I don't understand why LW solo on My Babe is a different chord progression than the rest of the song. Also it is great solo of course but doesn't seem to reference the verse melody. I have read that it is common practice for instrumental solos to be the standard 1111-44-11-5411 even when the verse was a different progression, but My Babe is the only one I can think of like that. Is it possible the solo was inserted from a different song by the studio? I thought this would be covered previously on MBH but search didn't find it.
I could be wrong but I think My Babe is a sixteen bar blues, and then switches to twelve bars for the solo and other examples would be Walking By Myself and St Louis Blues.
Walking By Myself with Jimmy Rogers and Walter Horton, it is an eight bar blues and then switches to twelve bars for the solo and St Louis Blues is a twelve bar that changes to an eight bar in the middle, St Louis also changes groove and to a minor key in the middle.
Last Edited by belfast_harper on Jan 30, 2016 10:17 AM
correct it is 16 bar and the solo is 12 bar but it seems like an odd disconnect. It is like 2 completely separate songs spliced together. I am wondering if anyone has heard of a reason or explanation for it other than that's just how it was written. I'm pretty sure willie dixon wasn't in the habit of stitching two separate songs together to write one.
Common to change pattern for solo. A bit like a bridge really. How about I Ain't Got You? 8 bar verse, an 8 bar bridge and 12 bar solo. Little Walter's Just Your Fool changes it up for the solo and actually may have a 3rd form in it as well, can't quite remember atm. I've never had the feeling 'my babe' was stitched together (just a weird thought about dr Frankenstein, best not dwelt upon)... What's another famous one? How about Hoochie Coochie Man? I think that is often played with a 12 bar solo.
