Dirt Road Blues

In video two Paul tells you something about the National Resophonic guitar he uses for a lot of his songs. They were invented by John Dopyera in the 1920's, first used in Hawaiian music and later on in Blues. For more information about Paul and Annie, including private lessons, tours, CDs, and video, please visit their website: www.paulandannie.com.

The first piece we'll study is "Down the Dirt Road Blues" by Charley Patton (Paramount, Richmond 1928). Charlie Patton, better known as Charley Patton was born in 1891 or 1894. He died on the Heathman-Dedham plantation near Indianola, Mississippi, from heart disease on April 28, 1934. Compare the guitar accompaniment to Patton's "34 Blues," which is slower but virtually the same. Just about every Charley Patton song has a really cool guitar part in it. "Down the Dirt Road Blues" is no exception - this little 2-bar turnaround riff is a great example of how much fun it can be to play the guitar this way. We're capoed up one fret and we're in the key of C. The turnaround should be played in an expressive style, snapping the bass strings (played with the thumb) against the fretboard.

The first piece we'll study is "Down the Dirt Road Blues" by Charley Patton (Paramount, Richmond 1928). Charlie Patton, better known as Charley Patton was born in 1891 or 1894. He died on the Heathman-Dedham plantation near Indianola, Mississippi, from heart disease on April 28, 1934. Compare the guitar accompaniment to Patton's "34 Blues," which is slower but virtually the same. Just about every Charley Patton song has a really cool guitar part in it. "Down the Dirt Road Blues" is no exception - this little 2-bar turnaround riff is a great example of how much fun it can be to play the guitar this way. We're capoed up one fret and we're in the key of C. The turnaround should be played in an expressive style, snapping the bass strings (played with the thumb) against the fretboard.

We start with the performance of "Shake 'em On Down" by Tommy McClennan (Bluebird, Chicago 1939). Tommy McClennan, born in 1908 near Yazoo, Mississippi, was a small man, standing just 4 feet 10; He suffered from alcoholism, something that is evident in the sound of his singing on his recordings. He recorded 41 sides for the Bluebird label, and his big hit was "Bluebird Blues", because the theme of the song expressed a desire to return to the South, a sentiment shared by many newly transplanted African-Americans at the time. He is reported to have died in poverty in Chicago around 1962. "Shake 'em On Down" is played with a capo on the second fret and centers around a driving D chord riff with a great left hand rhythm part including open strings.

We start with the performance of "Shake 'em On Down" by Tommy McClennan (Bluebird, Chicago 1939). Tommy McClennan, born in 1908 near Yazoo, Mississippi, was a small man, standing just 4 feet 10; He suffered from alcoholism, something that is evident in the sound of his singing on his recordings. He recorded 41 sides for the Bluebird label, and his big hit was "Bluebird Blues", because the theme of the song expressed a desire to return to the South, a sentiment shared by many newly transplanted African-Americans at the time. He is reported to have died in poverty in Chicago around 1962. "Shake 'em On Down" is played with a capo on the second fret and centers around a driving D chord riff with a great left hand rhythm part including open strings.

Now let's work with "Low Down Rounder" by Peg Leg Howell (Columbia, Atlanta 1928). Peg Leg Howell (March 5, 1888 - August 11, 1966) taught himself guitar at the age of 21. A gunshot wound sustained in a fight caused him to lose his leg. In 1923 he moved to Atlanta, Georgia and began playing on street corners, but also served a term in prison for bootlegging. He made his first recordings for Columbia in 1926. "New Prison Blues" was written when in prison for bootlegging liquor, and one of the first country blues to be issued. His recorded repertoire covered ballads, ragtime and jazz, as well as blues. He died in Atlanta in 1966. I actually got the guitar parts in the song from a version that was recorded by Spider John Koerner. We're in open D tuning; D, A, D, F#, A, D.