Document Records - Vintage Blues and jazz. That Will Never Happen No More - Blind Blake.

http://www.document-records.com/mp3/2903.mp3

Mance Lipscomb performs "Out And Down" www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMBenjblXpk  and talks about an early form of blues.  A contempoary 16 bar "rag" song "Out And Down" (a Texas variant of "Pallet On The Floor") became Blind Lemon Jefferson's "One Dime Blues".  http://psych.fullerton.edu/mbirnbaum/Mance/index.htm

@Corey... thanks for the kind words.  It's a real honor to be learning from an intriguing musician you are.  I really dig the way you start this tune.  I'm still workin' on gettin' the sound in my head.  The alternating bass of the song sounds simple and easy, but the bass measure leading to the "C7" is currently where I'm at. Thank You and take care.

Frank Stokes, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mance Lipscomb and Henry Thomas, all played the tune "Take Me Back" a ragtime "standard".  Writers describe the material to be traditional, and even probable of pre-blues origin, and having a banjoistic one srtring flatpicking flavor.  Texas Henry Thomas (b. 1874) - Bob McKinney tune contains lines from the tune "Take Me Back" and "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor", two popular tunes from the 1890's.

Wouldn't Charlie McCoy sound great over Corey Harris playing the bass rhythm here. Is there a way to download or record the backing track? Thank you everyone at Sonic-Junction, Take care.

The vocal sound "dunlop" is a very good exercise.  It helps to identify where the isolated individual notes are in the tune.  Overall it helps to improve a finger-picking guitar style. Thanks a million!

Thanks, Mike and Peter. Not a problem, all part of me learnin' too. The information comes from the Yazoo records liner notes. They are very informative and educational. Thank You everyone at Sonic Junction for the lessons from Living Masters. Take Care

Here's a youtube link to a Taj Mahal guitar lesson where he demonstrates a Jimmy Reed 5 chord.

enjoy.

'Yellow Bee'. Charley Patton and Bertha Lee (1934) Delta Blues has to be my favorite version of Bumble Bee Blues.  I like the  riff that consists of a 5th string slide to E (an octave above low E).

While researching about Tommy Johnson's Big Road Blues, I came across Slidin' Delta (1929), Tommy Johnson. (notes: Bradley Sweet -Yazoo L-1001) Harvey Hull and Long Cleve Reed singing  Gang Of Brown Skin Women, a rendition of Slidin' Delta.  The latter piece was described by Skip James, who heard it during his childhood, as being 'over a hundred years old'.  Yazoo 1063 notes: While Johnson's accompaniment (performed in drop D  or "poor boy" tuning in the D position) is a simple one it is enlivened by his eccentric rhythmic pattern.  While both the ascending  octave bass figure and the initial vocal phrase are rendered in 4/4 time, the guitar accompaniment changes to a triplet rhythm, the voice continuing in its original pattern.  Johnson's voice delivery is similarly eccentric, with the first word of each verse shouted, and the ensuing phrases sung in medium voice. During this lesson I particularly enjoyed learning the hum section of the lesson. Keeping the bass going after the ascending bass line and the singing have been the difficult areas for me. after the ascending octave bass line, the melody following the octave bass was a bit difficult for me as well. An excellent lesson. Thank You for the lesson. Take Care.

Internet research on various versons of Devil Got My Woman. Jack Owens - 1904 - 1997  used fingerpicks to achieve a brighter, louder tone and maintained a solid beat with his foot. Unlike Skip James, who considered his own playing to be art music intended for close listening, Owens created music that was well-suited for dancing and drinking. The two men shared a common repertory of lyrics, melodies and guitar figures, but the overall tonality of their music differed greatly. James’ style of playing had more in common with the Piedmont Blues of the East Coast than with the Delta Blues of his native Mississippi.    Note source -(Remembering Jack Owens), (Skip James Official Site for Songs, Lyrics, Tabs, Blues Lessons By John Cephas)

 

my progress with lesson.

In lesson one the finger slide from 3/4th fret low E string is mixing up my rhythm timing.  In lesson two I notice an upward brushing strum at the second part of the introduction.

It sure has a simple bass line but not an easy song to syncopate the melody of the song.

take care.

 

Thanks Corey, for introducing us to the E minor tuning.  The album liner notes mention that, In France during World War One, Stuckey acquired open E minor tuning from soldiers he took to be Bahamians, and showed it to James upon his return from the front.  In this tuning  (at concert pitch, E-B-E-G-B-E, which James called "cross-note"). Corey, your work is brilliant, Thanks a million.

What is this trick that Steve Calt talks about in his liner notes? "James further obscures divisions between its vocal and instrumental segments by beginning his guitar riffs on the last beat of his vocal phrases (a Mississippi blues trick)." Skip James the complete 1931 session 1072 YAZOO Records, Inc Mastering: Nick Perls album liner notes:  Steve Calt

Delta Blues Museum (Mike Rugel)  Uncensored History of the Blues- podcast show 13  plays a recording of Skip James from 1928.  "when blues singers talked about the devil they were more likely referring to a mistreating woman or boss than to the Price of Darkness.  Skip James recorded “Devil Got My Woman” in 1931. He had an amazing voice where he certainly sounds haunted by something from hell. But he was more troubled by his woman than anything supernatural." I enjoyed learning .44 blues. Thanks everyone at sonic-junction. Em sounds blue. Take Care William