Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Thanks for the good words, Todd,  and thanks to all who have participated in this thread thus far.  I'll put up a new puzzler some time between Christmas and the New Year.  Seasons greetings to all and best wishes for a Happy New Year in 2015!
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I hope you've been having fun celebrating the Holidays.  I have a new puzzler for you--the song is "Alabama March" by JB Lenoir, and I'd like to thank Prof. Scratchy for introducing me to the song.  It's a striking song and performance by JB Lenoir, so earnest and heartfelt.  Here it is:



Third month, twenty-fifth day of '65, we marched on Alabama hill
Third month, twenty-fifth day, we marched on Alabama hill
Governor Wallace wouldn't come out, 'cause my God have give him a chill

We marched in the lion's den, God had locked their jaw
We marched in the lion's den, God had locked thei' jaw
God told the people to "March on, 'cause the lion's jaw will not bite you no more."

He even killed the people that kneeled down in prayer, calling on Your name
He even killed the people that kneeled down in prayer, calling on your name
God, you said we call on your name, you will lift us up 'bout the evil man's hand

SOLO

The questions for "Alabama March" are"
   * What playing position/tuning did JB Lenoir use to play the song?
   * What are the two chords that he rocks to and from throughout the rendition, but for the first time at :02--:03, and where are they fingered?
   * Where is the run from :21--:23 fingered?
   * Where is the run from :29--:31 fingered?
   * Where are the two-chord rocking motions JB Lenoir plays over his IV and V chords fingered?

As always, please use only your ears, experience and instrument to figure out your answers.  I expect a lot of folks are still pretty busy, so please don't post your answers until Monday morning, December 29.  Thanks for your participation.

Edited to pick up corrections from Prof Scratchy, 1/29/15

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Any takers for the puzzler on JB Lenoir's "Alabama March"?  Come one, come all, answer however many of the questions as you wish!
All best,
Johnm

[Prof Scratchy]

Ok -well, if there are no takers, I'll have a shot. Dropped D tuning. At the beginning he rocks between a first position D chord and x20030. The run at 21 to 23 sounds something like (str/fret) 6/0; 5/3; 4/3;3/1; 3/0; 4/3; 4/0; 5/3; 4/0.
From 29 to 31 the run is something like: 5/4>5/5 hammer on; 4/3; 4/5; 4/3; 5/5; 5/3; 6/5.
For the rocking chord on the IV, I think he hits a G note on the fifth fret of the sixth string then goes to a C6 chord, covering strings one to four at the fifth fret, then plays a second position G chord over strings 1 to 4. Moving to the V chord he does the same move, though getting the root A note on the open fifth before getting the D6 chord at xx7777, then resolving briefly to the second position A chord at x07655.

[Pan]

Well perhaps I'll start, while everyone else are apparently still digesting their turkeys or whatever. 

The questions for "Alabama March" are"
   * What playing position/tuning did J. B. Lenoir use to play the song?

Well, I?ve been terribly wrong with dropped D before, but I?m going to suggest it again. 

   * What are the two chords that he rocks to and from throughout the rendition, but for the first time at :02--:03, and where are they fingered?

Sounds to me like there?s an octave D played on the 6th and 4th strings, followed by the open position D chord:  0-X-0-2-3-2; then I?m hearing the top 4 strings open, with maybe a B on bass:  X-2-0-0-0-0, which could be seen as an Em7 chord, I guess.

   * Where is the run from :21--:23 fingered?

Sounds like an arpeggiated F minor chord 3-3-3-1-X-X; followed by the open 3rd string; and then the 3rd fret 4th string; pulled off for the open 4th string; and followed by the 3rd fret 5th string.

   * Where is the run from :29--:31 fingered?

I think he?s playing the 3rd fret 5th string, the hammering on the 5th fret; then following with the 3rd fret 4th string; then a downward run from the 5th to the 3rd fret on 4th string; then same frets on the 5th string; and ending up on the 5th fret on the 6th string.

   * Where are the two-chord rocking motions J. B. Lenoir plays over his IV and V chords fingered?

