there has been some discussion lately re: odd measure blues songs. the blues at its most basic is 12 bars........ 4 bars of the 1 chord ...2 bars of the 4 chord ...2 bars of the 1 then the 5 chord... followed by the 4 chord then 2 bars of the one chord "the turn around"
if we think of this as a road map we now have a foundation. notice where the 5 chord is located. it is bar 9, this is important.
notice also where the 4 chord is located ... bars 5 and 6 and bar 10, also important.
so how do we fit some of the odd blues songs "inside the box" ok... let's take a recent song .......good morning little school girl and see how we can fit it inside the box.
lets call this a 19 bar blues, the first thing we want to do is this reduce it to it's lowest common denominator.19 divided by 2 is 9 1/2. pretty dang close to a 12 bar blues.
so lets do this... lets cut out the first 2 bars of the 1 chord leaving only bars 3 and 4
we now have a 10 bar blues..... so how do we get to 9 and a 1/2?
... lets do this: we will play the full 4 beats on the 4 chord .... " bar 5" .... and we will cut bar #6 in 1/2
2 beats only. there we have it ......9 and 1/2 bar blues.
so let's put it into the box.... we can now start the count on bar 3 of the 12 bar progression
3234 4234 5234 "AND A" 7234 8234 9234 10-234 11-234 12-234.... ON BAR 6 i used the .....AND A to replace the numerals as it makes it much easier to count this way.
it you count it this way, you will find that this is a slow swinging groove.
what i do is this..... i do not start the count on the third bar. i start on bars 1 and 2 and cut out bars 3 and 4, then jump to bar 5.... then just continue thru out the standard progression, like i would on a 12 bar. , we now have the turn around where it should be on bars 11 and 12... now the song flows like water.
we can treat 16 bar and 13 and a half bar blues in a similar fashion.we just have to think.... in the box.
Last Edited by 1847 on Nov 06, 2016 8:16 AM
But check out what they do with time--the verse is in three, and the chorus in four. Plus, this is a great band! OK, more to the point--it's useful to start counting in the blues form from the point where we go to the four chord, since up to that point, there CAN be some variation, but once you go to the four, there is usually less.
One of the impediments to counting from one is the existence of pickup notes. For example, the first 2 notes of the melody to OH MY DARLING CLEMENTINE as well as the first 2 notes of the harmonica hook to MISS YOU are not in the first measure--they precede the first measure. So if you are counting from the top you have to get past the pickup notes before starting your count or it won't be accurate.
Yes, GMLS does have a pickup in both count and lyric. You know, 1847, at first I didn't really dig the idea of thinking about it as a cut down 12, but then I thought about how to explain it to my jam buddies in the garage (who greet every hint of complexity with the idea of 'just do it as a 12 bar') and I believe your method will actually be much easier to explain to them. So thanks.
gnarly i like that groove, i very seldom get to hear new music, i will need to re-listen to that i find it intriguing.
hvyi... interesting you mention pick up notes, they are typically only at the beginning, however, the next song i would like to study is 13 and a 1/2 bars, and i would very well consider the song to have a pick up bar every four bars. good morning little school girl, has a pick up bar only once if you count it like i explained.
i think of this tune as a 12 bars, i have always considered a pick up bar to be only at the beginning, however unless someone has a better term......... we can use heavy j's description..
the tune starts with a pick up, and goes to the 4 chord for 2 bars then to the one chord for 2 bars, this is the main riff of the song every 4 bars there is a half measure pick up, once again i do not count this numerically i use ... AND A... so the count is as follows.
Sounds like a variation on the Diving Duck/Minglewood/Rolling and Tumbling thing-- I'm going to Louisiana and get me a mojo hand--whatever that is . . .
Last Edited by Gnarly on Nov 08, 2016 7:55 AM
It's just 12 bars, the pickups don't add beats to the count. The pickups all come the the last bar of the preceding section: the pickup to bar 9 is in bar 8, the pickup to bar 5 is in bar 4 and the pickup to bar 1 is in bar 12 of the chorus before.
Here's what I got-- | IV | % | % | % | | I | % | % | % | % | | IV | % | % | % | | I | % | % | % | % | | V | % | IV | % | | I | % | % | % | % |
D for 4 bars, A for 5 bars Twice--it's a blues E for two bars, D for two bars And the final iteration of 5 bars of A.
Last Edited by Gnarly on Nov 08, 2016 9:04 AM
you just don't change a standard blues song that's been around for decades simply because you feel like it-you can play it however you like- "Good Morning Little School Girl" was ,still is and always will be a nineteen bar blues-
Last Edited by tmf714 on Nov 08, 2016 10:09 AM
tmf.. we are having a discussion. if you would be so kind to write out how you count the 19 bars that would be helpful.
gnarly and i are discussing going away. it not necessarily someone is right or wrong, it is a matter of tempo, sometimes we count the same thing a different way. some times there are different ways to say the same thing.
i would love to hear your count on good morning little school girl.
thanks a million
Last Edited by 1847 on Nov 08, 2016 10:35 AM
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