Topic: Seminal Influences - Innovation
Lighnin’ Hopkins’ version of "Needed Time" allowed for possible innovation because he did not always play it the same way. Taj Mahal added another blessing for change when he transposed the song to the banjo at the end of Sounder.
Eric Bibb introduced three changes in the many performances uploaded to YouTube that did not obscure the outlines of Hopkins’ version. First, he converted it into an audience participation song like Pete Seeger did with "Kumbaya." Some of the longer videos included his introduction that invited the audience to sing. Most just showed them singing the "needed time" lines.
Not all audiences responded the same. The one in Thailand would not sing, or if it did, the camera microphone didn’t pick up their voices. [1] Fewer responded to his request to clap during the instrumental interludes. The only audiences that were able to sing and clap at the same time were in Amsterdam [2] and Hannover, Germany. [3]
Bibb, like the Fourth Street Gospel Band discussed in the post for 14 February 2018, was able to use different instrumental configurations. Starting around 2008 he began appearing with a drum set, string bass, and an electric guitar played by Staffan Astner. [4] A few times he appeared with Michael Jerome Browne playing a slide-style guitar. [5] In these performances he and his backup musicians played as a group.
On some videos he appeared with local musicians. In Italy, Fabrizio Poggi played harmonica, [6] and in Stockholm, Ale Möller played a horizontal member of the flute family. [7] In that Hannover show Bibb appeared with mandolin and dobro players. [3] In these performances, Bibb usually took turns with the others on solo passages.
Bibb went a step farther and wrote his own introduction to "Needed Time." In addition, when he introduced Habib Koité to "Needed Time" the African guitar player added his own verses in Bambara. [8]
Performers
Vocal Soloist: Eric Bibb
Vocal Group: audience
Vocal Director: Eric Bibb
Instrumental Accompaniment: acoustic guitar, often electric guitar
Rhythm Accompaniment: sometimes drum set and string bass
Credits
Bibb always credited Taj Mahal with introducing him to "Needed Time"
Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Verses: needed time, bended knee, if you don’t stay long
Vocabulary
Pronoun: I
Term for Deity: Lord, Jesus
Special Terms: none
Basic Form: open-ended with "needed time" treated as a burden
Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: Lightnin’ Hopkins
Tempo: moderate
Basic Structure: alternated between sung sections and instrumental ones. The latter were introduced by the invitation to "think of someone you love" between 2008 and 2011, and with the announcement "it’s praying time" since 2010.
Singing Style: Bibb’s style was unornamented; the audiences sang in unison.
Solo-Group Dynamics: Bibb sang the verses and the audience sang the burden. He often just sang a few words in each line of the burden and let the audience carry the melody.
Vocal-Orchestral Dynamics: the accompanying instruments were subdued during the singing.
Instrumental-Rhythm Dynamics: Bibb told Keith Shadwick "having a percussionist will allow the sound of the guitar, which was my first love and something I still love, to come through." [14]
Notes on Performance
Occasion: Bibb appeared alone in remote areas like Ontario, [15] Australia, [16] and Thailand, [1] but more often appeared with other musicians.
Location: the videos ranged from small, indoor clubs to outdoor festivals. Some festivals were in tents.
Microphones: floor microphones in most places.
Clothing: Bibb dressed informally in a colored shirt that was open at the neck. He sometimes added a sports jacket and always appeared in a flat-brimmed hat.
Notes on Movement
Bibb might sit or stand while performing, but was always in motion. He used his feet to set the rhythm. In Östersund, Sweden, Astner tapped his toe twice as often as Bibb moved his feet. [4] Koité used his foot less often that Bibb, and one time crossed his ankles. Later he lifted one heel to mark time. [8]
Audience Perceptions
YouTube comments ran the gamut from praise to religious comments to questions about technique. Some recalled other concerts where they saw him perform, and add their memories of singing with him. Typical was Lani Dundore’s comment: "We needed you Eric and you played. We sang along at Laxon Chico World Music Fest." [17]
More specific was the memory of Nevada Cato, who sang backup on Bibb’s 1994 album, Spirit and The Blues. [18] He wrote:
"Awesom guy! Awesom music! Cant forget when he pulled me out out the crowd to join him on this song in Stockholm. Long live Erik Bibb." [19]
Notes on Performers
Bibb was born in New York in 1951. [20] His father, Leon Bibb had moved from Louisville, Kentucky, to New York where he performed in Broadway musicals, before turning to the folk-revival circuit. The elder Bibb was friends with Paul Robeson. [21] After Leon moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Eric went to Paris where he worked with Mickey Baker. [22] He was the Louisville-born musician mentioned in the post 17 August 2018 who worked with John Littleton.