If I?m understanding the question correctly, I think he plays X-X-5-5-5-X to X-X-5-4-3-X for the IV chord; and for the V chord a little more elaborately, starting with the 7th fret 4th string and a slid in 5th fret 2nd string, then X-X-7-7-7-X, then a double stop on strings 3 and 2, with a barred 5th fret, followed by a quick hammer on on the 6th fret of the 3rd string, while the 2nd string is still ringing.

J.B. Lenoir is such an interesting guitar player and musician, thanks for posting John, and looking forward to see if I was anywhere near the ballpark again. Hopefully others will chime in as well.

Cheers

Pan

Edited to add: Professor Scratchy posted while I was typing!

[Prof Scratchy]

Prof Scratchy should have waited five minutes and and stolen your ideas, Pan!

[uncle bud]

Without a guitar at hand, I would also agree with dropped D, but boy what an interesting sound JB Lenoir gets out of it.

[Old Man Ned]

Just got to this after travelling over Christmas.  In agreement with everyone on dropped D and I think Pan has covered the other questions though I've not got around to listening to the last one as much needed rest beckons.  All the best for the New Year.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Thanks to all who responded on JB Lenoir's "Alabama March" puzzler.  Here are the answers:
   * JB did play the song out of dropped-D tuning, as you all had it, tuned about one half-step low.  Good hearing!
   * The two chord rocking motion he plays over the I chord throughout goes from a conventionally fingered D chord at the base of the neck to X-2-0-0-0-0, which is just as Pan had it.  Prof Scratchy's
X-2-0-0-3-0 is actually the same chord, but with a slightly different color, with the fretted note on the second string rather than an open second string.  The chord could be analyzed as an Em7 as Pan had it, or as a G6, voiced X-3-5-R-3-6.  I'm sort of hearing it as a IV chord of D, but a IIm7 captures the sound, too.
   * The run that JB plays from :21-:23 is: third fret sixth string to third fret fifth string to third fret fourth string to first fret third string to open third string to grace note pull-off from third fret fourth string to open fourth string to third fret fifth string to open sixth string.  This is also as Pan had it, and differs from Prof Scratchy's solution only in its first and last notes.  The first four notes of the run are an F minor arpeggio as Pan noted, but if you analyze the run in the context of the D scale you get a sense of why it has such a gnarly, arresting sound.  It is: b3-b7-b3-b5-4-b3-R-b7-R.  You can see that the run really emphasizes all of the altered, colored tones of a blues scale.  To get a richer context for it, it would probably be helpful to figure out where the same run would sit in a couple of different keys, like E and A in standard tuning.
   * JB's run over his IV chord, from :29-31 sits as follows: grace note hammer from third to fifth fret on the fifth string to third fret of the fourth string to fifth fret of the fourth string to third fret of the fourth string to fifth fret of the fifth string to third fret of the fifth string to the fifth fret of the sixth string.  The run fits the left hand beautifully, if you just assign the third fret notes to the index finger and the fifth fret notes to the third finger.  Pan and Prof Scratchy were both pretty much right on this one with Prof Scratchy just differing on the very first note.  As with JB's run over the I chord, this run really grabs your ear.  One thing interesting about it is that it consists entirely of the notes in common between a D pentatonic blues scale and a G pentatonic blues scale, omitting only the note in each of those scales that differs from the other scale's note (A in the D scale and Bb in the G scale).  If you analyze the run relative to D, it is b7-R-b3-4-b3-R-b7-4, and if you analyze the run relative to G it is
4-5-b7-R-b7-5-4-R.
   * For his two chord rocking motions over his IV and V chords, JB plays X-X-5-5-5-X to X-X-5-4-3-X over his IV chord and X-X-7-7-7-X  to X-X-7-6-5-X over his V chord.  In the V chord rock, when he resolves to X-X-7-6-5-X, he does a neat fingering in the left hand, using his third finger to fret the seventh fret of the fourth string, his index to barre the top three strings at the fifth fret, and then hammering with his second finger to the sixth fret of the third string.  Both of these rocks have a IV-I sound, (relative to the IV and V chords), so that the rock over the IV chord goes from C to G and the rock over the V chord goes from D to A.  When you think about it, JB sets up contrasting rocking motions over his I, IV and V chords:  Over the I chord, he rocks I to IV, but over the IV and V chords, he rocks IV to I.
This is such a striking piece in every way, I think--compositionally, lyrically, vocally, in the unusual texture of the guitar part, and a number of you remarked upon that.  JB seems like he must have been a really creative man, with big, open ears.  One of the things that makes the piece work so well, I think, is how beautifully JB utilized repetition, and was unafraid to return to the same ideas.  It ends up building an altogether distinctive feel for the song.
Thanks for your participation and I'll try to find another puzzler to post soon.  And Happy New Year, everyone, and best wishes for 2015!
All best,
Johnm

