"Guitar Chimes" by Blind Blake

Friends:
I'm excited to share my work on "Guitar Chimes" with you this month. With each new solo of Blake's that I transcribe, I believe I learn a little more about his technique and get a little bit closer to the "truth" regarding how he may have achieved his sound.

The strongest assertion I'm going to make after this month's project is I now believe, with near certainty, that Blake used his thumb and two fingers when playing. This is not really a new idea as I always believed this, but there were things I could hear in "Guitar Chimes" that would be impossible to execute using just thumb and index. It is also possible that he may have used the ring finger in his right hand, and I think this piece plays just fine if one chooses to use their ring finger for the notes on the first string, but I believe certain things I hear make this implausible.

The strongest evidence in regards to the above point are first exemplified by the upper brushed notes in the section beginning in measure 42. When the audio is slowed down substantially you may be able to hear how after each brush the 1st and 3rd strings get muted and the 2nd string rings through. The most reasonable explanation for this is the index and middle fingers are playing the first and third strings up top, the middle finger brushing through the second string too, and as the right hand prepares to execute each successive attack the fingers are placed back down on the strings, muting the 1st and 3rd and allowing the 2nd to ring through. I believe if he typically used his ring finger in the right hand, he would have used all three fingers for this attack and would have placed all three back down on the strings, thereby muting everything. Further evidence for the use of the middle finger in addition to the index can be heard in measure 18. The slowed down audio suggests the staggered notes begin with the 2nd string followed by the 1st string. Sure, these could be played with thumb and index but occasionally the attack on the second string also hits the 3rd string. If the thumb was used here that would not happen, strongly suggesting these lines are played with index and middle.

This is my most detailed Blake score to date, setting a new high bar and hopefully elevating others' interpretation of this classic. There are still elements of the music that perplex me, I discuss many, if not most of them in the lesson video. I strongly believe he uses the fingers of the right hand to frequently mute strings that are ringing. It is plausible that a lot of the staccato effect we are hearing could also be caused by releases in pressure of the left hand, or collapsing the fingers of the left hand to mute what is ringing. It is also possible he uses both right- and left-hand muting, and this is the approach I use in my interpretation of the music.

You only need to know a few chords to play this one, but all of the magic is in the tiny details. The lesson video can be accessed here:
https://youtu.be/Z8RtgTfYPAw
***A new lesson video has been uploaded, I scrubbed through several times and did not find any glitches in the video, let me know if you spot any***

The score is attached below. Enjoy!