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Within the thread on my "Black Cat Blues" posted this week, BluesinBb and Blindboy both picked up I didn't sing on the V and let the guitar take over.
Although I feel that to me it worked musically, I wondered if anyone could say is this a common device, and if so are there some good examples of this I could hear.
Currently I have no idea whether it's something I picked up on without realising - it just seemed it worked out that way with no deliberate intent.
As I'm a recent "convert" I don't have much of a blues CD collection and my limited knowledge of things technical and theoretical (as you may have noticed ) means I find it very difficult to listen to blues with any sort of analytical hat on - I just like listening to the music.
Hey Viking - I liked your tune - Sorry about Sooty. We have a cat named Socks who looks just like her (him?).
That's an interesting question about when to sing and whether to sing on the V chord. I'd be interested to hear what somebody who really studies this stuff, like UUala, has to say. I can give you my intuitive feeling about it.
I feel like I want the intensity and the emotional level of the verse to start out low on the I chord. The intensity steps up a little on the IV chord at bar 5 and then back down as you go back down to the I chord at bar 7. The climax of the verse is at the V chord at bar 9, then it diminishes through bars 10-12.
When I'm singing and playing during the same verse, I feel like the singing is the "Call" and the playing is the "Response", where I sing a lick and then respond with a lick on the guitar. I feel like I want to sing the high intesity part and then respond with lower intensity on the guitar. That's the way I do it for bars 1 thru 8. Bars 9 is where I want to have the most emotion, so I want to be singing bar 9 - the V chord, or bars 9&10, and then respond with some kind of turnaround riff on the guitar during bars 11 & 12.
I want my "punch line"- the lyrics that tie the verse together - to be during bars 9 & 10.
During an instrumental verse, I want to save my best stuff for bars 9 thru 12, bars 9 & 10 especially.
But I heard BB King say that he wants to use his best licks during the IV chord (bars 5-8).
Sorry to blather on about this. I hope this helps.
To me the first 4 bars you tell a line explaining were you at (woke up this morning), then you re-state it the next four lines, with more emphasis (on the IV). Then you finish off with conclusion, which might be a twist or surprise (this is line starts of on the V).
But the phrasing doesn't cover all bars. So the first line is about on bars 1-2 and the second 5-6, and the this one on the 9-10. So bars 11-12 are the turn around.
Also they lines don't go by the bars that strictly, there's some lead in, so lines may start before the chord change,and end a bit after the bar in question.
There's something both BadBluesPlayer and Weelie pick up on and thanks for your replies. You both have reservations about your expertise but you're way ahead of me here. Anyway - hmmm... I think I sort of broke a rule there with my blatant disregard for call and response. If I had used that it would have extended the vocal lines into and past the V, and meant guitar playing in bars 11 & 12 only and not 9 to12 from the V.
Having said that I do rather like it the way it is - possibly with what BadBluespalayer referred to as the high intensity point at V meant I'm more confident that my guitar can cope with that than my voice.
I just have a worried feeling I'm out on a bit of a limb and it would be of comfort to know that famed legends "X" or "Y" have done the same (and got away with it). I remind myself some very revered blues players have taken huge liberties with the structure be it chordal, or length, or timing etc. - gives us minnows a get out clause.
This is a really intresting topic and one I had never really thought of before ......"How the 12 bar blues format actually relates to a set of lyrics and where you sing and where you play etc
Is there some kind of Fomula ??....if so what is it ??
Also interesting that this thread and the one strated by JimRR ( Hows that Gibson ES339 doin with you Jim ??? have you bonded yet awhile ??) ...."Complete the following..." which have similar themes
Just so i understand this ( and please correct me ....'cos I am not at all sure I have this down yet ).here's how I am interpreting what Bbp and weelie are saying
If we take something fairly well known/ standard .."Driftin Blues" Charles Brown and EC to name a few ...................
Standard 12 bar in E .....................
Bars 1-4 ...E7 - E7 - E7 - E7
Bars 5/6... .A7 - A7 Bars 7/8 - E7 - E7
Bars 9.10 ....B7 - A7
Bars 11/12... E7 - B7
Bars 1-4 ..........intro and 1st line of song .............. I'm drifting and drifting, Just like a ship out on the sea.
Bars 5-6 I'm drifting and drifting, Just like a ship out on the sea.
Bars 9-10 Well I ain't got nobody.............In this world to care for me.
bars 11and 12 .....turn around and short fill......and then into Verse 2 or Chorus ...(2nd 12 bars)
Somwhere after verse 2 or 3 we might have a middle 8 ??? which is where you might plomp a small .............but delightfiully formed solo
please comment and or tell me the right way to place the words against the 12 bar format and where one should fit fills / solo's etc ..Tks
"Death is just a heartbeat away" lyric from "Out in The Fields" Gary Moore 1952-2011
Strummer07 wrote:
please comment and or tell me the right way to place the words against the 12 bar format and where one should fit fills / solo's etc ..Tks
Strummer07,
I'm not the type who'll break things down into long paragraphs - No disrespect to those that are more thorough in their explanations. Ok, not every blues artist's composition have the same amount of words, some use more some less. You'll have to listen to your blues recordings carefully and make a mental note where they start singing and where they end is my suggestion....The same goes for fills and soloing, your ears will tell you when/where it's right to play and when/where not to play. Hope this helps.
My question was a lot simpler thant VB's. I was thinking of many of the songs posted here - strictly instrumental blues, just 12 bars, and another 12 bars, and another 12 bars, etc. No words so no "verses". No guitar solos. No structure like "verse then chorus then another verse then the chorus again". What do we call those 12 bar segments? It looks like "choruses" is the answer. (Or "another 12" as a couple of votes have gone.)
VB's question in much more interesting and has more potential content.
Strummer, the 339 arrived and it's fabulous. I'm doing some pics to post soon.
The Blues is said to have thing called "call & response" it is a very strict formula.
You are supposed to make a statement on the I, repeat in on the IV (preceded by the words "I said") and give the response starting on the on the FIRST V-chord but ending (vocally) on the next I chord. The second V chord you do not sing on.
Like this:
I
This is my blues song, I sing it every day
----------IV -------------------------------------- I
( I said) This is my blues song I sing it every day
V--------------------- IV ------------------- I
If you don't like it - You can just walk away
) means I find it very difficult to listen to blues with any sort of analytical hat on - I just like listening to the music. 
You both have reservations about your expertise but you're way ahead of me here. Anyway - hmmm... I think I sort of broke a rule there with my blatant disregard for call and response. If I had used that it would have extended the vocal lines into and past the V, and meant guitar playing in bars 11 & 12 only and not 9 to12 from the V.
