A while ago Frank got me interested in Fuller's slow blues in G. He showed me some licks when I was visiting back east, which I promptly forgot, except for the fact that there were a lot of slides into unisons that sounded great. I quizzed Lightnin', who knew a few licks, too, and wished he knew a whole song ("The'r Goood!").
So I figured I'd work one out. Frank's beef was that none of the lyrics are really that great, so I thought I would find all the slow blues in G and listen to them. Which meant that I should finally take John M's advice from about 2 years ago and just run thru a bunch of songs and figure out what key they were in, without worrying about working them all out. I've learned a few BBF songs from Ari's video and also worked out a couple, so I feel familiar with his style, and figured I could probably figure most of them out, and, in the spirit of banjochris' great post on Willie McTell, I should post them up here.
So, for what it's worth, here's what I came up with. I've listed them the way they are on the Document Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, seperated by Volume. After the title is my best guess at the guitar key of the chord forms he is playing and then the capo position (C+2)=(Chords in the key of C with capo at 2nd fret), or detuning (E-1)=(E with guitar tuned to Eb). For the three songs I thought were in Vastapol, I put the key that it was tuned to (Vastapol @ Eb). You could arrive at it by tuning or tuning and capo, as you prefer. In one or two cases I even got so bold as to suggest what the secong guitar was playing out of.
Rarely are the recordings right on key. Sometimes when it was particularly sharp, I indicated with a (') after the key or capo position.
I checked against both the GW books and Ari's video and found one mistake. If anyone would like to check over songs that they are familiar with that would be great. Oddly, some of the songs I was most unsure of were the religious numbers that are mostly strummed. I guess its hard for me to hear the whole chord as individual notes, and I didn't want to load individual songs into Trancsribe! as if I was going to work them out. So I took my best guess, which usually seemed to be first position chords with no capo. I went thru twice, and changed quite a few of the earlier ones after I'd gotten more familiar with some of his keys. I'm sure there are still mistakes, I feel unsure about several from each volume, and any that you folks find I'll change.
So, any votes on which is the best slow blues in G? I guess I'm leaning towards Screamin' and Cryin' Blues, which I know Stefan has tabbed, but I've resisted looking. I might try to graft in a solo from one of the others, which would be a new step for me.
Anyway, I hope these might help some of you over the hump and gets you figuring out some of these very fun arrangements.
Volume 1
Baby, I Don't Have To Worry? ?C+4
I'm A Rattlesnakin' Daddy? ? A+4
I'm Climbin' On Top of the Hill? ? E+5
Ain't It a Crying Shame? ? E+5
Looking For My Woman? ? A+5
Rag Mama Rag (unissued)? ? C+5
Rag Mama Rag? ? C+5
Baby, You Gotta Change Your Mind? ? C+5
Evil Hearted Woman? ? G+3
My Brownskin Sugar Plum? ?C
Somebody's Been Playing with that Thing? ? A
Log Cabin Blues? ? C+1
Log Cabin Blues (unissued)? ? C+1
Homesick and Lonesome Blues? ? Vastapol @ Eb
Walking My Troubles Away? ? E+2
Walking My Troubles Away (unissued)? ? E+2
Black and Tan? ? A+3
Keep Away from My Woman? ? G+2'
Keep Away from My Woman (unissued)? ? G+3
Babe You Got to Do Better? ? E+3
Big Bed Blues? ? C+3
Truckin' My Blues Away? ? C+3'
(I Got a Woman Crazy for Me) She's Funny That Way? ? C+3
Cat Man Blues (unissued)? ?A+3
Volume 2
Cat Man Blues (take 2)? ?A+2
When Your Gal Packs Up and Leaves? ? E+3
Mama Let Me Lay It On You? ? G+2?
