[Harp-L] re: One-Chord Boogie

[martin oldsberg <martinoldsberg@xxxxxxxxx>]

A really funny story, and some food for thought.
  Though I in no way doubt your harmonica playing abilities it´s still a bit depressing that the audience congratulates you on on what is commonly referred to as a  "train wreck". The harsh thing to say is of course "people are idiots" -- but then again they hopefully saw something of value in your playing that perhaps escaped you? Best is of course to keep mum and just smile politely, even if it feels somehow immoral to receive compliments for something one thinks one is unworthy of. (This has pained me on several occasions.)

  A brief talk with those guys in the band before next session might perhaps be a tip? ("Ever heard of a twelve bar blues, boys?")


There´s a Little Walther tune tune called "Hate to see you go" that´s just one chord; also some of the stuff RL Burnside did did with Lester Butler et al was also just one chord vamps. The other week a listmember kindly pointed me towards a modern blues group called Moreland and Arbuckle, new to me, but some one chord stuff there.

Again, great story and I´d PAY to see a video.

Cheers,
Martin

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I attended a fund raiser recently, and was unexpectedly thrust onstage 
with a teen band (well, they were in a bar, so MAYBE not teens, but 
verrry young-seeming to this middle-aged lady), whom the organizer said 
could play blues, which he knows is my preference for performing.  So, I called, "This is a 12-bar blues in the key of A.  Up-tempo shuffle.  
Good?  [eye contact all around] A-one, a-two, a-one, two, three, four!" 
And launched into "Every Day I Have the Blues".
The band started 
in vigorously on an A chord, and then after four bars stayed on the A 
chord, and some random number of measures later changed to some other 
chord, and the whole thing was quite an adventure.  Hand signals for the
 changes had no audible effect, though the bass player noted afterward 
that he had seen them and thought, "Wow, she's really into it!"  I 
brazened it out, did verses and solos, let the guitar player take a solo
 (of indeterminate length), did another verse and another harp solo, 
then signaled to wind it up.  But the band kept going, and going, and 
going.  (I say!  Who's driving the bus, here?)  Eventually the thing 
ground to a ragged halt.  I gave the audience my very best smile, exited
 stage left, and after the set thanked each member of the band for 
letting me share the stage with them.
People came up to me and 
said, "You were awesome!" which led me to ponder the fact that the words
 "awesome" and "awful" are more closely related than one might think at 
first blush.
Two members of the band showed up at my local jam on
 Wednesday, and expressed interest in playing with me again.  (I 
declined as politely as I could.)
Odds are good that I'll be 
asked to play with them again, at some point....  It's a small 
community.  Clearly the right song to do is "Shake Your Hips," which 
just sits on one chord the whole time.  So I'm set for my next 
encounter.
I'd be grateful for pointers to other one-chord songs whose lyrics I might learn.
Elizabeth H. (aka "Tin Lizzie")