Blues Harmonica Study Lesson Song: Juke

General Comments
As many of you know, this was the song that really started the post-war Chicago blues era of harmonica. It’s the first (well-known) song to use amplified blues harmonica. It was also the song that introduced swing and jump blues phrasing to blues harmonica playing. On top of all of this, it was a #1 hit. Cotton and Arnold have told me that after “Juke” was released, if you didn’t have a harmonica player in your band you didn’t get work! If you call yourself a blues harmonica player, you have to know this song… so dig in!

1st Chorus (Head – AAB Chorus Form)
The very first lick brings controversy right away. The octave 3+/6+ is what I hear and would suggest using. Others feel that he’s playing the 6+/9+ octave. When listening to the recording, you can hear the 9+ pitch present. It is possible he did that, though I feel improbable. I believe that the note you hear (9+) is produced by the amplifier he played on. Tubes will commonly go bad and start to produce louder overtones (notes above the fundamental pitch). Others (Joe Filisko specifically) believe that he’s playing a little bit of 7+ with the 6+, like he does in the break chorus (coming later in the series). This is a valid argument as well. Which do you use? Since there’s no consensus on the matter, try all of the above and pick which one feels and sounds best to you.

There’s very nice use of the pull on the last four measures. Make sure you are articulating the pulls softly. Pulls played too loudly can ruin a line (Blues Harmonica Method Level 1 [MB21053BCD] is a good book to study pulls). Also look at the use of the 3+. Little Walter primarily tongue blocked, so frequent use of the 3+ (over the 2 draw) is common, especially on turnarounds (the lick in the last two measures of a chorus).

2nd Chorus (AAB Chorus Form)
Here he vamps on the 2 for what would normally count out to be eight measures. Notice in the notation that he drops three beats in the first line. It was common for musicians back then to make a change—early or late—whatever felt right is what was played. Did Walter jump the change? Did the band jump the change? It doesn’t matter. Play with the recording and learn it that way and then spend some time with a jam track and add some extra 2 draws (three beats total) to make it work. I have provided an example that you can play on the final page of the transcription. If you play this with a band, you don’t want to drop beats like the original; play the song as a standard form. You’ll see in the next chorus an extra two beats are added before the V chord. You just have to take a song at face value and then change it to accommodate the more rigid form of today’s players.

The V chord here is similar to the V chord used in the head, though it starts on the 4 draw. Make sure to follow these notes and not just repeat the last four measures of the head.

3rd Chorus (ABC Chorus Form)
Nothing too difficult in this chorus except for the IV chord (5th measure) might bring a challenge to some of you. Anytime an artist hangs around one pitch area for a while, it can be difficult. It's not that the lick is difficult per se, it can be hard to hear and remember the pattern. For sections like this, look at the transcription very closely. Slow down the music and focus on getting every note right before moving onto playing at full tempo with the original track. As usual, watch your volume on the pulls (play them softly).

4th Chorus (ABC Chorus Form)
Some of the pulls and breath marks (open circle note heads) can be difficult to play the first time around. So much so that your rhythm will probably be off at first trying to play them at the right volume and timing. Take some of the pickup pulls out at first and add them as you start to feel comfortable with the main lines (a good example of this is in the pickup to the second measure of the IV chord). Challenge yourself to tongue block bend on the 5 draw in the 7th and 8th choruses. This is an easy bend and a good time to try tongue block bending if you haven't already done so.

5th Chorus (ABC Chorus Form)
This is the break chorus. Notice the call to break on the and-of-three in the 12th measure of the previous chorus. This little 6+/7+ hit helps to aurally tell the band a break is coming. Walter probably looked or nodded to the band as well to signal the break. This is a good thing to do if you perform this song live with a band. When adding the 7+ to the 6+, don't add too much; the 7+ is just to add some texture (like when you play 4 with a little bit of 5).

Joe Filisko told me once, discussing techniques used by players like Walter as they emerged from the pre-war sound of Chicago blues, that it was very common to add a little 7+ to the 6+ instead of playing an octave. Joe believes that the first lick (that we spoke of regarding the first chorus) in the song uses the 6+/7+ instead of the octave (3+/6+). I don't hear that (maybe I'll change my mind some day!), but it’s obvious that Walter is playing a 6+/7+ for these break hits in the fifth chorus.

Everything else in this chorus is pretty straightforward. Watch out for the timing of when the shake leaves on the IV chord (5th and 6th measures). Most players leave on the downbeat of the 6th measure when they should leave on the and-of-one of the 6th measure.

6th Chorus (ABC Chorus Form)
At the end of the second measure a 4 draw moves into a 4 bend (third measure). The spacing of the notation makes it hard to see that this is played very fast. At the end of the third measure you will see Walter’s common rhythmic breath usage. Again, play these areas very softly. Notice that some of the blow chords found on a downbeat use the thin notation denoting the use of rhythmic breathing. Some areas of rhythmic breathing use standard note heads. When standard note heads are used, these are still rhythmic breaths, just louder. The last line of this chorus will be a good challenge for you to work on your rhythmic breathing and its presentation at the correct volume.

7th Chorus (ABC Chorus Form)
The last half beat of the first measure (2” 1), going into the downbeat of the second measure (1+, 2+ & 3+) again will challenge your speed and ability to play these chordal passages in time. Try leaving the rhythmic blow breaths out at first to get the rhythm of the line, adding them later when you feel confident in your timing of the line.

8th Chorus (A B/A C)
The last chorus is a really sweet one. The use of the 2” in the second measure is really nice. Watch your pitch on the 3 draws for proper bend.

What to Tell the Band
1) Key of E
2) Shuffle
3) From the I (One Chord)