The diversity of Bibb’s relations with other musicians like Astner was partly the result of his life in Europe. From Paris, he settled in Sweden. Around 1980, he returned to the States, but found the congenial atmosphere he remembered from Greenwich Village had been replaced by one of rugged individualism. [23] He returned to Sweden. Then, after recording for an English company, Bibb moved to London in 2003. After his marriage to Sari Matinlassi, he moved to Helsinki, Finland in 2011. [24]
Availability
I found nearly 30 concert videos on YouTube on 31 January 2018 with the search parameters "Eric Bibb Needed Time." Some are mentioned in the End Notes.
End Notes
1. Eric Bibb. "Needed Time." Uploaded by Ed Vaughan on 31 October 2009. Phuket International Blues Rock Festival, Thailand, 2009.
2. Eric Bibb. "Needed Time." Uploaded by DeKuijp on 28 April 2012. Staffan Astner, electric guitar. Amstel Kerk, concert, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 27 April 2012.
3. Eric Bibb and the North Country Far. "Needed time." Uploaded by snory66 on 16 December 2013. Bluesgarage Isernhagen, club, near Hannover, Germany, 15 December 2013. Petri Hakala, mandolin; Ollie Haavisto, Dobro guitar.
4. Eric Bibb. "Needed Time." Uploaded by dreamingtree72 on 19 April 2010. Gamla Teatern, hotel, Östersund, Sweden, 2010. Staffan Astner, electric guitar.
5. Eric Bibb and Michael Jerome Browne. "Needed Time." Uploaded by randallstaffordcook on 21 January 2016. Hugh’s Room, club, Toronto, Canada, 20 January 2016.
6. Eric Bibb. "Needed time." Uploaded by Alberto Polito on 2 August 2016. Fabrizio Poggi, harmonica; Guy Davis, electric guitar. Liri Blues Festival, near Rome, Italy, 2016.
7. Ale Möller, Eric Bibb, and Knut Reiersrud. "Needed Time." Uploaded by sssler on 18 September 2010. Concert, Stockholm, Sweden, 17 October 2010. Reiersrud, electric guitar.
8. Eric Bibb and Habib Koité. "Touma Ni Kelen/Needed Time." Uploaded by Gudi0510 on 13 November 2012. Harmonie, club, Bonn, Germany, 11 November 2011. Mamadou Kone, shakers.
14. Eric Bibb. Interviewed by Keith Shadwick. "Eric Bibb: Blues with a Pedigree." [London] Independent website. 21 February 2003.
15. Eric Bibb. "Needed Time." Uploaded by Opeongolad on 18 July 2011. Festival, Perth, Ontario, Canada, 2011.
16. Eric Bibb. "Needed Time." Uploaded by SilkySkillsUnited on 24 December 2011. The Basement, club, Sydney, Australia.
17. Lani Dundore. Comment, 2008, on Eric Bibb and Brian Kramer. "Needed Time." Uploaded by zekezement on 30 June 2007. California club, 1999.
18. Eric Bibb. Spirit and The Blues. Opus 3 Records 19401. Sweden, 1994. (Discogs entry for the album.)
19. bangoutaorda. Comment, 2009, on Eric Bibb and Brian Kramer. (See #17 above.)
20. Wikipedia. "Eric Bibb."
21. Joshua D. Farrington. "Bibb, Charles Leon." The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. Edited by Gerald L. Smith, Karen Cotton McDaniel, and John A. Hardin. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2015. Robeson was mentioned in the post for 17 August 2018.
22. Wikipedia.
23. James M. Manheim. "Eric Bibb Biography - Steered Toward Blues by Jazz Musician, Moved to Sweden, Influenced by Taj Mahal." JRank website.
