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Thread: Viola Lee Blues

  1. #1
    Yossi Katz yoshka's Avatar
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    Default Viola Lee Blues

    I'd like to play Viola Lee Blues (Jug Band version and not by the Dead) and was wondering if someone could heip me out. Listening to different versions of it, seems like the chords are as follows:

    G G G G
    C C G D
    C G G


    So that it really is 11 bars to a verse which repeats the entire song. Am I right about this?
    Thanks
    Yossi
    "Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from every man" Ethics of the Fathers

  2. #2

    Default Re: Viola Lee Blues

    After listening to a couple of jug band versions, it sounds something like this to me:

    G G G G
    C | C G | G
    D D G G

    The middle line is a bar and half of C, followed by a bar and a half of G. Probably depends on the version, though.

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  3. #3
    Professional Dreamer journeybear's Avatar
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    Default Re: Viola Lee Blues

    This is a mighty crooked tune. Let's go to the source:



    What I'm getting for a beat count is

    GGGG GGGG GGGG GGGG
    CCCC CC GGGG GG
    DD DDDD DDDD GGGG GGGG

    Keep in mind, you don't have to do it exactly as they did it. You can adapt it to make it more suitable to your style and still maintain much of the original feel. But it does seem the extra beats are there on purpose, as they are consistent throughout. Grateful Dead retained some of this crookedness and put in their own. For their version, I get

    GGGG GGGG GGGG GGGG
    CCCC CC GGGG GGGG
    FFFF CCCC GGGG GG [GGGG GGGG vamp]



    You don't have to listen to the whole blessed thing to get that. I know you said you didn't want their version, but it does seem like it is the model for so many who followed. I am just using this to illustrate how you can adapt this (or any song to suit your tastes.
    But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller

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  4. #4
    Yossi Katz yoshka's Avatar
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    Default Re: Viola Lee Blues

    Thanks for listening and figuring the count for me. I appreciate it.
    Yossi
    "Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from every man" Ethics of the Fathers

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