Diggin it buddy. Funny how I develop mental pictures of folks I know from these forums. When I finally get to see them for real, I never recognize them. LOL.
I was surprised to see this post because something strange happened when I created it and I got a message which said 'topic deleted'.
Then I noticed one of my videos was getting lots of views.
I studied this piece some time ago using Adam Gussow's tradebit lesson.
So thank you Adam for the lesson. Good value I think.
I've enjoyed playing this as a solo piece, but I have struggled to find anyone to play it with as the count seems to confuse most who try to play it for the first time. People keep trying to fit it into 12 bars.
My band (patron saints) would like to do it so I settled on the I'm Ready album as an example for us all to be on same page, and then decided I better check that what I was doing will go with that record. I found Portnoy plays it a little differently to how I've been habituated but the count is the same. This was me trying to do it Portnoy's way for the first time, and throwing in what I'd been used to doing hitherto in one chorus.
My triplets are a little ragged I think, and MTG pointed out my warble could be slicker. But I think it's basically there.
I know it looks like I'm reading something, but no. Just playing to a screen and don't know where to look.
Ha, yes my head. It's not really improving with age but I'm still allowed appear in public if I keep my hands in front of it much of the time.
The guitarist in my band is a schoolteacher and will not sing the song but enjoys playing it. So I sing it. It's a weird world but I am convinced this is not a song in celebration of paedophilia.
This song often gets a good reception both from young ladies and women of a certain age (closer to ours) when we play it out busking. My wife calls it "the pedo song".
debut of this one went over quite well at the venue tonight with the band. bass player told me he got it worked out the 2nd time through..its that 2 beats on the second measure of the IV chord that catches them..
"a weird world but I am convinced this is not a song in celebration of paedophilia"
Yeah well it is - common with that generation( Sweet Little Angel, Only 16 etc)Muddy was notorious for checking the young girls-Hooker too til he got caught in England with a 15 year old and was more careful after that.
Its a good song never the less and you do it well
My favorite version
Stuff in the American south was just different then- girls were often married off by 15 or so.
yeah that's sweet. I've got a another McDowell version on a record here with some different words, but those in the video are all the words I use. My old man married my mum the day after she turned 16, (1943) he was a bit older, 21. Wasn't like he'd just met her. Yeah my construct is flimsy I know.
As with any John Lee music ,it's about total control of the two and three hole-his fluidity. His breathing-it seemed effortless-and his hand effects. Emulated by many-mastered by few.
Last Edited by tmf714 on Nov 04, 2016 5:26 PM
I thought Pigpen did a good job too-but maybe because this was the first version I ever heard when I was a little schoolboy smokin that $8 a lid mezcan brown,beatin on my old Silvertone, drinkin Boones farm and chasin curly haired, peasant bloused and braless hippie chix-
That was a time boys, that was a time
Last Edited by Goldbrick on Nov 04, 2016 5:36 PM
mr G has a lesson for sale on this very topic. It's like $7 I think. Including the PDF of his tab with very detailed count, and a movie of him working through it. His contention is that there are 9.5 bars, however he labels them 1-10 and scrubs off 2 beats from bar 4. I seem to recall AG stated somewhere that he has changed his approach to the way he plays the song since production of the lesson. But I don't know in what way he changed
i must admit you have piqued my interest. i consider all blues 12 bar. it is how i conceptualize it anyway. adam is from the east coast. he learned on the street of harlem. i on the other hand, am from the west coast.......most of what i learned was in the fourth grade.
if you play the video, and count out what i wrote it makes it easy to understand. i would like to hear what adam has to say about this song and how his approach has changed. i wonder if it is a similar construct. these things do not get talked about much.
one two three four two two three four five two three four.. AND A seven two three four eight two three four nine two three four ten two three four eleven two three four twelve two three four one
Last Edited by 1847 on Nov 05, 2016 10:20 AM
There are many variations' of the blues structure-
"Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" is a 19 bar blues.
John Lee Hooker's blues were rarely an even 12 bars. Dimples is 10 bars
The 8-bar blues form is pretty common (Key to the Highway, How Long How Long, Trouble in Mind), but Come On In My Kitchen (Robert Johnson) and Sitting On Top Of The World (Howlin' Wolf and others) are interesting 9-bar variations.
Muddy Waters' 40 Days And 40 Nights is 12 1/2 bars, due to the way he phrases the vocal (seems to confuse the band sometimes). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFzZ3wrN3HY
Howlin' Wolf's 300 Pounds Of Joy is 20 bars, with an 8-bar interlude: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ2UadHc_Qg
The 19-bar form of Good Morning Little Schoolgirl is not unique. Me And My Chauffeur is the same tune/structure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD3QlZM5BzU (great groove!)
Here's a nice 8-bar blues, where they change the length of each verse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlFGgT5x_-c The instrumental verses are 8 bars, but the first vocal verses are 7 1/2 each, because the singer comes in with the next verse 2 beats early. The later verses are longer (9 or 10 bars), because he cuts up the second line (in Good Morning Little Schoolgirl style). Here's another of theirs, where they push and pull the 12-bar format around, cutting bars in half here and there (and not all the band seem to change at the same time). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClC_KizCpQk
John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson recorded “Good Morning Little School Girl” in 1937 on his first recording session for the Bluebird Records label. The song is a medium bright straight-eighth note feel, almost country sounding blues consisting of an unusual number of measures and beats. As is the case with many early blues songs, artists did not necessarily feel bound to 12 or 8 bar formats, nor the restriction of every measure containing exactly four beats. Depending on how one counts, the song is either a nine and a half measure form, or a nineteen measure form counted in double-time . The instrumentation consists of a steady strumming acoustic guitar (featuring a folk-style alternating bass-note-strum technique), a second guitar augmenting and playing occasional riffs and Williamson singing and playing harmonica. Williamson’s vocals and harmonica are dominantly featured and there is a harmonica solo feature towards the end before the last vocal verse.
hey Dave that has what i call the stroll in factor ie if i was walking past a bar and i heard that playing i'd stroll in to have a listen and check the band out.
Thanks 1847. I'm thinking it should be part of the regular list but I noticed the drummer left it off his list of suggestions for our next gig.
Hi Rick, thanks for commenting. Funnily enough, after playing 2 sets to a near empty house, early in the 3rd the room filled up with walk-ins and we had quite an active floor for remainder plus encore. After I switched my amp off I looked up and room had cleared. I can only guess another bar had closed and we picked up their crowd.
