Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[frankie]

Walter Roland is actually listed as the second (barely audible) guitarist on this.

[Johnm]

Thanks for that information, Frank.  It makes sense.

[Johnm]

Miller's Breakdown

List continues at http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=10188.msg98102#msg98102

1. Sweet Lucy--Andrew Dunham 
2. My Rare Dog--Jaydee Short 
3. Needin' My Woman Blues--Sammy Hill 
4. Up and Down Buildin' the KC Line--Little Brother 
5.   Seven Year Itch--Otto Virgial 
6.   Going to the River, See Can I Look Across--Eddie Kirkland 
7.   Blues--Big Boy 
8.   I Love My Jelly Roll--David Edwards 
9.   My Poor Mother Keeps On Praying For Me--Wallace Chains 
10.   Blues--Eddie Bowles 
11.   Alabama Prison Blues--Jesse Wadley 
12.   Bug Juice Blues--Kid Prince Moore 
13.   Nobody Knows My Name--Unknown 
14.   What Did the Doodlebug Say to the Mole?--Gabriel Brown 
15.   Trouble--Reese Crenshaw 
16.   A and B Blues--Boy Green 
17.   Natural Man Blues--Johnny Howard 
18.   I Tried--Sylvester Cotton 
19.   Guitar Picking Song--Lucius Curtis 
20.   Tampa Blues--Skoodle Dum Doo and Sheffield 
21.   Sometimes I Wonder--Leroy Campbell and Robert Sanders 
22.   Ding Dong Ring--Unknown 
23.   Gas Ration Blues--Skoodle Dum Doo and Sheffield 
24.   I Won't Be Dogged Around--Bull City Red 
25.   West Side Blues--Willie Harris 
26.   Shanty Boat Blues--Jimmy Murphy 
27.   Wildcat Tamer--Tarheel Slim 
28.   New Root Man Blues--Georgia Slim 
29.   Tennessee Woman Blues--Johnny Shines 
30.   Alone For A Long Time--Charles Caldwell 
31.   Poor Little Angel Girl--Dennis McMillon 
32.   The Truth--Precious Bryant 
33.   Poor and Ain't Got A Dime--Floyd Council 
34.   Sun Don't Shine--Teddy Williams 
35.   I See God In Everything--E. C. Ball 
36.   Smokey Mountain Blues--Wallace Chains 
37.   French Blues--Frank Evans 
38.   Trench Blues--John Bray 
39.   Pick and Shovel Blues--Bull City Red 
40.   Station Boy Blues--Roosevelt Antrim 
41.   Baton Rouge Rag--Joe Harris 
42.   Mama, You Goin' to Quit Me?--Allison Mathis 
43.   Nobody's Business If I Do--Joe Harris 
44.   Poor Joe Breakdown--Robert Davis 
45.   Free Again--Robert Pete Williams 
46.   Dyin' Soul--Robert Pete Williams 
47.   Guitar Blues--Johnny St. Cyr 
48.   Square Dance Calls--Pete Harris
49.   Ella Speed--Wallace Chains 
50.   Country Girl Blues--George Boldwin 
51.   Fandango--Bill Tatnall 
52.   Thunder In Germany--Joel Hopkins 
53.   Old Time Rounders--Emmett Murray 
54.   Too Many Women Blues--Willie Lane 
55.   Motherless and Fatherless Blues--Charlie McCoy 
56.   Goin' Where the Monon Crosses the Yellow Dog--Scrapper Blackwell 
57.   Blues Knocking At My Door--Carolina Slim 
60.   Alabama March--J B Lenoir 
61.   Hungry Spell--Ranie Burnette 
62.   Let Me Be Your Sidetrack--Jimmie Rodgers and Clifford Gibson 
63.   Badly Mistreated Man--Carl Martin 
64.   Hoot Your Belly--Jimmy Lee Williams 
65.   Hard Luck Man--Sonny Scott 
66.   Born in Texas--Tom Shaw
67.   Muddy Shoes Blues--Jewell Long 
68.   Bulldog Blues--Luther Huff 
69.   1951 Blues--Luther Huff
70.   Home Again Blues--Frankie Lee Sims
71.   Riverside Blues--Joe Callicott
72.   This Heart of Mine--Josh White
73.   Guitar Stomp--Big Bill Broonzy
74. Eloise--Ralph Willis
75. I Lets My Daddy Do That--Hattie Hart
76. Against My Will--John Henry Barbee
77. Pickin' Low Cotton, pt. 2--Kid Prince Moore
78. Mean Conductor Blues--Roosevelt Holts
79. I Ain't Gonna Roll for the Big Hat Man No More--Joel Hopkins
80. Georgia Skin Blues--Memphis Minnie
81. Blue Shadow Falling--Buddy Moss
82. Stack O' Dollar--Arthur Weston