24. Wikipedia.
Showing posts with label Bibb Eric. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bibb Eric. Show all posts
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Taj Mahal, Eric Bibb, Clive Barnes - Needed Time
Topic: Seminal Influences - Tribute
In the United States today, the ultimate tribute for an artist is a reference in a film. Lightnin’ Hopkins’ "Needed Time" was played during the opening credits of Sounder in 1972. At the end, a banjo version by Taj Mahal was played while the final credits scrolled across the screen. During the film, it was alluded to several times.
Mahal began learning blues guitar from friends when he was an adolescent, but developed what he called his "basic building blocks" when he heard the older bluesmen play at the Ash Grove in Los Angeles. In 1964 he formed the Rising Sons with Ry Cooder and Jessie Lee Kincaid. While their single did not sell well, it led to their becoming an opening act for some of the older men. [1] By 1970, he was touring with Hopkins. [2]
One artist who was inspired by Sounder was Eric Bibb, the son of folk-revival musician Leon Bibb. He paid his first tribute to Mahal in 1994 when he recorded "Needed Time" with a backup group he called Needed Time." [3] Once, when he as touring in France with Clive Barnes, [4] he had a chance to play "Needed Time" with Mahal. The video posted by Barnes showed how tradition was perpetuated: Mahal had worked with Hopkins, Bibb had worked with Mahal, and Barnes was working with Bibb.
The three were sitting backstage and had just finished playing something referred to as "Cool on John." One of them suggested "Needed Time." After debating whether to use the key of E or E flat, Mahal played the melody through once in E. Then the other two began playing an accompaniment with Bibb sometimes singing some lines. During the instrumental breaks, the men took turns playing lead, but during the verses, Mahal transposed the music into jazz and then blues variations.
Mahal said when they started, he had never heard Hopkins play "Needed Time." I haven’t seen anything that indicated why it was selected as the theme song for Sounder, or, for that matter how Mahal became involved in the project. Another composer, Alex North, wrote an initial score that was rejected. [5]
Performers
Vocal Soloist: Eric Bibb
Vocal Group: none
Instrumental Accompaniment: Taj Majal, Eric Bibb, acoustic guitars; Clive Barnes, acoustic slide guitar.
Rhythm Accompaniment: none
Credits
None provided
Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Verses: fragments of "come if you don’t stay long" and "now is the needed time"
Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: Lightnin’ Hopkins
Tempo: moderate
Basic Structure: repetition of basic melody with variations
Notes on Performance
Occasion: Clive Barnes was touring with Eric Bibb in France.
Location: back stage following a performance
Microphones: none
Clothing: casual
Notes on Movement
The three were seated on folding chairs. Taj Mahal either tapped his left foot or nodded his head to mark time.
Audience Perceptions
Sounder introduced Hopkins and "Needed Time" to a new audience. Marc Nerenberg, a Toronto banjo player, wrote:
"learned this from Taj Mahal’s playing of this tune in the soundtrack of the movie ‘Sounder’ in 1972. His version showed up on the radio for a few days. Imagine that: clawhammer banjo on pop music radio! I actually learned it from the radio - the only song I’ve ever done so with." [6]
A couple people who learned the song from Daddy Stovepipe commented they were motivated by Sounder, [7] [8] while another discovered the song was more widely known than a film tribute. He remembered:
"First heard this on the ‘Sounder’ film soundtrack. Much later, playing it on a blues harp on a late night Cambridge MA subway platform, a Bahamian preacher approached me, telling me he knew that tune (with different words) from his own gospel tradition. Amen!" [9]
Notes on Performers
Mahal was born in 1942 in Harlem. His father, Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, was a West Indian jazz musician who moved his family to Springfield, Massachusetts. Young Fredericks adopted his stage name around the time he entered the University of Massachusetts to study agriculture. [10]
In 2008, Jimmy Leslie asked him what was "the most interesting guitar culture?" He responded
"Recordings by Lightnin’ Hopkins, Skip James, and John Lee Hooker are amazing because two-thirds of what they’re playing is in the African mold, and one-third articulates the American experience. The density of African music without blues notes is incredible, because it wasn’t disconnected by slavery." [11]
When Leslie asked him how he felt about becoming an elder statesman for the blues, he answered:
"None of that means anything. What matters is that I can pick up my instrument and use it to go wherever I want with the music. There was a time when some nights the music would play me, and I couldn’t do anything wrong. There were other nights when I couldn’t buy a vibe. Now it’s consistent. The instrument sings every time I pick it up because I stopped wrestling over who’s in charge. It’s the music. She is in charge." [12]
Availability
Film: Sounder. Directed by Martin Ritt. Twentieth Century Fox. 24 September 1972.
