Hi all,
John Lee Hooker recorded "Bumble Bee Blues" with an ensemble and it appears on an anthology called "Essential Detroit Blues". John Lee accompanied himself out of E position in standard tuning for the performance and his guitar has a wonderful "ripping sheet metal" sort of tone. I analyzed John Lee's vocal phrasing of this performance in the thread "Vocal Phrasing: The Long and the Short of it", at https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=951.msg90203#msg90203 for any of you who are interested. Here is "Bumble Bee Blues":



INTRO

Bumble bee, bumble bee, bumble bee . . . bumble bee, please come back to me
Bumble bee, bumble bee, bumble bee . . . bumble bee, please come back to me
Bring me my granulated sugar, bumble bee, and try to ease my baby to me

She stung me this morning, I been lookin' for her all day long
Yes, she stung me this morning, yes, yes, I been lookin' for her all day long
Get me to the place, one time, hate to see my bumble bee leave home

My bumble bee got a stinger, just as long as her right arm
Yes, my bumble bee got a stinger, just as long as her right arm
Every time she sting me, hate to see my bumble bee leave home (Spoken: Now rock the blues away!)

PIANO SOLO

Yes, buzz me, buzz me, buzz me, 'til I don't want no more, buzz me, buzz me, bumble bee now, rock me all night long, I said
Buzz me, buzz me all night long
I said buzz me, buzz me, I don't want no more

CODA

All best,
Johnm

Thanks for the help, Chris! There was no danger of me getting either one of those fixes, but after re-listening a couple of times, I can hear they're both spot on. Changes have been made.

Hi all,

Fingerstyle Blues in Vestapol (Open D) Tuning

This second class on open/alternate tunings used in fingerstyle blues guitar will be held this coming Saturday, April 20th, at 10:00 AM Pacific Standard Time. We’ll start the class by seeing how the blues scale sits in Vestapol tuning and how the I, IV and V7 chords have most commonly been voiced by players of the past. We’ll then look at the approach that several of the players who specialized in Vestapol tuning took to playing in it—people like Bo Carter, Furry Lewis, Josh White, and Blind Connie Williams. We’ll conclude the class by looking for possibilities that the tuning offers that were not utilized by players of the past but that nonetheless speak in the language of the blues, and will arrange a couple of well-known blues in Vestapol.

The class will be recorded and sent to all participants so you’ll be able to review the lesson content. Persons interested in the class who are unable to attend the day it is offered may still purchase it and receive the film of the class. Cost of the class is $40.00. To sign up, make a payment to my account at paypal.com as per the instructions at https://johnmillerguitar.com/teaching.html . Once I’ve been notified that payment has been made, I’ll send you an invitation. I hope to see you there!

All best,
Johnm

Best I can do,

well you keep on lovin' her sure gonna let her down

Hi all,
Hayes McMullan accompanied himself out of low-tuned Spanish tuning for "Dirt Road By Myself". The recording starts with him already mid-stream. On the one hand, I suppose you could look at the rendition as being compromised by this and other unintentional aspects, but that having been said, he sings and plays so beautifully and dynamically that I'm glad the take was not lost and that we can listen to it now. He really swallows his lyrics at a couple of points and I'd appreciate help with those places. Here is "Dirt Road By Myself":



Mm, dirt road by myself
I'm going, carry me someone else

I said, mama, what you going to do?
I said, mama, what you going to do?
I said, looky-here, baby, tryin' to make a fool of me

INTERLUDE

I said, Lord, Lord, don't, got no mama now
I said, mama, got no mama now (laughs)
I say, Lord, Lord, got no mama now (Spoken: I done forgot half I ever knowed. I ain't jokin'.)

Said, hurry, sundown, let tomorrow come
I said, hurry, sundown, let tomorrow come
I said, mama, mama, I sure (vocal inaudible)

I says, a mean blacksnake keeps on suckin' my rider's tongue
I says a mean blacksnake keeps on suckin' my rider's tongue
Well, you keep on lovin' her, sure gonna let her down

SPOKEN: Now see, I can't slide down on these strings, you know? My fingers don't stand it now, where it's s'posed to.

SOLO

SPOKEN: That's the way it's supposed to be there.

I said, hey, baby, what are you going to do?
I said, hey, hey, what are you going to do?
Baby, . . .

I said, Lord, ---

Edited 4/14 to pick up correction from Blues Vintage

All best,
Johnm