boris_plotnikov
366 posts
Dec 27, 2010
1:32 AM
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It's very often situation at jam. "- What are we going to play next???", "- Do you know Stella by Starlight?", "- No, but I know On A green Dolphin Street", "- F***n' hell I don't remember chord progression" and it takes up to 5 minutes. To avoid such problems I prepare list of tunes I can play, and I revise it regular, adding new tunes, remove the tunes I forget etc. Does anyone here have such list?
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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jbone
460 posts
Dec 27, 2010
3:47 AM
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no, but that's a good idea. i usually call off a key and tempo, kick it off, and do whatever comes to mind, sometimes even an original.
so many players at jams don't know even the most basic blues songs, it seems a shame to waste time on stage trying to agree on something. if you try surprising everyone you may have a train wreck but you also find a particular infectious spontaneity that will infect everyone on stage. and often in the audience as well.
i don't know about you nut i have times when i am leading a jam band where i just get infected with groove-itis and take control, and whatever i'm communicating spreads to the whole place.
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kudzurunner
2158 posts
Dec 27, 2010
3:57 AM
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That's a great idea, Boris. In fact, I'm going to make a suggestion: May we use this thread to create a master list of the 25 or 50 most-played jam session blues tunes? I'm talking about songs that EVERY blues harmonica player (not jazz, but blues) needs to know.
I once did something like this for one of my students and I'll try to post it, but input from this forum would help center us all--and especially those no-longer-newbies who are about to take the plunge and actually play at a local jam session.
Here are a few, in no particular order:
Crosscut Saw
The Thrill is Gone
Stormy Monday
Hoochie Coochie Man
Got My Mojo Working
Cissy Strut (in New York City)
Help Me
Messin With the Kid
Johnny B. Goode
Mustang Sally
Sweet Home Chicago
Chicken Shack (very common set opener)
Please suggest other tunes that y'all, as harp players, have commonly been asked to contribute to at jam sessions and on pickup gigs.
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Harp boy in progress
34 posts
Dec 27, 2010
4:02 AM
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heres some of mine that loads of people have asked me to do
b movie box car blues
flip flop and fly
everybody needs somebody
superstition stevie wounder
she caught the katey
funky naussau (my favourite!)
and my other favourite jailhouse rock!
Nick
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boris_plotnikov
370 posts
Dec 27, 2010
4:51 AM
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Forget to add my list. This is tunes, that I can perform instrumentally.
Keys are preffered for me, by changing harps I can play other keys of course.
Blues/rock-n-roll which can be played instrumental, it’s certain that any harmonica player can improvise any blues song.
1. Chicken Shack (A)
2. Route 66 (Bb)
3. C Jam Blues (F)
4. Rock Around The Clock (G)
5. Key To The Highway (E)
Non blues tunes in my list
Jazz/Brazil/Latin
6. Afro Blue (Gm)
7. After You’ve Gone (C)
8. Afternoon In Paris (Bb)
9. Amazing Grace (OK for blues jams)
10. Autumn Leaves (Gm)
11. Beautiful Love (Gm)
12. Black Orpheus (Em)
13. Blue Moon (Eb)
14. blue bossa (Em)
15. Cantalope Island (Fm)
16. Chattanooga Choo Choo (G)
17. Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White (Bb) (OK for blues jams)
