Topic: Miller's Breakdown

[David Kaatz]

My take:
Both guitars playing out of standard tuning, 1st position G, although guitars are almost a half step flat.

Backup player is fretting the lick @ 1:27 on 5th string, 1st fret, 2nd fret, and open 4th string.
Then, when it moves to the 4 chord, he plays 5th string 3rd fret, 4th string 2nd fret, and open 3rd string,
then moves to 5th string 4th fret to catch a C#, still playing 4th string 2nd fret and open 3rd.

Treble guitarist is playing over the 4 chord: tremelo on 1st string, 3rd fret.

[Pan]

Hi all.

I agree with davek, except I was thinking the bass lick is the same pattern for the IV chord, but a perfect 4th up; so the fingering is the same,  1 -2- 0, but the strings played are the 4th and 3rd strings.

I could be wrong, though, it's a little tough to hear.

Cheers

Pan

[Prof Scratchy]

Yes, Dave, agree about the tuning and the licks - but here's another possibility for the bass lick: the notes in regular tuning would be D, Bb, B I think. Maybe he's getting those at  5th string 5th fret, 6th string frets 6 and 7? For the treble bit, I was hearing a tremolo of open 1st string and second string fret 5 played together. But then my hearing aid lives in the kitchen drawer!

[David Kaatz]

Pan, I tried the same lick up a fourth. That seemed the obvious choice, but it doesn't work when moving to the C# I felt. And I definitely hear that C#.


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[mr mando]

I agree about G position in standard tuning for the lead guitar. The second guitar is most probably also in standard tuning although it could be open G as well as I mainly hear the open 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings in the rare instances when it plays chords.

I agree with Pan and davek about the bass lick being played on the (fretted) fifth and (open) fourth string (1-2-0 in Standard or 3-4-0 in open G). I hear a C# frequently in this tune in bar 6, but not in the chorus that starts at 1:27. I guess I hear the bass over the IV chord as 1-2-0 in the bar 5 and 0-1-0 in bar 6 on the (fretted) fourth and (open) third string. The lead guitar tremoloes on the 2nd string, 5th fret and open 1st through both bars.

[David Kaatz]

I hear a C# frequently in this tune in bar 6, but not in the chorus that starts at 1:27. I guess I hear the bass over the IV chord as 1-2-0 in the bar 5 and 0-1-0 in bar 6 on the (fretted) fourth and (open) third string. The lead guitar tremoloes on the 2nd string, 5th fret and open 1st through both bars.

I agree with you now on the bass guitar. I listened to the second break too much, where there is a C# played.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Sorry to be a little slow getting back to this.  I'm definitely hearing both guitars working out of G position in standard tuning, as Dave identified it in the first post.  If you listen to what the guitarist playing the bass lines plays under most of the verses it is all stuff that is right under the hand in standard tuning, but that in some instances would be awkward and non-idiomatic in Spanish (in particular the chromatic bass line moving from C to C#, which in Spanish would involve going from the fifth to the sixth fret of the fifth string).

In the verse beginning around 1:27, I hear the guitarist doing the bass part moving from the first fret of the A string to the second fret of the A string to the open D string over the I chord.  When it goes to the IV chord, I never hear it going to the C# in the bass in the sixth bar that it does in the second and fourth verses.  I just hear, as did Pan, the movement of the same bass figure one string towards the treble, going from the first fret of the D string to the second fret of the D string followed by the open G string.  The guitarist handling the bass returns to the earlier figure when the progression goes back to the I chord in the seventh bar.

Over the IV chord, I hear the treble part guitarist tremoloing a double stop of the fifth fret of the B string and the third fret of the high E string, just as Prof. Scratchy and mr mando had it.

I'm going to review what the bass part does over the IV chord again and will edit this post if I hear anything differently.