If You Don't Give Me What I Want? ? C+3
Boots and Shoes? ? E+3;G
Trucking My Blues Away No. 2 (take 1)? ?C+1
Trucking My Blues Away No. 2 (take 2)? ? C+1
Sweet Honey Hole? ? E+1
Untrue Blues? ? A+1
Tom Cat Blues? ? E
My Baby Don't Mean Me No Good? ? E+1
Been Your Dog? ? E
My Best Gal Gonna Leave Me? ? G+1
Wires All Down? ? G+2
Let Me Squeeze Your Lemon? ? G+1
Death Alley? ? C+1
Mamie (take 1)? ? A
Mamie (take 2)? ? A+1
New Oh Red!? ? ?A+6;E-1
If You See My Pigmeat? ? A+1
Stingy Mama? ? A+1
Why Don't My Baby Write to Me? ? E+1
Some Day You're Gonna Be Sorry? ? E+1
You Never Can Tell? ? C+1
Volume 3
Put You Back in the Jail? ?C+1
Walking and Looking Blues? ? G+1
Bulldog Blues? ? A+1
Where My Woman Usta Lay? ? A+1
Working Man Blues? ? D+1'
Weeping Willow? ? A+3
Corrine What Makes You Treat Me So? ? A+2
Stealing Bo-Hog? ? A+1
Worried and Evil Man Blues? ? G+1
Bull Dog Blues? ? A
Break of Day Blues? ? A+1
Oh Zee Zas Rag? ? C+1
Throw Your Yas Yas Back in Jail? ? C+1
Snake Woman Blues? ? C+1
Mojo Hidin' Woman? ? A+1
Steel Hearted Woman? ? E+2
Ain't No Gettin' Along? ? A+1
Careless Love? ? A+2
New Louise Louise Blues? ? E+2
Mistreater, You're Going to Be Sorry? ? E+4
Bye Bye Baby Blues? ? E+3
Looking for My Woman, No. 2? ? A+2
Volume 4
Shaggy Like A Bear? ? G+2
Ten O'clock Peeper? ? A+2
Hungry Calf Blues? ? A+2
Too Many Women Blues? ? A+2
Oozin' You Off My Mind? ? C+2
Shake That Shimmy? ? C+2
Heart Ease Blues? ? C+2
I'm Going To Move (To The Edge Of Town)? ? E+3
Pistol Slapper Blues? ?G
Mean And No Good Woman? ? A-1
Georgia Ham Mama? ? A-2
Piccolo Rag? ? C-2
Funny Feeling Blues? ? E-2
Painful Hearted Man? ? D-2
You've Got To Move It Out? ? E
Mama Let Me Lay It On You No.2? ? G
Meat Shakin' Woman? ? C-1
I'm A Good Stem Winder? ? A-1
What's That Smells Like Fish? ? C+1'
She's A Truckin' Little Baby? ? C+1'
Jivin' Woman Blues? ? C+1'
You're Laughing Now? ? G+2
Volume 5
Stop Jivin' Me Mama? ? ?E+1
Long Time Trucker? ? ?A
Big House Bound? ? ?A'
Flyin' Airplane Blues? ? ?E+1
Get Your Yas Yas Out? ? C+2
Jitterbug Rag? ? ?G+3
Screaming and Crying Blues? ? G+2
Blacksnakin' Jiver? ? C+1
I Don't Care How Long? ? Vastapol @ E
You've Got Something There? ? C+1
Baby Quit Your Low Down Ways(take 1)? ? G+4
Baby Quit Your Low Down Ways(take 2)? ? G+4
It Doesn't Matter Baby? ? G+3
Black Bottom Blues? ? C+3
I Crave My Pig Meat? ? G+3
Big Leg Woman Gets My Pay? ? E+3
I'm a Stranger Here? ? Vastapol @ F
Red's Got the Piccolo Blues? ? C+2
I Want Some of Your Pie? ? E+1
Jivin' Big Bill Blues? ? E+1
Woman You Better Wake Up? ? A
Step It Up and Go? ? G
Worn Out Engine Blues? ? A
Volume 6
Blue and Worried Man? ? E
Passenger Train Woman? ? E+4
Shake It, Baby? ? C+1
Somebody's Been Talkin'? ? A+2
Three Ball Blues? ? A+2
Little Woman You're So Sweet? ? Vastapol @ D
Harmonica Stomp? ? E
Good Feeling Blues? ? E
You Can't Hide from the Lord? ? C
Twelve Gates to the City? ? G
Crooked Woman Blues? ? D
I Don't Want No Skinny Woman? ? E
Bus Rider Blues? ? E
You Got to Have Your Dollar? ? E
Lost Lover Blues? ? A
Thousand Woman Blues? ? A+1
Bye Bye Baby? ? E
When You Are Gone? ? G
No Stranger Now? ? C
Must Have Been My Jesus? ? A
Jesus Is a Holy Man? ? A+1
Precious Lord? ? G
Night Rambling Woman? ? G
All for now.
