"Blues Workout In D"

[Will Fly]

Several choruses of a slow 12-bar blues in the key of D, shown entirely as a close-up of the fretting hand.

Blues Workout In D

The complete music, tab and chords for this are available on my website at:

My website tabs page

Just a bit of fun...

Cheers,

Will

[flatlander]

Thanks as always Will. I like it. I'm pickin stuff out of it. On this one like some of the others, the up the neck stuff is more familier, it's the different way of making open chords and chordal stuff on the bass strings, not just bass runs, that I'm enjoying pickin up on.
Like the D7 while getting the F# on 6th. I add that a lot with my thumb when making reg D and I don't mind the fingering at all but as much as I love to free fingers up, it just never dawned on me to finger the trebles like that. Now it's sent me off in digging out other stuff. D's or worse D7 is bad for bass runs unless you abandon some trebles, which is what I usually do. But it's got cool licks on 4-5-6 strings if you can get to them.
Another very simple "duh" things is this. I usually play the D note on 2nd string when making G, but when I fingerpick and keep 1st finger buy nut to get 7th of course I don't. But duh, once you raise pinky you can move it over to get that 2nd string D. It really makes the open G6 sound much better than playing off the the open B.
  Thanks

[lw216316]

Thanks Will   

It's only in the past couple of months I've started to look at the Blues -
want to pick up some things to add to my finger style.

What I'm learning is that a lot of the popular music I liked in the 60s is filled with blues licks and progressions.

For example, in this Blues you did, the chromatic bass walk down on C, B, Bflat A is the
run that Neil Young uses in   " Needle and the Damage Done "

So I'm sure it was no accident and probably was not his 'new discovery' -
I'll bet he learned it from the Blues.

I know the Beatles and Clapton and so many others studied the Blues before they became successful.

Strange, but I think I just figured out something for the first time after listening to this song.

I started to say,  ' By George, I think I've got it ! " -
as a way of humor and an expression of thanks for the demo -

When I learned the phase it was hearing someone with a British accent say it.
It never occured to me what the history of the phrase was but now,  " I think I've got it ! "

When people are in court they must swear ' BY GOD ' to tell the truth.
So they take an oath - sometimes with hand on Bible -
indicating they say before God they will be truthful or be responsible to God if they lie.

But....in old days.... the Kings were 'Gods' to the people...
They claimed authority from God....and perhaps some even thought they were desceneded from God or were God...

So to say,  " By George " would be in place of saying  " By God"
it would be to take an oath to be telling the truth or suffer the consequences of King George of England.

Will,....what do you think ?   Is ' By George ' of English origin and a reference to King George ?

- Larry

[DJ in FL]

 

Nice Job (as usual) Will...THANKS especially for the Tab pages!

[hadden]

I wish I had a teacher like you when I started. This is all stuff you can use. I've never had anyone show me basic blues turnarounds (I sort of know them) and such and I've always just faked it, the slide in chords and such. I would play SRV stuff as a kid without really knowing technically all the cool variations and substitions, how they worked, why they worked. I still really don't. And yet I can rip a pretty good solo. The chord walk downs and all that is still a bit of an unknown.

With this it's like, "Oh so that's how that goes". Should have picked it up years ago.

[flatlander]

I've never had anyone show me basic blues turnarounds  The chord walk downs and all that is still a bit of an unknown.

Here's a good thing to know, in any key. I7-IV -IVm- I- V7   But you can build various chords or double stops around that note thats descending chromatically.

[hadden]

Here's a good thing to know, in any key. I7-IV -IVm- I- V7   But you can build various chords or double stops around that note thats descending chromatically.

Thanks, I'll check it out. 

[flatlander]

Here's a good thing to know, in any key. I7-IV -IVm- I- V7   But you can build various chords or double stops around that note thats descending chromatically.

I don't think Will will mind if I hijack a little and give you an example to get started. It's easy to see in E.
Big open E. Then start turn around. E7(I7) by putting pinky on 2nd string 3rd fret. Then open A(IV) make it in this case with 3 fingers. Then Am(IVm) then E(I) then B7, (V7). The 2nd string note dropping chromatically is the main flavor. So it doesn't have to be the whole chord always. The simplest deomonstartation of that would be just using the 1st and 2nd string with the 1st just open.

