Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on December 23, 2016 at 3:20pm

Wow, OK that's going to take a bit of listening to. That entire first song is nothing but riffs. Now there are limits to what your going to get on just three strings. Any of the lower stuff is going to be faked. But I don't think that'll make the song sound thin. However you will loose the contrast. The second song has a lot of deep stuff that will have to be altered to fit a three string. 

this will have to wait till after Christmas. There's a lot on this plate. 

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Permalink Reply by Dick Dowd on December 24, 2016 at 6:13am

I understand.  Have a great Christmas.

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on December 24, 2016 at 9:50am

Played with it a bit last night. the hardest part is getting his stumbling feel to it. Just for fun I'll give the opening cord. 

First str. 10th frt. Second str. 12th frt.

this is an awesome starting chord for a blues rhythm. add

first string 9th send string 10th

first str. 7th second str 9th

open first and second.

By the way the song is in a open E tuning. Have my three string EBE. 

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on December 24, 2016 at 5:00pm

Firstly, Merry Christmas, y'all!

Yep, Hopkins played a lot of his blues in E. Detuning from GDG to EBE could leave you with some pretty slack strings, so you might have to switch strings, and use the EAD strings from a standard set.

WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD. GET SOME COFFEE, AND SETTLE BACK IN YER CHAIR.

Now that we have the right vid, at least, you need to realize a coupla things:

As Rat said before, you're not gonna get those deep bass notes with just 3 strings tuned GDG. But you CAN map the riff, as it's played mostly on the B, G and D strings in standard tuning.

It is helpful at this point to create for yourself a 6-string fretboard map in standard EADGBE tuning, which looks like this, from open string to 12th fret ( enharmonic notes such as F# / Gb are on the same fret, counting frets from left to right for a right handed player):

E - F - F# / Gb - G - G# / Ab - A - A# / Bb - B - C - C# / Db - D - D# / Eb - E
B - C - C# / Db - D - D# / Eb - E - F - F# / Gb - G - G# / Ab - A - A# / Bb - B
G - G# / Ab - A - A# / Bb - B - C - C# / Db - D - D# / Eb - E - F - F# / Gb - G
D - D# / Eb - E - F - F# / Gb - G - G# / Ab - A - A# / Bb - B - C - C# / Db - D
A - A# / Bb - B - C - C# / Db - D - D# / Eb - E - F - F# / Gb - G - G# / Ab - A
E - F - F# / Gb - G - G# / Ab - A - A# / Bb - B - C - C# / Db - D - D# / Eb - E

Here's what I see and hear from the vid:

He's using the D, G and B strings for the majority of the riff. As Tom Feldman sez in the vid, using your index and second fingers, you start at the G string, second fret with your second finger, and the B string first fret with your index finger. Notice that we are only playing the B and G strings; no other strings are being played at this point, indicated by an "X" behind the open note. These notes map out in TAB for EADGBE tuning as:

XE
B --1--
G ------2--
XD
XA
XE

If you have followed the procedure from the "Mapping Your Fretboard" discussion here on CBN, using the 6-string standard tuning fretboard map above, and used in the rest of this post, you will find on your 6-string fretboard map that the note at the first fret on the B string is a C. The note at the second fret on the G string is a Bb.

Then you slide both fingers simultaneously up two frets, so that your second finger on the G string stops at the 4th fret, and your index finger on the B string stops at the 3rd fret. We are still only playing the B and G strings (I've dropped the X behind the open notes, and am not showing the sliding motion yet, for simplicity). In TAB for standard EADGBE tuning, that looks like this:

E
B ---3---
G -------4--
D
A
E

Again from your 6-string fretboard map, the note on the B string at the 3rd fret is a D, while the note on the G string at the 4th fret is a C. Taken altogether so far in TAB for standard EADGBE tuning, that looks like this:

