Blue notes

[Tikva]

Here's another question from my ever curious self:

What are your favorite blues songs?

I'm quite fascinated with the sound of flat notes. To me they sound so much more interesting, especially when there are changes between different intonations throughout a song.

"Blues" is defined here in a broad sense, so feel free to mention anyone from the classic blues singers/players to modern pop musicians who only sing the occacional blues song.

Some of my own favorites:
1) B.B. King - I'll survive
2) Ella Fitzgerald - I've got a crush on you
3) Muddy Waters - I want you to love me
4) Ray Charles - Drown in my own tears
5) John Coltrane - Blue train
6) Katie Melua - Blues in the night
7) Garou - Une dernière fois encore
8 ) Céline Dion - Tous les blues sont écrits pour toi
9) Pink/Steven Tyler - Misery
10) The Dave Brubeck Quartet - "Points on Jazz": Blues

I'm curious to read about your favorites.

[emmline]

I have a jazz standards piano book, which (for me) is a challenge, but worth tackling now and then for the pleasure of the sound.
A favorite: Harlem Nocturne, which is also a favorite of el esposo because it was used as the theme music for the 80's TV version
of Mike Hammer, with Stacy Keach. You know...by Davy...I mean Micky Spillane. No whistles, mystery or otherwise, are involved.

[Tikva]

No whistles in the field of blues music, huh? That's why I've postet this one in the poststructural pub rather than in one of the other forums.

Could be interesting, though, but to me it is still unheard-of.

[chas]

Probably my favorite performance of a blues song is one that almost certainly nobody on the board has heard. John Kay, lead singer of Steppenwolf, released an album in about 1972 or 73 called Forgotten songs and unsung heroes. It's half music he wrote and half music from people who influenced or inspired him. He does a version of Robert Johnson's "Walkin' blues" that's wonderful. Kay of course had that big bluesy voice and plays a mean dobro. Steppenwolf's first two albums are fully of blues gems. "Your wall's too high," "Hoochie coochie man," "Don't step on the grass, Sam," and the blues suite on the second side of their second album are all fantastic.

Some others I really like:

Willie Dixon -- Spoonful
T-Bone Walker -- I'm in an awful mood
Cream -- Tales of brave Ulysses (among many, many others)

[mutepointe]

What a nice topic. I play Jazz standards and Torch songs on whistles and flutes. I like the sound of sliding my finger off a hole. Off the top of my head, which is filled with sinus infection:
Stormy Weather
Somebody Loves Me
What'll I Do
Fever

There, my head is done thinking.

[cowtime]

There's no way I can say favorites and not think of, off the top of my head...

Billie Holiday
Sun House
Big Momma Thornton
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Cream/ Eric Clapton
Janis Joplin
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Jimi Hendrix
Koko Taylor
Bonnie Raitt


I love's me some blues.

[Cork]

No whistles in the field of blues music, huh? That's why I've postet this one in the poststructural pub rather than in one of the other forums.

Could be interesting, though, but to me it is still unheard-of.

I never noticed that, but you're right. I can't think of a whistle in a blues performance.

Then again, there's the various "blues" scales, which basically are outside of what a six-hole whistle could ordinarily do, at least not without some wild fingering.

[Wombat]

Hard call to name favourites. A few off the top of the head.

Louisiana Blues — Muddy Waters
Statesboro' Blues — Blind Willie McTell
Cyprus Grove — Skip James
Lonely Avenue — Ray Charles
Come on in My Kitchen — Robert Johnson
Stormy Monday — T-Bone Walker
Baby Please Don't Go — Big Joe Williams
Little Red Rooster — Howling Wolf
Hellhound On My Trail — Robert Johnson
Blues With a Feeling — Little Walter
All My Love — Otis Rush
First Time I Met the Blues — Buddy Guy
Sweet Little Angel — B.B. King
Dark Road — Floyd Jones
Whoopee Blues — King Solomon Hill

[Wombat]

No whistles in the field of blues music, huh? That's why I've postet this one in the poststructural pub rather than in one of the other forums.

Could be interesting, though, but to me it is still unheard-of.

I never noticed that, but you're right. I can't think of a whistle in a blues performance.

Then again, there's the various "blues" scales, which basically are outside of what a six-hole whistle could ordinarily do, at least not without some wild fingering.

There are pan pipes in early blues. Check out Henry Thomas. Canned Heat had a hit with a remake of one of his tunes: Goin' Up the Country.' They use flute to play the original pan pipes part. It would work on whistle.

