djvu Robert Johnson: A Study

Based on more than forty years of research, this book presents a comprehensive study of the music and artistry of Robert Johnson, one of the most influential figures in the history of the blues.

Written by a researcher as well as an experienced blues guitarist and singer, the book combines the insights of practical performance with objective musical analysis to examine Johnson's guitar playing, singing, rhythm, tuning, and musical techniques.

Scientific methods—including frequency analysis and quantitative rhythmic analysis—are used throughout the book to provide fresh insights into Johnson's performances while remaining firmly grounded in practical musicianship.

The book features complete guitar transcriptions, detailed analyses of vocal and rhythmic performance, and numerous original observations developed over more than four decades.

This volume is intended for blues enthusiasts, musicians, musicologists, researchers, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Robert Johnson's music.

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Contents

Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 — Life
Chapter 2 — Guitar Playing

• Tuning
• Playing Style
• Boogie Bass—Sweet Home Chicago
• Transferred from Piano Blues—Kindhearted Woman Blues
• Slide Guitar—Cross Road Blues
• Ragtime-Style Guitar—From Four Until Late
• Train Song—Love in Vain Blues

Chapter 3 — Vocals

• Characteristics of Robert Johnson’s Vocals
• Frequency Analysis of the Vocal Performance
• Analytical Procedure
• Analysis and Discussion of the Vocal Performance
• Sweet Home Chicago / Drunken Hearted Man / Hellhound on My Trail / From Four Until Late
• Summary of Robert Johnson’s Vocal Technique

Chapter 4 — Lyrics

• The Twenty-Nine Songs: Notes and Commentary

Chapter 5 — Sense of Rhythm

• Rhythm in African American Blues
• Robert Johnson’s Sense of Beat
• Method of Analysis
• Shuffle Beat: Sweet Home Chicago
• Shuffle Beat: Ramblin’ On My Mind (Take 2)
• Flexible Rhythmic Subdivision: Cross Road Blues (Take 1)
• Stumbling of the Beat
• Obligato Phrases: Malted Milk
• Tempo Change
• Meter Irregularities

Chapter 6 — Guitar Tunings

• The Accepted View on Johnson’s Tunings
• The “Fretted-Open” Hypothesis
• Fretted Pieces Possibly Played in Open Tunings
• Problems with the Fretted-Open Theory
• Evidence from Other Blues Musicians
• Where the Fretted-Open Hypothesis Leads
• Conclusion

Chapter 7 — The Problem of Recording Playback Speed

• Recording Practices of the Period and Sped-up playback
• The Effects of Sped-up playback
• The Case of Robert Johnson
• The Case of The Centennial Collection
• The Presence of 120 Hz Hum Noise
• Experimental Verification of the Hum Signal
• Was There Really No Sped-up playback in Robert Johnson’s Recordings?
• So What Should Be Concluded?

Chapter 8 — Pitch and Key

• On Pitch and Key
• Keys, Pitch, and Recording Data for All Recordings

Chapter 9 — Robert Johnson and His Guitars
Chapter 10 — Annie Anderson’s Portrait of Robert
Chapter 11 — The Mystery of Sweet Home Chicago
Chapter 12 — Robert Johnson and Just Intonation
Chapter 13 — Final Words
Afterword
About the Author