Ultimate Jam Tracks - Volume 2

by Rick Beal

11.01.11

Executive Summary:
Pros:
Contains 11 great backing tracks for practicing harp against. The guitar, drums, bass, and piano are played with such great energy and tone that they should inspire the jammer to do great things. The arrangements are distilled into their simplest blues essence, making the elements very understandable, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. 

Cons:
The liner notes on each song are too sparse. You are only given the song's key and general style in the song's name. I actually liked this set of backing tracks so much that I rectified this error myself in this review. WWW.Bluesharp.org provides the missing liner notes. The songs are so distilled yet powerful, that with these notes you could "call the tune" at a local jam, teaching yourself important blues song structure. With this addition, this backing track CD does not have any cons.

The Full Review
Pete Schmidt, the author of "The Ultimate Blues Jam" CD is a well known blues guitarist in the Toronto area. He has created a jamming CD which sounds both authentic and creative, and has just the right amount of instrumentation for jamming. The jams are played in the styles of Albert King, Buddy Guy, Hollywood Fats, Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB. King, Jimmy Reed and others. You can comfortably add the harp stylings of Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson II, William Clarke, James Cotton, Rod Piazza, Kim Wilson, or make up your own.

Pete gets his authentic guitar sounds from his collection of vintage gear, his Guild X-170 Hollowbody, Guild Starfire Hollowbody, Gibson ES-5 (P90) Hollowbody, Fender USA Std. Stratocaster, played through a Silvertone Twin 12 (1965) and Fender Princeton Reverb 1964.

He is also a man seriously into his reverb, he uses a Fender Tube Reverb Tank, Kendrick Black Gold 35, Supro Tremoverb (1963), and a Fender Deluxe Reverb.

I enjoyed Pete's jam CD so much, I tried to create the perfect jamming notes for it. My thought was to describe each jam in enough detail so that the harp player (or anyone) could verbally lead the other players through the song in a live jam, in other words, the harp player could "Call the Tune".

You guys can tell me if I was successful or not. Also, please email me any song description enhancements you come up with.

I tested the songs in 2nd and 3rd position. I only used those positions because those are what I consistently play in. I encourage everyone to experiment with the other positions.

Without more ado, here are the track descriptions:


1. Introduction

Verbal Instructions

2. Boogie in E

Key: E

Suggested Harp: A 2nd position, 
Tempo: Fast!

Chord Structure: 

 E  E  E  E    A  A  E  E    B7  A  E  E
//// //// //// ////   //// //// //// ////   //// //// //// ////

Verbal Jam Description: 
Classic I IV V. For the intro play the I four times through. the rhythm guitar plays a classic blues guitar boogie woogie maniacally fast. Uses a waling base that walks up the boogie. Played in the style of .....?

Be able to hum the rhytm guitar, though you could probably get away without it.

Similiar Songs: ???????

Personal Observations:
A great, fast beat. Guitar, drums recorded with rich detail. The piano plays a variety of figures, so you have a lot of rhythmic and harmonic variety to play off of. And yet its not too much variety, I have to say it's just right. Pete Schmidt was kind enough to let us use this in the current Bluesharp.org Online Jam. The great recording and beat of the track has inspired many of us to create some really good tracks.

You could just as easily play this with a D harp in third, but in 2nd position, this song just inspires you to add great, creative multi-note rhythm on the harp.

3. Rock Blues Shuffle in B

Key: B

Suggested Harp: E, 2nd position, or A in 3rd.
Tempo: ????

Chord Structure: 

B E B B E E B B F# E B B
//// //// //// //// - //// //// //// //// - //// //// //// ////

Verbal Jam Description:
Classic I IV V. No intro or use the entire 1st verse as an intro. A quick change or quick IV . A more funkified boogie woogie shuffle. The guitar plays a shuffle using the slightly modified boogie. Base plays a walking shuffle. No final V on the turnaround.

Be prepared to hum the guitar line (to demonstrate the drop to the 5th note of the scale on the second beat).

Similiar Songs: ??

Personal Observations:
Pete's guitar and tube amp please you with that somewhat understated but very pleasing tube sound.

This is a pleasingly sparse bounce that is just joy to explore with your harp, learning, inventing your own melodic into the . A great way to feel your way into the intricacies of the standard 12 bar. Or just play long simple riffs. This jam supports either.

4. Slow Blues in C

Key: C

Suggested Harp: F, 2nd position, Bb 3rd position.
Tempo: Slow

Chord Structure:

C C C C F F C C G F C C
//// //// //// //// - //// //// //// //// - //// //// //// ////

Verbal Jam Description: 
Rhythm guitar plays (hum it). the base plays a shuffle boogie. Guitar riffs starts off the song. No final V turnaround.

Be prepared to hum the rhythm guitar part.

Similiar Songs: ??

Personal Observations:
This song is equally at home with either a 2nd or 3rd position playing, but since it is so slow, the great rhythmic 2nd position chordal chugs are out, so this might be a great song to do melodic exploration in 3rd position.