It seems to me everybody was very much in the same ball park on "Needin' My Woman Blues", and would be able to re-construct both parts, if you wished, to play with a friend without very much trouble.  And that's pretty cool!
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I've got another tune for anyone who is interested.  I just found it on YouTube, and know nothing about the artist who recorded it except that he was recorded for the Library of Congress.  He's identified as Little Brother and the song is "Blues (Up and Down Buildin' the KC Line)".  Despite what the attached video suggests, this Little Brother is not the Willie Lane who recorded "Howling' Wolf Blues".   Here is the track:



Ever been down Mobile & KC line?
Ever been down Mobile & KC line?
Sunny man, stole my gal of mine

Oh, it's you light-weight skinners, you better learn to skin
Mmm-mm-mm-mm, you better learn to skin
'Cause Mr. Bud Russell, I tell you, he wants a thousand men

Oh, my mama she called me, I'm gonna answer, "Ma'am"
Mmm-mm-mm-mm, I'm gonna answer, "Ma-am"
Lord, and get down to rollin', for this big-hat man

She's got nine gold teeth, long black curly hair
Mmm-mm-mm-mm, long black curly hair
Lord, if you get on the Santa Fe, find your baby there

I been prayin', "Our Father, Lord, thy Kingdom come"
Mmm-mm-mm-mm, "Lord, thy Kingdom come"
Lord, I been prayin', "Our Father, let your will be done."

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight nine
Mmm-mm-mm-mm, five, six, seven, eight, nine
I'm gonna count these blues, she's got on her mind

'Cause my baby done caught Rock Island train and gone
Mmm-mm-mm-mm, Rock Island train and gone
I don't mind her leavin' me, buddy, but she stays so doggone long

Your job, Mr. Phelps, should you choose to accept it, is to:
   * Identify the tuning/position he is playing the song out of and the key in which it is sounding;
   * Describe how he is phrasing the first line of each of his verses--what is his length there?
   * Tell where he is fretting the fill he plays after his IV chord.  He first plays it at about the :20 mark

Please don't feel like you have to be able to answer all three questions to participate.  Participate to whatever extent you wish.  No transcription software please, and please hold off on posting any answers until Friday, May 30.  If you've been participating regularly in these, it might be nice to hold off posting for a little bit to give some first-timers a chance to get their licks in.  Have fun with it.

All best,
Johnm

[Old Man Ned]

Here's my stab at this.  Only managed to spend the time it takes to cook my pizza (10-12mins 200C) but here goes:
Standard tuning, playing in A and going between the major and minor chord up at the ninth fret.  Similar to Blind Lemon's Matchbox blues, I think (all my records are in box's at the minute as I'm between house moves, so can't be sure but I've heard something similar to this before).  The wee lick around the 20 sec mark is played out of a sort of Dmin 11th going into a A? playing around with the 2nd string 3rd fret, open first & 3rd fret first then into the A (2nd string 2nd fret, 3rd string 2nd fret).  Sorry, this probably isn't explained too well and may not make much sense.

[waxwing]

Once again, didn't really have time to work on this, and without the ability to stop and start and loop easily, and yes, my old ears need a little slow down, it's just too frustrating. But I'd say his big brother might have been Clifford Gibson.

Wax

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Anyone else want to give the song a shot?  Throwing it wide open, come one come all!
All best,
Johnm

[Prof Scratchy]

I'm with Old Man Ned!

[uncle bud]

I agree, standard tuning, A position, is my bet. The phrasing on the first line of the verses is short, 3 1/2 bars, to a nice effect IMO. That riff after the IV chord is played on the top 3 strings. 3rd fret 2nd string (bent), open 1st string, 3rd fret 1st string, open 1st string, 3rd fret then 2nd fret 2nd string, 2nd fret 3rd string.

Cool tune I had forgotten about completely.

[waxwing]

Well, I tried the EAEGBE tuning that I hinted at above, capo 5, which doesn't change the D - Dm shapes at all and the lick turns out to be a nifty bend at the 2nd fret 3rd string (plain, of course), open 2nd, 3rd fret 2nd, 2nd fret 3rd string pull-off to open, open 4th string. I didn't really check anything to rule out Standard, capo 5, but like I said, sounds so much like Gibson...

Wax

[waxwing]

I would also add that this really sounds like it is played with a non-opposing right hand, as Gordon (Joe Paul) demonstrates so well on his take on Gibson's Drayman Blues on the Back Porch. The non-opposing style lends itself nicely to the slightly swung feel that Gibson and many other players achieved. According to B&GR, Gibson recorded in '29 and '31, and Little Brother was recorded in '34, in the State Penn in Huntsville Texas, a ways, but not that far from St. Louis, where Gibson lived. Seems to me like there somehow must have been a connection.

Wax