Album: Sounder. Columbia S31944. 1972.
YouTube: Sounder album. Lightnin’ Hopkins. "Needed Time." Uploaded by Sony Music Entertainment on 13 February 2017.
YouTube: Sounder album. Taj Mahal. "Needed Time (Hummin’ and Pickin’)." Uploaded by Sony Music Entertainment on 25 August 2016.
YouTube: Sounder album. Taj Mahal. "Needed Time (Guitar)." Uploaded by Sony Music Entertainment on 13 February 2017.
YouTube: Sounder album. Taj Mahal: "Needed Time (Banjo and Hand Clapping)." Uploaded by Sony Music Entertainment on 25 August 2016.
YouTube: Clive Barnes, Eric Bibb, and Taj Mahal. "Needed Time." Uploaded by Clive Barnes on 16 March 2010.
End Notes
1. Wikipedia. "Taj Mahal (Musician)."
2. Alan B. Govenar. Lightnin’ Hopkins: His Life and Blues. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2010. 194.
3. Eric Bibb and Needed Time. Spirit and The Blues. Opus 3 Records CD 19401. Recorded and released in Sweden in 1994. (Discogs website)
4. Clive Barnes was an Irish guitarist who worked with Bibb in 2005 and 2006. (Press release for Clive Barnes’ The Ghost Country. 2009.)
5. Alex North Music uploaded part of his score for Sounder to YouTube on 11 July 2014.
6. Marc Nerenberg. "Needed Time." Uploaded to YouTube on 20 September 2014
7. Pelu Maad commented on the first Daddy Stovepipe lesson discussed in the post for 4 February 2018. In 2011 he asked: "Didn’t anyone see ‘Sounder’ with Taj Mahal’s soundtrack? I’ve wanted to learn this song ever since. Thanks Daddy..."
8. In 2009, HOTROD74GremlinX wrote on Daddy Stovepipe’s first lesson "Fantastic sir.Thank you so much for posting this lesson.This is a song I’ve ALWAYS loved from the movie ‘Sounder’ and from one of my fav Blues musicians ‘Lightnin Hopkins’."
9. Comment by MrMusicguyma uploaded to this video in August 2017.
10. Wikipedia.
11. Taj Mahal. Quoted by by Jimmy Leslie. Guitar Player website. 31 October 2008.
12. Taj Mahal, quoted by Leslie.
In the United States today, the ultimate tribute for an artist is a reference in a film. Lightnin’ Hopkins’ "Needed Time" was played during the opening credits of Sounder in 1972. At the end, a banjo version by Taj Mahal was played while the final credits scrolled across the screen. During the film, it was alluded to several times.
Mahal began learning blues guitar from friends when he was an adolescent, but developed what he called his "basic building blocks" when he heard the older bluesmen play at the Ash Grove in Los Angeles. In 1964 he formed the Rising Sons with Ry Cooder and Jessie Lee Kincaid. While their single did not sell well, it led to their becoming an opening act for some of the older men. [1] By 1970, he was touring with Hopkins. [2]
One artist who was inspired by Sounder was Eric Bibb, the son of folk-revival musician Leon Bibb. He paid his first tribute to Mahal in 1994 when he recorded "Needed Time" with a backup group he called Needed Time." [3] Once, when he as touring in France with Clive Barnes, [4] he had a chance to play "Needed Time" with Mahal. The video posted by Barnes showed how tradition was perpetuated: Mahal had worked with Hopkins, Bibb had worked with Mahal, and Barnes was working with Bibb.