Try plying blues in A or E on a D whistle. You can get blue notes easily enough and in A you can get easy major/minor ambiguity and some chromaticism where you want it.

[s1m0n]

There are pan pipes in early blues.

Usually under the names 'quills' or 'cane fife'. I believe Alan Lomax (and others) found both black and white quills players, most frequently on the Carolina coast and the Georgia sea Islands and in missippi. I know that the poly-instrumental genius Hobart Smith played quills, as did Sid Hemphill. Here's Hemphill (quills) & Smith (banjo).

[Cork]

No whistles in the field of blues music, huh? That's why I've postet this one in the poststructural pub rather than in one of the other forums.

Could be interesting, though, but to me it is still unheard-of.

I never noticed that, but you're right. I can't think of a whistle in a blues performance.

Then again, there's the various "blues" scales, which basically are outside of what a six-hole whistle could ordinarily do, at least not without some wild fingering.

There are pan pipes in early blues. Check out Henry Thomas. Canned Heat had a hit with a remake of one of his tunes: Goin' Up the Country.' They use flute to play the original pan pipes part. It would work on whistle.

Try plying blues in A or E on a D whistle. You can get blue notes easily enough and in A you can get easy major/minor ambiguity and some chromaticism where you want it.

Now that you mention it, it might be possible to tweak a minor key into a blues key on a whistle, not that I've tried it.

And, I remember Canned Heat, and that tune, blues boogie!

[dwest]

Charlie Musselwhite, born in the best town in Missisippi, Kosciusko. Best blues harmonica player on the planet. Some of his preformances have almost been religious experiences. I like Madeleine Peyroux too.

[Wombat]

Now that you mention it, it might be possible to tweak a minor key into a blues key on a whistle, not that I've tried it.

There's no way of doing it that gives you everything you might want easily. But A on a D whistle gives you most of what you would want. You get A, B, C, C#, D, E, F#, G, A which will get you through most blues tunes. That includes both the so-called pentatonic blues scales—major and minor. You are only missing a flattened 5th, Eb, which you'd need to half hole unless you can find a cross fingering that works. It's difficult but can be done. It's a blue note so you don't need it to be exactly in tune. The other blue notes, C and G, can be played a bit sharp if you like. Just half hole the C to where you want it and bend to taste. For G just slide your finger off the G hole a little to give a hint of G#, like a guitarist bending a note. Finally, use breath control to flatten notes as they die away.

Most importantly, have fun.

[Tikva]

What a nice topic. I play Jazz standards and Torch songs on whistles and flutes. I like the sound of sliding my finger off a hole. Off the top of my head, which is filled with sinus infection:
Stormy Weather
Somebody Loves Me
What'll I Do
Fever

There, my head is done thinking.

Oh dear. I hope you'll be better soon, mutepointe!
Maybe you could upload a sound file of you playing jazz on the whistle once you're in good health again? - You've got me curious...

Now please excuse me for tonight. - I've got some serious googeling and listening to do.
Keep your favorites coming and maybe, if you have the time, please explain to me how to play A on a D whistle. That's one of the things I've yet to learn and understand.

[Cork]

Now that you mention it, it might be possible to tweak a minor key into a blues key on a whistle, not that I've tried it.

There's no way of doing it that gives you everything you might want easily. But A on a D whistle gives you most of what you would want. You get A, B, C, C#, D, E, F#, G, A which will get you through most blues tunes. That includes both the so-called pentatonic blues scales—major and minor. You are only missing a flattened 5th, Eb, which you'd need to half hole unless you can find a cross fingering that works. It's difficult but can be done. It's a blue note so you don't need it to be exactly in tune. The other blue notes, C and G, can be played a bit sharp if you like. Just half hole the C to where you want it and bend to taste. For G just slide your finger off the G hole a little to give a hint of G#, like a guitarist bending a note. Finally, use breath control to flatten notes as they die away.

Most importantly, have fun.

Let me first admit that when it comes to fingering, half-holing and such related skills are about at the bottom of the list of things I can do, indeed, for the most part I've given up on them as being practically hopeless, at least as far as my skills go. Yes, there are a couple of easier ones, but after that I give up!

However, your post has given me a new perspective, one that I've never considered, in that perhaps a study of blues scales on a six-hole instrument, as deliberate overkill, could work wonders to generally improve my half-holing abilities in terms of ITM, not that I plan to become a blues artist.

Good idea, and thank you!