Hi,
here are yet a few more songs to jam along with.
Happy Pickin'.

Cripple Creek - A
Down The Road - B
Foggy Mountain Top - G
https://youtu.be/MmTPsEpbxj8

Keep safe and well.
Jason

Hi,
here are a few more songs to jam along with.
Happy Pickin'.

Buffalo Gals - A
Bury Me Beneath The Willow - G
Columbus Stockade Blues - G
https://youtu.be/6cTrZwAUANs

Keep safe and well.
Jason

Hi everyone,
Since it may be awhile until we can all get together again at the Pioneer Building to play together, and also to try to offer something in the meantime to all of you who have been very mindful and supportive of me and my family during this time, I got the idea to record a few songs each week from the beginner and intermediate jam lists and put them up on youtube with me leading them much like I would at the jams, for those of you who might like to play and jam along at home.

When calling the breaks, instead of calling out 'everybody', 'banjo', 'fiddle', etc., I have substituted 'together' and 'your turn'. 

This is my first attempt at 'leading' a jam while playing alone, so I sometimes found it hard to remember in the moment to call out the next break or to signal the end of the song, so I apologize about many of the cues coming later than what they ordinarily would at the jam. I hope my future attempts at this will be better than this first one.

Also, I may have started some of these songs off a bit on the fast side of things, so if need be, you may find it desirable to slow some of the songs down to 75% of the recorded speed. You can do this on youtube on a laptop, but not on a phone, by going to settings, and the clicking on 'playback speed'.

Beginner Jam:
All The Good Times Are Past And Gone - A
Angeline The Baker - D
Blue Ridge Cabin Home - A
https://youtu.be/dn0s0kCSO1s

I hope that this email finds you well, and I hope that you will enjoy playing some of the songs here along with me.

Also, for all you banjo players out there, Bill Evans (who was going to be one of the instructors at Weiser Banjo Camp this year until it was cancelled - but he'll be there for the 2021 camp) is teaching a free Facebook Live online workshop this coming Saturday (tomorrow) at noon Mountain Time on “Working Up Scruggs-Style Solos.” This page is set to “Public,” so anyone with a Facebook account can view. Here’s the Facebook link: www.facebook.com/BillEvansBanjo
Keep safe and well.

Happy Pickin',
Jason

Hi everyone,

After having given it much thought over the weekend, I have come to the decision to go with the 'better safe than sorry' approach with regard to hosting public jams, in view of the corona virus.

I regret to inform you that I am cancelling the Wednesday and Thursday evening jams in the Pioneer Building until further notice. 

I will miss seeing and playing with you at the jams. But, I look forward to resuming leading the jams when the time seems right to do so.

Keep safe and well.
...and, as always,

Happy Pickin'.
Jason

Hi,
The song of the week is Columbus Stockade Blues in the key of G.

​
Recordings
Tony Trischka - key of D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTfbb21C0HY

Bill Monroe - key of G
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9M-v2efKSo

Della Mae - key of A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IA0NKOfXIo


Progression
The progression for the verses is:
1111
5511
1111
5511
(Prog. W5 on the basic chord progressions handout)
Notice that the two halves of the progression are identical.

The progression for the chorus is:
4411
4455
1111
5511

Notice that the second half of the chorus progression is identical to the second half of the verse progression.
In the key of G: 1 = G; 4 = C; 5 = D


Stops
As played at most bluegrass jams, there is a stop in the middle of the chorus progression.  And that is how we usually play Columbus Stockade at the Pioneer Building jams.

For measure 8 of the chorus progression, everyone who is playing backup plays a D chord or a D note at the beginning of the measure, then silences their strings immediately afterwards, and then plays nothing until the beginning of the next (9th) measure.  Hence, during the last 3/4 of measure 8 of the chorus progression, the only thing that should be heard is either the vocal (if a chorus is being sung) singing the words: "In your", or the instruments whose break it is (if a break is being played over the chorus progression). 

When playing a break over the chorus progression, there should be no stop made by the instrument(s) playing the break (only the instruments playing backup should do the stop), for there needs to be something keeping time during the measure in which the stop occurs so as to help guide everyone to come back in at the same time as each other at the beginning of the 9th measure of the progression.  Besides, part of the reason for doing a stop during a break is so that more attention can be drawn to the instrument(s) playing the break.  So if the instrument(s) playing the break stop when the backup players stop, then part of the reason for doing the stop has not been taken advantage of.


Arrangement
I start the song off by playing an intro break over the verse progression only. All subsequent breaks (except possibly for the very last one) will be played over both the verse and the chorus progression, and will be split between two different types of instruments. 

Sometimes I will 'tag' the last sung chorus.  That means that after singing the final chorus, I might choose to repeat either the last line (last 4 measures: starts with: "(yes) / leave me little darlin'...) of the chorus, or, more commonly for this song, I might choose to repeat the last two lines (last 8 measures: starts with: "In your / heart...") of the chorus before ending the song.  But, how I choose to end the song is a decision that I tend to make in the moment, rather than planning it out in advance.