John C.
So I figured I'd work one out. Frank's beef was that none of the lyrics are really that great, so I thought I would find all the slow blues in G and listen to them. Which meant that I should finally take John M's advice from about 2 years ago and just run thru a bunch of songs and figure out what key they were in, without worrying about working them all out. I've learned a few BBF songs from Ari's video and also worked out a couple, so I feel familiar with his style, and figured I could probably figure most of them out, and, in the spirit of banjochris' great post on Willie McTell, I should post them up here.
So, for what it's worth, here's what I came up with. I've listed them the way they are on the Document Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, seperated by Volume. After the title is my best guess at the guitar key of the chord forms he is playing and then the capo position (C+2)=(Chords in the key of C with capo at 2nd fret), or detuning (E-1)=(E with guitar tuned to Eb). For the three songs I thought were in Vastapol, I put the key that it was tuned to (Vastapol @ Eb). You could arrive at it by tuning or tuning and capo, as you prefer. In one or two cases I even got so bold as to suggest what the secong guitar was playing out of.
Rarely are the recordings right on key. Sometimes when it was particularly sharp, I indicated with a (') after the key or capo position.
I checked against both the GW books and Ari's video and found one mistake. If anyone would like to check over songs that they are familiar with that would be great. Oddly, some of the songs I was most unsure of were the religious numbers that are mostly strummed. I guess its hard for me to hear the whole chord as individual notes, and I didn't want to load individual songs into Trancsribe! as if I was going to work them out. So I took my best guess, which usually seemed to be first position chords with no capo. I went thru twice, and changed quite a few of the earlier ones after I'd gotten more familiar with some of his keys. I'm sure there are still mistakes, I feel unsure about several from each volume, and any that you folks find I'll change.
So, any votes on which is the best slow blues in G? I guess I'm leaning towards Screamin' and Cryin' Blues, which I know Stefan has tabbed, but I've resisted looking. I might try to graft in a solo from one of the others, which would be a new step for me.
Anyway, I hope these might help some of you over the hump and gets you figuring out some of these very fun arrangements.
Volume 1
Baby, I Don't Have To Worry? ?C+4
I'm A Rattlesnakin' Daddy? ? A+4
I'm Climbin' On Top of the Hill? ? E+5
Ain't It a Crying Shame? ? E+5
Looking For My Woman? ? A+5
Rag Mama Rag (unissued)? ? C+5
Rag Mama Rag? ? C+5
Baby, You Gotta Change Your Mind? ? C+5
Evil Hearted Woman? ? G+3
My Brownskin Sugar Plum? ?C
Somebody's Been Playing with that Thing? ? A
Log Cabin Blues? ? C+1
Log Cabin Blues (unissued)? ? C+1
Homesick and Lonesome Blues? ? Vastapol @ Eb
Walking My Troubles Away? ? E+2
Walking My Troubles Away (unissued)? ? E+2
Black and Tan? ? A+3
Keep Away from My Woman? ? G+2'
Keep Away from My Woman (unissued)? ? G+3
Babe You Got to Do Better? ? E+3
Big Bed Blues? ? C+3
Truckin' My Blues Away? ? C+3'
(I Got a Woman Crazy for Me) She's Funny That Way? ? C+3
Cat Man Blues (unissued)? ?A+3
Volume 2
Cat Man Blues (take 2)? ?A+2
When Your Gal Packs Up and Leaves? ? E+3
Mama Let Me Lay It On You? ? G+2?