E slide -->
B --1---------3---
G -----2----------4--
D
A
E

Hopkins / Feldman repeats this part of the riff two more times. Then, he plays the 2nd fret on the G string with his second finger, which we now already know is a Bb. The next note, he pulls off his second finger from the G string, and let's the open G note ring out. Taken altogether so far in TAB for standard EADGBE tuning, that looks like this:

E slide 3x-->
B --1---------3---------------
G -----2----------4----2----0
D
A
E

Next, Hopkins / Feldman plays the note at the 2nd fret on the D string with his second finger; from your 6-string fretboard map, this note should be an E. Taken altogether so far in TAB for standard EADGBE tuning, that looks like this:

E slide 3x-->
B --1---------3-------------------------
G -----2----------4----2----0----------
D ---------------------------------2----
A
E

Finally, Hopkins / Feldman plays both the upper and lower open E strings simultaneously. Taken altogether so far in TAB for standard EADGBE tuning, that looks like this:

E slide 3x-->-------------------------0----
B --1---------3-------------------------------
G -----2----------4----2----0----------------
D ---------------------------------2----------
A ---------------------------------------------
E ---------------------------------------0-----

Now what we need to do is, translate all that to a 3-string fretboard map for GDG tuning. A 3-string GDG fretboard map from the open string notes up to the 12th fret looks like this (there are several enharmonic notes, such as G# / Ab; these are on the same fret, if you are counting frets from left to right):

G - G# / Ab - A - A# / Bb - B - C - C# / Db - D - D# / Eb - E - F - F# / Gb - G
D - D# / Eb - E - F - F# / Gb - G - G# / Ab - A - A# / Bb - B - C - C# / Db - D
G - G# / Ab - A - A# / Bb - B - C - C# / Db - D - D# / Eb - E - F - F# / Gb - G

Using the 3-string GDG fretboard map, you can create 3-string TAB for GDG, which looks like this:

G --
D --
G --

So let's look for the first two notes of this riff. Remember from above that these are C and Bb. You want the Bb note to be on a thicker string than the C note. Let's see if we can find places where those might be comfortably fingered (ooo that sounds dirty...). Using the 3-string GDG fretboard map, you find the Bb note at the 3rd fret on the low G string, and the C note at the 5th fret on the high G string. In TAB for 3-string GDG tuning, that looks like this:

G ------5---
D ----------
G --3-------

This is your starting position. It is most easily fingered by placing the index finger on the 3rd fret on the lower G, and the ring finger on the 5th fret on the higher G; those with longer fingers might be able to stretch and use the second finger instead of your ring finger. Now, you're gonna slide these notes / fingers simultaneously up two frets, to the 5th and 7th frets; these are the C and D notes, respectively. In TAB for 3-string GDG tuning, that looks like this:

slide -->
G ------5---------7--
D --------------------
G --3--------5--------

Repeat this sliding motion two more times. Taken altogether, in TAB for 3-string GDG tuning, that looks like this:

slide 3x -->
G ------5---------7--
D --------------------
G --3--------5--------

Now let's get the rest of the riff. There's a coupla ways to do this; it depends if you want to play the declining part of the riff on the lower or higher G string. Let's choose the lower G for now, but realize that exactly the same thing can be done on the upper G. Remember from above that the next two notes of the riff are played on the G string; they are Bb and G, respectively. You play this by sliding your index finger down from the 5th fret to the 3rd fret, to catch the Bb note, then pulling it off to let the open G note ring out. Taken altogether, in TAB for 3-string GDG tuning, that looks like this:

slide 3x -->
G ------5---------7---------------
D --------------------------------
G --3--------5--------3-----0----

There's only a coupla notes left, and we've got it! Remember from above, that the last two notes of the riff are both E, so we can get away with using the D string to catch them. You can catch that note with your index or second finger, whichever is comfortable, on the 2nd fret of the D string. Taken altogether, in TAB for 3-string GDG tuning, that looks like this:

slide 3x -->
G ------5---------7-----------------------
D --------------------------------2---2---
G --3--------5--------3-----0------------

There you have it, about as simple as it can be. You can do this with most songs, transcribing them from 6-string to 3-string, in any tuning. Realize, though, that you will not get the fullness or richness of all 6-strings when translating to 3 strings, and that there may be some almost-impossible finger gymnastics that might be needed at times. But you can definitely get the basics of almost any riff down.

