Does any one know what tuning he's using? Also, he gets this really menacing sound in the background that almost sounds like a bee buzzing. Any ideas how to get that. That's actually the most important thing I need to know.

Ok, if you know the chords that would be great too.

Death Letter
written by Eddie Son House
from Son House album The Original Delta Blues
tabbed by Adrian Dumchus (dumchusa@hotmail.com) 
played in Open G (D G D G B D from low to high)
V - loud percussive down stroke with fingernails or thumb (rattle the string)
v - down stroke with thumb
^ - up stroke with index and/or middle finger
x - mute string
b - bend
~ - vibrato
T - thumb (on fretting hand)
play fretted notes inside (* *) with a slide

This should give you a basic idea of how the song is played. The strummed
parts don't always have to be exact as far as what strings to hit since 
they're
not always the same on the album, just stay close to the strings that are 
written.
I also put in some of the picking pattern (up/down stroke) to give an idea
of how he creates the rhythym - he uses a very loud/aggressive playing style
with a lot of banging on the guitar with the thumb (usually for when the 
lowest
D string is hit alone) or fingernails (when more than one note is hit) which 
I 
tried to show with the capital V's. 

Intro:
(play the intro 3 times, playing it faster each time)
      (*         *) 
    V ^ ^   ^ ^    v ^
D-|-----------3/5~-----|
B-|---------0--------0-|
G-|-----2/3-0--------0-|  play 3x
D-|---0-2/3--------0---|
G-|---0------------0---|
D-|-3------------------|
    T

1st verse:
                          v ^ v   v ^   V ^ V ^   ^ V     ^ V ^   ^ V ^ V
D-|---8-8-8-8-8-5h8-|-----0-0-0---0-0-|-----3-------3---|---3-------3---0-|
B-|-------------0---|-----0-0-0---0-0-|-----3-------3---|---3-------3---0-|
G-|-------------0---|---3-3-3-0---0-3-|-3b3b3b3b--3b3b--|---0-------0-3-0-|
D-|-0-------0---0---|-----0-0-0---0-0-|-0-0---0---0-0---|-0---0---0---0-0-|
G-|-0-------0---0---|-0---------------|-0-----------0---|-0---0---0---0-0-|
D-|-----x-----------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
        T
    I got a letter this morning ...                   ... the girl you ...
is dead
                                           (*        *)       (*         *)
    V V ^ v ^ v ^ v   V V ^ v ^ v ^ v   ^ v ^   ^ ^       ^ V   ^   ^ ^     
D-|-----5---8-----0-|-----5---8-----5-|-0-0-------3/5~--|-------------3/5~|
B-|---5---------5-0-|---5---------5-5-|-0-0-----0-------|-----------0-----|
G-|---5---5---5-5-0-|---5---5---5-5-5-|-0-0-2/3-0-------|-0-----2/3-0-----|
D-|/5-5---5---5-5-0-|/5-5---5---5-5-5-|-0-0-2/3---------|-0---0-2/3-------|
G-|/5-5---5---5---0-|/5-5---5---5---5-|-0-0-------------|-0---0-----------|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---3-------------|
                                                            T
    I got a letter this morning ...
                                           (*        *)       (*         *)
    V V ^ v ^ v ^ v   V V ^ v ^ v ^ v   ^ v ^   ^ ^       ^ V   ^   ^ ^     
D-|-----7---10----7-|-----5---8-----5-|-0-0-------3/5~--|-------------3/5~|
B-|---7---------7-7-|---5---------5-5-|-0-0-----0-------|-----------0-----|
G-|---7---7---7-7-7-|---5---5---5-5-5-|-0-0-2/3-0-------|-0-----2/3-0-----|
D-|/7-7---7---7-7-7-|/5-5---5---5-5-5-|-0-0-2/3---------|-0---0-2/3-------|
G-|/7-7---7---7---7-|/5-5---5---5---5-|-0-0-------------|-0---0-----------|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---3-------------|
                                                            T
                   ...the girl ...
the rest of the verses:
    v ^ v ^   ^ v V   v ^ v ^   ^ v V   v ^ v ^   ^ v V   v ^ v ^    ^ v
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B-|-------------0---|-0-----------0---|-0-----------0---|-0------------0--|
G-|---3b--3b--3b0---|-0-3b--3b--3b0---|-0-3b--3b--3b0---|-0-3b--3b---3b0--|
D-|---0---0---0-0---|-0-0---0---0-0---|-0-0---0---0-0---|-0-0---0----0-0--|
G-|-0---0-------0---|-0---0-------0---|-0---0-------0---|-0---0--------0--|
D-|---------------3-|---------------3-|---------------3-|-----------------|
                  T                 T                 T
    Well I grabbed up my suitcase...                   ...on the ...
  
                                           (*        *)       (*         *)
    V V ^ v ^ v ^ v   V V ^ v ^ v ^ v   ^ v ^   ^ ^       ^ V   ^   ^ ^     
D-|-----5---8-----0-|-----5---8-----5-|-0-0-------3/5~--|-------------3/5~|
B-|---5---------5-0-|---5---------5-5-|-0-0-----0-------|-----------0-----|
G-|---5---5---5-5-0-|---5---5---5-5-5-|-0-0-2/3-0-------|-0-----2/3-0-----|
D-|/5-5---5---5-5-0-|/5-5---5---5-5-5-|-0-0-2/3---------|-0---0-2/3-------|
G-|/5-5---5---5---0-|/5-5---5---5---5-|-0-0-------------|-0---0-----------|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---3-------------|
                                                            T
    Well I grabbed up my suitcase...   