Song List
17 songs were played at last night's jam: 15 from the main list, and 2 from the additional songs list:

All The Good Times Are Past And Gone - A
Angeline The Baker - D
Buffalo Gals - A
Columbus Stockade Blues - G
Cripple Creek - A
Down The Road (played twice) - A & B
Liberty - D
Long Journey Home - A
A Memory Of You - A
Old Joe Clark - A
Soldier's Joy - D
Way Down Town - E
Will The Circle Be Unbroken - A
Worried Man Blues - A
Wreck Of The Old '97 - D
Nine Pound Hammer - A
Paradise - C

Happy Pickin',
Jason

Hi,
The song of the week is 'Down The Road' in the key of B.

​
Recordings
Flatt and Scruggs - key of B (studio recording): all breaks are on banjo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmBOl82qXqs

The Bluegrass Album Band - key of B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UKiNl3e97E

Flatt and Scruggs - key of A (live recording): banjo, fiddle and dobro breaks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc0iFZSeY6A


Form
The form of this song is unusual. Except for the last verse of the song (which has a common 8 measure form: 2 lines consisting of 4 measures each: this does not include the 2 measure tack-on 'shave-and-a-haircut' ending that follows the last verse), the form for Down The Road consists of 2 lines of unequal length. The first line is the standard 4 measures that lines in most bluegrass songs consist of, but the second line is 5 and a half measures long.  This brings us to a total of 9 and a half measures. 

Add to this the bluegrass tendency to allow 1 or more extra measures of the '1' chord to go by at the end of a break that occurs right before a verse is sung, and you can end up with 10 and a half, or 11 and a half, or 12 and a half measures or more for the length of a break that occurs before a verse.

Notice that on the first Flatt & Scruggs recording given here, the breaks are consistently 10 and a half measures long, while on the second recording, even more measures are added to the end of the breaks, but not always the same number of extra measures. However, and this is important to observe, on all the recordings, all the sung verses that are followed by a break are exactly the same length: 9 and a half measures. One way to think about this is that the number of beats that go by between the last sung syllable and the first full measure of the break that follows is always the same.


Progression
Not counting extra measures of the '1' that might occur at the end of some of the breaks, the chord progression for Down The Road is:

1     1/6m  1     5/1
1     1/6m  1     5 1     1

The 'half' measure in the form occurs in the spot where the 5 chord is played in the second line.

If one is counting the beats in the second line in cut common time (2/2), one would count it as: 1,2,1,2,1,2,1,1,2.1,2. Notice the spot where there are two 1s back to back without a 2 intervening between them. On the sheet music attached here, I have written the 'half' measure (measure 8) with a time signature of 1/2. And then to indicate that the remaining two measures in the form return to 2/2, I have placed the time signature symbol that represents 2/2 at the beginning of the measure that follows the 1/2 time measure.)

In the key of B: 1=B; 6m=G#m; 5=F#

The B (major) chord consists of the notes: BD#F#
The G#m chord consists of the notes: G#BD# (it has two notes in common with the B major chord)
The F# (major) chord consists of the notes: F#A#C#

Banjo and guitar players should capo to the 4th fret, and then play as if in G. In the key of G: 1=G; 6m=Em; 5=D

For chop chords on the mandolin for the key of B: move the chop chords you use for the key of A two frets higher and you will be playing in B.


Melody
In ascending order of pitch, the notes that make up the melody of Down The Road are:
                   5     6     1     2     3
                  sol   la    do   re    mi
Key of G:    D    E     G    A     B
Key of A:    E    F#    A     B    C#
Key of Bb:   F    G    Bb   C     D
Key of B:    F#   G#   B    C#   D#
Key of C:    G     A     C    D     E
Key of D:     A     B     D    E     F#
Key of E:     B    C#   E     F#   G#
Key of F:     C     D     F    G     A

The starting note of the melody is the 1st note of the scale (do): the note that has the same name as the key that the song is being played in.


Breaks 
When you look at the sheet music attached here for Down The Road, observe that the first measure of the break begins two measures from the time that the last syllable of the verse is sung. Another way of looking at this is that there are two measures of the 1 chord that are played at the end of the verse before the break begins.  If enough of us make it a point to observe and practice this, this will go along ways towards minimizing the confusion that can easily result (due to the unusual form of the song) when Down The Road is played at a jam.

There are two things that one can do to help prevent confusion about when the break begins (i.e., when the form starts over again): 

1) Use three quarter-note pickup notes for leading into your break: F#, G#, A# (leads to a B note) for the key of B. The corresponding notes for the key of G are D, E, F# (leads to a G note).

Dig into your three pickup notes really hard so as to draw attention to yourself, and then dig into the note that comes next (namely, the first note of the first measure of your break) even harder so that there can be no room for doubt as to where the first measure of the form begins.  These three pickup notes should be played during the last three-quarters of the last measure of the form, and they should be spaced apart from each other evenly. 


Breaks & Backup
2) Play a fill-in lick in the measure that contains the last syllable of the verse, and end that fill-in lick on the first downbeat of the next measure. Bring your volume up as soon as after the last syllable is sung, and hit the last note of your fill-in lick really hard (make it 'pop', especially if you are playing a G run on the guitar: the G chord fill-in licks that are given in the attachments are three versions of what is commonly called 'the G-run'. Fill-ins for banjo, mandolin, and fiddle are also included in the attachments.). This makes it clear as to where the last measure of the form begins - which is helpful to make clear on account of the half measure that the form contains in its second line, after which some people may find the beat 'flipped around' in their head and/or in their playing.  The first of the three pickup notes into the break begin right after the last note of the fill-in lick is played. 