83. Holy Ghost Train--Rev. Robert Wilkins
84. Sleepless Nights Blues--Peetie Wheatstraw
85. Frisco Blues (Take 1)--Walter Roland & Sonny Scott
86. Fare Thee Blues, Part 1--Johnnie Head
87. Quincey Wimmens--Tallahassee Tight
88. I Been Down In the Circle Before--Sampson Pittman
89. Brown Skin Woman--Sylvester Cotton
90. Bad Luck Blues--Guitar Welch
91. Married Woman Blues--Frankie Lee Sims
92. 45 Blues--J. T. Smith
93. Kentucky Blues--George "Big Boy" Owens
94. Worried Blues--Babe Stovall
95. Hollandale Blues--Sam Chatmon
96. She's My Baby--Sam Chatmon
97. I'm A Crawling Black Snake--Lightnin' Hopkins
98. Early Morning Blues--James Lowry
99. Central Avenue Blues--Will Day
100. I Get Evil When My Love Comes Down--Gabriel Brown
101. Skippy Whippy--Mississippi Jook Band 
102. Hattie Mae--Andrew Dunham
103. Rocky Mountain--Jim Brewer
104. Kentucky Guitar Blues--J. T. Adams
105. Brown Skinned Woman--Snooks Eaglin
106. I Don't Want No Hungry Woman--Floyd Council
107. Come On Baby--Rich Trice
108. Train Blues--Lucious Curtis
109. You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone--Muddy Waters
110. Red River Blues--Charlie "Dad" Nelson
111. Two Ways To Texas--Emery Glen
112. Tear It Down--Cincinnati Jug Band with Bob Coleman
113. Sing Song Blues--Bob Coleman
114. Run Here, Fairo--Myrt Holmes
115. Easy Rider--Scott Dunbar
116. Stove Pipe Stomp--Big Bill Broonzy
117. Stump Blues--Big Bill Broonzy
118. Sister Jane Cross The Hall--Kokomo Arnold
119. Death Valley Blues--Arthur Crudup
120. 180 Days--Tarheel Slim
121. 90 Going North--Frank Hovington
122. Hey Hey Mama Blues--Kid Cole
123. Whole Soul Blues--Papa Eggshell
124. Faro--Rosa Lee Hill
125. Lemon Man--Dan Pickett
126. T and T Blues--Mooch Richardson
127. Funny Caper Blues--Memphis Willie B.
128. Peakesville Boogie--Richard Wright
129. High As I Want To Be--Robert Pete Williams
130. Poor Bob's Blues--Robert Pete Williams
131. Just A Closer Walk With Thee-Rev. Robert Wilkins
132. I Will Fly Away--Pink Anderson
133. Hoppin' Toad Frog--J. T. Smith
134. Cat Squirrel--Dr. Ross
135. Pretty Polly--E. C. Ball
136. I've Been Mistreated--Georgia Slim
137. Dream Book Blues--Tommy Griffin
138. Georgia Blues--Cecil Barfield
139. Make Your Coffee--K. C. Douglas
140. I Want To Go--JB Lenoir
141. Was That The Human Thing To Do?--Bill Williams
142. My Laona Blues--Teddy Darby
143. Hard Times, Hard Times--unknown
144. Georgia Chain Gang--unknown
145. Further Down The Road--Elester Anderson
146. Pearl Harbor Blues--Roy Dunn
147. Chattanooga Blues--Lester McFarland
148. Insurance Man Blues--Washboard Walter & John Byrd
149. Jivin' Woman--Carolina Slim
150. Drove From Home Blues--Wright Holmes
151. One More Drink--Snooks Eaglin
152. Honey Bee Blues--Bumble Bee Slim
153. Guitar Pete's Blues--Pete Franklin
154. Blue Ghost Blues--Lonnie Johnson
155. Blood Red River--Eddie Hodge
156. Wolf's At Your Door--Lattie Murrell
157. Barrelhouse Blues--Ed Andrews
158. Stamp Blues--Tony Hollins
159. Rabbit Blues--Debs Mays
160. Poor Boy Blues--Willie Lofton
161. Soap Box Blues--Debs Mays
162. Black Bayou Ain't Got No Bottom--Blind Pete and partner
163. Found My Baby Crying--Lightnin' Hopkins
164. Sweet Little Woman--Doug Quattlebaum
165. I'm Going Away--Robert Curtis Smith
166. Bear Cat Blues--John Jackson
167. Pittsburgh Blues--Archie Edwards
168. Broken Heart--K. C. Douglas
169. Riley And Spencer--Fields Ward
170. You Ain't The Last Man--Elzadie Robinson & Johnny St Cyr
171. Step By Step--Lesley Riddle and Mike Seeger
172. If I Get Lucky--JB Lenoir
173. See What You Done Done--Baby Tate
174. Highway 80 Blues--Son Bonds
175. War Blues--Pernell Charity  

