Third Degree The next song again was from a piano player - Eddie Boyd's (1914 - 1994) "Third Degree". Eddie Boyd (Edward Riley Boyd) came 1941 from Clarksdale, Mississippi over Memphis to Chicago - like many others fleeing from the Klu Klux Klan. He started as a replacement for Big Maceo, and tried to get to Chess records (THE Blues label, besides Cobra) without success. But shortly after his biggest hit "Five Long Years" (on FTC, too!), he got a contract at Chess records and recorded many Blues classics like "24 Hours" or - this song, which was co-written by the big Willie Dixon, "Mr. Chicago Blues". "Third Degree" is a very jazzy "west coast style" Blues in the key of D, so we can use the first Blues pattern starting at - guess it - the 10th fret. We can still use some of our well known I-IV-V chords (I: D, IV: G, V: A), but we now play them as 9th chords (I explained 9th chords already at the chicago Blues page). Let's start with the intro. Some piano parts are included - if you have no piano... I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I I--------13/15~~-(13tr15)-13---------------------------------------------------------I I-12-12-----------------------(14)rb12-------------------------------10-12b(14)rb12p-I I-(piano)--------(piano)---------------12-10h12-10h12-10h12-10h12-12-----------------I I-----------------------------------------pick softly--------------------------------I I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I 0:00 I-------------------------------------------------------------------13--10--13--10---I I-------------------------------------10----------------------------12b-----12b------I I-10-12----10-12b(14)rb12p10----10-12----12-10h12-9h10-------------------------------I I-------12-------------------12------------------------12-10tr12..--from G7 chord...-I I--------------------------------------------------------------.piano.---------------I I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I 0:09 (Bb9)(A9) (Eb9)(D9) I-------------------------------------13--12-------6--5------------------------------I I-10----------------------------------13--12-------6--5----vocals start--------------I I----12-10----10h12-10----------------13--12-------6--5------------------------------I I----------12----------12-10tr12...---12--11-------5--4------------------------------I I-------------------------------------13--12-------6--5------------------------------I I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I 0:19 During the vocals we play a very soft rhythm guitar using downstrokes only. For the first verse (and the others, too) they are (currently figuring out...) D9 Got me 'cused of peeping D9 G7 Eb9 D9 I can't see a thing D9 A7 Got me 'cused of petting D9 A9 G9 I can't even raise my head G9 A9 G9 Bad love, bad love D9 is killing me Short guitar break at 1:02 with a variation of our well known Blues starting riff, going up to the root note at the high E-string and then back to the root note at the low E-string: (Bb9)(A9) I-------------10------------10--13---10-----------------------------13--12---I I----------10----10-13b(15)-----12b-----10----10--------------------13--12---I I--12b(14)---------------------------------12----12-----------------13--12---I I---------------------------------------------------10--------------12--11---I I------------------------------------------------------12\8---------13--12---I I-----------------------------------------------------------10---------------I 1:01 A9 G9 Well I just can't stay G9 D9 no more on this third degree At 1:23 a variation of the above theme, than starting the next verse. Chords are the same, and guitar fills between area again versions of the above theme. At 2:41 we have a solo, all around the D minor Blues scale at the 10th fret. It starts like: I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I I-----------13/15-15-15~~~--13/15-13/15-13/15-13------------------------------13-----I I--14-14-14--------------------------------------(14)rb12-10---------10-12/14--------I I------------------------------------------------------------12---12-----------------I I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I 2:41 I-------------------------------------------------------------13--10-----------------I I-------------------------------------------------------------12b----10--------------I I--14\12-10----10h12-10h12-10-------------------------------------------12-11----11--I I-----------12----------------12-10----------------------------------------^--12-----I I-----------------------------------12-10--------8h10-8h10-8---------------major-----I I-----------------------------------------13-10----------------------------note!-----I 2:54 I------------10------------10------13---13--13---10----------------------------------I I---------10----10-13b(15)---------12b--12b-12b-----10-----10------------------------I I-12b(14)----------------------------------------------12b----12b-12-10----10--etc..-I I-----------------------------------------------------------------------12-----------I I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I You now go on with the licks above. Remember to play fluid and clean, using small bends and sometimes a major note. Build up and release tension, another short example from 3:35 goes like: I----13-15-17-15-17-15h17p15--13-15-13--------------I I-15-----------------------------------15-13-15~~~--I I---------------------------------------------------I I--------------------------------------------root---I I--------------------------------------------note---I I---------------------------------------------------I 3:35 The end is easy to figure out, a short lick up and down ending with the chords Eb9 / D9.