The 'G-Run'
It is especially helpful if the guitar players make it a point to play the G-run at the end of every break, and at the end of every verse (except for the last verse), regardless of which instrument is going to play the upcoming break.
 

Ending
For the last verse, which is 8 measures long, rather than 9 and a half, it works best if everyone plays their last note at the same time as the last syllable is sung (as on the standard recordings given here). Then the banjo players can add a two measure tack-on ending appropriate for the '1' chord of the song (doesn't have to be the same ones that are on the recordings) that everyone else remains silent on except for the on the very last note of the ending.

In the attachments I have included a simplified version of the up-the-neck single ending 'shave-and-a-haircut' licks that are played on the banjo on the recordings for Down The Road given here. 

 
Song List
16 songs were played at last night's jam: 13 from the main list, 2 from the additional songs list, and 1 that is on neither list:

Angeline The Baker - D
Buffalo Gals - A
Bury Me Beneath The Willow - D
Columbus Stockade Blues - G
Down The Road (played twice) - C & B
Foggy Mountain Top - G
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms - C
Liberty - D
Little Cabin Home On The Hill - G
Lonesome Road Blues - G
Long Journey Home - A
New River Train - F
Soldier's Joy - D
Boil The Cabbage Down - A
Nine Pound Hammer - B
Fireball Mail - G

Happy Pickin',
Jason

Hi, 
The song of the week is 'Liberty' in the key of D.


Recordings
Flatt & Scruggs with Doc Watson 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ugu-QwHWaA

Midwest Banjo Camp 2013: Bill Keith, Tony Trischka, Greg Cahill, Alan Munde, Ken Perlman, Brad Leftwich, Bill Evans, Janet Beasley, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE-2NO7WbhE

Byron Berline & John Hickman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsbIoPhwG5U


Progression
A-Part: 1144
            1151

B-Part: 1115  (Prog. Z1 on the Basic Chord Progressions Chart.)
            1151

Notice the difference between the progression for the B-Part of Liberty (Z1)
and the progression for the A-Parts of Soldier's Joy and Old Joe Clark (Y1):

1    1    1    5
1    1    1/5 1


Lilt
Despite how they look when written on paper, and what their name implies, a string of consecutive 8th notes should not all be given equal time value when playing most Bluegrass breaks. Rather, they should usually be swung, so that the first 8th note in each pair of 8th notes lasts a bit longer than one-eighth of a measure, stealing time value from the second 8th note in the pair, which in turn takes up a bit less than one-eighth of the measure. The slower that consecutive 8th notes are played, the easier it is to detect whether they are being played in this manner (long-short-long-short, etc., often called 'lilt' or 'bounce'). To hear more clearly what this sounds like, slow down the youtube links provided here to half speed. To do this, click on settings, then click on speed, then click on 0.5. 


Melody
As is the case with most traditional fiddle tunes, there are many versions and interpretations of the melody of Liberty, but most versions one will come across online (whether written or recorded) are compatible with the interpretation of the melody I have offered in the attachments.


Guitar & Banjo Tabs
With ease of left hand fingering in mind, I have written the guitar and banjo tabs for Liberty in C instead of D. So, guitar and banjo players playing breaks based upon these will need to capo the 2nd fret to raise their playing up from the key of C to the key of D, and will need to make it a point to remember that Liberty is a 'D' tune, not a 'C' tune. 


Banjo Melody Tab
The banjo melody tab in the attachments is not intended to be played as written for a banjo break, but is intended to serve as a guide for creating a Scruggs-style break. For tunes with fast-moving melodies like Liberty, Scruggs-style players tend to incorporate only as much of the melody into their breaks that is needed in order for the tune to be recognizable, and replace the rest of the melody with strategically selected filler-notes.that are compatible with the chord that is called for at the time, and that allow the player to make use of the right hand picking patterns that are typical of the style. In the attachments, I have provided examples of how a Scruggs-style player, using the melody sheet as a guide and following the basic principles of Scruggs-style, might choose to play the first two measures of the A Part and the first two measures of the B Part.


Note to Clawhammer Banjo Players
Clawhammer banjo players usually tune their banjos to double C tuning (GCGCD) for playing Liberty, and then capo the 2nd fret to raise their playing up to D. When tuned this way, in order to make use of the banjo melody tab provided here, one will need to add 2 to the numbers shown on the tab for the 4th string, and subtract 1 from the numbers shown on the tab for the 2nd string. (In the case of the open 2nd string notes shown on the tab, the 4th fret of the 3rd string will need to be used in their place.)

By transferring some of the melody notes shown on the first string in the tab to the 2nd string (and by transferring also the open 2nd string note to the 4th fret of the 3rd string), it is feasible, with the help of drop-thumb, hammer-ons, and pull-offs, for a clawhammer player to grab almost every melody note. However, most clawhammer players take a similar approach to Scruggs-style players in being selective about which melody notes to include in their playing of the tune, substituting filler notes in place of some of the melody notes in ways that allow them to make more use of the picking patterns typical of clawhammer style than what would be the case if they were to try to grab as much of the melody as possible.


8 Potato Intros 
Since there is nothing more effective for kicking off most fiddle tunes at a bluegrass jam than 8 Potato Intros, I have included examples of these in the attachments for each of the 4 primary lead instruments played at the beginner jam: fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and 3-finger style banjo. Players of other instruments/styles can get ideas from these examples, and/or by listening to the 4 Potato intro on the Flatt & Scruggs recording of Liberty, for what to do on their instruments for an 8 Potato intro. 

