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A Memory Of You

11/18/2017

0 Comments

 
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
A Memory Of You - banjo tab
File Size: 426 kb
File Type: jpg
Download File

A Memory Of You - guitar tab
File Size: 451 kb
File Type: jpg
Download File

A Memory Of You - mandolin tab
File Size: 380 kb
File Type: jpg
Download File

A Memory Of You - melody in A
File Size: 428 kb
File Type: jpg
Download File

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    ​Jason's Beginner Jam Blog 2017 - 2018


    ​with
       Jason Homey

    Picture
    ​Songs regularly called at the Beginner Bluegrass Jam and links from Jason's "Song of the Week" emails.  (from Renee)

    ​

    Songs

    All
    All The Good Times
    A Memory Of You
    Angeline The Baker
    Beautiful Brown Eyes
    Blue Ridge Cabin Home
    Boil The Cabbage Down
    Buffalo Gals
    Bury Me Beneath The Willow
    Clinch Mountain Backstep
    Cluck Old Hen
    Columbus Stockade Blues
    Cripple Creek
    Down The Road
    Foggy Mountain Top
    Gathering Flowers From The Hillside
    Good King Wenceslas
    Handsome Molly
    I Can't Feel At Home
    I'll Fly Away
    I'll Still Write Your Name In The Sand
    In The Pines
    In The Sweet By And By
    Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
    Liberty
    Little Birdie
    Little Cabin Home On The Hill
    Lonesome Road Blues
    Long Journey Home
    Mama Don't Allow
    Mountain Dew
    My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains
    New River Train
    Nine Pound Hammer
    Old Joe Clark
    Reuben
    Shortnin' Bread
    Silent Night
    Soldier's Joy
    Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong
    Swing Low Sweet Chariot
    Take This Hammer
    Way Down Town
    We'll Meet Again Sweetheart
    Will The Circle Be Unbroken
    Will You Be Loving Another Man
    Worried Man Blues
    Wreck Of The Old '97
    X- 30 Add. Jam-Friendly Songs
    X Basic Chord Progressions
    X- Basic Chord Progressions
    X-Bluegrass Artists And Bands
    X- Music Theory
    X- Pick-Up Notes
    X- Song List For 2018
    X Song List For 2019
    X- Top 20 List

    All of Jason's Songs
    in alphabetical order

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  • Home
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  • Articles & Podcasts
    • Podcasts >
      • ​Jeremy Garrett Interview
      • Keith Reed Interview
      • Jason Homey Interview
      • Becky Smith Interview
      • Marv Quinton Interview
      • Rue Frisbee Interview
      • Donna and Mike Bond Interview
      • Honi Deaton Interview
      • Dennis Stokes Interview
      • Gary Eller Interview
    • Articles >
      • Glen Garrett - The Golden Years
      • Sammie Bush - came to Weiser
      • Mark O’Connor - My History at Weiser
      • Barbara Lamb - Fiddler Extraordinaire
      • Charlie Simmons -The Idaho Bluegrass Association from 1975 to 1985
      • Idaho's 19th century Fiddlers
      • Weiser Fiddle Champions ​ 1950s & 1960s
      • ​Byron Berline
      • Dave Frisbee
      • Weiser Fiddle Champions from 1970s and 80s
      • Megan Lynch Chowning
      • Fiddle Champion ​in 1990s and 2000s
      • Tashina and Tristan Clarridge
    • Snap Shot - Videos from IBA members
  • Events
    • Calendar (BCBB)
    • Open Mic
    • SpringGrass 2023 >
      • Springfest 2022
    • Winterfest
    • IBA Concert Series
    • Virtualgrass
    • Other Bluegrass Events
  • Jam
    • Idaho Jams
    • Jason's Beginner Jam Blog 2021 - 2022
    • Jason's Intermediate Jam Blog 2021 - 2022
    • All of Jason's Songs
    • Old Blogs from Jason >
      • Jason's Beginner Jam Blog 2019 - 2021
      • Jason's Intermediate Jam Blog 2019 - 2021
      • Jason's Beginner Jam Blog 2017 - 2018
      • Jason's Intermediate Jam Blog 2017 - 2018
      • Songs in 2016
  • Camps & Contests
    • Idaho Bluegrass and Banjo Camp
    • Banjo Contest
    • National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest
  • Idaho Bands
  • Teachers
  • Classified
  • Links
    • General
    • Learning
    • Specific Instruments