#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
To: jamesb@animal-farm.nevada.edu
Subject: TAB: Never Let Your Deal Go Down, by Etta Baker
>From the acoustic guitar mailing list...
==========================================================================
Title: Never Let Your Deal Go Down
Notes: This song is a standard in the traditional piedmont blues repitoire.
This transcription is from a performance by Etta Baker on her CD,
One Dime Blues.
Tuning: standard
Performance notes:
Transitioning out of the long A, move quickly to a C# which is just
a first postion C chord form moved up one fret, and from there slide
up to a C7 form which is just the C# slid up one more fret. Note
that the seventh note of this chord is hammered on at the same time
the first base note of the D7th is played. Since there is not much
energy in the third string at the point of the hammer on, the hammer
on has a kind of funky/dead sound. Also, a little scraping noise
on the fifth string as you slide up from the C# to the D7th is
desirable.
The transition from the long A to the C# is difficult because there
is so little time in which to make it and because, as Etta Baker
plays the long A, the thumb is low on the back of the neck, parallel
to the neck, pointed back towards the headstock, whereas for the C#,
the thumb is wrapped over the upper edge of the neck.
When transitioning from the D7th to the G, the second finger makes a
quick slide from the fifth fret down to the third producing a quick
scraping noise.
The main part of the song goes like this:
C-------------------------------|----|--------------------------------|-------| (x32010@1)---1---------------|-----------1----|--------------------|-----------1-------|
---|----0|---------0----------------|---------0|---------0-------------------|
---|----2|--------------2-----------|---------2|---------------2-------------|
---3-----|--------------|-----------|----3-----|---------------|-------------|
--------------3---------------------|----|----------3------------------------|
| |
-------------------------------|----|----------------------------------------|
-------------------------------1----|----------------------------------------|
--------0|---------0----------------|----------0|----------------------------|
--------2|--------------2-----------|----------2|----------------------------|
---3-----|--------------|-----------|----3------|----2----1------------------|
---|----------3---------------------|----|-----------|----|------------------|
|
A (x02220@1) | | C#--------------|--------------------5---|--------------3h2-----|--------------| (x43121@1)--------------2---------|--------------|----------------|-----2----------|---|
--------2|--------------2----2|--------|---------2|-----|----------------0---|
--------2|-------------------2|--------|---------2|-----|--------------------|
---0-----|---------0----------|--------|---0------|-----0-----------4--------|
---|---------------|-------------------|---|------------------------|--------|
D7---------|---------------------0---|-----------------------------------------| (xx0212@1)---------0----------|--------------|-----------------------------------------|
---h5----5|---------0----5|--------|--------5|----------5|-------------------|
----|----4|--------------4|--------|--------4|----------4|-------------------|
----5-----|------------------------|---5-------------------------------------|
----_----------5-------------------|---|-----------5-------------------------|
| |
G (320003@1) | G7----------3------------3-----------|----3-----------1------------------------| (320001@1)----------|------------------------|----|-----------|------------------------|
----------0|----------------0|-----|----|-----0|----|----0|------------------|
----------0|----------------0|-----|----|-----0|----|----0|------------------|
-----------|-----2-----------|-----|----|------|----2-----|------------------|
---5s3-----------|-----------------|----3------------------------------------|
|
C (x32010@1) | |
--------0---------0---------0------|-----------------------------------------|
---1----|--------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
---|----0|------------0|-----------|--------0|-------------------------------|
---|----2|------------2|-----------|--------2|-------------------------------|
---3-----|-------------|-----------|---3-----|-----2-----1-------------------|
-------------3---------------------|---|-----------|-----|-------------------|
|
A (x02220@1) | | C#--------------|--------------------5---|--------------3h2-----|--------------| (x43121@1)--------------2---------|--------------|----------------|-----2----------|---|
--------2|--------------2----2|--------|---------2|-----|----------------0---|
--------2|-------------------2|--------|---------2|-----|--------------------|
---0-----|---------0----------|--------|---0------|-----0-----------4--------|
---|---------------|-------------------|---|------------------------|--------|
D7---------|---------------------0---|-----------------------------------------| (xx0212@1)---------0----------|--------------|-----------------------------------------|
---h5----5|---------0----5|--------|--------5|----------5|-------------------|
----|----4|--------------4|--------|--------4|----------4|-------------------|
----5-----|------------------------|---5-------------------------------------|
---------------5-------------------|---|-----------5-------------------------|
| |
G (320003@1) |
----------3------------3-----------|----3----------------0-------------------|
----------|------------------------|----|------------------------------------|
----------0|----------------0|-----|----|-----0|--------------0|-------------|
----------0|----------------0|-----|----|-----0|--------------0|-------------|
-----------|-----2-----------|-----|----|------|----2----------|-------------|
---5s3-----------|-----------------|----3-----------|------------------------|
|
C----------------------------|------|-----------------------------------------| (x32010@1)---1---------------|--------1------|-----------------------------------------|
---|----0|---------0---0|----------|--------0|-------------------------------|
---|----2|-------------2|----------|--------2|-------------------------------|
---3-----|--------------|----------|---3-----|----2-----1--------------------|
--------------3--------------------|---|----------|-----|--------------------|
|
Here are some variations:
Variation 1
-----------
Play the main part of the song, but for the last two bars use the following
(the only difference is in the last two beats of the second bar where you
hit a bass note and then a brush instead of the usual walkdown):
C----------------------------|------|-----------------------------------------| (x32010@1)---1---------------|--------1------|--------------------0|-------------------|
---|----0|---------0---0|----------|--------0|----------0|-------------------|
---|----2|-------------2|----------|--------2|----------0|-------------------|
---3-----|--------------|----------|---3-----|-----------|-------------------|
--------------3--------------------|---|----------3--------------------------|
| |
And proceed with:
A--------5|----3--------------------|----5----------3--------------------------| (x02220@1)---------|----|--------------------|----|-------------------------------------|
--------2|----|-----2|-------------|----|----2|-------------2|----------------|
--------2|----|-----2|-------------|----|----2|-------------2|----------------|
---0----------0------|-------------|----0-----|--------0-----|----------------|
-----------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
Note: just slide the whole barred portion of the long A here.