[Prof Scratchy]

Now - if only I'd found this before i went and got the answers wrong again!

[Johnm]

Thanks for posting that, Prof.  It's neat and really instructive to see how JB negotiated playing the tune, and the subtle differences between the recording and the live performance.  I noticed that in his V chord, he ended up at 6-5 on the third and second strings by sliding his second finger and index fingers up those two strings from one fret below, rather than by barring with the index at the fifth fret and hammering to the second finger to the sixth fret as I described it above.  JB's way is both easier than how I described it and has the additional advantage of inflecting both of those strings rather than just the third string, as I was hearing it.  Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words!
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I've got a new puzzler for you--the song is "Hungry Spell", as performed by Ranie Burnette.  Here it is:



Well, the blues ain't nothin', hungry spell
Well, the blues ain't nothin', baby, but a hungry spell

Well, I got somethin' to tell you, woman, don't run and tell your man
Well, I got somethin' to tell you, little woman, don't run and tell your man

Well, I wonder what my woman, she will answer if I call
Well, I wonder what my little woman answers if I call

Well, come on, little woman, baby, sit down on my knee
Well, come on, little woman, sit down on my knee

I say, yeah, little woman, you sure lookin' good to me
Oh yeah, little woman, sure lookin' good to me

The questions re "Hungry Spell" are:
   * What playing position/tuning did Ranie Burnette use to play the song?
   * How did he fret and play his primary signature lick in the version that he plays from about :43--:50?  (He played the lick a number of slightly different ways over the course of the rendition.)
   
It's been a while since we've had a trancey number and I hope you enjoy this one.  Please use only your ears, experience and instrument to answer the questions, and please don't post any answers before Saturday morning, January 3.  Thanks for participating.
All best,
Johnm

[Old Man Ned]

Another bluesman I've never heard before.  I love this thread. In answer to the questions..here goes:

What playing position/tuning did Ranie Burnette use to play the song?
Vestapol (Open D tuning).  I'd first looked at Dropped D, playing out of D but the signature lick is easy to handle in Vestapol

How did he fret and play his primary signature lick in the version that he plays from about :43--:50?
It's sort of like this (?)
4th string 3rd fret bend to open string. he then may catch the open 1st string before hammering on the open 2nd string at 2nd fret and catching the open 1st string again.  He sort of repeats this, but throughout there's the steady beat on the 6th string making an almost drone effect which is in sync with his foot beat. Probably not explained this too well but I'll go back to it again as I love this tune.  Thanks.

[Pan]

I'm with Old Man Ned on this one, I think he pretty much nailed it.

For the riff I'll just add a few minor details; I'm hearing the 4th string 2nd fret quickly hannered on to the 3rd fret, rather than a bend; then the open 4th string is played twice; then the open 1st string; then a hammer on from the open 2nd string to the 2nd fret; and finally the open 6th string. All this played in eighth notes, although without counting the starting grace notes for the two hammer ons.

Looking forwrd to hear the verdict.

Cheers

Pan

[Prof Scratchy]

Haven't had time to sit down with this one, but just to mix it up I'm going to say crossnote for the tuning!