anyone writing blues songs for the mando

**ira** · Mar-10-2005, 8:29am

i've been working on a couple of new tunes, and one of them turned into a blues song (they often pick their own genre)_anyone else writing their own blues tunes (rather than just playin others' stuff) for mando?

**ira** · Mar-11-2005, 8:36am

guess not.......

**rzpooch** · Mar-11-2005, 8:44am

Hey, not so fast..LOL...I'm working an old song I wrote years ago into a mando tune...it's in G...of course and is an 8 bar. I'm trying to get the vibe of Champion Jack Dupree, at least vocal wise. I'm new to the mando so working up something decent for a solo is tough. I came from the bass world so most of my lines sound like a bass run. I'm also working on some old Freddie King stuff.

**spats** · Mar-11-2005, 10:04am

Hi there! I'm new to the mandolin (less than a year) and before I was a bass player, playing mostly blues. Whenever I pick up my mando and improvise I end up playing some sort of blues, usually some 12 bar thing. I just can't get the blues out of my system. Because I love the mandolin I've forced myself to listen to various styles from bluegrass to folk and even 'avant garde' jazz. But there's no substitute for the blues. What would you advise me to listen to in order to hear blues/mandolin at its best?
Excuse me if I've changed the subject!
Thanks

**ira** · Mar-11-2005, 10:27am

there is a great testament cd called "mandolin blues" that features many of the old great players. get some of the "big jack johnson" stuff as he plays some mando on his albums. i really love yank rachell- pig trader blues, as though he was old at the time - it is just him and a guitarist running baselines behind him and is so authentic and soulful.

**John Flynn** · Mar-11-2005, 11:42am

I wrote "The Consultant's Blues" for a business meeting at my consulting firm. To a basic 12 bar blues in E:

I left my baby this mornin' and flew to another town,
Oh, I left my baby this mornin' and flew to another town,
Got there and plugged in, and the network was down.

So I got the blues, got the consulting blues
Got the consulting blues, right down to my shoes
Don't know where I'm goin' next, but I sure am payin' my dues.

There's more, but you get the idea!

**Spruce** · Mar-11-2005, 11:57am

I put out a CD years ago called "The Trailer Tapes" that had a mandolin-driven blues tune on it called "Leave Me Alone or I'll Find Someone Who Will"...

You can hear the tune here...

From the liner notes:

" I recorded this initially with a "good" mandolin in tune. It wasn't until I tried a "bad" mandolin out-of-tune that it came to life. Recorded entirely with old RCA ribbon mics and Ampex tube mic preamps--I need all the authenticity I can get..."

**ira** · Mar-11-2005, 4:45pm

thats one low down tune bruce! are you doin the vocals? kinda david brombergish...

thanks for sharing.

**Spruce** · Mar-11-2005, 4:51pm

Yep....

As Jethro once said....
"I have a great voice....for cooling soup"...

**smilnJackB** · Mar-13-2005, 4:36pm

Here's one of several recent blues genre songs I do on mando or guitar. #This one is for my grandson, Tyler. #Pretty much 12 bar...

Gummy Bear Blues #by John Bolton
#

I #[G] #tore #a #hole #in #my #bat #man #shirt. # #

I # #[C] #spilled #my #gummy #bears #in #the #[G] dirt. # # / # # #/

I #don’t #think #things #can #get #much # worse, #

I got the #[D] #Bat Man, #[C] #gummy bear #[G] blues. # # / # # [D]

My # [G] # pet #bug #died #in #the #jelly #jar. # #

I #[C] # lost #my #new #hot #wheels #[G] #car. # # / # # # /

I #don’t #think #things #can #get #much #worse, #

I got the #[D] #dead bug, # [C] #lost car # [G] #blues. # # / # # #[D]

My #[G] #sister #says #I’m #a little #brat. # #

I #spilled # [C] # Kool- aid # on #her #favorite # [G] #hat. # # / # # /

I #don’t #think #things #can #get #much #worse, #

I #got #the [D] # little brat [C] #Kool-Aid #[G] #blues. #/ #[D] Instrumental

I # [G] #can’t #wait #to #get #all #growed #up, # #

Cuz’ # #[C] #all #my #problems #will #clear #right #[G] up . # #/ # #/

Things’ ll # be #cool, # gonna #have #it #made,

No #more #[D] #Bat #Man # [C] #gummy #bear #[G] blues.

No more #[D] Bat Man, # [C] gummy bear #[G] blues. # #[C]

**mikeomando** · Mar-13-2005, 9:46pm

Writing blues songs for the mando? I'm LIVING blues songs for the mando...

**bluesmandolinman** · Mar-14-2005, 6:48am

Bruce , very cool song !!!

What kind of "bad" mandolin did you use ?

Fit´s perfect... thanks for sharing

**spats** · Mar-15-2005, 5:03am

Thanks for the information Ira. I'll certainly buy the CD's if I can find them! Do you know of any contemporary blues with mandolin content?

**JimRichter** · Mar-15-2005, 8:27am

Writing blues tunes for mando? That's definitely what I do. Here's an instrumental I recently wrote to show exactly how close Bill Monroe and Elmore James are stylistically. Change Monroe's gallup to a shuffle and you've got Elmore James.