Notice that the last (4th) measure of the 8 Potato Intro includes the two pickup notes (or in the case of the banjo tab, just one pickup note) that lead into the first complete measure of the A Part of Liberty. If there were no pickup notes into the A Part of Liberty, then all 4 measures of the 8 Potato Intro would be identical with each other. This is important to keep in mind when kicking off fiddle tunes with an 8 Potato Intro. For, if one does not start into the melody at exactly the right time, then the 8 Potato Intro fails to serve its purpose. 

Double Endings
I have also included in the attachments examples of double endings suitable for Liberty for the four primary lead instruments played at the jam, since it is customary at bluegrass jams to end fiddle tunes (and certain other types of instrumentals) with these kinds of endings. 

When playing these endings, it is important to make sure that they start at exactly the right time relative to the end of the final B Part. The incomplete last measure on the melody sheets (2nd ending of the B Part) needs to be completed either by a quarter note rest, or by changing the last note from a quarter note to a half note before the first note of the double ending starts. 

Since the last break played for Liberty at the jam will usually be an 'everybody' break, it makes sense for everyone who played that break to also play the double ending together. 

Those not playing the double ending should stop playing after the last note of the final B Part has been played, and then prepare themselves to do one final note, double stop, or strum that will coincide with the last note of the double ending. In order for them to be able to do this, and to do this confidently, it is important that those playing the double ending play it clearly and with the correct timing.


Song List
17 songs were played at last night's jam: 14 from the main list, 2 from the additional songs list, and 1 that is on neither list

Angeline The Baker - D
Buffalo Gals - A
Bury Me Beneath The Willow (played twice) - G & Bb
Cripple Creek - A
Foggy Mountain Top - G
In The Pines - E
Liberty - D
A Memory Of You - A
New River Train - F
Old Joe Clark - A
Soldier's Joy - D
Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong - C
Way Down Town - E
Will You Be Loving Another Man - G
Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone - A
Boil The Cabbage Down - A
She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain - A

Happy Pickin',
Jason

Hi,
The song of the week is 'New River Train' in the key of F.


Recordings
The Monroe Brothers - key of D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyWMFjly24o

Tony Rice and Norman Blake -  key of D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y36HCn4Ivws

The White Brothers - key of E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eLjdbN1xdg

Roland White - key of E (New River Train ends at 2:28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EZCsTzPb2k


Progression
The chord progression for New River Train is:

1111
1155
1144
5511

This is Prog. W2 on the Basic Chord Progressions handout.

In the key of F: 1=F, 4=Bb, 5=C.
In the key of E: 1=E, 4=A, 5=B.
In the key of D: 1=D, 4=G, 5=A.
In the key of C: 1=C, 4=F, 5=G.
etc.

This chord progression differs by only one measure from the progression that is used to play 'Mama Don't Allow', 'She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain', 'When The Saints Go Marching In', 'Will You Be Loving Another Man', etc.:

1144
1155
1144
1511
(Prog. V2 on the Basic Chord Progressions handout.)

In order to avoid accidentally playing Progression V2 in place of Progression W2 for New River Train at the jam, some may find it helpful to remind themselves before the song starts that in the last half of the progression for New River Train the 4 chord is followed immediately by the 5 chord (instead of returning to the 1 chord first before going to the 5 chord).   

​
Capo Chart for Guitar and Banjo
                      1        5         Guitar & Banjo                        Banjo 5th string tuned to

Key of G      G       D          No capo, play in G                  G
Key of A       A       E         Capo 2, play as if in G             A  
Key of Bb     Bb     F         Capo 3, play as if in G            Bb (=A#)
Key of B       B       F#       Capo 4, play as if in G             B
Key of C       C       G         No capo, play in C                   G
                                          or Capo 5, play as if in G          C
Key of D       D       A         Capo 2, play as if in C              A
                                           or No capo, play in D               A
Key of E        E       B        Capo 4, play as if in C               B
                                           or Capo 2, play as if in D          B
Key of F        F       C         Capo 5, play as if in C              C   
                                           or Capo 3, play as if in D          C

For beginner level banjo players, I recommend the 'Capo 3, play as if in D' option for playing New River Train in the key of F. This is why the banjo tab melody sheet in the attachments is written in the key of D.

For guitar players who like to play Carter-style breaks (i.e., melody carried on the lower-pitched strings of the guitar, with strums placed between melody notes: e.g., Tony Rice's opening break on the Blake & Rice recording given here), I recommend the 'Capo 5, play as if in C' option for playing New River Train in F. I have included guitar tab melody sheets in the attachments written in both C and D.

(For a clearer recording of Tony's intro break, check out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU5vOsAwIYU  

Note for Banjo Players: Tuning the fifth string up to A, Bb, B, and C notes is usually done with the help of either a 5th string capo or spikes. For the A note, the 5th string is capoed or spiked at the 7th fret. For the Bb note, the 5th string is capoed or spiked at the 8th fret. For, the B note, the 5th string is capoed or spiked at the 9th fret. For the C note, the 5th string is capoed or spiked at the 10th fret. For banjo players who use spikes but, like me, do not have 8th and 10th fret spikes, for the Bb note, spike the 5th string at the 7th fret and then manually tune it up a half step to a Bb (A#) note, and for the C note, spike the 5th string at the 9th fret and then manually tune it up a half step higher to a C note. 

