Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: GUEST,Slim Jim
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 11:07 AM

O.K. good points all. In order to learn some of these songs by playing along with the recording at first and then with other musicians, I would like to know the key right up front so I can skip trying 8 or 10 harps till I stumble onto the right one. So if I could ask Muddy it would be what key are you going to play in and then I could decide on straight or cross harp. The recordings Iam using are. MCA Best of. MCA/Chess Best 1956 thru 1964. andCharly Blues Masterworks Vol. 39.These three pritty well cover what I would like to learn. I have no musical training whatsoever so please bear with me if I don't make myself clear in my asking or don't understand some of the replys. Once again thanks to all. Slim

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: Amos
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 11:00 AM

I think bbc or Áine should get this on right away -- gather yer JPEGS, ladies, low tops or none, twopiece or instruments only recommended for competitive advantage...The Mudcat Moll of the Month, featuring the ultimate in allure -- traditional scanties suitable for the most discriminatin'!!! Digital PLUS very very analog! Wayyyy keewwwll!

A

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: WyoWoman
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 10:53 AM

C C, Senyor Amos.

Wild, Wunnerful WyoWench

(I like that. A Mudcat Wench of the Month feature...)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 01:39 AM

Slim Jim, I wasn't, as I said, intending to be rude, I just wanted you to be specific enough in your question that someone could give you an answer that means something--

For my two cents, I remember once having a Chess album of Little Walter and MW that had the keys listed on the back--I don't have it now, but the info is out there--

Also, Elderly Instruments used to have a series of Blues songbooks for various Chicago Artists--they were from a very small publisher, and not much more than the melody lines, chords and lyrics, but they were all in the original keys--

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: Amos
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 01:23 AM

Most Revered WyoWench...

If you blow on an "A" harp, you play white music in A. But if you draw on it, you play blues in "E". This is called playing cross-harp-- the nomninal key of the harp refers to the scale you get when blowing. But for blues you want the scale you get by drawing. So you play an "A" harp to get blues in "E". It isn't that you're playing in a different key, it's just the nominal key of the harp is "A" but sucking on it plays in "E". C?

A

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: WyoWoman
Date: 14 Mar 00 - 01:04 AM

Well, I didn't know that the harp is played a fourth above the song's key, so I have now learned my thing for the day and I can go night-night. Thanks, Amos. (I mean, this is probably one of those things that any idiot who knows the blues accepts as surely as oxygen, but remember, not every single one of us was born knowing absolutely everything at all times, so I appreciate the information.)

tx/ww

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 08:30 PM

M. Ted,

I don't think intelligence is always reflected by verbal skill. (Especially musical intelligence; frequently the most musical have little or no spoken language skill, because their first and most dominant language is music.) For instance, I just wrote a nice couple of sentences to you, but I'm too stupid to have left the thing alone, or too fuzzy to just say, hey, lay off a guest.

{:~>)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 08:21 PM

GUEST,Slim Jim--

We have several blues songbooks at our house, and they have stuff by the people you mention, but the same song might be in different keys in each book, depending who wrote it out for that particular book.

Can you say more about what you are trying to do with the songs? Do you want to play harp on them and have other people play the other parts?

Are you trying to play some stuff from scratch, or are you learning harp and wanting to know what key harp to use to play along with recordings for practice?

I'm sorry it's so hard to get a clear anwser-- we're just not sure yet what answer goes with what you're asking. Try it this way-- if Muddy were here, what would you want to ask him?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: GUEST,Slim Jim
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 08:05 PM

I guess what I'm looking for is say a list songs that Little Walter did with Muddy Waters giving the keys that they were done in. Also anything by Junior Wells,James Cotton etc.that played with Muddy. Thanks for any and all help.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: M. Ted (inactive)
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 11:48 AM

Excuse me for seeming rude--but this thread is going to go on my "stupid questions" thread--

Slim Jim, if you want to know "what keys some old standard blues harp songs were done in you have got to tell us the name of the song, and the artist--

People around here know a lot, and they are more than happy to help you--but if you want a useful answer, you have to ask a useful question--

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: Gary T
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 11:41 AM

Good point, Amos. Now that you mention it, "I knew that"!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: Amos
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 11:09 AM

Blues harps are most often played (in my experience) on an A harp against an "E" blues, or a D harp aganst a blues in A... guess if you're trying to match a recording though, you need to finger a keyboard, or a guitar, until you can determine the key the original is being played in and then find the cross-harp appropriate for that key. (The native key of the harp being the fourth or subdominant of the key the song is being played in).

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: Gary T
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 10:59 AM

I may be missing the point here, Slim Jim, but it seems to me that the key it was done in is directly dependent upon which recording you might have of it. In that case, it's pretty much a matter of trying to play along with the recording in various keys until you find the one that matches. This, of course, can be a real challenge if the recording is off speed, and thus a little flat or sharp, but you should be able to get close enough to sort it out. Now, if there are certain songs which are "traditionally" done in one specific key, I imagine you'd have to ask a seasoned bluesman about that particular song.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: Amos
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 10:34 AM

Train them to agree on keys before starting in to play?

As a guitar player I have always thought of blues as being played in E, or sometimes A, but lately have been fooling around with G chord structures and find them very useful.

I have also played some slide blues in an open double D tuning whichis the equivalent of playing in D or E depending on whether you tune down or up from the standard EADGB tuning. (If you drop the E string down to D the open tuning ends up as D, butif you raise the A D and G strings instead, you end up playing in E).

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: GUEST,Slim Jim
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 10:33 AM

I need help finding what keys some old standard blues harp songs were done in.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: Sorcha
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 10:25 AM

A question, but probably not THE question: Then how come my banjo players are always in Bb or Eb?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: Easy Rider
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 10:22 AM

Here's the answer. Now would somebody make up the question?

A C D E G

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: blues traditional song keys
From: KingBrilliant
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 09:23 AM

pardon? No content in your message....(unless something wrong with my browser - in which case I hope you don't take it as a value judgement on something which is there after all) kris

Subject: blues traditional song keys
From: GUEST,Slim Jim
Date: 13 Mar 00 - 09:13 AM