00:00Hey everyone, my name is Meryn Bradley and today I'm with Guitar World in New York City and I'm
00:11going to play Memphis Mini's When the Levy Breaks. I have the capo up on the fifth fret and I've got
00:16the guitar tune to open A but Memphis Mini didn't actually play it up here, she played it open.
00:21And although my version will be quite influenced by the original Memphis Mini's, it's also pretty
00:28influenced by a guy called Ari Eisinger, he's from Philadelphia and I just grew up listening
00:33to. I heard him a lot growing up and he's a really amazing version of the song himself.
00:37So yeah, my version will be pretty influenced by his.
00:58If it keeps on raining, levee's going to rain. If it keeps on raining, levee's going to rain. And the water's gonna come and I'll have no place to stay.
01:21I said all last night, I said I'm levee and moan. I said all last night, I said I'm levee and moan. Think about my baby and my heavy moan. If it keeps on raining, levee's going to rain. If it keeps on raining, levee's going to rain.
01:42If it keeps on raining, levee's going to rain. And the water's gonna come and I'll have no place to stay.
01:49And the water's gonna come and I'll have no place to stay.
01:56Now look here Papa, what am I to do? Look here Papa, what am I to do? I ain't got nobody to tell my troubles to.
02:24Oh, crime won't help you, brain won't do no good. Oh, crime won't help you, brain won't do no good. When the levee breaks, honey, you got to move.
02:41I worked on the levee. I worked on the levee. I worked on the levee. I worked so hard to keep the water away. I wanted a man he wouldn't do for me. I wanted a man he wouldn't do for me.
03:06I worked on the levee. I'm going up back now till when I used to be.
03:13I worked on a levee
03:31I worked on a levee
03:36I worked on a levee
03:40I worked a hard to give the water away
03:43I wanted a man he would do for me
03:48I wanted a man he would do for me
03:53I'm going on back now to my use of ease
03:59It's a mean old levee
04:02Got me to weep more
04:04It's a mean old levee
04:07Got me to weep and more
04:10Gonna leave my baby and my happy old
04:15So Memphis Minnie's version of this was played with two guitars
04:24Which makes it pretty different to mine I guess
04:26I think the main guitar part had a lot less fills and stuff like that
04:30But mine's would be I think a lot closer to what Ari Eisinger plays
04:34His has a lot of fills as well and it's pretty fast like mine too
04:38Memphis Minnie's was much slower
04:40And I think on the actual original recording Memphis Minnie didn't actually sing on it
04:44Candice Jo, her husband at the time sang on the recording
04:47So that would make it pretty different for me as well I guess
04:49Everything that I play this is a finger picking song and it's also alternating bass as well
04:55And so I always play with my two my index finger and my middle finger and my thumb as well
05:01And I always tend to anchor my ring finger and the reason I do that is because my pinky finger I find is too short
05:10I've got a really short pinky finger so it doesn't really reach the thing that well
05:16So yeah, I always anchor my ring finger
05:18And so here's a little bit of the main riff of the song
05:22I'll play it a little slower for you though
05:44So one cool thing that I do
05:45Yeah, it's kind of later on in the song and I actually always do it under the singing
05:49It's like a boogie pattern and I use my thumb when I come over the top of the fret like this
05:54The reason I use my thumb is because I'm usually having to go straight into playing some little lick
06:07Or a little fill
06:09So it's just easier than going when you're using your finger
06:13So that's my version of When the Levy Bricks
06:16Thanks so much to Guitar World for having me
06:18It's been really fun
06:20If you like what you hear you can check out my socials
06:23Just more on underscore Bradley
06:25Or I think it's going to be in the description as well
06:27So you can check that out
06:28And the song that I played is on my album
06:30I kept these old blues as well
06:32So you can check that out too
06:33And it's available on all different platforms
06:36And you can also get it on vinyl and CD
06:38So if you want to go back to studio
06:51That's how my cell's being
06:52That's how I'm going to robots
06:53All that I have to get out of here
06:54So if you like that
06:55So let me say
06:56Or drop away
06:57So let me say
06:58Side samen
06:59Just like that
07:00And share it with your heart
07:01So let me say
07:03Don't remember
07:04Take your heart
07:04Let me say
07:06Let me show you
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