[Harp-L] Re: Piedmont blues question

[Tom Ball <havaball@xxxxxxx>]

Well, considering that I've heard non-Piedmont players (i.e. 
Lightnin' Hopkins, Long Gone Miles and others) use the same wording, 
I would doubt it's a regional expression <shrug>.   Seems pretty 
universal to me....

FWIW I always just took it to mean, "Your solo, man -- knock 'em out."  :)

cheers,
TB



Hi Ken,

Well it usually seems to happen just before a solo that lasts for 12  bars.
So I would assume that it just a signifier to the other player (s), 
that they intend to solo.
However this is all assumption on my part, but it would seem logical.
It may have some kind of historical basis, maybe Brownie McGhee and
Blind Boy Fuller heard somebody else do it and thought it was a cool 
saying to use.
Hopefully somebody more knowledgeable (Sonny Jr, Tom Ball?) than me
can answer the question more accurately.

Paul
www.kingleyharp.co.uk



On 23 Jul 2007, at 20:50, Ken Deifik wrote:

>  When Brownie McGhee or Blind Boy Fuller starts a solo or calls for
>  one, they often utter the phrase "Play it a long time."
>
>  Is there some kind of slang meaning in this phrase, or does it
>  simply mean Take a solo?
>
>  Ken