Caution: If you try to tune the 5th string up to B and C notes without the help of spikes or a 5th string capo, don't be surprised if the string breaks. Even tuning the 5th string up to A and Bb notes without the help of a spike or a 5th string capo can be risky, especially if your strings are old. Also, tuning one string up manually a whole step or more will put the other four strings out of tune enough on most banjos that you will likely need to retune all five strings in order to be reasonably in tune.


Key of F: Tips for Fiddle & Mandolin Players
Some may find it helpful to think of a less familiar key in relation to a more familiar key. One way of approaching playing in F is to think of the key of F in relation to the keys of C and Bb. F and C are closely related keys: they share 6 of their 7 Major Scale notes in common:

F Major Scale:  F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E (6 naturals, 1 flat)
C Major Scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B (7 naturals, 0 flats)

F and Bb are also closely related keys: they also share 6 of their 7 Major Scale notes in common:

F Major Scale:     F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E  (6 naturals, 1 flat)
Bb Major Scale: Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A  (5 naturals, 2 flats)

The same is true of any two keys that are separated from each other by an interval of a perfect 5th or a perfect 4th.

The keys of F and C share two of their 1,4,and 5 chords in common: 
                   1     4     5
Key of F:   F     Bb  C
Key of C:  C      F    G

The key of Bb also shares two of its 1,4, and 5 chords in common with the key of F:
                    1       4     5
Key of F:     F     Bb   C
Key of Bb: Bb   Eb    F 

(Bb and C, on the other hand, are not closely related keys. They are separated from each other by a whole step, an interval of a major 2nd. They share only 5 of their 7 Major Scale notes, and only one of their 1,4, and 5 chords, in common with each other.)


Melody
The melody of New River Train uses the first six notes of the Major Scale. In ascending order of pitch, these notes are:
 
                  1    2     3     4     5     6    
                  do  re   mi    fa   sol   la   
Key of A:    A    B   C#   D     E    F#  
Key of Bb:  Bb  C   D     Eb   F    G   
Key of B:    B    C# D#   E     F#  G#
Key of C:    C    D   E     F     G    A   
Key of D:    D    E   F#   G     A     B   
Key of E:    E    F#  G#  A     B    C#  
Key of F:     F    G   A     Bb   C    D   
Key of G:    G    A   B     C     D    E   


Fill-in Licks in Breaks and Backup
There are three 'dead spots' in the melody of New River Train that last long enough for a fill-in lick to be played in them. These spots are in measures 3 to 4 of lines 1, 2, and 4. In lines 1 and 4, the dead spots occur while a 1 chord is called for in the progression, while in line 2, the dead spot occurs while a 5 chord is called for in the progression. 

In the attachments, I have included F and C chord fill-in licks for fiddle and mandolin, for F and C are the 1 and 5 chords for the key of F. Notes in parentheses are not part of the fill-in lick proper and may be omitted or replaced with another note. 

To show how one might get in and out of these fill-in licks in the context of playing a break, or playing backup, I have included in the attachments a sample mandolin break and a mandolin backup part. I recommend that fiddle, guitar, and banjo players, not just mandolin players, take a look at these mandolin tabs, for even if you do not read mandolin tab, so as to be able to decipher what notes are represented on the tab, you can still see the time values of the notes, and where within the measures and in the lines of the progression the fill-ins occur, so as to draw the application to the instrument that you play.

I have also included in the attachments, C, G, and D chord fill-in licks for guitar. For those who choose the 'Capo 3, play as if in D' option for playing New River Train in F, the D chord fill-in licks, presented in the context of 2 complete measures of backup playing are for measures 3 and 4 of  lines 1 and 4. For those who choose the 'Capo 5, play as if in C' option for playing New River Train in F, the C chord fill-in licks, presented in the context of 2 complete measures of backup playing or a Carter-style break are for measures 3 and 4 of lines 1 and 4, and the G chord fill-in licks, presented in the context of 2 measures of backup playing are for measures 3 and 4 of line 2.  (If used in this same spot in the context of a Carter-style break, the first note of the 2 measures would be changed to the open 4th string, since that is the melody note in the song at this point.)

For a D chord fill-in lick on banjo that will work well in both breaks and backup for New River Train in lines 1 and 4, refer back to the attachments in the song of the week write-up for Bury Me Beneath The Willow:

https://www.idahobluegrassassociation.org/jasons-beginner-jam-blog-2019---2020/category/bury-me-beneath-the-willow


Lyrics
The lyrics of 'New River Train' are quite repetitive and easy to memorize. For this reason, this is one of the songs I recommend learning to sing to those who wish to lead a song at the jam, but do not have much experience yet in doing so. 

For most of these songs, you need not know any more than three verses (in addition to the chorus for the songs that do have a chorus) in order to be ready to sing and play a complete arrangement of them at the jam. Notice the number of verses sung on each of the recordings of New River Train given here: two (The White Brothers), three (Roland White; Blake & Rice studio recording), four (Blake & Rice live recording), and six (The Monroe Brothers). 

In general, the slower that a song is played the more desirable it becomes to limit the number of verses sung. Notice that the version with six verses is played at a faster tempo than the other versions given here. 