The three were sitting backstage and had just finished playing something referred to as "Cool on John." One of them suggested "Needed Time." After debating whether to use the key of E or E flat, Mahal played the melody through once in E. Then the other two began playing an accompaniment with Bibb sometimes singing some lines. During the instrumental breaks, the men took turns playing lead, but during the verses, Mahal transposed the music into jazz and then blues variations.
Mahal said when they started, he had never heard Hopkins play "Needed Time." I haven’t seen anything that indicated why it was selected as the theme song for Sounder, or, for that matter how Mahal became involved in the project. Another composer, Alex North, wrote an initial score that was rejected. [5]
Performers
Vocal Soloist: Eric Bibb
Vocal Group: none
Instrumental Accompaniment: Taj Majal, Eric Bibb, acoustic guitars; Clive Barnes, acoustic slide guitar.
Rhythm Accompaniment: none
Credits
None provided
Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Verses: fragments of "come if you don’t stay long" and "now is the needed time"
Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: Lightnin’ Hopkins
Tempo: moderate
Basic Structure: repetition of basic melody with variations
Notes on Performance
Occasion: Clive Barnes was touring with Eric Bibb in France.
Location: back stage following a performance
Microphones: none
Clothing: casual
Notes on Movement
The three were seated on folding chairs. Taj Mahal either tapped his left foot or nodded his head to mark time.
Audience Perceptions
Sounder introduced Hopkins and "Needed Time" to a new audience. Marc Nerenberg, a Toronto banjo player, wrote:
"learned this from Taj Mahal’s playing of this tune in the soundtrack of the movie ‘Sounder’ in 1972. His version showed up on the radio for a few days. Imagine that: clawhammer banjo on pop music radio! I actually learned it from the radio - the only song I’ve ever done so with." [6]
A couple people who learned the song from Daddy Stovepipe commented they were motivated by Sounder, [7] [8] while another discovered the song was more widely known than a film tribute. He remembered:
"First heard this on the ‘Sounder’ film soundtrack. Much later, playing it on a blues harp on a late night Cambridge MA subway platform, a Bahamian preacher approached me, telling me he knew that tune (with different words) from his own gospel tradition. Amen!" [9]
Notes on Performers
Mahal was born in 1942 in Harlem. His father, Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, was a West Indian jazz musician who moved his family to Springfield, Massachusetts. Young Fredericks adopted his stage name around the time he entered the University of Massachusetts to study agriculture. [10]
In 2008, Jimmy Leslie asked him what was "the most interesting guitar culture?" He responded
"Recordings by Lightnin’ Hopkins, Skip James, and John Lee Hooker are amazing because two-thirds of what they’re playing is in the African mold, and one-third articulates the American experience. The density of African music without blues notes is incredible, because it wasn’t disconnected by slavery." [11]
When Leslie asked him how he felt about becoming an elder statesman for the blues, he answered:
"None of that means anything. What matters is that I can pick up my instrument and use it to go wherever I want with the music. There was a time when some nights the music would play me, and I couldn’t do anything wrong. There were other nights when I couldn’t buy a vibe. Now it’s consistent. The instrument sings every time I pick it up because I stopped wrestling over who’s in charge. It’s the music. She is in charge." [12]
Availability
Film: Sounder. Directed by Martin Ritt. Twentieth Century Fox. 24 September 1972.
Album: Sounder. Columbia S31944. 1972.
YouTube: Sounder album. Lightnin’ Hopkins. "Needed Time." Uploaded by Sony Music Entertainment on 13 February 2017.
YouTube: Sounder album. Taj Mahal. "Needed Time (Hummin’ and Pickin’)." Uploaded by Sony Music Entertainment on 25 August 2016.
YouTube: Sounder album. Taj Mahal. "Needed Time (Guitar)." Uploaded by Sony Music Entertainment on 13 February 2017.
YouTube: Sounder album. Taj Mahal: "Needed Time (Banjo and Hand Clapping)." Uploaded by Sony Music Entertainment on 25 August 2016.
YouTube: Clive Barnes, Eric Bibb, and Taj Mahal. "Needed Time." Uploaded by Clive Barnes on 16 March 2010.
