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

[Miguel Angel Alonso Lopez <destripped@xxxxxxxxx>]

I wouldn't choose this kinda tune when jam-playing with unknown musicians,
unless they told me that they are familiar with it (or at least, the bass
player and the guitar player).

When I jam-play with unknown musicians, I don't dare to lead tunes beyond
the ones that can be easily explained in terms of "standard 12",
"quick-change", "turn-around", "breaks", "up-beat", "hold V" (for the V-V
instead of V-IV), "hold I" (for the 16-bars chorus that add 4 bars of
I-chord before IV-IV-I-I, etc), ...

Related to this, I normally find more trouble when trying to explain which
kind of groove or rhythym I would like to play.

Cheers,

MA


On Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 6:07 AM, martin oldsberg
<martinoldsberg@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> 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.
>
>
>
> ----------------------
> 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
>
>