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Melodic Improvisation on a Twelve-Bar Blues Model: an Investigation of Physical and Historical Aspects, and Their Contribution to Performance

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MELODIC IMPROVISATION ON A TWELVE-BAR BLUES MODEL: AN INVESTIGATION OF PHYSICAL AND HISTORICAL ASPECTS, AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO PERFORMANCE. Volume 1 Simon John Nelson. Doctor of Philosophy. City University, London. Music Department. September 2001 1 2 Contents Chapter 1: Context 11 1. 1. Model 11 1. 2. The Blues model and black experience 13 1. 3. 1900 - 1935 20 1. 3. 1. The instrument 1. 3. 2. Geographical considerations: New Orleans 1. 3. 3. Lonnie Johnson 1. 4. 1935 - 1945 42 1.4. 1. The instrument 1. 4. 2. Geographical considerations: Texas and the South West 1. 4. 3. T-Bone Walker 1. 5. After 1945 55 1. 5. 1. The electric guitar after 1945. 1. 5. 2. Chicago blues: Evolution of the Delta country style 1. 5. 3. The Memphis synthesis Chapter 2: Musical, physical and analytical aspects. 63 2. 1. Musical Aspects 63 2. 1. 1. Scale 2. 1. 2. Mode 2. 1. 3. Blue notes and blues scale 2. 1. 4. Motive 2. 1. 5. Style 2. 2. Physical Aspects 78 2. 2. 1. Spatial thinking 2. 2. 2. Guitar layout 2. 2. 3. Chord voicings. 2. 2. 4. Pentatonic layout 2. 2. 5. Motivic layout 2. 3. Analytical Aspects 108 Chapter 3: Improvisation on the C and A chord forms. 119 3. 1. Melodic resources - fretboard position and scale layout. 120 3. 1. 1. Stemplots period A 3. 1.2. Principal tone outliers 3. 1. 3. Totals of Principal tones for period A 3. 1. 4. Fret position accumulation period A 3. 1. 5. Stemplots period B 3. 1. 6. Principal tones period B 3. 1.7. Principal tone accumulation 3. 1. 8. Timeplots of the principal tones 3. 1. 9. Accumulative totals 3. 2. Tone use. 137 3. 2. 1. Principal tones 3. 2. 2. Secondary tones 3. 2. 3. Incidental tones 3. 3. Left hand finger strategies. 149 3. 3. 1. Left hand finger gesture 3 - 1 3. 3. 2. Left hand finger gesture 1 - 3 3. 3. 3. Left hand finger gesture 1 - 2 3. 3.4. Left hand finger gesture 2 - 1 3. 3. 5. Left hand finger gesture 3 -3 3. 3. 6. Left hand finger gesture 3 - 2 3. 3. 7. Left hand finger gesture 4- 1 3. 3. 8. Left hand finger gesture 2 - 3 3. 3. 9. Left hand finger gesture 1 -4 3. 4. Gestural analysis. 155 3. 4. 1. The x motive 3. 4. 2. Harmonic motives: 16 - W - V 3. 4. 2. 1. 16 motives. 3. 4. 2. 2. IV motives. 3. 4. 2. 3. V motives. 3. 4. 3. The octave leap 3. 4. 4. Repeated notes 3. 4. 5. The riff 3. 5. Larger cells. 165 3. 5. 1. A cells 3. 5. 2. B cells 3. 5. 3. C cells 3. 5. 4. D cells 3. 5. 5. E cells 3. 5. 6. L cells 3. 5. 7. Q cells 3. 5. 8. Other cells 3. 6. Larger motives. 192 3. 6. 1. Cell layout in the model 3. 6. 2. Cadence figures 3. 6. 3. A shape motives 3. 6. 4. C shape motives 3. 6. 5. Combined A and C shape motives 3. 6. 6. Rhythmic aspects 3. 7. Left hand and right hand articulation and co-ordination. 196 3. 7. 1. String inflection 3. 7. 2. The slide 3. 7. 3. Hammer-on and pull-off 3. 7. 4. Blue notes 3.8. Summary and comments. 205 3. 9. Postscript: T-Bone Walker A shape usage. 207 Chapter 4: Improvisation on the E chord form. 209 4. 1. Melodic resources - fretboard position and scale layout. 209 4. 1. 1. Stemplots 4. 1. 2. Principal tones 4. 1. 3. Fret position accumulation 4. 1. 4. Timeplots of the principal tones 4. 1. 5. Accumulative totals and percentages 4. 2. Tone usage. 216 4. 2. 1. Principal tones 4. 2. 2. Secondary tones 4. 2. 3. Incidental tones 4. 3. Left hand finger strategies. 226 4. 3. 1. Left hand finger gesture 3 - 1 4. 3. 2. Left hand finger gesture 1 -3 4. 3. 3. Left hand finger gesture 1 -4 4. 3.4. Left hand finger gesture 1 - 1 4. 3. 5. Left hand finger gesture 4 - 1 4. 3. 6. Left hand finger gesture 1 - 2 4. 3. 7. Left hand finger gesture 3 - 3 4. 3. 8. Left hand finger gesture 2- 1 4. 3. 9. Left hand finger gesture 4- 3 4. 4. Gestural analysis. 230 4. 4. 1. Harmonic motives 4. 4. 2. The riff 4. 4. 3. Repeated notes 4. 5. Larger cells. 233 4. 5. 1. Cells la - f 4. 5. 2. Cells 2a - f 4. 5. 3. Cell 3 4. 5. 4. Cells 5a - c 4. 5. 5. Cells 9a - h 4. 5. 6. Cells ha - c 4. 5. 7. Cells 12a - d 4. 5. 8. Cells 14a- f 4. 5. 9. Cells 15a - d 4. 5. 10. Cells 17a - c 4. 5. 11. Cells 19a - d 4. 5. 12. Cells 24a - c 4. 5. 13. Cells 25a - b 4. 5. 14. Other gestures 1 - 9 4. 5. 15. Cell layout within the model 4. 6. Motives. 