Chord Req: Salty dog

Subject: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jul 05 - 04:45 AM

Anybody can help me in finding tabs for Mississippi John Hurt
Salty Dog ?
Thanks everybody,
       Domenico

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: GUEST,Fullerton
Date: 26 Jul 05 - 07:17 AM

I've been listening to a live version.

The guitar is tuned about 40 cents flat of concert pitch.

The top E string, for instance, is nearer to D# than it is to E.

Basic Chord sequence is .....

E7 .   .   .   |    .    .    .    .    |A   .   .   .   |   .   .   .   .   |

D7 .   .   .   |    .    .    .    .    |G   .   .   .   |   .   .   .   .   |

Play two bars of each chord

Mr. Hurt is, I think, playing these versions of the chords.

The versions of E7 and D7 are very distinctive and have the right kinda sound.


E7 -----x7675x

A-------577655

D7-----x5453x

G------355433


He's adding a kinda melody thing usually on the top string too
Often using...

E9--------x76777

E13------x76799

A7#9----575688    bloooooooooosy! :)

Hope this helps you. Let me know how you get along with it - It is always nice to know this. If you have any problems with it or want to know more..... let me know.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: khandu
Date: 26 Jul 05 - 10:08 AM

I have been planning to tab this song. The tab I would give is a very reasonable facsimile of Hurt's version, but, I'm certain, not exact. As time allows, I will tab it.

ken

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: greg stephens
Date: 26 Jul 05 - 11:02 AM

I wish I was young again, and just getting to grips with playing Salty Dog for the first time. O joy, O rapture. Chrords dont come more exciting than this.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: khandu
Date: 26 Jul 05 - 09:06 PM

Salty Dog was the first MJH song I learned. It took a while to get some finger tricks down, but after learning Salty Dog, it was easier to learn more MJH.

Now, some 35 years later, I am still learning MJH!!

Yes, greg, joy & rapture it was!

ken

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: PoppaGator
Date: 26 Jul 05 - 09:41 PM

Ken ~

I'm also working on a project tabbing a MJH song ~ "Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me" ~ and I'm taking my sweet time, too. I mean, I started out with the intention of simply transcribing just what I've been playing, which would seem to be simple enough, at least for someone who has read plenty of tablature and learned most of his fingerpicking licks that way.

It sure has become easy to put off, though. I did about four complete measures plus a few more of thumb (bass) only at one sitting, and then quit ~ now I can't seem to make myself put out the effort to continue.

I've been working in a program called "Randytab" that plays a MIDI of whatever you transcribe. You can retune any string, too, allowing you to work in any alternate/open tunings. Pretty neat, except it doesn't work perfectly as advertised, at least not in regard to timing/tempo: It's supposed to determine the duration of each note according to standard notation (whether you make it a quarter note, eighth note, or whatever), but it doesn't work that way; instead, the timing seems to be determined by how the notes are spaced from left to right across the "staff." And the hammer-ons and pull-offs they provide are way too quick, like 64th notes; it's probably necessary to forget about those effects and just transcribe the notes, maybe adding a note here and there(e.g., "Fifth measure, second note on the B string is a hammer").

I'm using Randytab because a friend sent me a copy on a CD-R, along with a number of pieces he put together. It's shareware and downloadable somewhere. Anyone else know about it? Or maybe some comparable program that may or may not do the same thing better?

Incidentally, I think that the complete detailed chords provided by Fullerton, combined with a little serious listening, should be plenty enough to go by for anyone who already plays a number of songs in this style. I mean, we'd all like to play just like John Hurt and none of us really can, but it's not impossible to learn a bunch of his songs one at a time and eventually catch on to the general approach. Always more to learn, though ~ which is a good thing, right? O joy, O rapture, indeed...

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: khandu
Date: 26 Jul 05 - 10:18 PM

Actually, Poppa, I use Randytab. Heck, I love it! It does have the problems you mentioned, but it is easier than any other tab I have seen.

As a matter of fact, I started on "Salty Dog" tab this evening!

I had a thread on Randytab a couple of weeks ago. I believe one person saw it!

I believe, since we both have the program installed, we can email our tabs to one another if you are interested! I have several originals tabbed.

BTW, Randytab has an "improved version" that has eliminated some of the bugs. I have downloaded it, but I have not used it yet.

k

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: khandu
Date: 26 Jul 05 - 11:57 PM

I forgot to add a LINK to the Randytab site.

There are some MJH tabs on their site, transcribed by Frank Delaney, who has been a great help on my MJH lyrics site. Frank has an interesting interpretation of MJH music in his tabs.

Since my previous post, I have started a tab of "Make Me a Pallet On The Floor", as well as adding to the "Salty Dog" tab.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: PoppaGator
Date: 27 Jul 05 - 11:02 AM

Frank Delaney (webmaster for the Mississippi John Hurt Musem website) is my source for the Randytab, too. I was avoiding mention of his name, but now that you've "outed" him, so be it.

He is also the person to whom I more-or-less promised to write the tab for my version of "Mermaids." Unlike you, Ken, I have NOT gotten back to work on my tab project yet, but I suppose I am committing myself by writing these posts!

I probably missed the recent thread about Randytab while on the road for a week's vacation. Let's refresh it ~ I'll do a quick search and bring it up if time allows (I should be driving to work right now). If I don't get it done, maybe you (i.e., anyone interested) can....

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: GUEST,Mrr
Date: 27 Jul 05 - 01:55 PM

I've been wondering this for donkey's years - what IS a salty dog in the context of Let me be your salty dog or I won't be your little man at all, honey let me be your salty dog?

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: PoppaGator
Date: 27 Jul 05 - 02:50 PM

Too bad the Mudcat "search" function is currently out of order ~ this question has been addressed in the past. At least one substantially lengthy thread has been devoted to the meaning(s) of this one phrase.

"Salty," in general, seems to connote "bawdy/nasty/sexual." Beyond that generalization, I think I remember that various different specific meanings for "salty dog" were offered by various folks.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Salty dog
From: khandu
Date: 27 Jul 05 - 06:02 PM

A old black man from Carroll County, MS, named "Tunk", was one of MJH's friends. He told me that there was another verse to the song that went something like:

"Well, your Salty Dog gonna come around
When your Sugar Daddy's out of town"

Whether John ever sang it, I don't know. Maybe Tunk wrote it.

Poppa, I will try to find the previous thread.

ken