                                            (*        *)       (*         *)
    V V ^ v ^ v ^ v   V V ^ v ^ v ^ v   ^ v ^   ^ ^       ^ V   ^   ^ ^     
D-|-----7---10----7-|-----5---8-----5-|-0-0-------3/5~--|-------------3/5~|
B-|---7---------7-7-|---5---------5-5-|-0-0-----0-------|-----------0-----|
G-|---7---7---7-7-7-|---5---5---5-5-5-|-0-0-2/3-0-------|-0-----2/3-0-----|
D-|/7-7---7---7-7-7-|/5-5---5---5-5-5-|-0-0-2/3---------|-0---0-2/3-------|
G-|/7-7---7---7---7-|/5-5---5---5---5-|-0-0-------------|-0---0-----------|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---3-------------|
                                                            T
                   ...on the ...

Ending:
    v ^ v ^   ^ ^ ^ v   ^   ^
D-|-5-5-5-5---3-2-0-0---2---3-|
B-|-0-0-0-0---0-0---0---------|
G-|-0-0-0-0---------0---------|
D-|-0-0-0-0---------0---------|
G-|-0-0-0-0---------0---------|
D-|---------------------------|
 

[This message has been edited by Adrian Freed (edited February 16, 2003).]

[This message has been edited by Adrian Freed (edited February 16, 2003).]

quote:

---

Originally posted by JohnyB:
I recently bought the Newport Folk Festival - Best of the Blues 1959-1968. It's got a lot of great old blues guys playing on it. House does a tune called Death Letter.

Does any one know what tuning he's using? Also, he gets this really menacing sound in the background that almost sounds like a bee buzzing. Any ideas how to get that. That's actually the most important thing I need to know.

Ok, if you know the chords that would be great too.

Thanks,

---

I thought I'd never love, but a...
Four woman in my life
My Mother, my sister,
my good gal, and my wife!

2x

That's so cool to me. Replace the "walkin shoes/blues" verse w this one at the end. Fun.

Thanks for the tip, but as you say, I do like good girl for the shock value.

quote:

---

Originally posted by mondo:
sonofagun

welcome to the forum. You are in the right place. Collectively we know a little something about them American National Steel Guitars, and Son House, as a little bit about open tunings. Suggest you do a search of the topics of this forum. You might be surpised.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rick H:
Check out the White Stripes cover of Death Letter.

Rick H

---

Yeah, it's really rockin'.

Dick Waterman has said that he found (I dislike the word rediscovered) Son and convinced him to perform again. I don't think Alan Wilson could have "retaught" him to play his songs because most of the stuff he played in the 60's was not previously recorded. However i have read that he helped him polish up after possibly not playing for 15+ years.

On Edit: However, I just found a clip from a different video, circa 1965- looks more recent where he is wearing a bright white shirt and that double tie (whatever they call those) That clip looks more recent than the first one I mentioned and the playing appears lerss intense as well as having more string noise etc. Microphone is also closer (to the left of the screen in front of him) the other video the mic is quite a bit farther away, an front and to the right of Son.
Here is a link to that short clip as well as a description of the song. The video quality is poor though:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Letter

These reso guitars were made to play loud back in the old days, and this is where they shine in my opinion- people play them too soft nowdays in my opinion.

Anyhow, it may well be string noise that you hear, I didn't notice anything unusual.

Too bad that these old recordings didn't have modern day recording techniques and equipment to really bring out the true qualities and volume of these performances on these guitars.

In this film he definately sings 'kid gal' and from what I understand of Son House, being first a serious preacher and secondly a recording artist, I would think that his 'kid gal' was a girlfriend NOT at the same time as his wife but at a different time in his life, like his main girlfriend some time prior to meeting and marrying his wife. Those specific lyrics you mention seem to encompass his whole life rather than a specific moment in time. I don't think he would even sing lyrics about having a girlfriend on the side while at the same time being married, so in my opinion he meant at another time. Also he sings that he had no one to throw his arms around. I don't know for sure. It doesn't matter, he is singing about the loss of someone he loved in his life, whoever she was.

I would think that the song is based on a personal experience.

Thanks for posting the TABS, Adrian

As for the buzzin' sound??? Well, if you look at the way Son plays with this horizontal and slashing style you'll see that there is a lot of hard contack with the strings... This may account for the buzzing sound you hear... I don't have that particular recording at the Newport Folk Festival but have other recordings of him doing the song...

BTW, from what I have read and heard from Rory Block over the years, Son didn't need to be retaught to play but needed to be re-motivated which took a combination of cajoling, patience, time and booze...

BTW, Part B... Yeah, the White Stripes do a decent job of "Death Letter" but I wouldn't go out and buy the CD because, IMHO, the rest of the CD is rather average...

Hope some of this helps but getting the video will help more than anything... The one I have has Son and Bukka White on the same video... Nice combination, indeed...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En3KfILfF1Q&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdMKgEGuoE0

these also may help.

[This message has been edited by georgeguitar (edited 10-16-2006).]

I love the way Cassandra Wilson reinvented the tune in her album New Moon Daughter.. Actually got to see her playing it at 2001 Jazz Fundation's benefit at the Apollo theatre in Harlem, with her singing backed by bass player, electric guitar and banjo, all picked very very softly.. wow!

here's a live version of Death Letter: