"Stormy Monday"-type blues in G

TeleHawg · November 29th, 2003, 12:02 PM

Really this is something I should already know (I've been faking it), but what are the "official" chords for "Stormy Monday"?

I'm OK till after the IV/I change: at that point, I go from Am7 to Bm7 to Bb7--and then what? How does one typically work one's way back to G7 from the Am7/Bm7 sequence?

Thanks!

Anonymous · November 29th, 2003, 11:12 PM

I don't know about "official," but the changes I've always used for SM have been (shown here in G):

G7 / / / | C7 / / / | G7 / Ab7 / | G7 / / / |
C7 / / / | C7 / / / | G7 / Am7 / | Bm7 / Eb9 / |
D7 / / / | Eb7 / D7 / | G7 / C7 / | G7 / D7 / ||

There are lots of variations, especially turnarounds for the last two bars, but these changes should get you through most blues jams. Best of luck, CS

Tim Bowen · November 29th, 2003, 11:48 PM

"Official" or "correct" would depend on who you ask, whose version you're listening to, or who you're playing it with...

First of all, "Stormy Monday Blues" (by Earl Hines & Billy Eckstine) is an entirely different tune than "Call It Stormy Monday", which is the tune people are referring to when they say "Stormy Monday". Clear as mud??? Anyway, "Call It Stormy Monday" was written by Aaron "T-Bone" Walker & released in 1948. It did not become a standard until recorded by Bobby "Blue" Bland as "Stormy Monday Blues" in 1961 (not to be confused with the different composition of the same name by Hines & Eckstine). In 1962, Lou Rawls did a midtempo jazz version w/ pianist Les McCann's trio, entitled simply "Stormy Monday". Confused yet? I sure am. Believe it or not, it was Pat Boone that correctly titled his own version as "Call It Stormy Monday", & he faithfully followed T-Bone's arrangement, as well as gave Walker compositional credit. But Pat changed the lyric, "Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me" to "Gee, my goodness, gee, my goodness me." How bubblegum is that... The tune has been covered by Joe Turner, Albert King, Nancy Wilson, & The Allman Brothers, among many others... the point of all this is that they all sound different...

T-Bone's 1948 version is bare bones simple, & as best I recall, goes something like this:

| - G7 - | - C9 - | - G7 - | - G7 -| - C9 - | - C9 - |

| - G7 - | - G7 - | Am7 - | - D9 -| - G7 - | G7 D9 |

I've played it a bunch of different ways with a bunch of different people, but most often a version similar to that of the Allman Brothers. I don't have a copy of Fillmore here, but from memory, it's something like this:

| - G7 - | - C9 - |G7 Ab7| - G7 - | - C9 - | - C9 - |

| G Am7|Bm7 Bbm7|- Am7-|-Abma7-|G7 C9|G7 D+aug|

I've played variations with the G major in bar 6 as dominant 7, as well as all the minor7 chords being straight minor... you'll probably get a dozen different answers... I believe the tune is in 12/8.

Anonymous · November 30th, 2003, 12:18 AM

Why does the eagle fly on Friday? Is there something about that particular day of the week that is more conducive to winged flight than other days? Would it include days like yesterday in the U.S., which, while certainly a Friday, was a holiday for most people? And is it only eagles that fly on Fridays, or is it other species as well? I'm pretty sure I've seen the crows out tearing up the garbage on Fridays. But come to think of it, they're just hopping around, not flying. Are the Friday flights of the eagle (and/or any other birds, for that matter) weather permitting, or are they like postal carriers? You know, rain, sleet, snow, etc. If we provided the eagle with adequate ground transportation 24/7, would it continue to fly on Fridays? When it flies on Friday, does it have to stay over Saturday night to avoid an unreasonably high fare? And more importantly... what is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Expiring minds wanna know. ;-) CS

Tim Bowen · November 30th, 2003, 12:31 AM

Most white collar & blue collar eagles fly on Fridays because they've been tied down to their boring, loathsome jobs all week. These particular classes of eagles will fly until Monday morning, or 'till they drop. Highly privileged, ultra-rich eagles of rank & notoriety fly whenever & wherever they choose, don't concern themselves with budget air fares, & certainly wouldn't be caught mucking about in the garbage or associating with the likes of crows.