----0--------0--------0------[--0-----0----0----2----]--------- not much on writing stuff out. the part in brackets is a little
----3--------2--------1------[--0-----2----0----0----]---------quicker or I should say shorter on each note.
--------------------------------------------------2-----]----------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
or

-----0---------0------0-----0--------------------2------again shorter beats per note at end
-----3---------2------1-----0-------2-----0-----0------------------
-----4---------3------2-----1-------1-----1-----2---------------------
-----------------------------2-------2-----2-------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Up the neck out of same E shaped chord ie barred A at 5th fret. Dig this, Don't have to move hand position at all!

---5------5------5----5-----5--------x------------------   I didn't put in short beat notes. Hopefully you feel to put  them in or
---5------8------7----6-----5--------5                      hit 2nd A a couple times
---6------6------7----7-----6--------5-------------------from 2nd A to whatever proper name for Aug7 is in that key,
---7------5------7----7-----7--------6---------------------you just kinda roll you hand over if playing barred or if you're
---7------7------5----5-----7--------7----------------------playing short version, just move fretted notes over a string.
---5------5------5----5-----5--------x----------
   A      A7     D      Dm    A    Aug 7

The formula doesn't have to be adjacent chords near same position either, you can jump chords around when it suits.
Like if your in open G you can go from open C chord to C minor on up on 3rd fret.
Mr. Will,     you gotta good Cm in open position other than just lowering 4th string?   thanks, matt
Oh, and this is of course just 1 of several formulas for a blues turnaround.

There. it took me 15 minute to get everything lined up. For some reason when you go to writing post to actually posting.
the alignment changes. Rather a pain

[hadden]

I really appreciate it Flatlander. It will be good to get this down. 

[flatlander]

I hope you looked at it after I finaaly got things lined up properly. It should be square and done now.

[hadden]

I hope you looked at it after I finaaly got things lined up properly. It should be square and done now.

Whenever you have the time I'd love to know about the other formulas for turnarounds. This is all gold. 

Perhaps cool typical chord subs as well?

[flatlander]

I'm hoping Will will give more substitutions as he did in E workout.. That is chords with a different root name. As far as variations, use the formula and experiment. Know how chords are constructed so you can find your own and where you can see how to use parts of them like in the 3rds and beyond thread. I'm not trying to be short, I just can't put off my yard work anymore. I think lots of times a true chord substitution is closely related to original chord but changing a certain note, no longer allows you to call it by original name. I think I'll go back to Will's E thing and see if that's true for that. Maybe I opened my mouth too soon!

[flatlander]

Ok. I don't see the chords relationships being all too close, but I throw it into to that 1/2 step thing bag. You can almost alway slide chords up or down 1/2 step and come back. This is a little different because your not normally staying on the same chord during change, but it works for whatever reason and I already did that one myself. While looking at it though I did pick up something else you could do. Split between the C7 and the A7. They are quick changes but give cool movement. instead of B7////C7//B7//E
B7////C7/A7/C7/B7/E then carry on with turn around and got have a lot of movement going on. The A7 should be open like just 2nd and 4th string fretted. Well let me take that back. That one sounds good. You can leave pinky down and throw first first finger as barre across 2nd fret too. It just goes on and on..............................

[flatlander]

Ok. I don't see the chords relationships being all too close, but I throw it into to that 1/2 step thing bag. You can almost alway slide chords up or down 1/2 step and come back. This is a little different because your not normally staying on the same chord during change, but it works for whatever reason ......

Hope you don't mind me getting carried away Will but this is how I learn and it sticks when I think it out myself.
The C7 might work because if you strip 12 bars down to most basic form, there's not even the last A7 in it. The A7 was a substitute was back in 02' (1902) or something and it was the big modern breakthru ! So your really just doing the basic 1/2 step rule and the sense of movement cast it as a substitute for the A7. I know.......Now that I've got that out of the way I can concentrate on idea for song I got while running to fill the gas can to do yard. On the radio I was 1/2 listening to story and I thought they said.
"And he was laying on the coroners table in a state of confusion!"   Boy that's an idea for song!