[Harp-L] Harp-L] My Babe at the Blues Jam

[martin oldsberg <martinoldsberg@xxxxxxxxx>]

Never assume anything "advanced". Just play that standard changes (the chord sequence) of the song unless otherwise agreed. You know more about blules harp standards than they do.



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The Little Walter tune, "My Babe", is familiar to many but not to all.

If
 my ear is correct, on the recording it has a non-standard 16-bar 
progression for the verses, and a standard 12-bar progression for the 
solos as follows:

Verse:

I    I    I    I
I    I    V    V
V    V    IV <break>
I    I    I    I


Instrumental Solos:

I    I    I    I
IV    IV    I    I
V    IV    I    I/V


I
 tried this at my local open mic jam several weeks ago, and it went 
okay, mostly because of the luck of the draw with the other musicians I 
got, EXCEPT that for the solos everyone (including me, whups!) ignored 
my instructions and instinctively played the first two lines just like 
the verse, and the last line as a standard turn-around:

I    I    I    I
I    I    V    V
V    IV    I    I/V


My
 question:  Do any of you lead this song in a jam situation where you 
don't know -- or barely know -- the other musicians and their 
abilities?  What instructions to the band give you the best results, 
where "best" means something that hangs together and sounds good to the 
audience, even if it varies from the recorded version?

Elizabeth H. (aka "Tin Lizzie")
Jammus Rattus