End Notes
1. Wikipedia. "Taj Mahal (Musician)."
2. Alan B. Govenar. Lightnin’ Hopkins: His Life and Blues. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2010. 194.
3. Eric Bibb and Needed Time. Spirit and The Blues. Opus 3 Records CD 19401. Recorded and released in Sweden in 1994. (Discogs website)
4. Clive Barnes was an Irish guitarist who worked with Bibb in 2005 and 2006. (Press release for Clive Barnes’ The Ghost Country. 2009.)
5. Alex North Music uploaded part of his score for Sounder to YouTube on 11 July 2014.
6. Marc Nerenberg. "Needed Time." Uploaded to YouTube on 20 September 2014
7. Pelu Maad commented on the first Daddy Stovepipe lesson discussed in the post for 4 February 2018. In 2011 he asked: "Didn’t anyone see ‘Sounder’ with Taj Mahal’s soundtrack? I’ve wanted to learn this song ever since. Thanks Daddy..."
8. In 2009, HOTROD74GremlinX wrote on Daddy Stovepipe’s first lesson "Fantastic sir.Thank you so much for posting this lesson.This is a song I’ve ALWAYS loved from the movie ‘Sounder’ and from one of my fav Blues musicians ‘Lightnin Hopkins’."
9. Comment by MrMusicguyma uploaded to this video in August 2017.
10. Wikipedia.
11. Taj Mahal. Quoted by by Jimmy Leslie. Guitar Player website. 31 October 2008.
12. Taj Mahal, quoted by Leslie.
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Daddy Stovepipe - Needed Time
Topic: Seminal Influences - Imitation
The influence of a seminal recording of "Come by Here" or "Kumbaya" can be seen in several ways. In the most obvious, a musician simply copies a performance note by note. This, after all, is how one learns the craft. All that’s changed in the last century is technology: Lightnin’ Hopkins was able to watch Blind Lemon Jefferson play in Texas, while those who learned after Hopkins and Jefferson died could only listen to their recordings. [1]
Later, musicians who had absorbed older performances, transcribed them. Their tablatures used six lines to represent the six strings on a guitar with numbers of the frets to indicate which chords were used. Other symbols were added to indicate rhythm and musical attributes, much like they were on musical staffs. Tyros still needed to hear a recording to grasp the style.
YouTube has restored the visual dimension that existed when one was watching a performer or had an instructor. Carl Bludts probably learned to play guitar from recordings, but now, using the name Daddy Stovepipe, he sells his tab books and uploads videos that illustrate the more difficult parts.
His two videos of "Needed Time" assumed a student already had studied his tab book. In the first one he played a line, then replayed part of it to illustrate how to hammer a string or slide a finger between chords. At the end, he replayed the first section slowly while singing a verse so the viewer could coordinate the two.
The second video was devoted to the instrumental break. At one point he repeated a section so the student could see how he damped the strings with his right hand. In another, he showed how he quickly moved his left rapidly between a chord high on the neck and one lower down.
Bludts’ pedagogical skill becomes obvious when his tab is compared with one produced by Eric Gombart. The latter’s rendition of Eric Bibb’s version added a transcription of the notes on the G-clef and the images of the chords. While this was useful information, it made the tab itself harder to read by a beginner. [2]
Bibb’s accompanying DVD had two videos of "Needed Time." One showed both hands playing the guitar, and the other used a split screen with close-ups of each hand. Again this was very good, but with no comments on technique it was up to the viewer to recognize things like hammering and damping.
Country Blues suggested Bloudts’ importance by noting his website was viewed 3,000 times a day. [3] A more important measure is the videos posted by individuals who indicated they had learned "Needed Time" from him.
In one, a young man who called himself bostonteabagger had mastered most of Bludts’ arrangement but still had problems with small sections which he played a tad slower as he concentrated on them. Sometimes the tension in his left hand or a furrow in his brow indicated he still wasn’t completely sure of himself.
In another a teenager calling himself oggendoggen admitted he’s still learning, but "it’s getting better." He turned his head from side to side as he concentrated on one hand or the other, but only betrayed his difficult passages with facial grimaces.
