If you could build your own Jam Tracks ....

["Rick B" <rick@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Everyone,
As I mentioned in an earlier email, Pete Schmidt is thinking of creating of
creating a backing track CD just for harp players.  I asked harp-l and
harptalk what would be on the perfect CD.  I thought I'd post the results so
they could be further polished.

The basic thought was the there would be two CDs.  The first one would
contain Little Walter Jam tracks, the 2nd would contain a broad sampling of
blues styles.  The first CD would follow Ryan Hartt's idea:

Ryan Hartt of Ryan Hartt & the Blue Hearts wrote:
The obvious answer to me is "Lots of Little Walter".  Something like "Off
the Wall", a triple shuffle like "Oh Baby" or "Watch Yourself" a two beat
like "Tell me Mama" a slow one in D for chromatic and one in Bb like "Blue
Midnight", a shuffle like "Shake Dancer" with all that great guitar.  Maybe
a one chord groove like "Roller coaster", an E grinder/march shuffle and an
E low down slow blues.

Rick replies:
I have questions.  What is a triple shuffle?  I listed to "Oh Baby".  What
makes it a triple shuffle? Is it the cymbols being hit on the beginning and
end triplette?  I hear a walking bass that walks on the quarter notes.  The
rhythm guitar playsclassic blues guitar boogie woogie with some note
substitutions.

What's a two beat?   What makes "Tell Me Mama" a two beat?  What would be
sample titles for the styles "a slow one in D for chromatic", "an E
grinder/march shuffle", and "an E low down slow blues"


The second CD would follow the idea of JP and others and contain a broad
sampling of blues styles.

Jp wrote that he "would like to learn, how to fit in to many contexts, so
I'd like a slow minor blues, a fast minor blues, a shuffle (SRV style would
be nice, since guitarists like that), a tune with chord substitutions (like
"Stormy Monday"), 8 bars, 12 bars, a stop time tune, songs that just have
one chord all the way through (like "John Lee Hooker style"), a tune with
some "country" (acoustic probably) sound to it ("Can't Be Satisfied" for
example), another one that's harder and closer to rock. That way, I'd have
practice fitting in
to many contexts, expecially ones likely to be encountered in a blues jam."

"For keys: stick close to guitar keys: G, D, Dm, E, A, Bm and i'd throw in
Bb too."

Jp further says:

"SOME songs, i think, should have vocals. You have to learn to play around
those just like everything else. Or put vocals in just the right or left
channel on some tunes, that way you can play without them. And speaking of
which, it'd be nice to have space to be able to join in playing back-up. We
shouldn't have tracks that are only good for practicing solo pieces."

Rick replies:
I'm thinking that this CD set would contain no vocals, but it might have
some instrumental parts where you had to play behind them or with them.
BUT, I would suggest that after Pete make the Jam along CD's, he then turns
around a produce a finished album of his own using the same tracks!  He
actually sort of did this with "The Ultimeate Blues Jam Vol 1" where he used
some of them in his "Blues Approved" CD which followed.  Maybe he might put
the vocals in the center, but put the lead instrument in one or the other
sterio channel so they can be turned off.  This is no hard and fast rule,
but maybe something creative and artistic could be done.



Pat <bluester2001@xxxxxxxxx> described CD 2 as follows:

I'd like to see a cd with the "standard" styles- acoustic, delta, electric
from the "big" towns/areas- like memphis, chicago, west coast swing stuff,
maybe some jump tunes. A good range of different structures- 8 and 12- bar,
slow, medium, and fast shuffles.  Did i mention something kinda funky too?
like "standin on shakey ground" comes to mind,  some jazzy stuff like "the
work song" as done by william clarke,  or "it's too late", dave spector.  I
have done some exploring much like little walter did way back when, and
tried emulating the horn part here, the keyboard there, even the snare drum
there.... and of course doubling with the guitar.  Some stuff more geared to
3rd position too.  And to be well-rounded, a variety of keys would be a
must.  I play most all of my harps in a given month- from Ab to F.   The
more acoustic variety would be a big help to hone one's own
sound.  ... Maybe a rock tune or two, a swing or two, a jump or two, some
straight up 1-4-5's at various tempos....

Nate wrote:
"I would like some rockibilly - Elvis style, perhaps, "Thats alright mama"
vein. And some reggae style, come soul, come funk but with identifable blues
chord progression. I once heard Inner Circle do a reggae version of I shot
the Sheriff and they had a smokin harp player on it, sounded great."

Pat continued:
" even some folk or ballad stuff like amazing grace and will the circle be
unbroken.  A lot can be done with songs like that, given imagination and
effort."

Rick replies, I think this CD will stick to blues or variations of blues or
"bluesified" songs.  I'm thinking that we want to do songs that either
commonly are, or could be called out at a blues jam session.

Paul Jarry (direwolf71@xxxxxxxxxx) suggested some rhythmic variety:
"How about Jamming to a washboard...  A  real funky washboard beat and maybe
a guitar strumming chords in the key of "A".  Very Sonny Terry-ish."  Fast
Freddy agreed, and added that "I would also like to have some tracks with
brushes instead of sticks. Or some tracks with 'rim-tapping' where the
drummer taps out the rhythm on the side of the snare's rim (as heard in lots
of Muddy Waters and Little Walter tunes of the late 40's/early 50's Chess
recordings)."


Jumpin' Dave writes:
He would like the backing tracks to contain various tonal possibilities, for
example "acoustic, electric, tube, and transitor".  There is a definite
difference between a Rock tonality achieved through transistor amps and
digital type effects and a blues tonality achieved through tubes.

Jumpin' Dave adds, Also, "use  musicians that are both
beginners,intermediate and advanced.
musicians that are drunk, stoned, and sober....lol."

Rick replies:
What do you guys think?  In appreciation for this suggestion, should we send
Jumpin Dave a backing track CD of drunk beginners?   ;-)

And in the even further "out there" range (given our "blues focus"), Patrick
Whit <wcpatrick@xxxxxxxxxxxx> suggested

1.  20 straight minutes of Grateful Dead's "Dark Star"
2.  Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein"
3.  Any Standard minor blues... Summertime, Rising Sun... Just one
4.  Brubeck's "Take Five"
5.  New Riders of the Purple Sage's "Glendale Train"
6.  20 minutes of "Broke Down Palace / Althea"


So what do you guys think?  Does this spark any further ideas?  This could
also be viewed as the ultimate reply to the "gussing thread".  The Ultimate
Gusser brings not only his harp, but his boombox to the show!

Ducking for cover,

- --Rick B
  www.bluesharp.org