Mississippi Fred McDowell (1904-1972) - What's the Matter Now?

[BravoEchoRomeoTango]

I drive by his grave often but stopped today for a visit. This is North Mississippi Blues. It's a little different from Delta Blues and Memphis Blues and not quite as well known. Broken glass bottle neck slide was his favorite.

[mielazul]

As far as the tuning goes, he's really low - C# or C for sure (sorry can't find my tuner). I love those deep low sounds. For some good raw slide blues, btw, check "Rosetta West - Underground."

[clef103]

i shoo gotz da blues tanite, yes lawd !

[aurlis2012]

deadly.

[pastiestatheist]

Isn't this the same arrangement as Goin Down to the River?

[bigdreama]

@pastiestatheist

Sure sounds like it to me.

[gageman70]

@pastiestatheist yup he also uses this guitar work for "fred's worried blues", and "everybody's got me down"<--which has a really cool monologue on the blues at the beginning

[ThisTooShallPass314]

Turn it Up.

Loud.

[ThisTooShallPass314]

Within the first 20 seconds of this song, you ears and you body can already tell:

"This is something Real."

Freddie Always Stops You.

[bowassell]

greatest blues man ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jahja52]

If you fancy seeing some music inspired by Fred McDowell this March, Alabama 3 are performing acoustic and unplugged!

They are performing in this stripped down acoustic way to show the songs in a format reminiscent of the people that have been their inspiration, chiefly the old Delta Blues players like Fred McDowell and Bukka White.

See alabama3.co.uk for more details

[Odin029]

I've heard Fred in stuff from open F down to Db and I'm pretty sure this is open Db. Take the open D and push everything a half a step lower so Db Ab Db F Ab Db from sixth string to first.

[madFlam1]

open d maybe. he tuned quite low

[terrybeaton]

I think this kind of music is actually coming from a place in the soul of it's own. The more raw and straight forward, the more affecting. Unique in it's beauty!

[LeandroMuntendam]

Yhis indeed is THE BEST mcDowell song i know DAMN!

[funkk]

So good it's scary!

[panbread89]

The Tuning: Open D- D A D F# A D

[Iverbraidhead]

@panbread89

Thanks a million, will try this at home asap with my new guitar!

[aurlis2012]

wow this song is beastly. mcdowell is playing from the heart, the slide part is so badass

[osbech3]

AWESOME!!!!!

[TheElsadogge]

You can hear Mr. Mcdowell in Bonnie Raits guitar playing. I would give my two front teeth to have learned from a man like Mr. Mcdowell. " I don't play no rock'n'roll, I play the straight natural blues"

[FrankieOwls]

"Blues Is the Roots,Everything Else Is The Fruits" -Willie Dixon

@ben13rown... I believe he is somewhere between a open C# to a open D tuning. Basically your standard OPEN D tuning. His tuning seems to be a couple of cents under a C#

[MOLLYHORN]

Gotta be the best blues song I've ever heard!

[Repulver]

holy shit, i love that guy and the chicks in the background ;D

[szninkiel12]

IM THE ONE!!!!

[afkhajiit]

So masterful.

[141kelwood]

seen him at a marapossa festival in the late 60's in toronto...was a big hendrix fan

he blow me away.......very nice...ty

[ben13rown]

Thanks slither, i figured as much- gotta be open D or somethin like that

[ben13rown]

this is fuckin amazing- anyone know the tuning by any chance?

[synapsecracklepop]

I'm not a musician, sorry.

yeah, it's the real deal, isn't it?

[slither13]

@ben13rown Just by going by the sound, I'm thinking its open D. If not just put your tuner up to your speakers and see what comes out.

[killerkarl123]

@ben13rown Open D

[Lcowand1]

@ben13rown Open Cord

[gaeliel]

@ben13rown I do believe Fred used to play in open E - that is E-B-E-G♯-B-E. You might want to use very thin strings or tune to open D (DADF♯AD) and put a capo on - the tension required for the tuning is massive!

[MrDriggy]

@ben13rown

D#

[ButlerATX]

@ben13rown open G?

[ButlerATX]

@ben13rown open G?

[gageman70]

@ben13rown Mcdowell played almost exclusively in open D, so tried that first. DADF#AD

[villainjpe1704tks]

@ben13rown - I haven't figured out the tuning on guitar yet, but i'm sitting next to a piano and the root sounds like it's right around a c#...you can pull a little riff on e,f#,g and bounce between a low c# and an octave up and it sounds right. It's wicked low and floppy sounding on that bass string though, so it may be a low c# there as a half step down from a drop D, prolly just about that sounda floppy. I'll mess with it in a while and try to figure out the tuning.

[burninhellfire84]

@ben13rown i play every open tuning i can find,if ever anything i found out that it s technique remains pretty much the same in al of the open tuning,try open d practicing for mississipi fred s tunes and rythem...see you and keep up the blues ,if you havent playd open tunings i can highly reccommend it,aswell with buying a slide

if you aint got one

[lostintheblues]

@ben13rown I'm pretty sure it's open D, just like pretty much everything else he recorded for the most part

[turdlingtoothpaste]

@ben13rown it sounds like he is playing in open D but a fullstep down

[schonne026]

@ben13rown I think, but i'm not sure, tune is a open D

[nyseamex]

REAL MUSIC RIGHT HERE!!!

[feelingproject]

Thanks to memory of Mr.Alan Lomax and all recorded treasures & synapsecracklepop to post this... ƒ.

[dioisfreakinamazing6]

king of the hill country blues...

[ziribai]

gotta love the delta blues

[lightbulbs67]

This has got to be one of the greatest blues songs ever

[sssnaky]

@lightbulbs67  not at all. he is THE greatest

[wavewobbler]

Sheer bliss.

[jefevadc]

Good Lord! That there is SOUL music, straight from his heart to yours. Pure.

[stapme]

A master piece.

[AuroraKismet]

5 *****

whole lot of stories in those eyes @0:26