill’s playing in C.
A supplementary query from me would be in relation to the last instrumental verse. Where does she pick the bent C note at round about 2:54?

For Walter Vinson I know I’m being too hasty in saying G standard, but that’s what it sounds like. I’ll be interested in hearing the answer!

[David Kaatz]

Minnie plays Chickasaw in standard tuning, C position.
The lick is a series of triplets:
first string, 3rd fret, 2nd fret, 1st fret,
second string 4th fret, open first string, second string 1st fret,
third string 3rd fret, 2nd fret, open,
fourth string 1st fret, 2nd fret, fifth string 3rd fret,
then play a partial C chord.
I guess the playing reminds me of Big Bill Broonzy

I think Walter Vinson is playing in modified open G tuning, only the fifth and sixth strings dropped one step, so D-G-D-G-B-E. But possibly in regular spanish open G. Either tuning would work.
If the first string is an E, then he plays a pickup note at the first string, 3rd fret, then triplets
first string 1st fret, second string 3rd fret, first string 1st fret,
second string 3rd fret, 1st fret, third string open
third string 3rd fret (dotted eight note), 3rd fret (sixteenth note), open second string (this is still over one beat)
then land on a open third string