|
Post by Michael Messer on Jan 11, 2013 11:38:50 GMT
Hi Harriet, I am pleased you enjoyed my North Hill loop. That is a good name for a track... The alternating bass is there in Fred McDowell's playing. In open D he varies from alternating 6 & 4 to just 4 and often just holds loose time when he plays his slide solos. Watching Napolian Strickland, he is only using string 4 with his thumb on those open D rhythmic pieces and you can really see him using the slide as a hammer-on making the rhythm with both hands, not dis-similar to Bukka White's 'spanking the baby' rhythmic trick. I was a Fred McDowell fan way back when I first got into this music, but I think I got an extra boost of McDowellness from being around the British players who toured and played with Fred on his two British tours. Part of the essence of Fred McDowell's music is his incredible rhythm playing and his unusual approach to how many bars of rhythm he puts between lines. Along with John Lee Hooker, Fred's music is the closest thing I know in the blues to North African music. Shine On Michael
|
|
|
Post by slide496 on Jan 11, 2013 12:46:23 GMT
Thank you very much for sharing your observations.
To my mind style really is about "making the rhythm with both hands," as you pointed out - if I understand you correctly.
Is it fair to say then also that the cadence of the music is like a journey along a country road where there are hills and valleys, rest stops - not a long drive on a super highway where everything moves at a steady clip?
Peace, Harriet
|
|
|
Post by geoff001 on Jan 11, 2013 13:11:03 GMT
I've just started down the road with Fred McDowell and learnt You gotta move. Boy does that worm its way into your head. Can you recommend anything else from him to try. Thus far my learning has been a wide survey but I'm beginning to see study of a single person might be a way into a deeper appreciation
|
|
|
Post by slide496 on Jan 11, 2013 13:35:58 GMT
I don't know whether you sing or not, not all of his material has a melody some he just plays a variety of rhythmsand runs, not like you got to move.
I am working with the Tom Feldmann DVD from the guitar workshop and then after a certain point I develop or change it listening to the original recording. It's pretty accurate, although in one or two selections there is more played alternating bass than he used. GW offers an on demand system so you can try one song at a time:
|
|
|
Post by Michael Messer on Jan 11, 2013 14:07:01 GMT
Hi Harriet,
Your explanation of along a country road where there are hills and valleys, rest stops - not a long drive on a super highway where everything moves at a steady clip .....is spot on.
The use of both hands to make a rhythm happens in a few of his tunes, there is the obvious 'Shake em on Down' type of rhythm patterns, but also some of his slow blues use hammer-ons with the slide to make the rhythm. Son House also did this on a couple of his early recordings. It is very reminiscent of a North African approach to playing solo stringed instruments. It probably found its way into Mississippi blues via one string diddley bow type instruments, especially the bailing wire on the door frame, where the playing has to be very percussive because there is hardly any note.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hi geoff001,
The best thing to do is to totally immerse yourself in Fred McDowell's music for a few weeks/months, not just one or two songs, but his whole repertoire. To understand and play in the style of any musician, you have to dig deep. When I am on a mission to decode a particular musician's style, I become obsessive about it until eventually I find my way in and start to actually understand how they play, this can takes days, weeks and even months. At this point I have usually driven myself almost crazy with it and have to walk away. Then a few weeks/months later when I dip back in, it all makes sense and starts to flow.
Shine On Michael
|
|
|
Post by slide496 on Jan 11, 2013 14:36:29 GMT
I've been listening to Fred McDowell since the early 90's often falling asleep with a looping cd or tape of his music during that time. Among the reference that you might want that I am excited to have gotten recently about is this one as he discusses the congregation and his relationship with them.which is transposed in the liner notes. I came to believe from that, that some of the emotional truthfullness and intensity I heard was almost a way of seeking continued acceptance, approval and forgiveness for the talent and money earning power that set him apart from the congregation. I came to feel I learned something more about his character and his abilities as social, political being as being part of his success. Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by Michael Messer on Jan 11, 2013 15:31:41 GMT
Likewise, I've been falling asleep to Fred's music for as long as I can remember! I still do put music on late at night and drift away with it. It is a very good way of absorbing music......and getting to sleep!
Your comments about Fred McDowell are interesting. I think that he and other powerful giants of the blues were like chiefs and preachers among their communities, natural leaders of people who had incredible power. That power was not just limited to their local communities, it went global and is still active through their recorded music.
