Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any takers for the Eugene Powell puzzlers? Come one, come all!
All best,
Johnm

[Old Man Ned]

Love Eugene Powell.

I'm hearing both in standard tuning. "Police In Mississippi Blues" in E and "So Cold In China" in A.

All the Best,
Ned.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any other takers for the Eugene Powell puzzlers?
All best,
Johnm

[Forgetful Jones]

I'm listening without a guitar handy.

I think Police in Mississippi is in standard tuning, E position. I find it interesting that he doesn't dig into the Low root note like many other players do when playing in E (if that's, in fact, where he is).

I think So Cold in China is in A.

Cheers!

[blueshome]

Just got to it. I'm with the others E and A

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any other takers for the Eugene Powell puzzlers? Come one, come all!
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It appears that everyone who is going to respond to the Eugene Powell puzzlers has done so by now, so I will post the answers.

For Eugene Powell's "Police in Mississippi":
   * His playing position was G position in standard tuning. I don't think this was an obvious identification. If you listen to the beginning of the tune, once he starts playing time, at :03, he sounds, in the treble, to be playing a standard sort of E position in standard tuning phrase, which in that position involves fretting the seventh fret of the first string, bending the eighth fret of the second string and going to the ninth fret of the first string. If you listen to his alternating bass, though, he's alternating from a low VI note on the sixth string up to a V note on the fourth string. That low VI note would not be available in E position in standard tuning, and if you think about what key puts its V note on the open fourth string, it is G, the low VI note of which is E. So it is that the lick Eugene Powell is playing in the treble actually has him fretting the first string at the tenth fret, bending the second string at the eleventh fret, and going up to the twelfth fret of the first string. The descending run he plays from :10--:11 sounds more like a G position, standard tuning run. From that point onward, things fall into place more naturally in G position, standard tuning. The fact that he is tuned low probably makes the identification of the tuning/playing position that much more difficult. Eugene Powell's playing on this tune is very piano-influenced. I had occasion, probably around fifteen years ago, to record this tune as ".44 Blues" for a Eugene Powell tribute CD which had a number of present-day players doing their versions of songs that Eugene had recorded, mostly on field and at-home recordings done by a variety of people.

For Eugene Powell's "So Cold In China":
   * His playing position was A position in standard tuning, as all who responded had it--well done! The lick that he played from around :07--:09 is one that he loved, and I believe that Sam Chatmon, who never missed a chance to use it, got it from Eugene. It's a very high concept rocking move between a I7 chord and a rootless IV9 chord, with the A7 chord fretted 0-4-5-2-5-5 and the rootless D9 chord fretted at 0-3-4-2-5-5. It's the kind of move that pianists love to use and that is so much easier to play on the piano than the guitar!

A couple of you commented on the similarity of Eugene Powell's sound on these tunes to that of Hacksaw Harney, and I think that those two players, along with Bo Carter and possibly Mott Willis, were the prime exemplars of a sophisticated strain of Mississippi blues guitar playing that has gone relatively unrecognized. And I think you could make a pretty strong case for Eugene Powell, at least on commercial recordings, being one of the most criminally under-recorded guitarists in the whole style. You don't have to listen to very much of his playing to be aware of how much stuff he had worked through, and how fresh and different his sound was.

I hope that you enjoyed the tunes, and thanks to Old Man Ned, Forgetful Jones and blueshome for participating in the puzzlers. I'll look for some more.
All best,
Johnm
 

[Old Man Ned]

Thanks for the explanation on 'Police in Mississippi' John. That one really had me scunnered. I was sure it was E. I love Eugene Powell's playing as I do Hacksaw Harney. Would loved to have seen them both live! Couldn't resist sharing this clip:

All the Best,
Ned

[Johnm]

Hi Old Man Ned,
I think what makes Eugene Powell's songs tougher than those of many players to identify the playing position/tuning of is that most Country Blues guitar playing is premised on taking what a playing position or tuning gives you, or makes readily available to you, and basing your playing around that. Eugene Powell and a very small group of other players went beyond taking what the position gave them, and played phrases that they wanted to hear that were less obviously available in the positions in which they chose to play them, and which required more work, and thus more thought for the fretting hand. So Eugene Powell ended up employing chord voicings in his fretting hand that you don't encounter in the playing of many other guitarists in the style.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It's been a little while since we've had some new puzzlers, so I thought I would post a couple. The first is from Carolina Slim, and it is his "Slo-Freight Blues". Here it is:



The questions on "Slo-Freight Blues" are:
   * What playing position/tuning did Carolina Slim use to play the song?
   * Where did Carolina Slim fret his IV chords in his verse accompaniments?
   * Where did Carolina Slim fret the two positions he is rocking between in the treble at the opening of his solo?

The second puzzler is from Robert Petway, and it is his version of "In The Evening". Here it is:



The questions on "In the Evening" are:
   * What playing position/tuning did Robert Petway use to play the song?
   * What chord commonly played in blues did Robert Petway omit in his rendition?

Please use only your ears and your guitars to arrive at your answers, and please don't post any responses before 8:00 AM your time on Friday, January 27. Thanks for participating and I hope that you enjoy the songs.

All best,
Johnm

 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any takers for the Carolina Slim and Robert Petway puzzlers? Come one, come all!
All best,
Johnm

[IanD]

Okay, let’s see if I can get them all wrong.

Carolina Slim is in drop-D(ish), he’s playing the IV as kind of a C shape moved up two frets with a G bass, and he’s rocking between fretting the 2nd string at the 10th fret with the 1st at the 8th and then down to the 2nd string at the 6th fret with the 1st at the 5th. But really I should have tuned to him before guessing.

Petway is in G, capoed up, and he mostly leaves out the V but kind of hints at it sometimes?

By the way, John, I’m playing again after a very long hiatus.

[Johnm]

I'm glad to hear that you're playing again, Ian. Any other takers for the Carolina Slim and Robert Petway puzzlers?

[David Kaatz]

I have Carolina Slim playing in Drop-D tuning.  He fingers his IV chord such: 1st string fifth fret, 2nd string sixth fret, 3rd string 4th fret. I don't know, he might be hitting a lower open D string sometimes too. During the solo, he moves between fingering the 1st and 2nd strings on frets eight and ten, respectively, then down to five and seven, respectively.

Petway, I too think is playing in G position, standard tuning, capoed way up to sound in Db. He doesn't really fully articulate the V chord, but he does suggest it with a walk up to the root in the bass.

Nice tunes, great playing and singing by Petway.
Dave

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any other takers for the Carolina Slim and Robert Petway puzzlers? Come one, come all.