The set of lyrics I use for the chorus of New River Train are the same as those sung for the first, third, fifth, and sixth choruses on the Monroe Brothers recording.


Song List
20 songs were played at the jam last night: 16 from the main list, 3 from the additional songs list, and 1 that is on neither list:

Angeline The Baker - D
Blue Ridge Cabin Home - A
Buffalo Gals - A
Bury Me Beneath The Willow - D
Columbus Stockade Blues - G
Foggy Mountain Top - G
I'll Fly Away - C
In The Pines - E
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms - A
Liberty - D
Little Cabin Home On The Hill - A
Long Journey Home - G
Mountain Dew - A
New River Train - F
Soldier's Joy - D
Will The Circle Be Unbroken - G
Beautiful Brown Eyes - G
Nine Pound Hammer - G
On And On - G
Lonesome Feeling - G

Happy Pickin',
Jason

Sheet Music:
New River Train - banjo tab in D
Download File

New River Train - guitar tab in C
Download File

New River Train - guitar tab in D
Download File
​
C, G & D fill-in licks for guitar
Download File

New River Train - mandolin tab
Download File

New River Train - sample break in F (mandolin tab)
Download File

New River Train - backup in F with fill-ins (mandolin tab)
Download File

New River Train - melody in F
Download File

F & C fill-in licks for fiddle and mandolin
Download File

Hi,
The song of the week is 'In The Pines' in the key of E. 
'In The Pines' is in 3/4 time (a.k.a. 'waltz time': 3 beats per measure: guitar rhythm: boom-chuck-chuck), and is usually played at a slow tempo. 


Progression
The chord progression is:

1141
1511
In the key of E: 1=E, 4=A, 5=B


Recordings
Bill Monroe - key of F
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_UkluxB7gc

Boone Creek (Ricky Skaggs on lead vocal) - key of B. Notice that the chorus is shorter than on the previous version: this is the way (i.e., with the 'woo-woo-woos' mimicking the sound of the wind omitted) that  I sing the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kjiRfqFhUM

Peter Rowan - key of E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKh8XjgoQfc


Melody & Breaks
The melody of In The Pines uses only the first 5 notes of the major scale. In the key of E, these notes are, from lowest to highest: E, F#, G#, A, B. However, In The Pines lends itself well to being played with more of a lonesome or bluesy feel to it than what would seem to be implied by the notes that the melody consists of. So, in both my backup playing and in my breaks, I tend to make a lot of use of b3 and b7 notes. In the key of E, those notes are G and D respectively. 

For instance, when playing a melody-based break for the song, I will tend to substitute G notes in place of some of the G# notes, and in my fillin licks - both in my breaks and in my backup playing - I will tend to use D notes in spots where I would much more often use C# notes instead. Many of my fillin licks, and other licks that I might use in a break when I am not attempting to stick close to the melody, will consist solely of the notes that make up the minor pentatonic scale. The E minor pentatonic scale consists of the notes: E, G, A, B, and D 

To get a feel for how one might get started in doing this for a melody-based break for 'In The Pines', I have included in the attachments, in addition to the melody as I tend to sing it (which consists of just E, F#, G#, A, and B notes), a modified 'melody' that adds 3 additional notes into the mix: G, A#, and D. When I am really going for a 'bluesy' feel in a break or in a fillin lick for 'In The Pines', I will make frequent use of the A#/Bb note as a passing note between A and B notes, whether ascending: A, A#, B, or descending: B, Bb, A. If you choose to make use of this note, be careful about how long you linger on it, for it clashes severely with all three of the chords in the song.

The 'modified melody' in the attachments is only a basic example of how one might go about making use of the three extra notes to give a lonesome or bluesy sound to one's breaks. There are many more ways in which one might make use of these notes in one's breaks (and also in one's backup playing), so I suggest experimenting with these notes a bit. You might, for instance, take some licks you already know, and try modifying them in various ways to include one or more of these notes in them. In doing this, you might find it helpful to listen closely to the Boone Creek version of 'In The Pines' - see the link below - to use as a point of reference for the kind of 'sound' or 'feel' to aim for.

Due to its slow tempo, you might find that playing 'In The Pines' at the jam affords you with a good opportunity to try to get more 8th notes - and even 8th note triplets (see the explanation below if you are not sure what 8th note triplets are) - into your breaks than what you otherwise tend to play. You might also like to use the song as an opportunity to work on improvising (i.e., making up a break on the fly), since the slow tempo allows one a bit more time to think about which note or combination of notes one might like to play next.


Swung 8ths and 8th Note Triplets
There are a couple of symbols on the melody sheets attached here that you will not see often on the melody sheets for the song of the week.

The first one, at the top of the pages, consists of a pair of 8th notes followed by an equals sign followed by three 8th notes of which the first two are tied together and the numeral '3' occurs above the three 8th notes. This means that whenever you see a pair of 8th notes in the written music, the first of the two notes is held twice as long as the second one, but together, they take up the same amount of time in the measure as what two 'ordinary' (evenly spaced) 8th notes take up. To get the feel for this, sing (or play) the melody along with the sung choruses on the youtube link provided below, making sure that your 8th notes line up with the vocal phrasing. 

The numeral '3' which is placed below the staff under the group of three 8th notes in the second to last measure of the 'modified melody' indicates a triplet. Each note of an 8th note triplet lasts one-third the length of a quarter note; so, together, these three notes last the same amount of time as a single quarter note.


