Traditional Blues question

[nicoli]

So I've responded to an ad for a touring bassist position with a traditional blues band, and I've been asked to submit an audition tape with a number of things on it.

One of the things I've been asked to record is a "shuffle - humpty dumpty thing - ascending, not descending pattern - Ab"

Can anybody help me out on what exactly a 'humpty dumpty thing' might be? I'm a bit unsure of what is being asked of me here and I'd rather not ask the band leader if it's something I really should know.

Thanks
- Nick

 

[JimK]

One of the things I've been asked to record is a "shuffle - humpty dumpty thing - ascending, not descending pattern - Ab"
Can anybody help me out on what exactly a 'humpty dumpty thing' might be? I'm a bit unsure of what is being asked of me here and I'd rather not ask the band leader if it's something I really should know.

I think you already have the answer...
To me "Humpty-Dumpty" is an approximation of a shuffle rhythm-
l1..a2..a3..a4...al1..a2..a3..a4..al etc
The downbeats = "Hum" or "Dum"
The "a" = "ty"

Dotted 1/4 note with a 1/16th note.

Listen to Kenny Passarelli on Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way"...in my head 'cause the Classic Rock station played it this a.m. on my morning commute.

 

[brianrost]

Some people I know also call "humpty dumpty" either an "uptown" (ascending) or "downtown" (descending) shuffle.

Uptown (played as swing eighths): R R 5 5 b7 b7 R(oct) R(oct)
Downtown: R R R(oct) R(oct) b7 b7 5 5

This would be different than this other common ascending shuffle pattern:

R R 3 3 5 5 6 6

In playing blues I've found different people use different terms for certain generic patterns.

 

[nicoli]

Thanks for the replies guys... one of the other things I was asked to put on tape was a regular shuffle so I would think brianrost's answer is probably more likely to be what they want. Any examples of a song this is used in?

 

[JimK]

Any examples of a song this is used in?

...about a go-zillion tunes have either of those 2 patterns.
Seriously.

How 'bout "Treat Her Right" by Roy Buchanan?
...there's a section in Steve Miller's "Living In The USA" with the-
Root-Root_Root(octave)-Root(octave)_b7-b7_5-5 pattern.