266 4. 6. 1. Group 1 4. 6. 2. Group 2 4. 6. 3. Group 3 4. 6. 4. Rhythmic aspects 4. 6. 5. The flattened 5th 4. 6. 6. Cadence figures 4. 6. 7. Antecedent and linking phrases 6 4. 7. Left hand and right hand articulation and co-ordination. 276 4. 7. 1. String inflection 4. 7. 2. The slide 4. 7. 3. Hammer-on and pull-off 4.8. Summary and comments. 279 4. 9. Postscript: Johnson E shape use. 280 4. 9. 1. Inflected 2nd on the E string 4. 9. 2. Neutral 3rd on the E string. 4. 9. 3. #5th on the B string, 4th on the G string 4. 9. 4. Root note on the D string. 4. 9. 5. E Shape Cadence Chapter 5: Consolidation and development. 287 5. 1. Hubert Sumlin analysis. '300 lbs of Joy' solo. 287 5. 2. B. B. King analysis. 'Mistreated Woman' solo. 291 5. 2. 1. Principal Tones. 5. 2. 2. Secondary Tones. 5. 2. 3. Incidental tones. Chapter 6: Conclusion. 299 Bibliography. 315 Discography. 319 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Steve Stanton for many suggestions over an extended time period. Without his invaluable and insightful comments this work would never have been completed. I am indebted to Mr Roy Samson for proof reading, observations on the structure, and for discussion of some of the salient philosophical implications of the research. I would also like to thank my wife Mary for proof reading and encouragement at every stage of the thesis. 8 ABSTRACT "Anything made by man, no matter how many varieties it assumes, and how much of the superhuman it seems to contain, must reveal its secret to the close observer." Paul Hindemith (1942: 176). "Are you one of those guys who wants to put crutches under my ass?" Lonnie Johnson (Keil 1966: 35). It is the aim of this thesis to define a musical genre by showing how, in the realisation of an improvisation, two key elements - the physical layout of a musical instrument and human movement patterns - are combined to produce music. This thesis takes as a model the twelve bar blues form, and examines the above aspects in the output of two pioneering figures of the melodic improvised guitar: Lonnie Johnson and T-Bone Walker. The thesis is in divided in to three sections; the first, which considers context, is divided in to four topics. • Identification of the model - the twelve bar blues form, and an examination of the meaning of the model to black culture. • Consideration of the role of geography on the emergent style • The guitar design and development. • Identification of the pioneering figures of the genre. The second section, which is concerned with musical, physical and analytical aspects, surveys theories of scale, mode, blues scale and blue notes, and suggests that blues improvisation is inextricably linked to spatio-motor based patterning. A geographical layout of the guitar is presented to aid in the analytical process. The third section is analytical and attempts to identify the melodic 'characteristics of the blues guitar genre. A series of transcriptions were made of improvisations of early blues guitar soloists. These are analysed by reduction and expansion. The tones produced in the improvisations were reduced to a modal hierarchy of principal, secondary and incidental tones which are presented on a fretboard form of notation. The resulting mode is reduced to a scale which is compared to theoretical definitions of blues scale. This raw data is then expanded by considering the left hand gestural movement between tones. gestures are seen to be linked together to form cells. These are sub-grouped in to various types. Larger structures, motives, are then defined as comprising several cells. The location of the cells in the model is indicated. These are categorised in groups for each performer. 9 Thus improvisation is presented as an interaction, which takes place in time and space, between left hand movement strategies of the performer and the surface of a musical instrument. CHAPTER ONE CONTEXT A musical performance occurs in a context. One role of this thesis is to place the analysis of an improvisation into a context by considering some of the diverse aspects that may have an influence on the performance. Aspects include: a model, the instrument, historical and geographical setting, culture and style and the experience of the performer. This chapter considers the blues as a model and its significance to the culture from which the form sprang.
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