Guitar Tab Melody Sheets
For playing in the key of E, Bluegrass guitar players most often capo either to the 2nd fret and then play as if in D or capo to the 4th fret and then play as if in C. But, for In The Pines, as well as for many other songs in which it is desirable to make use of a lot of 'blue notes' (i.e., b3 and b7 notes) in one's playing, the 'capo 4  play as if in C' option can make doing this more awkward than what it needs to be, so I have not included a key of C melody sheet in the guitar tab attachments. (In the key of D, the b3 and b7 notes are F and C, whereas in the key of C, the b3 and b7 notes are Eb and Bb.)

However, in addition to the key of D guitar tab melody sheet, I have included a key of E melody sheet in the guitar tab attachments, since playing in the key of E without a capo lends itself at least just as well to the use of blue notes as what the 'capo 2 play as if in D' option does. If you have never tried playing a guitar break in the key of E without a capo, but would like to, I suggest that In the Pines is a good song to start with.

Note: When playing in the key of E without a capo, Bluegrass guitar players tend to play a B7 rather than a B for the '5' chord.


Banjo Tab Melody Sheet
Both the range of the melody for In The Pines and the desirability of using many 'blue notes' in one's breaks and backup playing for the song make the 'capo 2, play as if in D' option more practical than the 'capo 4, play as if in C' option. Therefore, I have included a key of D banjo tab melody sheet in the attachments, but not a key of C tab. 

For banjo players using the melody sheet as a guide for creating a break: for successive 8th notes in the melody, or in fillin licks, there is no need to avoid picking the same string two or more times in a row with the same finger: the song is played slowly enough to allow one to be able to play smoothly even while temporarily breaking away from typical banjo picking patterns in cases where doing so ends up being a more straightforward and simpler option.


Song List
15 songs were played at last night's jam: 12 from the main list, 2 from the additional songs list, and 1 that is on neither list:

All The Good Times Are Past And Gone - G
Blue Ridge Cabin Home - A
Buffalo Gals - A
Columbus Stockade Blues - G
Cripple Creek - A
I'll Fly Away - G
In The Pines - E
Liberty - D
Mountain Dew - A
Old Joe Clark - A
Will The Circle Be Unbroken - A
Will You Be Loving Another Man - G
Boil The Cabbage Down - A
Your Love Is Like A Flower - A
Fireball Mail - G

Happy Pickin',
Jason
​

Hi,
The song of the week is 'Buffalo Gals' in the key of A, played as an instrumental.

Recordings
Aubrey Haynie (mandolin break - key of A, fiddle break - key of D, banjo break - key of A, dobro break - key of D, fiddle break - key of A, guitar break - key of D, mandolin break - key of A)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8qYQf0ABFk

Mike Scott - key of G
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIZs3Rs8B2U

Alan Munde (who will be one of the main instructors at Weiser Banjo Camp this coming May) - key of A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-ciuncHSYY

Eric Weissberg - key of B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Itq8p6lRTg


Form 
Buffalo Gals is a two-part fiddle tune. Each part is 8 measures long, and is repeated before going on to the next part. This form (2 parts each repeated) is called AABB.  'A' stands for 'A-Part', i.e., first part, and 'B' stands for 'B-Part', i.e., second part. 

Since each part is 8 measures long, it takes 32 measures (8x4) to get through a single complete break for Buffalo Gals. (The same is true also for 'Boil The Cabbage Down', 'Soldier's Joy', 'Angeline The Baker', 'Liberty', 'Turkey In The Straw', and 'Old Joe Clark'.) This is twice the length of a single AABB form break for 'Cripple Creek', 'Cluck Old Hen', and 'Shortnin' Bread'. For, in those tunes each part is only 4, instead of 8, measures long.


Progression
Both parts of Buffalo Gals use the same chord progression:
1151
1151

This is Prog. Z5 on the Basic Chord Progressions handout. 
It takes 8 repetitions of the 4-measure line 1151 to get through a complete AABB form break for Buffalo Gals.

In the key of G: 1 = G, 5 = D
In the key of A: 1 = A, 5 = E
In the key of B: 1 = B, 5 = F# 
In the key of C: 1 = C, 5 = G 
In the key of D: 1 = D, 5 = A
Etc.


Starting the Tune
Buffalo Gals is one of the relatively few AABB form fiddle tunes that I prefer not to start with an 8 potato intro at a jam, because the way I usually play the first half measure of my breaks for Buffalo Gals (except for when playing it on the banjo in the keys of C, D,  E, and F) is essentially the same as the way I play the first half of each of the 4 measures of an 8 potato intro, thus making it sound unclear where the intro to the break ends and where the intro break begins. So, like on the Mike Scott and Eric Weissberg recordings of Buffalo Gals, I usually start instead with three quarter-note pickups that ascend up to the note that the melody begins with. 

These notes are:

                   5     6     7      leading to   1   
                  sol   la     ti                        do
key of G:   D    E      F#                       G  
key of A:    E    F#   G#                       A  
key of Bb:  F    G      A                        Bb 
key of B:    F#  G#   A#                       B 
key of C:    G    A      B                         C 
key of D:    A    B     C#                        D  
key of E;    B    C#   D#                        E  
key of F:     C    D     E                           F   

This same set of pickup notes will work well for starting intro breaks for 'Down The Road', 'Mama Don't Allow', and 'Amazing Grace'.

