CC Transcription Page:     Breakfast Feud

The “CC xcript page” contains tablature depicting the way Charlie Christian actually played his solo.

Standard Transcription Page:     Breakfast Feud          <  clicking here will link to Garry Hansen’s site (then click on “TAB”) ]

The “standard page” tab has the fingering which would normally be used by most guitarists.

[ you can toggle back & forth to compare the tablatures using your Back & Forward buttons on the toolbar of your internet browser ]

  (linked with permission)

C&A:

Charlie Christian’s solo on this take of Breakfast Feud is especially interesting for the lyrical/rhythmic approach, tremendous drive, and innovative fretwork that he maintains at such a high level of creativity from start to finish…on such a simple harmonic base.  This alternate take has been reissued more often than the master—presumably because it has the best solo of the eleven versions that he recorded on this particular twelve-bar blues.

The first four bars of CC’s first chorus is an ascending, lead-in refrain played by the ensemble.  The refrain sounds like it was either composed by Charles or borrowed from one of his licks.  After the refrain, it’s fascinating to hear how he will open a solo that begins on the fifth bar rather than on the first.

CC enters this solo on the third beat of the fourth measure with one of his usual lines but throwing in two beats of Bb6 in the middle of the Eb13.   Melodic mm 7-8, then bluesy b7 at bar 9, alternating strings introduce the second chorus, two beats of Ebm (bar 2 of second chorus), blues b7 again (at bar 4).  There’s a long, slow slide at bar 7 followed by alternating strings leading to a short but very nicely placed diminished run (bar 9) capped by alternating octaves/pedal tone.

The freely improvised four-bar tag that closes out the tune has CC playing a Bbdim7 ascending from the 3rd fret to the 14th fret in the first bar and a half.

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