[Slack]

Wow!  65 songs already!  Time flies. Amazing Johnm!  Maybe I can figure a way to move this message to the top of the thread.  I might also edit your post and make the songs themselves the link by using the BBC button in the BBS list above (hint hint)

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any takers for the Sonny Scott "Hard Luck Man" puzzler?  Come one, come all, answer as few of the questions as you wish.
All best,
Johnm

[Old Man Ned]

If this is played out of E, he's a bit sharp or capo'd at the first fret as I'm hearing this in F.
 Assuming it's capo on 1st fret the fill he plays from :10--:15 is played out of an A7 barred at the 2nd fret and catching the E note on the 2nd string when needed.
 He plays from :21--:26 out of a long A shape barred at the 5th fret, mainly using the first string, frets 8, 6 and 5.

For the rest, 
   * Where does he fret the fill he plays from :36--:43, and how does he negotiate it in the right hand?
   * How does he start his verse accompaniment from 1:05--1:06?
   * Where does he fret, and how does he play the fill from 1:40--1:49?
this is where I get a bit lost. I'm hearing an E7th shape
-------7----
--5---------
-------7---
----6------
on the first 4 strings in there somewhere, but need to listen to this a whole lot more.

[Prof Scratchy]

E standard tuned or capoed to F.

10-15 lick is based around abbreviated A7 chord on first and second strings.  1/3b-0; 2/2; 1/0-3-0; 1/3b-0; 2/2; 1/0- 3b-3b-0

21-26  1/7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-5-4-5-4-5-4-7-5-4-5; 2/5-5

36-43  slide to 5/7 then pinch double stop 1/7 2/8 then 1/0 2/0 pinch double stop again

1.05-1.06 double stop 1/7 2/8

1.40- 1.49 Dunno

[Old Man Ned]

Just noticed a typo in my earlier answer.  Forgot to put this relative to capo so answer for :21--:26 should be frets 7,5 & 4 not frets 8, 6 and 5.

[Gumbo]

a long time since i did one of these - thanks for keeping them going, johnm. it's always interesting to read them even if it's after the deadline!

I'm going for standard too, capo on 1 E shape sounding in F

fill at 10s
sounds like a D shape slid up to the 4th fret (relative to the capo)
21s
is played on the first string at the 7th fret - 7(x9),5,4,5,4,5,7,5,4,5,4,5,7,5,4,5
 second string s6-7, 5
36s is this a d shape at 4th fret with a pull off of the 1st string to open?
1.40 partial d7 shape on the top two strings at 5 and 6th frets hammer on to the 7th and using the matching open 1st string and 5th fret second string so
6h7,0
.......5

it all reminds me of robert johnson's A shape songs like kind-hearted woman

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It looks like as many people who are going to respond to the "Hard Luck Man" puzzler have responded, so here are the answers:
   * Sonny Scott (and Walter Roland) play the song out of E position in standard tuning, as everyone had it.  Well done!
   * In the passage from :10-:15, Sonny Scott plays the following fill over his IV chord:  On beat 1, he hits the open fifth string with his thumb, followed by the first string bent at the third fret on the + of beat 1.  On beat 2, he picks the open first string, going to the fourth fret of the second string on the + of beat 2.  On beat 3, he plays a triplet, going from the open first string to a bent third fret of the first string followed by the open first string again.  The last note of the triplet sustains through beat 4.  In the second measure, he once again hits the open fifth string on beat one, followed by a bent third fret of the first string on the + of beat one.  On beat two, he plays a triplet going from the open first string to the fourth fret of the second string back to the open first string.  On beat 3 he goes from the fourth fret of the first string to the open first string on the + of beat 3.  On beat 4, he goes from the fourth fret of the second string to the open first string on the + of beat four.  This is such a nifty fill, and the real shocker is the fourth fret of the first string on beat 3 in the second measure--a G#, or a major 7 note relative to the A chord it happens over.  Whew!
   * From :21-:26, he plays the following fill over the V chord, B.  On beat 1, he brushes an index barre of the fourth, third and second strings at the fourth fret, and on the + of beat one he picks the seventh fret of the first string.  For beats two, three and four of the first measure he hits three triplets, striking in every instance the seventh fret of the first string.  In the second measure, he plays a triplet on beat 1, going from the fifth fret of the first string down to the fourth fret of the first string and returning to the fifth fret.  On beat 2 he plays a triplet on the first string going from the seventh fret to the fifth fret and the fourth fret.  On beat 3, he plays another triplet on the first string, hitting the fifth fret and then the seventh fret twice.  On beat four, he does a quick little pull-off from the fifth fret of the first string to the fourth fret, followed by the open first string on the + of beat four.  I think everyone who responded specifically to this question was right in the ball park.
   * Sonny Scott's fill from :36-:43 is another doozy.  He leads in on the + of the preceding beat 4 by sliding from the second fret to the seventh fret of the fifth string.  On beat 1, he hits the open sixth string, followed by a brush of the first string at the seventh fret and a bent eighth fret of the second string.  On beat 2, he re-brushes the seventh fret of the first string and the bent eighth fret of the second string, and on the + of beat two, he uses his thumb to strike the sixth fret of the third string.  On beat three, he re-brushes the seventh fret of the first string and the bent eighth fret of the second string and lets it sustain for the whole beat.  On beat four, he re-brushes that position on the first two strings, and on the + of beat four, he hits the open sixth string with his thumb.  On beat 1 of the next measure, he drags his thumb though and hits the seventh fret of the fifth string, followed by another brush of the seventh fret of the first string and a bent eighth fret of the second string on the + of beat one.  On beat 2, his thumb strikes the sixth fret of the third string while brushes the first two string open, and on the + of beat 2, he re-hits the sixth fret of the third string with his thumb.  On beat 3, he brushes the seventh fret of the first string and the bent eighth fret of the second string , followed by a snapped pull-off to the open first string.  On beat 4, he hits the sixth fret of the third string with his thumb, followed by the open sixth string on the + of beat 4, leading into the seventh fret of the fifth string to begin the next measure just as he had the second measure of the lick.  It's hard to say how Sonny Scott may have fingered this passage--If he used his second finger to slid up to the seventh fret of the fifth string, he could have fingered the sixth fret of the third string with his index finger, the eighth fret of the second string with his little finger and the seventh fret of the first string with his third finger, ending up with 0-7-X-6-8-7.  More likely, perhaps, he gave up the fifth string altogether after hitting it and just fretted the first three strings.  That territory of 6-8-7 or 6-0-0 on the first three strings is one that was mined by Charley Jordan on "Big Four". 
   * He starts the verse from 1:05--1:06 by pinching the fourth fret of the first and third strings and sliding that position up to the seventh fret.
   * Sonny Scott starts the fill from 1:40-1:49 in the very position he finished the last puzzler question in, probably with his second finger fretting the seventh fret of the third string and his third finger fretting the seventh fret of the first string.  In the first measure, he strikes the seventh fret of the third string on all four beats.  In the treble, for beats 1, 2, and 3, he brushes triplets of the seventh fret of the first string and the open second string.  on the fourth beat, he plays another triplet, brushing the seventh fret of the first string and the open second string, pulling off to the open first string for the middle note of the triplet and re-hitting the open first string on the last note of the triplet.  In measure two, he pinches the open first string against his thumb striking the sixth fret of the third string,  and on the middle note of the beat 1 triplet, he slides his second finger up to the seventh fret of the third string and on the last note of the beat one triplet, he picks the open second string. On beat 2, he pinches the seventh fret of the first and third strings, bouncing his left hand so that the notes are accented and then damped, and on the + of beat two he hits the open first string.  Beat three is the same as beat one and beat four is the same as beat two.  He keeps the lick that he starts in the second measure going for another couple of measures, and boy is it cool!  He had so many great licks in this song, and I think this one is my particular favorite.
Thanks to all who participated, and I think people were all in the right neighborhood, perhaps apart from that last fill, which was so unusual.  Roi's suggestion that Walter Roland may have been playing lead was interesting, but I'm inclined to think it was Sonny Scott, after all, just because his vocal expresses real tension in a couple of places in the song, places that coincide with doing something on the guitar that would have made it pretty sporting to play and sing at the same time.  Were Sonny playing the rhythm guitar part, I don't think he would have been taxed at all by it, or sound as though he was.
I will post another puzzler soon.  I apologize for the length of the explanations, but what Sonny Scott played was so interesting that I didn't want to slough over it.
All best,
Johnm     

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It's been a little while since we've had a puzzler which simply involved picking the playing position/tuning for several performances.  The first here is Thomas Shaw's "Born In Texas":



I'm goin' away now, mama, sorry but I can't carry you
Now, I'm goin' away, baby, sorry but I can't carry you
Ain't nothin' down the road that a monkey gal can do

Now, 'f you'll tell me, mama, can I be your salty dog?
Now, tell me, baby, can I be your salty dog?
I was your dog last week, gal, all the week before

Now, tell me, mama, tell me, I go home wit' you?
Now, tell me, baby, can I go home wit' you?
Say, ain't nothin' to-mama, that poor boy can't do

Now, ain't no use to talkin', mama, 'bout that old rat-back chair
Well, it ain't no use talkin', mama, 'bout that old rat-back chair
Some nice old joker got the best store here

Now, play me for your fool, mama, do let you have your way
Don't play me for your fool, mama, 'cause I do let you have your way
Ain't nothin' never happened like I'm gonna change on you someday

I's born in Texas, mama, but I did not stay
I was born in Texas, babe, I did not stay
I had a nice little old woman, partner, brought poor me away

Ain't gonna tell you, mama, what the Santa Fe done to me
I ain't gonna tell nobody what the Santa Fe done to me
Well, it taken my Tommy, come back and got my used-to-be

OUTRO

The second performance is Jewell Long's "Muddy Shoes Blues".  Here it is:



My baby, she went away, my baby, she left me a mule to ride
My baby, she went away, she didn't leave me nothin' but a mule to ride
Soon as that train pulled off, that old mule laid down and died

My baby, I'm goin' away, baby, I won't be back until Fall
I'm goin' away, I won't be back until Fall
If you don't treat me no better, baby, daddy sure won't be back at all

Now, do it a long time, baby, short time make me mad
Do it a long time, baby, short time sure make me mad
'Cause you're the sweetest little baby that your daddy ever had

Baby, baby, do you think that's right?
Baby, why don't you tell me, baby, you know that ain't right
You done left me here waitin', baby, you've been gone all night

Baby, why don't you tell me, whose dirty muddy shoes are these?
You better hurry up and tell me, baby, whose dirty muddy shoes are these?
Layin' up here in the corner, where your good man's oughta be

I ain't got me, I ain't got me no more baby now
I ain't got me, I ain't got me no baby now
She was a dirty mistreater, she didn't mean me no good nohow

So baby, here your ticket, yonder stands your train
Baby, here is your ticket, yonder stand your train
I'm goin' back to my woman, you better go back to your man


The third performance is Luther Huff's "Bulldog Blues".  Here it is:



SOLO

Well now, you told me, baby, that you was gonna be good
I hear your name a-ringin' all over the neighborhood, now,
You told me, baby, that you was gonna be good
Said, but I hear your name a-ringin' all over the neighborhood

Now, I would rather be a bulldog (spoken: Woof!), goin' from town to town
Hate to be there with you, baby, take the stuff you puttin' down, now,
Rather be a bulldog, goin' from town to town
Tell you now, to there, with you, baby, takin' this stuff you're puttin' down (spoken: I wouldn't take that stuff, man!)

Now, if I had-a known, like I do today
I wouldn't-a been here, baby, you treatin' me this-a way, now
If I had-a known, like I do today
Says, I wouldn't-a been here, baby, you treatin' me this-a way

Now, I would rather be a bulldog (spoken: Woof!), sleepin' in the woods
Hate to be there with you, baby, 'cause you don't me me no good, now,
I would rather be a bulldog, sleepin' out in the woods
Said, now to be there with you, baby, and you don't mean me no good


The question in every instance is: What playing position/tuning is being used to play the song?  (In the Luther Huff song, please answer the question for the acoustic guitar.)  Please use only your ears and instruments to arrive at your answers, no transcription software, and please wait until Thursday morning, February 5, to post your answers.  Thanks for participating!

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any takers for the Tom Shaw/Jewell Long/Luther Huff puzzler?  Come one, come all!
All best,
Johnm

[Prof Scratchy]

I'll go with A, G and A too!

[blueshome]

A,G & not sure

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It doesn't appear that there will be more responses on this puzzler, so I guess I'll post the answers.
   *  Playing position/tuning for Tom Shaw's "Born In Texas" is A position in standard tuning, as everyone had it.  Well done!
   *  Playing position/tuning for Jewell Long's "Muddy Shoes Blues" was G position in standard tuning, with everyone once again nailing it.
   *  Playing position for "Luther Huff's "Bull Dog Blues" was Spanish tuning.  I think that maybe I didn't express clearly enough in my original statement of the question which guitar I was inquiring about.  For what it's worth, I was asking about not the guitar that carries the descending bass line, but the one that enters around the :11 mark.  When I first started listening to the tune, I thought it was out of G position in standard tuning, but as soon as it went to the IV and V7 chords, I knew it was being played in Spanish.  I think this is such a strong cut, and it's not one I had ever heard before. 

Thanks to all of you who participated, and I'll look for another puzzler to post soon.
All best,
Johnm