Jimmy Reed shuffle- the missing ingredient.

[@freebird7339]

Thanks for keeping my Granddad’s memory alive. 🙏

[@mattdwyerbluesandroots]

Your granddad was Jimmy Reed? Wow! Thanks for the comment.

[@chrisghiardi117]

There are relatively recent releases dedicated to Jimmy Reed songs, including one by Omar Dykes and Jimmy Vaughn and a host of Texas folk. Also any blues jam or open Mike that is roots and blues oriented.

[@dejanristic4715]

Yeah! Keith Richards has tried to explain this lick in his book "Life". I wasn't quite sure when I was reading, but now it's clear. Thanks.

[@jonno63]

yeah me too I thought the same thing

[@fredwangbuttle2937]

Excellent. Love the 12 bar shuffles. Didn't`t know that variation.

[@mattdwyerbluesandroots]

It's a good 'un.

[@HowardAcquistapace]

Wtf you saying ?

[@bryanmannoia8410]

nice variation. thank you.

[@taylordiclemente5163]

This avoids parallel fifths between the IV and V chords. Great!

[@RodrigoOliveira-vj5mb]

Thanks for this!

[@fonklangoryklangory2586]

Man thx 🤩🤩🤩🎸🎸🎸😎😎👍😁😁😁😊😊😊 Excellent poaying and sound, what amp you use on this movie ? Best 🤩🤩🎸😎😎👍👍👍🤜🤛

[@michaelpinder353]

Thank you for this Matt. Can you tell me, is this the fundamental shuffle played in Jimmy’s ‘Baby what you want me to do’?

[@thefisheyedfool6796]

Spot on Matt! I been trying to tell MFers the Jimmy Reed five for nearly 40 years.

[@mattdwyerbluesandroots]

Thanks a lot. It's the little things that make all the difference.

[@taylordiclemente5163]

@@thefisheyedfool6796 "keep the IV bass under the V chord"

[@taylordiclemente5163]

@@thefisheyedfool6796 "V42" for the classical people and, assuming key of C, "G7/F" for the jazz and pop people.

[@profharp]

How about one in A as well? I call that 3rd change a Drone 5....

[@dontgoout1434]

There aint one got to play more conventional e or dont play the 5th like john hooker thats where copyists fail at times hooker just hits a b note on second fret a string thats all .

[@profharp]

​@@dontgoout1434But THESE aren't Hooker grooves.

[@chrisghiardi117]

Is this what Keef was saying in his biography? I didn't quite grasp it when read.

[@chrisghiardi117]

Answered.

[@meetontheledge1380]

Yes! Wasn't it around the time (in his narrative) when the Stones recorded at Chess (Reed was on Veejay) and he was marveling the way all those guitar players had 'short cuts'' that they played with only a couple fingers vs. the full ''proper'' chords?

[@profharp]

It also works good in Chuck Berry-style Rock N Roll.....

[@kemosabe4320]

i use to listen to Jimmy Reed before Elvis and folks just didn't dig it? I just dug it. Hell I use to use Royal Crown on my hair. Being white use to piss my old man off. I would just say, "Baby what you want me to do". He would go off then........ Elmore James, Lighting, can't forget Muddy just the whole crew. Great times and better MUSIC

[@meetontheledge1380]

Well, Elvis sure loved him some Jimmy Reed! He built the entire ''sit down'' portion of the '68 Comeback around Reed's Baby What You Want Me To Do, and also recorded a send up of Big Boss Man!.

[@Patrick-857]

Blues players are masters of economical playing.

[@judenowinski4344]

I loved when I discovered Jimmy's flubbed b. I read something that said it got keith richards goin too.

[@PAD939]

Strange to use the A as root at B chord

[@mattdwyerbluesandroots]

This is where the theory can be confusing. It's a B7 chord, so the root note is B. The B7 already has a A in it - A is the 7th of B. Having an A on the low string is an inversion. It does sound strange I admit, but it's part of Jimmy Reed's sound. He does the same thing on 'Caress Me Baby' which is in A.

[@leahmarieotting]

Thanks for the short and sweet guitar lesson here. Is that Guyatone guitar you're playing on?

[@mattdwyerbluesandroots]

No it's a Profile Vintage made in Japan in the 80's for the Australian market.

[@rodjones117]

@@mattdwyerbluesandroots Very nice. Why only for the Oz market?

[@marcbolan1818]

Now I want a pea green Strat w/Rosewood.

[@mattdwyerbluesandroots]

I want to paint my car that colour.

[@marcbolan1818]

Guess it is a Japanese version of a relic Sea Foam green.

[@mattdwyerbluesandroots]

@@marcbolan1818 You're right, except I bought it (almost) new in 1987, so all the relic -ing is from actual use.

[@marcbolan1818]

@@mattdwyerbluesandroots I love it and I cannot find another like it from Japan and same vintage. Not a fan of the greens that I have seen on all other Fenders.

[@davidallen346]

I've spoken to a elderly Hispanic woman back in the early 1990s she told me Jimmy Reed was like their most popular teenager idol musucian in that era during 1950s That's what all the teeny poppers were listening to compared to artist like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry. Jonas Brothers to What we have in modern times

[@VonHanzee]

IQ's have dropped off the cliff since then, that would explain alot.

[@ck2music712]

The TONE threw me off for a minute; I guess that's what a Strat neck pickup sounds like with ALL the bass removed, LoL... The SOUND of a neck pup with the EQ of a bridge pickup... And here I thought I knew how a Strat sounded, LoL...

[@stephenbouchelle7706]

Easier and sounds good too.

[@mattdwyerbluesandroots]

And more authentic.

[@AGENTARMES]

It’s like Jimmy was drunk one night and just played open A on the 5 and it stuck

[@mattdwyerbluesandroots]

Some great innovations come from mistakes. Technically it's not wrong, because A is the Dom 7 of the B7 chord. It's just an inversion.