Both were able to maintained the rhythm, but neither attempted to sing as he played.
Performers
Vocal Soloist: Carl Bludts
Vocal Group: none
Instrumental Soloist: Carl Bludts, acoustic guitar
Rhythm Accompaniment: none
Credits
Tab book: Lightnin’ Hopkins arranged by DaddyStovePipe.
Notes on Lyrics
In the first video, Bludts sang one verse with the lines "needed time" and "Jesus will you come by here."
Notes on Music
Time Signature: 4/4
Tempo: quarter note = 116 beats per minute
Tuning: standard
Key Signature: E
Guitar Chords: E-A-B7
Basic Structure: verse and break
Notes on Performance
Occasion: the camera was aimed at his hands, and showed nothing more. One reviewer noted "videos are professionally produced, with good lighting and clear sound." [4]
Clothing: tan slacks and ivory-colored mock turtle-neck shirt, with brown overshirt.
Notes on Movement
His left hand was on the neck of the guitar and his right over the sound hole, with the instrument resting on his right thigh. In the first lesson, his left knee moved up and down to mark the rhythm.
Audience Perceptions
Bludts must have monitored the comments he received on YouTube. One person wrote:
"One note: i was a little confused at first because flor some reason your your fret marker is on the 10th fret instead of the 9th ...you might want to mention this." [5]
The second video now appears with an added display box that says:
"I’m playing an old Supertone from the 1920ies. It has a FRETMARKER ON THE 10th FRET instead of the more current place, the 9th fret."
Notes on Performers
These two videos and his website provided no information about Bludts. A website it linked to indicated he was a "retired shopkeeper in Belgium," and more specifically that he was Flemish. [6]
His nom de plume was used by Johnny Watson who played guitar in a number of styles, from mariachi to cajun. Wikipedia said the Mobile-born African American "may have been the earliest-born blues performer to record." [7]
Availability
Daddy Stovepipe
Tab book: Lesson Pack TABS Volume 1, Part 1. PDF sold by his website.
YouTube: Guitar Lesson 1. Uploaded by daddystovepipe on 3 January 2008.
YouTube: Guitar Lesson 2. Uploaded by daddystovepipe on 3 January 2008.
Adolescent Student
YouTube: uploaded by oggendoggen2 on 29 January 2009.
Young Male Student
YouTube: uploaded by bostonteabagger71739 on 25 October 2009.
End Notes
1. Lightnin’ Hopkins version was discussed in the posts for 21 August 2017 and 23 August 2017.
2. Eric Bibb. Guitar Tab Songbook, Volume 1. Tab and standard notations by Eric Gombart. DixieFrog DFGCD8778. 2015.
3. "Carl Bludts (daddystovepipe)". The Country Blues website.
4. Country Blues.
5. Joseph LeBlanc. Comment posted to Lesson 2 in 2012.
6. Country Blues.
7. Wikipedia. "Daddy Stovepipe."
The influence of a seminal recording of "Come by Here" or "Kumbaya" can be seen in several ways. In the most obvious, a musician simply copies a performance note by note. This, after all, is how one learns the craft. All that’s changed in the last century is technology: Lightnin’ Hopkins was able to watch Blind Lemon Jefferson play in Texas, while those who learned after Hopkins and Jefferson died could only listen to their recordings. [1]
Later, musicians who had absorbed older performances, transcribed them. Their tablatures used six lines to represent the six strings on a guitar with numbers of the frets to indicate which chords were used. Other symbols were added to indicate rhythm and musical attributes, much like they were on musical staffs. Tyros still needed to hear a recording to grasp the style.
YouTube has restored the visual dimension that existed when one was watching a performer or had an instructor. Carl Bludts probably learned to play guitar from recordings, but now, using the name Daddy Stovepipe, he sells his tab books and uploads videos that illustrate the more difficult parts.
His two videos of "Needed Time" assumed a student already had studied his tab book. In the first one he played a line, then replayed part of it to illustrate how to hammer a string or slide a finger between chords. At the end, he replayed the first section slowly while singing a verse so the viewer could coordinate the two.
The second video was devoted to the instrumental break. At one point he repeated a section so the student could see how he damped the strings with his right hand. In another, he showed how he quickly moved his left rapidly between a chord high on the neck and one lower down.
