Little Walter's 'Off The Wall'
I've just bought your Improvising Blues Harmonica book (VERY useful - it's making me go back over the study songs I've learnt and apply the chorus forms in more depth) and am working through the first exercises on creating and transcribing question/answer licks and statements. One of the songs I thought I'd try and transcribe the I chord licks from is Little Walter's 'Off The Wall'. A couple of questions about that:
First, is the opening lick (repeated twice over the I chord) an example of a statement or would you call it a question that's answered by the IV chord lick?
Second, I can't, even when slowing it down, figure out the flurry of notes leading to the first 5 draw! It starts on the 2 draw and ends on the 5 draw - is it a glissando? Help!
I don't have any slowdown tools, but I've studied the song really close. To me it sounds like LW plays
2D, 3D(halfstep bend slurred up to unbent), tongue lift (2-3-4 chord), then slap the 5 draw. The tonguelift here is really finnesed, but evidenced (as I hear it) by a really quick shot of the difference tones coming from that JI draw chord. Hard to hear unless you play through a bullet into an amp that busts out the difference tones. Whaddya think Dave?
Great ear! I agree on the first lick... 2, 3-dip, pull, 5 draw. I don't hear the difference tone with it being so fast and distorted. The second pickup I hear a ghosted 3+, then 3-dip 4 5.
Well I guess I missed that one! No matter how many times I listen to LW stuff, I often hear something I missed before....
Though I spend a lot of time on my transcriptions, I always hear something I didn't get from the previous listen... especially with Walter. I didn't catch that pull. It gets down to learn one way and if you it hear it later another, choose which one sounds best to you and go for it.
I'm starting to agree with whoever said in their video interview (Gary Smith maybe) that it's only when you start trying to figure out his licks that you appreciate Little Walter. I thought, before I started transcribing the I chord licks, that 'Off The Wall' would be challenging but not totally beyond my reach. But I'm finding myself stumped every step of the way, sitting there with pen in one hand, harp in the other, going, "You've got to be kidding" or "What was THAT? Is that even a harmonica?" Nothing about it is simple! Even the second chorus - sounds like a simple 3/4 shake followed by a 2 draw. But when you listen to it: no. There's some sort of slide down to the 2 draw. The bends in the third chorus are much trickier than they sound when you're not trying to copy them and the licks in the eighth chorus are totally nuts - not even bluesy-sounding on paper, though they fit perfectly (almost like in that chorus it isn't the melody he's after - it's the crunchy electric sound of the amp).
...not that I'm frustrated or anything. And this is just the I chord licks!
Well said! You'll be amazed at how good your ears get as you continue this tedious, though fun (at times ;-), process. When you're done email me a copy of your transcription and I'll send you what I did.
Cool. That and my accompaniment book are my favorite books.
1) Statement
2) It sounds like 2 3 4 5 to me... yes, a gliss basically.