Fred McDowell slide tabs

[Admin]

Does anyone have some good tabs for the unique slide guitar of Mississippi Fred McDowell.

I'm too lazy and too old to tab this out myself. [laughing]

But I think it would be beneficial for the forum!!!

[earleg]

Here are some at this link Jim, > Mississippi Fred Mcdowell Tabs

Oddly I met Fred in the early '70s just after the Rolling Stones covered "You Got To Move"
in Portland OR at a small venue he played. He was pretty up in age then but nice guy.
"I don't play no Rock and Roll." Also had some time with Hound Dog Taylor few years later
but that is another topic. ;^P

[dadfad]

---

I'd met him myself, around 1969 or 70. I was in Memphis during my spring-break in a guitar-shop. Talking to the owner I mentioned I was hitchhiking into Mississippi to look for "old blues guys" and he said he knew one not too far away in Como, not too far across the state-line named Fred McDowell (whom I'd never heard of before at that time). So I went off to Como.

I found him driving a tractor in a cotton field near Como, Mississippi. I walked out to talk to him and he said he'd give me some pointers when he had a little time later after he finished his chores.

I spent a week sleeping in an abandoned pick-up truck down the road from his place. I practiced all day, and spent the evenings learning what I could from him (and I couldn't slide for sh!t back then so I needed a lot of help). The day I left, he laughed at the slide-version of the tune "The Pusher" I'd come up with and said "Not bad, keep at it." and told me to keep the old deep-well socket he'd loaned me from under the seat of his tractor when he saw my slide was a thin chromed slide from a music-store up north ("Hahaha... that'll never do. You need something with a little meat to it.... Here, try this.")

I returned a few years later and he'd died. He was buried in a little cemetery next to his wife at Hammond Hill Baptist Chuch just outside of Como. His headstone then was inexpensive, just a poured block of cement with his name cast in it. And his name was even spelled wrong...Fred McDewell. I told myself I was going to buy him a real headstone someday. I mentioned it to the old woman back at the general-store in Como who had told me how to find the cemetery. (Very out-of-the-way). She said "Why you wanna go an' do that? His people bought what they could afford. It'd be disrespectful of them for some white-boy to buy him another one." (Her statement had a big impact on me. I'd never considered that. I've bought two gravestones since, but only for un-marked graves with no known family.)

And not too many years ago on my way to New Orleans, I stopped in Como again to pay my respects once more to Mister Fred's and Miss Mae's (who had also been very kind to me) graves. I played one of his tunes (which by then I could actually play pretty well!), and shared a whiskey with him and then went on my way. On my way back to the inter-state, I just happened to drive down that same dirt-road I'd walked down years before when I had hitch-hiked down to find him. The same old rusty abandoned pick-up truck was still there, looking almost the same as it had more than thirty years earlier with the hot sun beating down on the dirt-road and the cotton-fields, just as it had then. As if nothing at all had changed, except the calendar. And me, now riding in a Buick instead of walking on foot. And I suddenly had a very......blue, un-easy feeling sort of. Very hard to explain.

[Admin]

Mar 26, 2014 10:24:27 GMT -5 dadfad said:

---

The day I left, he laughed at the slide-version of the tune "The Pusher" I'd come up with and said "Not bad, keep at it." and told me to keep the old deep-well socket he'd loaned me from under the seat of his tractor when he saw my slide was a thin chromed slide from a music-store up north ("Hahaha... that'll never do. You need something with a little meat to it.... Here, try this.")

View Attachment

Great story John!!! I understand totally.

Do you have a tab for "The Pusher"

[dadfad]

Jim, the Steppenwolf version? I don't have a tab, but I've played the tune many many times over the years.

Oh, and I don't know how well the format will be here, but I'd tabbed a version of "You've Got To Move" for someone ten or twelve years ago (on the old original GTU site). I'll try to post it below.


#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE-------------------------------#
# This file is the author's own work and represents an interpretation of the #
# tune. It is intended for private study, scholarship, or research purposes  #
# only. It is not intended for commercial use or distribution.               #
#----------------------------------------------------------------------------#

YOU GOT TO MOVE by Mississippi Fred McDowell, as taught circa 1969, Como, MS
Tabbed by Dadfad (John M)  [e-mail]  ([e-mail])  9/19/02
Using: Microsoft Notepad, Courier New Regular 10 Font (printing information)

This tune is shown in Open-G tuning (DGDGBD). It can also be done using an
Open-A (EAEAC#E). In my opinion Open-G is preferable because there is less
tension on your guitar neck and less chance of string breakage. The tab is
identical for either tuning. This tune should be done finger-style, using
The thumb and one or more fingers. The 5-string bass-note can be droned with
the treble slide work when or if you feel it's appropriate. This is a very
basic slide tune, done in a very improvisational style. Mr. Fred never played
it exactly the same way twice when he was showing me.