5. Two Feel Blues in G

Key: G

Suggested Harp: C, 2nd position
Tempo: fast

Chord Structure:

G G G G C C G G D7 C G G D7
//// //// //// //// - //// //// //// //// - //// //// //// ////

Verbal Jam Description: 
Classic with a slight variation in the turnaround. Rhythm guitar plays a modified sparse base like (hum it). Base plays a country style base line.

Be prepared to hum the rhythm guitar, or the base.

Similiar Songs: ??

Personal Observations:
Because of its speed, offers great chording possibilities, plus all the usual great single note explorations. I personally found this one painful in F (3rd) because the F is so high and I was unconfortable doing the crucial bends on a harp I'm not accustomed to playing with.


6. Texas Swing in D

Key: D

Suggested Harp: G, 2nd position or C 3rd position
Tempo: Medium

Chord Structure:

D7 D7 D7 D7 G7 G7 D7 D7 A7 A7 D7 D7
//// //// //// //// - //// //// //// //// - //// //// //// ////

Verbal Jam Description: 
Classic I IV V. Rhythm guitar plays only the back part of each beat. Base plays a walking base, walking up the boogie. In the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Be prepared to hum the rhythm the rhythm guitar plays. Be sure to tap your foot when you hum to show how the guitar plays and the "and" of the beat.

Similiar Songs: ??

Personal Observations:
Great for jamming in any mode. This is a great one for switching between the two harps mid song for variety. Like the others I can't praise it highly enough. Piano is great accompaniment choice. It's can be more rhythmic than an organ, and the its clear bell tone can be heard at low volumes to suggest harmonic directions without dictating the melodic/harmonic explorations.

7. Rhumba in A

Key: A

Suggested Harp: D, 2nd position 
Tempo: Medium

Chord Structure:

A A A A D7 D7 A A E D A E7
//// //// //// //// - //// //// //// //// - //// //// //// ////

Verbal jam description: 
Classic I IV V. Starts on the "V" (the turnaround). Rhumba in A. The base goes like this (hum it).

Be prepared to hum the base (everyone one plays off the base).

Similiar Songs: "Crosscut Saw" by Albert King

Personal Observations:
I have to admit to be a little rhumba challenged. It's a great track, but I kind of fumble through it.

I've spent a lot of time jamming to MIDI files in the past because of their availablity and because it's so easy to change their key, but compared to these CD's they are rather harsh and mechanical sounding. When you jam to one track many times, eventually you hear all its nuances, and in MIDI there are no nuances, but with these beautiful acoustic tracks there are nuances. It really does help to keep you inspired, and even further trains the ear for picking up subtley.

8. Slow 8 Bar Blues in E

Key: A

Suggested Harp: A, 2nd position, D 3rd position 
Tempo: Medium

Chord Structure:

E B7 A A E B7 E B7
//// //// //// //// - //// //// //// ////

Verbal Jam Description: 
Slow 8 Bar Blues in E, use first verse as intro. Rhythm guitar plays a classic boogie shuffle, making it sound meaty. In the turnaround split the final V into E B7 chords slight variation in the turnaround:

It always helps to be able to hum the rhythm guitar. Base plays a basic boogie shuffle . Piano plays lots of tripletts.

Similiar Songs: Key to the Highway

Another great structure, well executed to jam with.

9. Funky Blues in G

Key: A

Suggested Harp: F 3rd position, C 2nd position, 
Tempo: Fast

Chord Structure:

G G G G C C G G D7 C G D7
//// //// //// //// - //// //// //// //// - //// //// //// ////

Verbal Jam Description: 
Classic I IV V. Funky Blues in G, no intro. Guitar goes like this (hum it). The base echos the rhythm guitar line.

Be prepared to hum the rhythm guitar part (which is the same as the base).
Similiar Songs: ??

Personal Playing Notes:
I especially like using the minor harp on this.

10. Big Shuffle in E

Key: E

Suggested Harp: D 3rd position, A 2nd position, 
Tempo: Medium??

Chord Structure:

E E E E A A E E B7 A7 E B7
//// //// //// //// - //// //// //// //// - //// //// //// ////

Verbal Jam Description: 
Classic I VI V. Shuffle in E, no intro. Rhythm guitar mostly shuffles on the root , walking base.

You should be able to hum the rhythm guitar because it is so easy.

Similiar Songs: ??

Personal Playing Notes:
I may prefer the minor key harp just because I've been practicing more in 3rd position than 2nd for the last year.

11. Chicago Blues in A

Key: A

Suggested Harp: D, 2nd position, G 3rd position 
Tempo: Medium

Chord Structure:

A A A A D7 D7 A A E7 D7 A E7
//// //// //// //// - //// //// //// //// - //// //// //// ////

Verbal Jam Description:
Chicago blues in A, turnaround as intro. Rhythm guitar goes like this (hum it). Play a sort of stacatto Shuffle boogie base. Add 7th's to the IV and V wherever they occur.

Be prepared to hum the rhythm guitar line.

Similiar Songs: ??

Personal Playing Notes:
Another nicely done song that funs to jam to. Lots of fun variety in the rhthym guitar. Rhythm guitar is kind of busy and funky, but it does not get into the way. Piano is very basic, often just whole notes with a bit of essential ornamentation. You could learn to play some real basic blues piano from listening to this.