In 1927, singer-songwriter Jimmie Rodgers had a dispute with atrioventricular bundle and marched on his own to tape-record a batch of tunes, initially in Bristol, Tennessee, and after that in Camden, New Jersey. In the Camden sessions, Rodgers taped a tune that would show a surprise hit and aid move him to popularity as the dad of c and w:“Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas).”
The tune, brimming with Rodgers’ hallmark yodeling and durable guitar strumming, is based loosely on the 12-bar blues verse type in the secret of G significant (sounding in the secret of A due to a capo at the 2nd fret). In this solo setting, Rodgers took liberty with the type, including beats as required to fit the lyrics. In the very first verse, for example, he included 2 additional beats at the end of the 4th procedure (revealed here as a bar of 2/4, instead of 6/4, for ease of reading) and does the exact same after bar 12, and so on. These adjustments differ from verse to verse however must be apparent to determine from listening to the initial recording.
Throughout, Rodgers plays a now-classic boom-chuck accompaniment– bass notes on beats 1 and 3 and strums on 2 and 4. Keep in mind how rather than constantly playing it directly, he periodically interferes with the pattern with syncopation. In bars 12, 23, and somewhere else, he utilizes 8th notes to briefly displace the beat– a great method you can use in your own accompaniment to keep listeners on their toes.
TheTAB and notation for “Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)” is offered to members of theAcoustic Guitar Patreonpage at the Supporters tier or greater. Join our neighborhood to gain access to live workshops, tune transcriptions, unique podcast episodes, and more!