Rat mentioned that this might be easier in EBE tuning. I leave it to you to create your own EBE fretboard map and TAB, and repeat this exercise. I've showed you how, now go forth, and catch lotsa fish!

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on December 24, 2016 at 5:33pm

OK, there's a little addendum to the above: when you slide the two fingered part of the riff, you need to repeat the stopped notes twice. It should look like this for 6-strings:

slide 3x -->
E
B --1-------------3-3-3---
G -------2-----------4-4-4---
D
A
E

And for 3-string tuned GDG, it should look like this:

slide 3x -->
G -----5-----------7-7-7---
D -------------------------
G ---3------------5-5-5----

Sorry 'bout dat. ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on December 30, 2016 at 5:45pm

Just letting you know i haven't forgotten about ya. Looking at how "Oily" typed out the Tab work. Think I'll give that a try. The timing and feel will still be something you'll have to get. 

So the first part would look like this in tab. The x is a click where you don't hear the note. If you tune your git to E.Bflat E you can play along with the recording. 

G.......10.10.10.10.10.10.....5......x...5...3...0...7...7.7.7.7

D...... 12.12.12.12.12.12..................................7..7.7.7.7

G......................................................................7..7.7.7.7

G..5....15.12.......................10...5...3....0...........7..77 

D..5...............15.13.12..10..12.................0.........7..77

G..5............................................................5..7...7..77

G......................

D......................

G...0....3...5...0

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on December 30, 2016 at 6:27pm

Yep! The thing is, there's 3 or 4 different places on the GDG fretboard to do this riff. Even kewler for performance would be to combine these two versions, playing my version low, and later in the song for more contrast and excitement, playing Rat's version up high.

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on January 7, 2017 at 4:32am

Correction on my tuning!!! I can really be a Du.....

The correct tuning is E  B  E. Not Bb. Sorry about that.

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on December 31, 2016 at 5:21am

Oh I'm not done. Plenty more to go. That's just the fist riff. Starting this post from the last line from the last.

I'm going to use this / to mean 'to slide up'.

this V before a note means to make it a sharp pluck.

This ) between two notes means an upward bend from the first note to the pitch of the second. 

G ................./7...5..3..0........12.....V19....17 ) 19...17.15.....15..17 ) 18..17..15

D...................................0..............................................15...............................15 slide down

G..0..3..5..0...................0...0.................................................................

G..7...5...3...0

D...................

G..

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on December 31, 2016 at 5:54am

bummer. didn't save it all. I have to re write the second line......

G..7..5..3..0........10..10......10....10.........5..5.3.0............7......7

D................0.x...12.......12..10........10.................0...7.7..7.7..7.7

G................0.x....x...............x..............................0...7.7.....7.....7

Lots more to come!

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on December 31, 2016 at 5:14pm

and still going at it. this \ means to slide down. so if it's between two notes you slide down from the first to second note.

G.........10.10.10.10.10.10.../7..7.5.0..5.3.0.0.0../7.7.5.0.0.0. /5..3.0..0.0.

D../12..12.12.12.12.12.12..................0.......0.0...............0.0...............0.0.

G.................................................................0.0...............0.0...............0.0.

G.........12../12...15..17..15..17..18\17..15......../15.........................................3.0..0

C.../15.........................................................17........17.../17./17....15.12...10........0

G............................................................................................................................0

G.0......10..............10.............5.3.0..0.....3.../12..12..12..12..12..12

D.0../12.....12../12......12..10............0..1.1../12.. 12..12..12..12..12

G.0...................................................0.....3../12...12..12..12..12..12 

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on December 31, 2016 at 6:02pm

Ve haf...created...a monshter!

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