|
v C#----------5|----3------------------|----5----------3--------|-----------------| (x43121@1)---1s2-----|----|------------------|----|-------------------2----------|------|
-----|----2|----|----2|------------|----|----2|------------------------0------|
-----|----2|----|----2|------------|----|----2|-------------------------------|
etc.
-----0-----|----0-----|------------|----0-----|--------0----------4-----------|
-----------------------------------|------------------------------|-----------|
Variation 2:
------------
Again, starting with the last two bars of the main part of the song, here's
another variation:
C----------------------------|------|-----------------------------------------| (x32010@1)---1---------------|--------1------|-----------------------------------------|
---|----0|---------0---0|----------|--------0|-------------------------------|
---|----2|-------------2|----------|--------2|-------------------------------|
---3-----|--------------|----------|---3-----|----2-----1--------------------|
--------------3--------------------|---|----------|-----|--------------------|
|
A---------3-------------------------|---2----------3--------------------------| (x02220@1)---------|-------------------------|---|--------------------0|---------------|
---------2|---------2|-------------|---|----2|--------------0|---------------|
---------2|---------2|-------------|---|----2|--------------0|---------------|
----0-----|----0-----|-------------|---0-----|---------0-----|---------------|
----|----------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------|
C#---------3-------------------------|---2----------3----------|---------------| (x43121@1)---------|-------------------------|---|---------------------2--------|------|
---------2|---------2|-------------|---|----2|------------------------0------|
---------2|---------2|-------------|---|----2|-------------------------------|
etc.
----0-----|----0-----|-------------|---0-----|---------0----------4----------|
----|----------|-------------------|------------------------------|----------|
Variation 3:
------------
Again, starting with the last two bars of the main part of the song, this
variation is the same as Variation 2, except instead of moving to the C#,
it goes to a D or D7th, and then back to G.
Re: the D chord, if I remember correctly, in performance, it looks like she
is playing a simple open D chord on the top three strings. However, when I
play it this way it doesn't sound right. So, I use a D7 chord:
||-----|-x--|----|----|----|
||-----|----|-x--|----|----|
||-----|----|----|----|-x--|
||-----|----|----|----|----|
||-----|----|----|----|----|
||-----|----|----|----|----|
C----------------------------|------|-----------------------------------------| (x32010@1)---1---------------|--------1------|-----------------------------------------|
---|----0|---------0---0|----------|--------0|-------------------------------|
---|----2|-------------2|----------|--------2|-------------------------------|
---3-----|--------------|----------|---3-----|----2-----1--------------------|
--------------3--------------------|---|----------|-----|--------------------|
|
A---------3-------------------------|---2----------3--------------------------| (x02220@1)---------|-------------------------|---|--------------------0|---------------|
---------2|---------2|-------------|---|----2|--------------0|---------------|
---------2|---------2|-------------|---|----2|--------------0|---------------|
----0-----|----0-----|-------------|---0-----|---------0-----|---------------|
----|----------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------|
---------3-------------------------|---2----------3--------------------------|
---------|-------------------------|---|-------------------------------------|
---------2|---------2|-------------|---|----2|---------------2|--------------|
---------2|---------2|-------------|---|----2|---------------2|--------------|
----0-----|----0-----|-------------|---0-----|---------0------|--------------|
----|----------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------|
D (xx0232@1) | |
---------2----------2--------------|---2----------2---------|----------------|
---------|-------------------------|---|--------------------3----------------|
---------2|--------------2|--------|---|----2|--------------------2|---------|
---------0|--------------0|--------|---|----0|--------------------0|---------|
----0-----|----0----------|--------|---0-----|---------0-----------|---------|
----|----------|-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|
G (320003@1) |
----------3------------3-----------|----3----------------0-------------------|
----------|------------------------|----|------------------------------------|
----------0|----------------0|-----|----|-----0|--------------0|-------------|
----------0|----------------0|-----|----|-----0|--------------0|-------------|
-----------|-----2-----------|-----|----|------|----2----------|-------------|
-----3-----------|-----------------|----3-----------|------------------------|
|
C----------------------------|------|-----------------------------------------| (x32010@1)---1---------------|--------1------|-----------------------------------------|
---|----0|---------0---0|----------|--------0|-------------------------------|
---|----2|-------------2|----------|--------2|-------------------------------|
---3-----|--------------|----------|---3-----|----2-----1--------------------|
--------------3--------------------|---|----------|-----|--------------------|
|
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
David Cromwell Internet: cromwell@bnr.ca 919-991-7707
Bell Northern Research Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
