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
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