hardprom · November 30th, 2003, 12:33 AM

"The eagle flies on Friday" is a reference to payday and the eagle associated with US currency. Another semi-obscure reference can be found in another old standard "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" in the line that goes:

"If I ever get my hands on a dollar again,
I'm gonna hold on to it 'til the eagle grins"

slinkyoz · December 9th, 2003, 04:15 PM

I've always taken it to be a reference to payday. The colloquiallism I've heard is "the golden eagle sh*ts today", or, in my case, the golden budgie.

Dano · December 12th, 2003, 03:34 PM

Nobody knows you ...

"If I ever get my hands on two bits,
I'm gonna hold on to it 'til the eagle sh*ts"

Greg_C · December 24th, 2003, 09:45 PM

it's played as a I-IV-V with the horns playing the accidentals as diads F/B-F#/C-F/B-E/Bb-F/B-F#/C-F/B-D/G. I usually comp these using the third position 4th string and fourth position 3rd string and third position on the 1st and second strings.
HTH, Greg.

Don Miller · December 24th, 2003, 10:00 PM

You can play the verses with the 6th-9th shift...I think the ABB version has this...in G its

e--------------------------
B-----5-----------3-------
G-----4-----------2-------
D-----5-----------3-------
A--------------------------
E------------------------------ on the I chord G6-G9

bar the top 3 at 5, the the top 3 at 3 for the IV chord, C6-C9

and top 3 at 7, top 3 at 5 for the V chord D6-D9

The 6th-9th move is a nice blues comp..Miles Davis used it on "So What?" as well..

slinkyoz · December 25th, 2003, 03:13 PM

It's "Freddie Freeloader", not "So What". "So What" has a similar motif, but it's a minor 11 type thing, a stack of fourths.

Don Miller · December 25th, 2003, 03:51 PM

Ok..yeah...youre right...been a while since I had "Kind of Blue" out...

Tim Bowen · December 27th, 2003, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg_C

it's played as a I-IV-V

Hey, I heard the T-Bone version again over the Holidays; I could have sworn I heard bass playing A notes at the beginning of bar # 9 - so the II minor 7 chord is at least implied, correct? It doesn't sound or feel right to me with just the V chord...

ddewerd · January 27th, 2004, 04:31 PM

similar to other postings, but not quite the same

G7 / / / | C9 / / / | G7 / Ab7 / | G7 / G7b G7 A7b G7 */ / |

C9 / / / | C9 / / / | G7 / Am7 / | Bm7 / Bbm7 / |

D9 / / / | Eb9 / D9 / | G7 / C9 / | G7 / D9 ** / ||

* play G7 with D on 2nd string, 3rd fret, then G6 or is 13?) with Db 2nd string 2nd fret. Kind of walk down with your pinky finger from D - Db - C while holding a standard G7 barre chord

** nice chord to lead back into the I is to replace the V (D9) with this (at the very end of the progression):

x
3
3
4
5
x

And right before this, during the I-IV-I-V turn around, you can also play this (listen to the ABB version). It is repeated 3 times before going into the chord above

-----
--5-3
--5-3
5----
-----
-----

The other nice little trick is to lead into the C9's with a double stop slide like this:

3s5-5s3
-------
3s5-5s3
-------
-------
-------

There's lots of little hammer ons and pull off you can do with the chords, so just play around with it.

