Howlin' Wolf Flashcards
I’m Leavin’ You
What genre does this song belong to?
why?
Chicago Rhythm and Blues (Electric Blues)
Conventional blues
Electric instruments (guitars)
‘backbeat’ in drums
I’m Leavin’ You
There is an instrument used which is associated more with blues from New Orleans - so-called Delta Blues
which one?
harmonica
I’m Leavin’ You
What are ‘blue notes’
Notes where the pitch is bent down by the performer - especially the third, fifth and seventh degrees of the scale.
I’m Leavin’ You
Explain ‘swung rhythm’
a swung rhythm is where the odd-numbered quavers (or semiquavers) are played late.
A very heavy swing can sound almost like triplets (which is how they are sometimes notated)
swing is really a notational device - triplety rhythms are notated ‘straight’ (no triplets)
I’m Leavin’ You
What are ‘fills’?
bits of music played in a gap
here, the lead guitar plays in the gaps between vocal phrases (as does the piano at times)
I’m Leavin’ You
what can we say about the texture of this song
melody dominated homophony
we could also add the the accompaniment is ‘layered’
You could say that there is a suggestion of antiphony between guitar and lead vocal, but the more informal ‘call and response’ is a more accurate way to describe this.
I’m Leavin’ You
Is the song strophic?
explain
yes
six choruses - different words always set to the same music
I’m Leavin’ You
What are the chords in the choruses
G7 C9 G7 D7 C9 G7
I’m Leavin’ You
One of the only variations in chord is at the end of the intro and in the ‘turnaround’ at the end of each chorus
what happens?
the last 2 chords are D-flat - D9
I’m Leavin’ You
Within each chorus there are two short vocal refrains.
What are the lyrics in these refrains?
- I’m Leavin’ You
- …treat me/you right…
I’m Leavin’ You
Howlin’ Wolf mostly sticks to the minor-pentatonic scale on G
What is a minor pentatonic scale?
minor third - tone - tone - minor third (- tone)
think black keys on a piano, starting on E-flat
I’m Leavin’ You
The drummer plays a ‘backbeat’
what is that?
a drum pattern which emphasises beats 2 and 4
(it’s so common now that we take it for granted, but it’s a product of the 1950s)
I’m Leavin’ You
Total vocal range is a minor tenth
mostly though it spans which notes?
F to D (minor sixth)
I’m Leavin’ You
What does the rhythm guitar do?
How is it different from the lead guitar part?
plays a riff in swung quavers, which is transposed up a fourth for the C9 chord and up another tone for the D7 chord (there are of course plenty of small variations)
It’s lower pitched than the lead guitar, the sound is much thicker (bassier) and there is no reverb
I’m Leavin’ You
The pianist is mostly comping apart from a few fills
what is comping?
Improvising an accompaniment based on the chords
I’m Leavin’ You
What is’ stop time’ and where does it occur in this track?
stop time dates from the earliest jazz and blues
quite simply, the band has lots of ‘stops’ - perhaps just playing the downbeat and a fill at the end of a bar
here it happens for the first four bars of choruses 2 and 3 (and their repeats)
I’m Leavin’ You
structure?
(4 things?)
six choruses
choruse 4 is instrumental
choruses 5 and 6 are a repeat of choruses 2 and 3
there is an intro and a fade-out
I’m Leavin’ You
tonality?
(3 things?)
G major throughout
no modulations
tonality not reinforced by functional harmony or traditional cadences
I’m Leavin’ You
harmony?
(3 things?)
standard 12-bar blues in G
some blue notes
7ths and 9ths non-functional
‘chromatic auxiliary chord’ D-flat in turnarounds/intro
I’m Leavin’ You
vocal melody?
(7 things?)
short phrases
mostly descending from D
‘treat me/you right’ rises
blue notes
minor pentatonic
syncopated
short glissandi/slides
I’m Leavin’ You
rhythm generally?
(5 things?)
syncopated in all parts
swung or ‘shuffle’ feel
many triplets in the lead guitar and piano
drummer plays a backbeat, accenting beats 2 and 4
some semiquavers in the lead quitar
I’m Leavin’ You
What are the main features of electric rhythm and blues found in this song?
12 bar blues chord sequence
lyrics about breakup of relatinship
electric guitars
harmonica
swung rhythm
slides/glissandi
comping piano
riff-based rhythm guitar
pentatonic scales