Bludts’ pedagogical skill becomes obvious when his tab is compared with one produced by Eric Gombart. The latter’s rendition of Eric Bibb’s version added a transcription of the notes on the G-clef and the images of the chords. While this was useful information, it made the tab itself harder to read by a beginner. [2]
Bibb’s accompanying DVD had two videos of "Needed Time." One showed both hands playing the guitar, and the other used a split screen with close-ups of each hand. Again this was very good, but with no comments on technique it was up to the viewer to recognize things like hammering and damping.
Country Blues suggested Bloudts’ importance by noting his website was viewed 3,000 times a day. [3] A more important measure is the videos posted by individuals who indicated they had learned "Needed Time" from him.
In one, a young man who called himself bostonteabagger had mastered most of Bludts’ arrangement but still had problems with small sections which he played a tad slower as he concentrated on them. Sometimes the tension in his left hand or a furrow in his brow indicated he still wasn’t completely sure of himself.
In another a teenager calling himself oggendoggen admitted he’s still learning, but "it’s getting better." He turned his head from side to side as he concentrated on one hand or the other, but only betrayed his difficult passages with facial grimaces.
Both were able to maintained the rhythm, but neither attempted to sing as he played.
Performers
Vocal Soloist: Carl Bludts
Vocal Group: none
Instrumental Soloist: Carl Bludts, acoustic guitar
Rhythm Accompaniment: none
Credits
Tab book: Lightnin’ Hopkins arranged by DaddyStovePipe.
Notes on Lyrics
In the first video, Bludts sang one verse with the lines "needed time" and "Jesus will you come by here."
Notes on Music
Time Signature: 4/4
Tempo: quarter note = 116 beats per minute
Tuning: standard
Key Signature: E
Guitar Chords: E-A-B7
Basic Structure: verse and break
Notes on Performance
Occasion: the camera was aimed at his hands, and showed nothing more. One reviewer noted "videos are professionally produced, with good lighting and clear sound." [4]
Clothing: tan slacks and ivory-colored mock turtle-neck shirt, with brown overshirt.
Notes on Movement
His left hand was on the neck of the guitar and his right over the sound hole, with the instrument resting on his right thigh. In the first lesson, his left knee moved up and down to mark the rhythm.
Audience Perceptions
Bludts must have monitored the comments he received on YouTube. One person wrote:
"One note: i was a little confused at first because flor some reason your your fret marker is on the 10th fret instead of the 9th ...you might want to mention this." [5]
The second video now appears with an added display box that says:
"I’m playing an old Supertone from the 1920ies. It has a FRETMARKER ON THE 10th FRET instead of the more current place, the 9th fret."
Notes on Performers
These two videos and his website provided no information about Bludts. A website it linked to indicated he was a "retired shopkeeper in Belgium," and more specifically that he was Flemish. [6]
His nom de plume was used by Johnny Watson who played guitar in a number of styles, from mariachi to cajun. Wikipedia said the Mobile-born African American "may have been the earliest-born blues performer to record." [7]
Availability
Daddy Stovepipe
Tab book: Lesson Pack TABS Volume 1, Part 1. PDF sold by his website.
YouTube: Guitar Lesson 1. Uploaded by daddystovepipe on 3 January 2008.
YouTube: Guitar Lesson 2. Uploaded by daddystovepipe on 3 January 2008.
Adolescent Student
YouTube: uploaded by oggendoggen2 on 29 January 2009.
Young Male Student
YouTube: uploaded by bostonteabagger71739 on 25 October 2009.
End Notes
1. Lightnin’ Hopkins version was discussed in the posts for 21 August 2017 and 23 August 2017.
2. Eric Bibb. Guitar Tab Songbook, Volume 1. Tab and standard notations by Eric Gombart. DixieFrog DFGCD8778. 2015.
3. "Carl Bludts (daddystovepipe)". The Country Blues website.
4. Country Blues.
5. Joseph LeBlanc. Comment posted to Lesson 2 in 2012.
6. Country Blues.
7. Wikipedia. "Daddy Stovepipe."
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