18. Chicken (F) (OK for blues jams)
19. Desafinado (F)
20. Fly Me To The Moon (Em)
21. Georgia On My Mind (F)
22. Girl From Ipanema (F)*
23. If I Were A Bell (Bb)
24. In A Sentimental Mood (Dm)*
25. It Don’t Mean A Thing (Dm)
26. It's All Right With Me (Dm)
27. Just Squeeze Me (F)
28. Lullaby Of Birdland (Cm)
29. Mas Que Nada
30. Menina Moca (Gm)
31. Misty (Eb)
32. My Favorite Things (Em)
33. My Funny Valentine (Gm)
34. My One And Only Love (C)
35. Oleo (Bb)
36. Polka Dots And Moonbeams (F)*
37. Puttin' On The Ritz (Dm)
38. Round Midnight (Dm)
39. Satin Doll (C)
40. Scrapple From The Apple (Bb)
41. So Danco Samba (C)
42. St. Thomas (C) (OK for blues jams!)
43. Summertime (Cm) (OK for blues jams)
44. Sweet Georgia Brown (Ab)
45. Take 5 (Em)
46. Tenor Madness (F) (OK for blues jams)
47. Tequila (G) (OK for blues jams)
48. This Masquerade (Am)
49. Watermellon Man (F) (OK for blues jams)
50. Wave (D)
51. What A Wonderful World (D)
52. When The Saints Go Marching In (OK for blues jams)
53. Work Song (Fm) (OK for blues jams)
54. Yesterdays (Cm)
Pop/Rock
55. House Of Rising Sun (Am) (OK for blues jams)
56. I just call to say I Love You
57. Come Together (Beatles) (OK for blues jams)
58. Fields Of Gold (Sting) (G)
59. Hey Jude (F)
60. Yesterday (F)
61. Besame mucho (Gm)
62. Fragile (Sting)
63. I Will Wait For You
64. Scissy Strut (Great for blues jams)
65. People Are Stranger
66. Happy New Year
67. Feelings (Am)
68. Strangers in The Night
69. Norwegian Wood
70. Killing Me Softly
71. Come As You Are (nirvana)
72. Riders On The Storm (Great for blues jams)
73-75 some russian pop songs
Classical
76. Ave Maria (Schubert) (C, Bb)
77. Minuet (Boccherini)
78. Air On A G String (Bach) (not with precise yet)
Folk
79. The Sailor And The Maid
80. The Maids of mitchelstown
81. Kalinka (Russian folk)
Post your list! If you're a singer it's easier ((:
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
Last Edited by on Dec 27, 2010 4:59 AM
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hvyj
955 posts
Dec 27, 2010
8:19 AM
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@Boris: With your repertoire, I'm surprised that you don't do "Equinox" and "Chitlins Con Carne." You know, "Equinox" is a natural minor blues and lays out beautifully in 4th position .
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Greyowlphotoart
278 posts
Dec 27, 2010
8:41 AM
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That's a good idea Boris, you will always get someone asking for something obscure or way off field. I went to a small pub gig recently and a guitarist/vocalist had a neat way to deal with this. Noticing punters who were taking an interest in his music, he came by between his sets and handed out photocopies of his repertoire and invited us to take a look and to write on slip of paper anything we would like to hear and hand it to him. This worked really well I thought and made a good connection between artist and spectator.
1. Stone fox Chase
2. St Louis Blues
3. House of the rising sun
4. The Creeper Returns
5. The thrill is Gone
6. Juke
7. Knucklehead
8. Work Song
9. Help me
10 Born in Chicago
'Woke up this morning.......So far so good'
Last Edited by on Dec 27, 2010 8:41 AM
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boris_plotnikov
372 posts
Dec 27, 2010
8:51 AM
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hvyj
Thanks! I'll check this tunes, I love playing 4th position.
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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hvyj
957 posts
Dec 27, 2010
9:10 AM
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@boris: "Equinox" is a John Coletrane tune. Pure natural minor blues. Simple but haunting melody. i think it sounds great played on a diatonic harp.
"Chitlins Con Carne" is a Kenny Burrell tune. I think it's partially Dorian and partially natural minor. i play it in 5th position and that seems to work well enough. But i don't OB. Cool tune
Last Edited by on Dec 27, 2010 9:17 AM
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JimInMO
89 posts
Dec 27, 2010
9:55 AM
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Any of the Jimmy Reed tunes are simple and fun to start with.
Edit: I typed in then deleted Poke Salad Annie. Putting it back in. It's more of a swamp funk thing but fun to play and can get pretty gritty in a second position bluesy way.
Last Edited by on Dec 27, 2010 9:58 AM
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Johnster
68 posts
Dec 27, 2010
1:15 PM
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I'd think Walking blues is another essential, and Rock me.
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AirMojo
76 posts
Dec 27, 2010
2:38 PM
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Holy crap Boris ! Eventually, it will be easier for you to keep a list of songs that you don't know.
:)
I keep a list only to remind myself of songs that I may have learned, but probably do not currently remember !
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boris_plotnikov
374 posts
Dec 27, 2010
7:42 PM
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AirMojo
Believe me my list is too short. I recently was at jazz jam and there was no any tune I play (I hear some familiar, but didn't remember the chord progression), it was really sad, I almost crying. Pro jazz player have to know around 1000 tunes in all twelve key each.
