If you are at a jam, and the bandleader calls "Stormy Monday", how do you approach your accompaniment and solo? Also, which version would you consider the "standard" or default version, if a bandleader is unaware of the different versions?
At a recent jam, I asked many of the players which version would be considered standard. The Allman Brothers version was in the vast majority, and many musicians were not even aware of the differences in the other versions. Aki Kumar--who knows what he's doing--said that his approach would be to only listen the first time through and figure out which version was being played, and to work out appropriate approaches for any version. He also told me that, at a jam, sometimes different band members might be playing different versions, which could lead to problems.
So we are all aware: there are three major versions to compare. The original, by T-Bone Walker, follows the standard chord progression (so the leader might be better off just calling a slow blues, to avoid confusion).
Bobby Bland's version is a slow blues with a quick change, for the most part, but with some significant progressions in bars 3 and 7-10. Bobby Bland changes: I - IV - I bII - I IV - IV - I ii - iii biii V - bVI V - I IV - I V
The Allman Brothers version, by far the most popular, is similar to Bobby Bland's, but bars 9-10 differ. Allman Brothers: I - IV - I bII - I IV - IV - I ii - iii biii ii - iv - I IV - I V
If the band is playing either the Bobby Bland or the Allman Brothers versions, and the harp player approaches it with a standard I-IV-V approach, there will be some discordant notes. What's your approach to this song, and which version do you think is the default? ---------- Marc Graci YouTube Channel
Last Edited by Mirco on Jul 17, 2015 10:21 AM
Hmm. This song comes up often at the jam I go to. Most of the times the one who calls it just says "slow blues" and fit the words over it. Sometimes people like to play the non-standard chords. I must disagree with you about the part that t-bones version is a standard slow blues progression. I believe that you can find the t-bone chords online or in steve cohens nice book "25 classic blues riffs on guitar and bass for harmonica". I know that Buddah has a YT-video that addresses the stormy Monday changes and how to approach it. ---------- Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
At a Chicago Harmonica Masterclass Workshop (I believe in 2005) David Waldman shared a cool tip in regards to phrasing like Little Walter. He said, "If you want to emulate Little Walter's phrasing, start your licks on beat 2." He then played with the guitarist and improvised with this in mind, and sure enough, all of us instructors (Joe Filisko, Dennis Gruenling and Scott Dirks) nodded our heads in agreement... it sounded like what Walter would do. I experimented with this concept after the workshop and it's now a tool I use in my improvising from time to time.
Besides being a cool phrasing tool, I've found it to be the best way to improvise to a song I've never played to before in live performance that has a non-12 Bar Blues chord progression.
The idea is simple...
Instead of guessing what a chord is AS it changes, I rest on beat 1, letting the chord change first. Hearing the chord first allows me to identify the chord and play something that's musically appropriate on beat 2. The end result is not only a more rhythmically hip way of playing, it decreases my error rate based on guessing what the chord is probably going to be.
Last Edited by timeistight on Jul 17, 2015 9:52 AM
You can't necessarily assume that any paticular version is being played. Everybody, their brother and their second cousin plays Stomy Monday at jam sessions, and a lot of these folks don't actually know what they are doing. For sure, it's not a I-IV-V. Other than that, I'm with Adam: listen to what's goin on, play what fits and don't overplay. This tune requires that you you leave space or it won't sound right no matter what version it is.
timeistight: You are correct. I have edited the original post to reflect the correct chords.
hvyj: You're right that "a lot of these folks don't actually know what they are doing." Also, those who do know what they're doing may be playing different versions than everyone else. To make this successful at a jam, the leader needs to be explicit and the band needs to be competent. Sadly, that's often too much to ask.
One of the guitarists I spoke to yesterday told me that, whenever the leader calls this tune, I should ask what version. If they can't answer, he said, they shouldn't be calling the song.
Pistolcat: According to the Wikipedia page for "Stormy Monday", "Walker uses a standard I-IV-V twelve-bar blues structure for the song". It does involve some ninth chords, which I haven't bothered mentioning because this song is damn complicated enough.
Good advice from Adam on not overplaying and playing by feel. It takes some ear development and some close listening. ---------- Marc Graci YouTube Channel
Also, for what it's worth, Aki says that the T-Bone version is the gold standard (a sentiment echoed by JC Smith, a local guitar pro). ---------- Marc Graci YouTube Channel
I have Charlie hilberts backing track in G........Charlie says "blow your horn" and I wail away.........but he has a guitar solo......I almost quit playing...just do brief fills......its my favorite backing track on a classic blues that is totally timeless
Micro - My ears then disagrees with Wikipedia too. I'll go as far as calling Wikipedia wrong (heresy! I know). Here's an article from a guitar site with the chords to the different versions. http://guitar4free.com/main/blues_articles/stormy_monday_how_jazz_influenced_blues.php I'm afraid I'm too poor a guitarist to tell if it's correct but it looks approximate to other chordings/discussion I have seen about the topic. ---------- Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
Yes, the T-Bone Walker version is the gold standard no doubt. And no it is not a straight 1-4-5. There's a little turnaround at the end of the progression which is why it is so cool and much more fun to play.
If unsure, it is always...always best to hang back until you know what they hell is going on. As was mentioned, sometimes guys we'll be playing different versions of any given song and it's best to hang back for as long as it takes for them to get on the same page.
As far as how to "approach" some variation on the melody is always a good place to start. Expand on the 2nd time around. Do not play more than twice round the progression unless very clearly encouraged to take another by whoever is calling the solos.