D)__________>10__>12__________________>12___>12____________________________
B)______>12_____________________________________>12________________________
G)__>12______________________________________________>12___________________
D)_____________________0___>3___0__________________________0___>3____0_____
G)_____________________0___>3___0__________________________0___>3____0_____
D)_________________________________________________________________________
  You  got ta move...                 You got ta move....


D)__>12__12__12__12__>10__10__10__10__>12__________________________________
B)________________________________________>11__>12_________________________
G)__________________________________________________>12____________________
D)________________________________________________________0__>3___0________
G)________________________________________________________0__>3___0________
D)_________________________________________________________________________
  You got ta move...chile don't ya know... you got ta move


D)_________________________________________________________________________
B)_________________>12__________________>12________________________________
G)_______>10__>12____________________________>12<__________________________
D)__>12____________________0__>3__0________________>12_____________________
G)_________________________0__>3__0________________________________________
D)_________________________________________________________________________
 Cause when the Lord...             ...gets ready...

D____________________________________>5__5_____________________>5____5_____
B)_________________________________________________________________________
G)__>10__>12__>10__>12_____________________________________________________
D)_______________________0___>3___0_____________0__>3__0___________________
G)_______________________0___>3___0______0______0__>3__0_____________0_____
D)_________________________________________________________________________
  You got ta move...                            (Leading Into Next Verse)>


That's a progression for one verse. The same progression, with a few improv
changes if desired, can be used for all verses and a guitar break, should
you want one. Here's another progression which can be used for another verse
to add a little change to the texture of the tune. This progression will rely
a bit more on chording and less on slide than the previous one.  

D)______________0________________0__0____________________________________
B)______0___1____________________________________________________________
G)__0__________________________________>3___0____________________________
D)______0______________0__>3__0________>3_______0__>3__0_________________
G)__0___________0______0__>3__0_____________0___0__>3__0_________________
D)_______________________________________________________________________
  You may be high...        ...you may be low....  

D)__0__0___0___0______0__0__0__0____0__0____0___0________________________
B)__0__0___0___0______1__1__1__1____1__1____1___0________________________
G)__0__0___0___0______0__0__0__0____3__3____0___0________________________
D)__0__0___0___0______2__2__2__2____2__2____2___0______0__>3___0_________
G)__0__0___0___0______0__0__0__0____0__0____0___0______0__>3___0_________
D)_______________________________________________________________________
  You may be rich, honey-chile, ...you may be poor

D)_______________________________________________________________________
B)________________0______________0___1___1_______________________________
G)_________0______0______________0___0___0_______________________________
D)__0h2___________0___0__>3__0___0___2___2_______________________________
G)________________0___0__>3__0___0___3___0_______________________________
D)_______________________________________________________________________
 But when the Lord....     ...gets ready...

D)______________________________________>5____5____5____________________
B)______________________________________________________________________
G)_________________0____________________________________________________
D)_________________0______0__>3__0______________________________________
G)____3b___0_______0______0__>3__0_______0____0___0_____________________
D)____________3b________________________________________________________
   You  got  to  move.

The above uses more chording for the I, IV and V position changes. These chord
structures are generalities. They can be changed or substituted to preference,
or mixed with parts from the very first upper slide progression. Let me stress
how improvisational this style is. Use this tab as a starting point, then do
it your way. The way you feel it. The Rolling Stones did it, as have lots of other
people. Good luck. Any questions feel free to e-mail me.
-Dadfad


               YOU GOT TO MOVE (by Mississippi Fred McDowell)
 
               You got ta move.
               You got ta move.
               You got ta move, chile, don't ya know
               You got ta move
               Cause when our Lord gets ready
               You gotta move

               You may be high
               You may be low
               You may be rich, honey chile,
               You may be poor
               But when the Lord gets ready
               You got ta move

               You see that gal
               She walks the street,
               You see that police man
               A walkin' on his beat,
               When the Lord gets ready
               They got ta move

               (Moan one verse)

               You got ta move.
               You got ta move.
               You got ta move, chile, don't ya know
               You got ta move
               Yeah, when the Lord gets ready
               You got ta move
             



[Admin]

Great John, Thanks