November 2023 Guitar Newsletter : A Closer Look At Eric Clapton’s Blues Song Called “Cryin’”
Modern guitar players will forever be rooted in American Blues music. A whole new world opens up when you dive into this vast genre. You become aware of the origins of recorded popular music and the influence of Blues around the globe. Especially for guitarists, there are countless musicians and recordings to explore. This month’s guitar newsletter is aimed at more advanced students who have some music theory under their belt. I would like to analyze an original blues tune by Eric Clapton, a frontman of the British Blues invasion. It is called “Cryin’” and can be found on the double CD collection appropriately called “Blues”.
Blues music when played with a combo, meaning the addition of a drummer and bass player, has to have a reliable structure to ensure everyone is on the same page. We call this the form of the song. Basic Blues song forms consist of 3 chords, the I, IV and V chord, and can be arranged in various orders and lengths, such as the common 12 Bar Blues.
Another way to arrange these chords is to put them into a length of 8 measures. Cryin’ is an example of an 8 Bar Blues, similar to Big Bill Broonzy’s “Mississippi River Blues” or “Trouble In Mind” by Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, both of whom were undoubtedly heavy influences on Clapton. Once Eric starts singing in Cryin’, count along while tapping your foot to the quarter notes of the bass line, and you’ll notice that the rest of the song follows this 8 Bar Blues pattern. Despite its very somber lyrics, there is something uplifting and forward moving about this song, and it feels different than a generic blues tune. Listen to Eric’s choice of bass notes and his rhythmic feel. He plays thirds both on the first E chord (V) and the D chord (IV) with an anticipated shuffle rhythm. Studio session ace bassist Dave Markee follows his lead and gives the song a bit of a “poppier” bounce.
I came across Cryin’ while on the lookout for Blues songs using what are called “turnarounds”. A turnaround is a characteristic element of American blues music, and it functions either as a chordal introduction to the first verse and can also point back to the top of a repeating verse once the song is underway. The first 30 seconds start out with Eric playing a 4 bar turnaround in the key of A major. As typical for a classic turnaround, the initial shape is then moved downwards twice chromatically until it resolves to the A chord. It starts with an A7 chord in 5th position incorporating both the low A and high E string as a drone, firmly establishing the key center of A major.
On verse 3 and 7 Eric hums the simple melody instead of filling it with more lyrics or his trademark guitar fills. Fans of blues guitar can pick out Clapton by his guitar tone and phrasing, but isn’t it remarkable that a lay music person might be able to recognize this artist by the timbre of his humming? After the first round of humming, he goes into a wonderful little acoustic guitar solo. It is a textbook example of tastefully using double stops, slides, mournful bends and staying very true to the chord changes. During the entire solo he outlines the chord tones, and there isn’t a note that doesn’t make perfect sense from a music theory perspective. It starts off by playing a diatonic major third over the A chord, then switches to the b7 and major third on the E7 chord, resolving it to the root of that chord and then shifting down ever so slightly bending a b7 while outlining the upper part of the D7 chord. Notice also at the end of the solo, he again incorporates a major third on the A chord, except an octave lower and then finishes with an A note.
Over the past month, I have grown quite fond not only of Clapton’s flawless playing, but also the effortless and yet bold rhythm section of this live studio take. Producer Glyn Johns, who regularly hired bassist Dave Markee and drummer Henry Spinetti for his projects, captured the warm sound of this superb lineup. Talk about a well-oiled machine!
I hope you enjoyed this month’s dive into analyzing a song as much as I enjoyed stumbling across this gem. When listening to blues music, I encourage you to dig a little deeper, listen repeatedly to the same song and keep an ear out for nuances. Check out influences of well-known artists, such as Eric, and be prepared to enter a deeply connected and shared musical heritage.
Chris