Shine On Michael
|
|
|
Post by 1928triolian on Jan 12, 2013 1:09:19 GMT
Hi Michael, hi Harriet,
Mississippi Fred Mc Dowell has been one of my favourites since a long time, but I just played the occasional tune.
Lately, I've been focusing on his repertoire, mainly on his open G tunes, which I find to have a flavour all on their own, and a joy to try and play.
I listen and listen to Worried Life (otherwise titled Worried Mind or Someday Baby) which I have in three versions off different recordings, appreciating the subtle variations in rythm, sliding and singing patterns; Writing a Few Lines and Train I Ride plus some more obscure pieces as Dark Cloud A- Rising and Will Me Your God Watch and Chain, which are hidden masterpieces, so close to the R.L. Burnside's Spanish tunes
Again, while I find Fred one of the greatest, I seem to be more fascinated by his open G repertoire at the moment.
|
|
|
Post by slide496 on Jan 12, 2013 2:42:57 GMT
Hi 1928Triolian, Too cool, another forum member learning McDowell among other slide pieces. I found Someday Baby very difficult to learn, I've been working on it about a year now. It took me a forever to get the note he plays for "y ou have caused me to weep' at the right time and not weird sounding. I enjoyed the excerpts you mentioned from the Levee Camp Blues(?), which is one I don't have so that can go on the list. Peace, Harriet
|
|
|
Post by Michael Messer on Jan 12, 2013 10:33:43 GMT
It is good to know there are other Fred McDowell followers on the forum!
Write Me A Few of Your Lines was the first of Fred McDowell's pieces that I learnt in the late 1970s, followed shortly by Someday Baby which took me a decade or two to really get right. I recorded a version of it called Worried Life in 1991 on the Rhythm Oil album, which was re-released on the King Guitar album in 2001.
I have been learning and improving my understanding of the masters of the blues and slide & steel guitar music for 35+ years. It is just an ongoing thing for me that whenever I have some time when I am not involved in a project and I want to practice and improve, I dip into the playing of the masters.
What I like about the songs we are talking about, Someday Baby (AKA Worried Life) and Write Me A Few of Your Lines, is that they are unique, while I can appreciate where they come from, no other song sounds like they do. This is something that has always attracted me to certain material in the blues. Fred McDowell has quite a few pieces that are unique in the blues.
Shine On Michael
|
|
|
Post by 1928triolian on Jan 12, 2013 14:38:52 GMT
Hi Harriet, yes, those 2 tunes are from Levee Camp Blues, Testament records: the whole album is enormous, grab it! Please let me know if you can't find it, and I'll make and ship a copy for you. I understand what you mean by singing a line and getting that right note, rightly played at the right time. As for me, I listen to the entire intro guitar line million times, and until I haven't worked out what he's doing, I won't try to sing. Obviously, as you surely noticed, the guitar lines when he sings are subtle different, but different! And I agree on the instructional DVDs. They can save you some time necessary to find the notes etc., but then you need some decades to work out how to play and sing..... Michael, I knew your versions of Fred Mc Dowell, and they are great!
|
|
|
Post by slide496 on Jan 12, 2013 15:08:23 GMT
1928Triolian Thank you it very kind of you - I found it on Amazon. I am interested to get it as for among other things the samples sounded like he was using the same guitar riffs/melody in different songs- changing the lyrics only - so what's up with that. X2 on your comment on MM's versions of Fred McDowell/North Hill Rhythm based material . .............. updated-thought saved for later Peace, Harriet
|
|
|
Post by blueshome on Jan 13, 2013 18:26:14 GMT
A work in progress. Next time round I'll add a 2nd guitar.
|
|
|
Post by thekrowe on Jan 27, 2013 21:49:26 GMT
Feeling Bad Blues by Ry Cooder as arranged by Rob Anderlik in open D for Weissenborn.
|
|
|
Post by slide496 on Feb 19, 2013 22:22:08 GMT
Yet another round on Someday Baby Blues-. Finding that after sort of learning to play the slide guitar part several different ways to a couple of tempos now there a bunch of rounds that has been going on for a couple of days now trying to sing to it. Learning this one has been hard, I started seriously in early 2012 and it sounded like a piedmont tune - its a little bluesier I hope , now Peace, Harriet
|
|