If You Don't Give Me What I Want? ? C+3
Boots and Shoes? ? E+3;G
Trucking My Blues Away No. 2 (take 1)? ?C+1
Trucking My Blues Away No. 2 (take 2)? ? C+1
Sweet Honey Hole? ? E+1
Untrue Blues? ? A+1
Tom Cat Blues? ? E
My Baby Don't Mean Me No Good? ? E+1
Been Your Dog? ? E
My Best Gal Gonna Leave Me? ? G+1
Wires All Down? ? G+2
Let Me Squeeze Your Lemon? ? G+1
Death Alley? ? C+1
Mamie (take 1)? ? A
Mamie (take 2)? ? A+1
New Oh Red!? ? ?A+6;E-1
If You See My Pigmeat? ? A+1
Stingy Mama? ? A+1
Why Don't My Baby Write to Me? ? E+1
Some Day You're Gonna Be Sorry? ? E+1
You Never Can Tell? ? C+1
Volume 3
Put You Back in the Jail? ?C+1
Walking and Looking Blues? ? G+1
Bulldog Blues? ? A+1
Where My Woman Usta Lay? ? A+1
Working Man Blues? ? D+1'
Weeping Willow? ? A+3
Corrine What Makes You Treat Me So? ? A+2
Stealing Bo-Hog? ? A+1
Worried and Evil Man Blues? ? G+1
Bull Dog Blues? ? A
Break of Day Blues? ? A+1
Oh Zee Zas Rag? ? C+1
Throw Your Yas Yas Back in Jail? ? C+1
Snake Woman Blues? ? C+1
Mojo Hidin' Woman? ? A+1
Steel Hearted Woman? ? E+2
Ain't No Gettin' Along? ? A+1
Careless Love? ? A+2
New Louise Louise Blues? ? E+2
Mistreater, You're Going to Be Sorry? ? E+4
Bye Bye Baby Blues? ? E+3
Looking for My Woman, No. 2? ? A+2
Volume 4
Shaggy Like A Bear? ? G+2
Ten O'clock Peeper? ? A+2
Hungry Calf Blues? ? A+2
Too Many Women Blues? ? A+2
Oozin' You Off My Mind? ? C+2
Shake That Shimmy? ? C+2
Heart Ease Blues? ? C+2
I'm Going To Move (To The Edge Of Town)? ? E+3
Pistol Slapper Blues? ?G
Mean And No Good Woman? ? A-1
Georgia Ham Mama? ? A-2
Piccolo Rag? ? C-2
Funny Feeling Blues? ? E-2
Painful Hearted Man? ? D-2
You've Got To Move It Out? ? E
Mama Let Me Lay It On You No.2? ? G
Meat Shakin' Woman? ? C-1
I'm A Good Stem Winder? ? A-1
What's That Smells Like Fish? ? C+1'
She's A Truckin' Little Baby? ? C+1'
Jivin' Woman Blues? ? C+1'
You're Laughing Now? ? G+2
Volume 5
Stop Jivin' Me Mama? ? ?E+1
Long Time Trucker? ? ?A
Big House Bound? ? ?A'
Flyin' Airplane Blues? ? ?E+1
Get Your Yas Yas Out? ? C+2
Jitterbug Rag? ? ?G+3
Screaming and Crying Blues? ? G+2
Blacksnakin' Jiver? ? C+1
I Don't Care How Long? ? Vastapol @ E
You've Got Something There? ? C+1
Baby Quit Your Low Down Ways(take 1)? ? G+4
Baby Quit Your Low Down Ways(take 2)? ? G+4
It Doesn't Matter Baby? ? G+3
Black Bottom Blues? ? C+3
I Crave My Pig Meat? ? G+3
Big Leg Woman Gets My Pay? ? E+3
I'm a Stranger Here? ? Vastapol @ F
Red's Got the Piccolo Blues? ? C+2
I Want Some of Your Pie? ? E+1
Jivin' Big Bill Blues? ? E+1
Woman You Better Wake Up? ? A
Step It Up and Go? ? G
Worn Out Engine Blues? ? A
Volume 6
Blue and Worried Man? ? E
Passenger Train Woman? ? E+4
Shake It, Baby? ? C+1
Somebody's Been Talkin'? ? A+2
Three Ball Blues? ? A+2
Little Woman You're So Sweet? ? Vastapol @ D
Harmonica Stomp? ? E
Good Feeling Blues? ? E
You Can't Hide from the Lord? ? C
Twelve Gates to the City? ? G
Crooked Woman Blues? ? D
I Don't Want No Skinny Woman? ? E
Bus Rider Blues? ? E
You Got to Have Your Dollar? ? E
Lost Lover Blues? ? A
Thousand Woman Blues? ? A+1
Bye Bye Baby? ? E
When You Are Gone? ? G
No Stranger Now? ? C
Must Have Been My Jesus? ? A
Jesus Is a Holy Man? ? A+1
Precious Lord? ? G
Night Rambling Woman? ? G
All for now.
John C.