Click here to listen: Elmore Meets Bill

Jim

**BlueMt.** · Mar-15-2005, 10:24am

That's great Jim! Thanks!

**sgarrity** · Mar-15-2005, 11:41pm

Awesome playin' Jim. I'm love the blues and Monroe both. I've always noticed the similarities. I wish more people played blues mandolin. For those of you that dont know already, listen to Mike Compton. Talk about some bluesy playin'!

**JimRichter** · Mar-16-2005, 12:49am

I played a local old-time country radio show in February that was spotlighting African-American roots in old-time country. The guy asked me who my favorite blues mandolinist is--expecting me to say Yank Rachell, since Yank was local and my partner Gordon used to play w/ him. I think I floored the guy when I said Mike Compton. I said I loved Yank, but to me, I much more more enjoyed Yank as a compleat blues artist, but don't necessarily rank him as my favorite blues mandolinist. Compton definitely gets my vote. Those years he spent w/ Hartford did something to that guy. I was watching the old circa '85 Nashville Bluegrass Band video and am just amazed at what kind of mandolinist Mike has become in the last 10 to 15 years. Mike was good back then, but that guy is a force of nature now.

Thanks to those, who also like my playing. As much as I work on my bluegrass/old time fiddle tune playing, I'm a blues guy at heart (that's what 15 years of electric guitar will do to you!).

Jim

**bluesmandolinman** · Mar-17-2005, 4:25am

Hey Jim ,
I like your hootennany DVD very much but "Elmore Meets Bill" is really the next level. GREAT !
Do you really "wrote" that tune or was that recording kind of a "improved jam" ? I assume when you really wrote it you have notes or tabs or

Thanks,René

**ira** · Mar-17-2005, 7:58am

jim, that is fantastic- thank you. just a mando jamming out a blues riff with fills- phenomenal. man, do i have to work on my tone. i am so much more raw when i play blues (well, prob. anything to tell the truth).
spats- not much contemporary mando blues in terms of complete albums, just cuts here and there.
i did one recorded blues tune with mando on it.
check out www.ezfolk.com/audio/nos
go to our music page and listen to the song "things change" also did a kinda old jugband blues (a bit of a stealin feel to it) called "pretty good town" that you can also check out.
peace,
ira

**JimRichter** · Mar-17-2005, 8:23am

Blues instrumentals are almost always based around a riff. Then it's all about variations on the riff (kinda like fiddle playing). For my blues stuff, there is really no mandolinists that I use as paradigm. Having been an electric blues guy, I draw from Freddy King, Otis Rush, Earl Hooker, Hollywood Fats. I'm not convinced that because you play mandolin, you're stuck modeling your blues playing from the country roots vibe. I have videos at home of Yank playing electric and he really did look at it as an urban instrument. He really approaches it a bit like an electric guitar.

I'm all about converting blues guitar instrumentals over to mando. One of the tunes I used to play out regularly w/ a full electric band behind me is Freddy King's Hideaway.

Blues instrumentals, except for songs like Hideaway which are very structured and have defined parts, are almost always "jams' of some sort around a riff. The key is coming up with the memorable riffs. I encourage listening to guitar, harp, or sax players for inspiration.

Jim

**mandocrucian** · Mar-17-2005, 9:42am

(For me), material (original or covers) all tend mutate towards a Robin Trower/Cooder/Hendrix/Detroit-rock etc. delivery, or else drifting to the Fairport/Tull/Carthy/Renbourn side of things. #Ethnic stuff tends to stay within the general ethnic parameters, but there's weird hybrid blendings (Finn meets Tex-mex) ("Maragaritaville" is pretty cool with Greek bouzouki-isms ala "Never On Sunday" btw).

I don't really think of Hank Sr. as being radically different than Skip James or some Portuguese fado singer. #Just different spots on the same continuum.

Jim's right, one of the biggest limiting factors to mando players is not transcending beyond the "mandolin" to grabbing ideas, vocabulary, techniques from all sorts of other instruments. #As David Lindley says, "It's all one instrument." (and he's right!)

Niles H
RockMando

**spats** · Mar-18-2005, 11:46am

Thanks very much Jim for letting me hear how the blues mandolin should be played. Can I have the album reference please?

**JimRichter** · Mar-18-2005, 12:52pm

Well, I don't know that's how the blues mandolin should be played. #I mainly wanted to show that gutbucket 1930's era country blues mandolin isn't the only way to play legitimate blues mandolin. #I think there are too many who think that blues mandolin doesn't go beyond Yank Rachell. #Lot of possibilities there--just listen to blues fiddle--lot of inspiration there. #I thank you for your compliment but I definitely don't want it to seem that I'm advocating my way as the right way==I'm just showing it's one of many.

As far as album reference, I just wrote the song last week, so it's not on any album. #As far as type of style, listen to any Elmore James "Dust My Broom" shuffle or any of the Sam Meyers backup to Little Walter's stuff. #The one turnaround lick into the Vchord is a tip of the hat to SRV. As far as Monroe, listen to Honky Tonk Swing or Blue Grass Stomp (lot of those mid 40's era recordings).

Jim