Cheers,
Doug

November 29th, 2003, 12:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
TeleHawg Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Waterville, Maine Age: 62 Posts: 229 10 Photos	"Stormy Monday"-type blues in G Really this is something I should already know (I've been faking it), but what are the "official" chords for "Stormy Monday"? I'm OK till after the IV/I change: at that point, I go from Am7 to Bm7 to Bb7--and then what? How does one typically work one's way back to G7 from the Am7/Bm7 sequence? Thanks! __________________ "Don't worry 'bout it, Hoss. Just stomp your foot and grin." --Hank Williams

November 29th, 2003, 11:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
Tim Bowen Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Age: 48 Posts: 3,327	"Official" or "correct" would depend on who you ask, whose version you're listening to, or who you're playing it with... First of all, "Stormy Monday Blues" (by Earl Hines & Billy Eckstine) is an entirely different tune than "Call It Stormy Monday", which is the tune people are referring to when they say "Stormy Monday". Clear as mud??? Anyway, "Call It Stormy Monday" was written by Aaron "T-Bone" Walker & released in 1948. It did not become a standard until recorded by Bobby "Blue" Bland as "Stormy Monday Blues" in 1961 (not to be confused with the different composition of the same name by Hines & Eckstine). In 1962, Lou Rawls did a midtempo jazz version w/ pianist Les McCann's trio, entitled simply "Stormy Monday". Confused yet? I sure am. Believe it or not, it was Pat Boone that correctly titled his own version as "Call It Stormy Monday", & he faithfully followed T-Bone's arrangement, as well as gave Walker compositional credit. But Pat changed the lyric, "Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me" to "Gee, my goodness, gee, my goodness me." How bubblegum is that... The tune has been covered by Joe Turner, Albert King, Nancy Wilson, & The Allman Brothers, among many others... the point of all this is that they all sound different... T-Bone's 1948 version is bare bones simple, & as best I recall, goes something like this: \| - G7 - \| - C9 - \| - G7 - \| - G7 -\| - C9 - \| - C9 - \| \| - G7 - \| - G7 - \| Am7 - \| - D9 -\| - G7 - \| G7 D9 \| I've played it a bunch of different ways with a bunch of different people, but most often a version similar to that of the Allman Brothers. I don't have a copy of Fillmore here, but from memory, it's something like this: \| - G7 - \| - C9 - \|G7 Ab7\| - G7 - \| - C9 - \| - C9 - \| \| G Am7\|Bm7 Bbm7\|- Am7-\|-Abma7-\|G7 C9\|G7 D+aug\| I've played variations with the G major in bar 6 as dominant 7, as well as all the minor7 chords being straight minor... you'll probably get a dozen different answers... I believe the tune is in 12/8. __________________ "Everyone is different in how they learn, but for me, it's turning the pegs and just playing." - BB

November 30th, 2003, 12:18 AM	#4 (permalink)
Anonymous Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 0	Yeah, okay -- but what I want to know is... Why does the eagle fly on Friday? Is there something about that particular day of the week that is more conducive to winged flight than other days? Would it include days like yesterday in the U.S., which, while certainly a Friday, was a holiday for most people? And is it only eagles that fly on Fridays, or is it other species as well? I'm pretty sure I've seen the crows out tearing up the garbage on Fridays. But come to think of it, they're just hopping around, not flying. Are the Friday flights of the eagle (and/or any other birds, for that matter) weather permitting, or are they like postal carriers? You know, rain, sleet, snow, etc. If we provided the eagle with adequate ground transportation 24/7, would it continue to fly on Fridays? When it flies on Friday, does it have to stay over Saturday night to avoid an unreasonably high fare? And more importantly... what is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow? Expiring minds wanna know. ;-) CS

November 30th, 2003, 12:31 AM	#5 (permalink)
Tim Bowen Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Age: 48 Posts: 3,327	Most white collar & blue collar eagles fly on Fridays because they've been tied down to their boring, loathsome jobs all week. These particular classes of eagles will fly until Monday morning, or 'till they drop. Highly privileged, ultra-rich eagles of rank & notoriety fly whenever & wherever they choose, don't concern themselves with budget air fares, & certainly wouldn't be caught mucking about in the garbage or associating with the likes of crows. __________________ "Everyone is different in how they learn, but for me, it's turning the pegs and just playing." - BB

December 9th, 2003, 04:15 PM	#7 (permalink)
slinkyoz TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: australia Posts: 43	Eagle Leavings I've always taken it to be a reference to payday. The colloquiallism I've heard is "the golden eagle sh*ts today", or, in my case, the golden budgie. __________________ once a jolly swagman, always a jolly swagman...

