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Hi, The song of the week is 'A Memory Of You' in the key of A. Recordings Jim & Jesse - key of A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebC9IQNkj7E Earl Garner & The Bluegrass Mountaineers https://youtu.be/BS0MM8xc0VM?t=1383 'A Memory Of You' is just one of many lesser-known Bluegrass songs that can be easily introduced into almost any Bluegrass jam, even when none of the other jammers have ever heard or played it before, because nearly everything about the song is ordinary, typical, and predictable for a Bluegrass song. If you are not familiar with this song, try playing along with one of the recordings before opening the attachments and before reading the rest of the song of the week write up, to see how much of the chord progression and the melody you can pick up by ear. Try improvising a break while playing along with the recording and see what happens. Progression The chord progression used to play 'A Memory Of You' is the one that is the most common of all progressions in Bluegrass: 1144 1155 1144 1511 (V7 on the basic chord progressions handout) Other common Bluegrass standards that use this same progression include: Bury Me Beneath The Wiilow Wreck Of The Old '97 Your Love Is Like A Flower I'm On My Way Back To The Old Home I Still Write Your Name In The Sand Y'all Come Lost And I'll Never Find A Way Come Back Darling If I Should Wander Back Tonight Why Did You Wander I'm Waiting To Hear You Call Me Darling Back To The Cross Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone Hold Watcha Got True Life Blues Road To Columbus Flint Hill Special Black Mountain Rag (C - Part) Rose Of Old Kentucky (verse progression) Blue Moon Of Kentucky (verse progression) Tiny Broken Heart (verse progression) Little Annie (verse progression) White Dove (verse progression) Cry, Cry Darlin' (verse progression) Melody Singers should observe that the melody for the chorus differs from the melody of the verses in measures 2 through 5. In these 4 measures, where the verse melody descends, the chorus melody ascends, and vice versa. In the attachments I have given the melody for the chorus rather than for the verses, because it feels to me more instinctive to use the chorus melody of 'A Memory Of You' as the point of reference for creating melody-based breaks, even though with most songs, one would typically use the melody for the verses rather than the melody for the chorus as the point of reference for creating melody based breaks when the chorus and verse melodies differ from each other. Pickup Notes When played in the key of A, the first (full) measure of the melody begins with a C# note. On the Jim & Jesse recording, Jesse uses the following three pickup notes to lead into the C# note to start his intro break on the mandolin: E, F#, A, played as quarter notes. (Compare this with the similar - key of B equivalent - but more elaborate pickup measure, used at the beginning of the banjo intro break on the Bobby Hicks and Friends live performance of A Memory Of You.) Other songs that, when played in the key of A, have a C# as the first melody note in their first (full) measure, and for which this same pickup phrase will work well, include: All The Good Times Are Passed And Gone Beautiful Brown Eyes Blue Ridge Cabin Home I'll Fly Away Leaning On The Everlasting Arms My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains Hand Me Down My Walking Cane I Still Write Your Name In The Sand Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms Ashes Of Love Transposed to each of the 7 other Major keys that songs may be played in at the jam, the pickup phrase and the note it leads to become: key of G: D, E, G, leading to a B note key of Bb: F, G, Bb, leading to a D note key of B: F#, G#, B, leading to a D# note key of C: G, A. C, leading to an E note key of D A. B. D, leading to an F# note key of E: B, C#, E, leading to a G# note key of F: C, D, F, leading to an A note Ashes Of Love The chord progression used for Ashes Of Love was: 1115 5551 (x2) but, if the song is called again at the jam in the near future, the progression will likely be changed to: 1 1 4/1 5 5 5 5 1 1 1 4/1 5 5 5 5 1 1 Jim & Jesse (live performance) - key of A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJqG_b92Hd4 For the sake of comparison and contrast, here is a Country version of Ashes Of Love that I heard so many times when I was a child that it still remains as my primary point of reference for the song, even after so many years of playing it as a Bluegrass song. Dickey Lee - key of G https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE-se45ncqU Happy Pickin', Jason
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Jason's Beginner Jam Blog 2017 - 2018
Songs regularly called at the Beginner Bluegrass Jam and links from Jason's "Song of the Week" emails. (from Renee)
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