On the Mike Scott recording, an eighth note pinch/double stop is played before the first of the three quarter-note pickups. I often do this on banjo, but on the other instruments, I change this to a single eighth note. Weissberg also uses on banjo a single eighth note - the first note of the Major Scale, the root note of the 1 chord - before his three quarter-note pickups.  

However, if the way you play the first half measure of your intro break for Buffalo Gals differs enough from the way you play your 8 potato intro to make using an 8 potato intro an effective way to start the tune, then you may prefer to kick off Buffalo Gals with an 8 potato intro instead of with a pickup phrase. For examples of 8 potato intros in the keys of G and A for fiddle, mandolin, banjo, and guitar, refer back to the attachments included in the song of the week write-up for Shortnin' Bread:
https://www.idahobluegrassassociation.org/jasons-beginner-jam-blog-2019---2020/category/shortnin-bread


Breaks
Buffalo Gals has a fast enough moving melody that one can play a satisfactory beginning-level bluegrass break for it without adding much around the melody. But, because the tune is so repetitive, I can't help but want to vary it up as I go through the phrases that constantly recur in the tune.

I have included in the attachments an example of a pattern I make use of on the instruments I play for adding notes around the melody. I call this the checkmark pattern, because if one were to represent the pattern on a graph, the dots would connect to form checkmarks. (See also the additional attachment labeled as 'Buffalo Gals - graph for the first one-and-a-half measures'.) This pattern is made use of sparingly in various spots in some of the breaks played on recordings of the tune included here. 

I use this pattern very often on guitar and mandolin, and to a somewhat lesser extent when playing clawhammer (old-time) style banjo, but to an even lesser extent when playing 3 finger style banjo. Scruggs-style banjo lends itself well to other types of note choices that are determined by a repertoire of various right hand picking patterns (rolls), and clawhammer banjo has its own set of patterns that are characteristic of the clawhammer style, but for banjo players who are curious about how the notes given for the other instruments might fall on the banjo when played in 3 finger style and in clawhammer style, I have included banjo examples of the checkmark pattern applied to the first four measures of Buffalo Gals on the attachment. On banjo, this involves some pretty advanced-level playing relative to the much lower level of difficulty in getting the same combinations of notes on fiddle, mandolin and guitar. 

To grasp the system whereby notes are added around the melody using the checkmark pattern, compare the first four measures of the A Part melody for Buffalo Gals with the 'Buffalo Gals - checkmark patterns example' attachment, breaking both of them down into half-measure chunks. (Note: there are more examples of the pattern on this sheet than what would tend to occur in my playing within any four consecutive measures: I use all these moves in my playing, but I don't usually string them all together back to back.) Within each half-measure unit, observe whether the melody is ascending from a lower to a higher note, descending from a higher to a lower note, or remaining on the same note, and observe whether or not the same thing is happening between the note that ends one of the half-measure units and the note that begins the next half-measure unit.

In the first half of measure 1, the melody remains on the same note, but then ascends to a higher note at the beginning of the second half of that measure. In this case, I start with the first melody note, then dip down to a slightly lower note, then return to the note I started with, and then ascend to a note that connects smoothly into the even higher melody note that the second half of the measure starts with. 

The same idea applies to the second half of measure 1, though, in that case the melody ascends within that unit, rather than just when moving into the next unit: so the fourth/final note of the checkmark pattern that connects into the first note of measure 2 ends up being the same note as the second/final melody note in the second half of measure 1; the melody note in question is displaced in the process, coming an 8th of a measure later in the checkmark pattern example than where it occurs within the unembellished melody.

In the first half of measure 2, going into the second half of that measure, the melody moves in the opposite direction: descending instead of ascending. In that case, after the starting melody note, I first ascend to a higher note, then return to the starting note, then descend to a note that connects to the even lower next melody note that starts the second half of measure 2: thus, we end up with an upside down checkmark in this case.


Double Endings
On the Alan Munde and Eric Weissberg recordings of Buffalo Gals given here, there are an extra 4 measures played at the end of the tune after the final B-Part. This is called a 'double ending', for it consists of two 2-measure length ending licks played back to back. (Weissberg shortens the last measure of the final B-Part to half of a complete measure, so his four measure double ending starts half a measure earlier than what one would ordinarily expect.)

At bluegrass jams, it is common for a double ending to be played after the final break on AABB form tunes like Buffalo Gals. For an explanation of how double endings work, and for examples of double endings in the keys of G and A for fiddle, mandolin, banjo, and guitar, refer back to the section on double endings and to the attachments in the song of the week write-up for Shortnin' Bread: https://www.idahobluegrassassociation.org/jasons-beginner-jam-blog-2019---2020/category/shortnin-bread


Song List
16 songs were played at the jam on last night: 12 from the main list, 3 from the additional songs list, and 1 that is on neither list:

Buffalo Gals - A
Bury Me Beneath The Willow - G
Columbus Stockade Blues - G
Cripple Creek (played twice) - A
Down The Road - B
In The Pines - A
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms - A
A Memory Of You - G
Mountain Dew - A
Soldier's Joy - D
Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong - C
Worried Man Blues - A
Boil The Cabbage Down - A
Turkey In The Straw - G
Your Love Is Like A Flower - G
She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain - A

Happy Pickin',
Jason