---------- LSC
Last Edited by LSC on Jul 18, 2015 2:49 PM
When it comes to this highly over covered tune (and often highly botched as well), after these versions, I really get bored to death with any others but these should be a pretty good guide to follow:
Here's the original by T-Bone Walker recorded in the mid 1940's:
Here's a cover that blends the both of the above from the very first recording of Roomful Of Blues, fronted by guitarist Duke Robillard, who still does the best T-Bone guitar, hands down:
Here's a great cover, especially for the vocals, from the early 60's by the late, great Bobby Blue Bland:
Now here's a cover by the late, great Muddy Waters from the LP, Live At Mister Kelly's featuring Paul Oscher on harp and Sammy Lawhorn on guitar:
Beware of the dynamics and subtlies happening because even tiniest bit of playing too loud or too busy can step all over everything. If you're playing with the band that uses the changes closer to the T-Bone original/Bobby Bland/Roomful cover, get ready to work it like a horn player, which means you bends doing the 1/2 step stuff better be 100% dead on accurate or you're gonna wind up sounding like a royal screw up in a hurry. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Here is my suggestion. If you're at a jam, asking the person leading the tune most of the time is going to get you a look of total clueless-ness. Only hardcore blues guys are going to know about T-Bone Walker and it is likely, they will tell you that they are going to play the T-Bone version.
My suggestion: Play very minimally until you know what the band is playing and follow the leader. Always follow the leader, even if he screws up. If the leader makes a mistake and everyone follows the leader, then it won't be wrong.
Just a warning when you come to WV, July 23. If I'm hearing that video correctly, I gotta tell you, we have a state law against playing in A flat and using a C# harp.
Thank you all so much. David Barrett suggested that I learn the changes for all three, figure out which notes would be appropriate given any chord, and then write out an approach for each one. This is not as difficult as it might seems, since they differ only slightly.
So I'm going to prepare by: -listening to the three unique versions of the song and train my ear to identify what's going on in each -planning out approaches for each one -going to jams, ask the bandleader, and then sit out during the "danger section" the first go around
@Micro -- What you should ALWAYS pay attention to is the overall dynamics of the way the tune is being played as well because it doesn't take much to screw up a groove quickly by being even a hair too loud and if the band dynamics comes down, you MUST come down or in some cases, keep the harp totally quiet.
With the T-Bone original, the Bobby Bland cover (which, just for the vocals, is my favorite from the vocalists standpoint, tho the original is the the best for me), and the early Roomful of Blues cover, listen VERY CAREFULLY to the horn parts and work on mastering the lines, not just for the notes itself, but also something many musicians (most ESPECIALLY the average non pro harp players tend to ignore), the dynamics of the horn line itself. Some of those horn lines require you to have very careful, accurate bends because of the chromatic nature of the line. For example, even when you get to see a live video of T-Bone doing that tune live, listen AND watch to what he does with the 9th chords and then listen to both the Bobby Bland and Roomful covers (besides the obvious T-Bone studio original). In the videos I've seen of him, he usually plays it in G, so he uses a G9 chord, then goes down 1/2 step, then back up a 1/2 step, then 1/2 step sharp and back to the G9 again.
A tune that's often used as a backing for Stormy Monday comes from a tune called Jelly Jelly (not to be confused with William Clarke's Must Be Jelly, Baby) with the more complex changes and this is it below:
This one comes from James Cotton's first LP The James Cotton Blues Band that he recorded for Verve-Forecast in 1967:
Much like the other versions of of Stormy Monday I previously posted, listen to the horn lines and you'll notice not only the half steps being used, but also how long the notes are being held out and if you hold those notes out, AVOID DOING A THROAT VIBRATO TO HOLD THE NOTE OUT AT ALL COSTS!!!!!! Why am I saying this?? This is where that technique will totally screw up the groove and feel, even more so if you have to be on the bandstand with horns and putting that in is gonna clash HORRIBLY and you can count on sounding totally out of your element.
The riffing approach that the average harp player could be counted on doing, ESPECIALLY in open jams, will work better if the groove is being played closer to the way Muddy's doing it, but you gotta also remember to lay back and NEVER OVER PLAY!!!!
This is a dead on perfect example why EVERY HARP PLAYER needs to learn where EVERY single note is on ALL of their harps along with a knowledge of basic music theory comes in so that it will allow you to automatically adjust to just about anything without even having to think about.
Also, listening to as many different versions/arrangements of as many tunes as possible and then committing them to memory also helps out a lot because, in your head, you'll have what you can call, a personal musical database inside of you so that you can ask the RIGHT questions and have a good frame of reference that will prepare you for just about anything, making it much easier to think quickly on your feet, plus as a musician, it'll help you become a more valuable asset to a band or if you were to do pick up/freelance gigs as well. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
ted, i consider that far and away the best playing i have heard you publish by slowing down, your intonation is more precise. some of the note choices are a tad questionable, considering, that is coming from me, the king of questionable notes, no i take that back... charlie is the king of questionable notes lol .......nice job.
How do you approach "Stormy Monday"? It's not my band so I follow, which jives with the majority of what's been said here. I appreciate the details though because it kind of validates the mental version I negotiate. When someone calls it the first thing I do is not to look like I think it's cliche and remember my job is to make people happy. Then I go lightly and hope for the T-Bone version. Usually it's a mix until the bass player gets what the guitar player doing. If it comes together I like to sparsely add some fill/lead with signature vocal, horn and guitar parts from T-Bone and Bobby Bland. Not including that Bobby sound I just never thought much of.
Last Edited by Littoral on Jul 22, 2015 7:05 PM