November 29th, 2003, 11:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
Anonymous Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 0	I don't know about "official," but the changes I've always used for SM have been (shown here in G): G7 / / / \| C7 / / / \| G7 / Ab7 / \| G7 / / / \| C7 / / / \| C7 / / / \| G7 / Am7 / \| Bm7 / Eb9 / \| D7 / / / \| Eb7 / D7 / \| G7 / C7 / \| G7 / D7 / \|\| There are lots of variations, especially turnarounds for the last two bars, but these changes should get you through most blues jams. Best of luck, CS

November 30th, 2003, 12:33 AM	#6 (permalink)
hardprom TDPRI Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Idaho Posts: 10	"The eagle flies on Friday" is a reference to payday and the eagle associated with US currency. Another semi-obscure reference can be found in another old standard "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" in the line that goes: "If I ever get my hands on a dollar again, I'm gonna hold on to it 'til the eagle grins"

December 12th, 2003, 03:34 PM	#8 (permalink)
Dano TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 99	right, payday. Nobody knows you ... "If I ever get my hands on two bits, I'm gonna hold on to it 'til the eagle sh*ts"

December 24th, 2003, 09:45 PM	#9 (permalink)
Greg_C Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: San Clemente, CA Posts: 152	The T-Bone version is a little different it's played as a I-IV-V with the horns playing the accidentals as diads F/B-F#/C-F/B-E/Bb-F/B-F#/C-F/B-D/G. I usually comp these using the third position 4th string and fourth position 3rd string and third position on the 1st and second strings. HTH, Greg. __________________ "cogito ergo sum"

December 24th, 2003, 10:00 PM	#10 (permalink)
Don Miller Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Age: 57 Posts: 593 14 Photos	You can play the verses with the 6th-9th shift...I think the ABB version has this...in G its e-------------------------- B-----5-----------3------- G-----4-----------2------- D-----5-----------3------- A-------------------------- E------------------------------ on the I chord G6-G9 bar the top 3 at 5, the the top 3 at 3 for the IV chord, C6-C9 and top 3 at 7, top 3 at 5 for the V chord D6-D9 The 6th-9th move is a nice blues comp..Miles Davis used it on "So What?" as well..

December 25th, 2003, 03:13 PM	#11 (permalink)
slinkyoz TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: australia Posts: 43	No, it's the next track It's "Freddie Freeloader", not "So What". "So What" has a similar motif, but it's a minor 11 type thing, a stack of fourths. __________________ once a jolly swagman, always a jolly swagman...

December 25th, 2003, 03:51 PM	#12 (permalink)
Don Miller Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Age: 57 Posts: 593 14 Photos	Ok..yeah...youre right...been a while since I had "Kind of Blue" out...

January 27th, 2004, 04:31 PM	#14 (permalink)
ddewerd Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Willow Springs, Great-State-of-Texas Age: 48 Posts: 653 21 Photos	FWIW here's my version similar to other postings, but not quite the same G7 / / / \| C9 / / / \| G7 / Ab7 / \| G7 / G7b G7 A7b G7 / / \| C9 / / / \| C9 / / / \| G7 / Am7 / \| Bm7 / Bbm7 / \| D9 / / / \| Eb9 / D9 / \| G7 / C9 / \| G7 / D9 * / \|\| * play G7 with D on 2nd string, 3rd fret, then G6 or is 13?) with Db 2nd string 2nd fret. Kind of walk down with your pinky finger from D - Db - C while holding a standard G7 barre chord ** nice chord to lead back into the I is to replace the V (D9) with this (at the very end of the progression): x 3 3 4 5 x And right before this, during the I-IV-I-V turn around, you can also play this (listen to the ABB version). It is repeated 3 times before going into the chord above ----- --5-3 --5-3 5---- ----- ----- The other nice little trick is to lead into the C9's with a double stop slide like this: 3s5-5s3 ------- 3s5-5s3 ------- ------- ------- There's lots of little hammer ons and pull off you can do with the chords, so just play around with it. Cheers, Doug