5/19/2018 Transcription_ Every Day I Have The Blues.pdf

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Transcription: Every Day I Have The Blues

Composer: Memphis SlimTranscription sta rts at 0'13"; ends at 5'25"From the album: Count Basie Swings - Joe Williams SingsLeader of the session: Count BasieRecording date : May 17, 1955

CD: Verve 314 519 852-2Tempo: 115 beats per minute

"Every Day I Have The Blues" was the b iggest hit of Count Bas ie's and Joe W illiams' careers.It is a s uperb arrangement by Ernie Wilkins, Joe W illiams is in top form, and the band isswinging hard....quintessential Basie.

The complete guitar part is transcribed here. In bars 113 and 114, the guitar is masked bythe band. I notated probable note choices based on what was played previously in thearrangement when the chord was Db7.

Freddie's guitar style was unlike most rhythm guitarists. Instead o f playing a series of chordchanges, Freddie would create a countermelody in quarter notes tha t fit the chord changes.In this transcription, note how his countermelody is varied each time the twelve bar bluesform is repeated. Freddie liked to play the blues because he "got to move around a lot."

The tessitura of Freddie's part is one octave: the lowest note is an F (4th string, 3rd fret); thehighest note is an F (3rd string, 10th fret). This limited tessitura kept his guitar apa rt abovethe bass part and below the piano part. Basie's rhythm section members we re careful toavoid each other's tessitura; not doing so would blur the distinct lines of each player.

In this recording, here are Freddie's note choices for an Ab chord:

94% of the notes s ounded are the root of the chord (Ab).5% of the notes sounded are a passing tone (G).1% of the notes s ounded is the s ixth of the chord (F).

Here are Freddie's note choices for an Ab7 chord:

44% of the notes s ounded are the seventh of the chord (Gb).25% of the notes s ounded are the root of the chord (Ab).18% of the notes s ounded are the ninth of the chord (Bb).12% of the notes s ounded are the third of the chord (C).1% of the notes sounded is a passing tone (Db).

Here are Freddie's note choices for a Db7:

36% of the notes s ounded are the third of the chord (F).33% of the notes sounded are seventh of the chord (Cb).20% of the note s sounded are the fifth of the chord (Ab).11% of the notes s ounded are passing tones (G, Gb, Bb).

For instruction on how to play one note and two no te voicings in the manner of FreddieGreen, see: http://www .freddiegreen.org/technique.html

Transcribed by Michael Pettersen, April 2006

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