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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sorin
222 posts
Dec 28, 2010
9:09 AM
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Boris, I would really like to hear your version of "Afro Blue" is there any chance you have a recording of it?
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Free video harp tabs and backing tracks
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Jim Rumbaugh
348 posts
Dec 28, 2010
9:32 AM
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Boris has brought up a good subject. I can see 2 avenues on this discussion.
"Your list of tunes ready to gig" could be:
1) the list of tunes you can do
or
2) the list of tunes you can do at a jam.
I just spent the holiday weekend reprinting my personal "fake book" of tunes which was over 170 tunes. (It's nice to have it back.... but that's another story) Out of those 170, about 40 or 50 are done by my local Harmonica Club, and only about 10 to 20 would I call out at a jam. It's rare to find strangers that know the same tunes. A list SURE DOES HELP. For the club, I try to keep the tunes to 3 chords, standard blues progressions, and am ready to call out rythm style (fast,medium,slow and shuffle, straight 8s, etc) Being able to PROPERLY describe a 3 chord song can lead to many more successful and enjoyable JAM sessions.
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intermediate level (+) player per the Adam Gussow Scale, Started playing 2001
Last Edited by on Dec 28, 2010 9:35 AM
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boris_plotnikov
378 posts
Dec 28, 2010
12:08 PM
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Jim Rumbaugh
Tune is ready means that you can play melody, know chord progression (for harmonica/sax/trumpet/any soloist players you have to remember at least root progression, it usually much simpler than chord progression, pianists/basists/guitarist have to remember whole progression) and know lyrics (for vocalists).
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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boris_plotnikov
379 posts
Dec 28, 2010
12:12 PM
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sorin
It's an odd old practice record of Afro Blue with some rhythm and intonation issues (it was poorly customized harp), I'm short of time to rerecord it special for you, but now I can play it much better. Listen, but don't show it to anyone as example of my playing.
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
Last Edited by on Dec 28, 2010 12:16 PM
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jbone
462 posts
Dec 29, 2010
5:18 AM
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ok, here are some of what i will ask for at a jam:
23 hours too long
i can't quit you
i'm ready
got my mojo workin'
5 long years
scratch my back
baby what you want me to do
evil
goin down slow(but swing it)
mellow down easy
hush hush
bright lights big city
wait on time
telephone song(talk to my baby)
she caught the katy(and left me a mule to ride)
ramblin on my mind
i wish you would
new stranger blues
see see rider
these are all songs i have done with bands over the years but don't necessarily do now unless the band i'm with do them already. this is just off the top of my head.
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bluemoose
443 posts
Dec 29, 2010
2:52 PM
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MBH webbrain - blues standards:
http://webbrain.com/u/11p9
for a reference.
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MBH Webbrain
FerretCat Webbrain
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Jim Rumbaugh
352 posts
Dec 29, 2010
8:01 PM
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I took my list of 135 "pop" tunes and cut what I WOULD NOT call at a jam and there were 42 left. (only few of them have a 4th chord)
Aint No Sunshine
All Along the Watchtower
Big Legged Woman
Black Magic Woman
Can't You See
Crossroads Blues
Dust My Broom
Every Time I roll the Dice
Everybody Gets the Blues
Feelin' Alright
Flip Flop Fly
Going Down Slow
Got My Mojo Working
Have You Ever Seen the Rain
Hold That Train
Honky Tonk Women
House of the Rising Sun
If I Had Possesion of Judgement Day
It Don't Work Like That
Jailhouse Rock
Katmandu
Last Dance With Mary Jane
Louie,Louie
Love In Vain
Margaritaville
Mustang sally
Never Been To Spain
Red House
Shake rattle and roll
She Loves My Automobile
She's Mine, She's yours
Six Days on the Road
St James Infirmary
Stagolee
Stand By Me
Summertime
Suzie Q
Sweet Home Chicago
Tube Snake Boogie
Walkin' Blues
Whole Lot of Shakin'
Wooly Bully
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intermediate level (+) player per the Adam Gussow Scale, Started playing 2001
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Shredder
217 posts
Dec 29, 2010
8:19 PM
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I live in Texas and these come up at jamms
Texas flood,--- SRV
Pride and joy---SRV
Just got back from baby's--- ZZ Top
LaGrange--ZZ Topp
Just to name a few, but Stevie Ray Vaughn and ZZ Top songs are played on a regular basis at South East Texas open mic jamms.
Mike
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