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A Memory Of You

11/16/2019

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

Bobby Hicks and Friends - key of B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLppdfvyW1c

'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 Past 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
Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
Canaan's Land
A Few More Seasons
Hand Me Down My Walking Cane
I'll Still Write Your Name In The Sand
Little Cabin Home On The Hill
Love Me Darling Just Tonight
Wild Mountain Flowers For Mary
Will You Be Loving Another Man
Your Love Is Like A Flower
Ashes Of Love
Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms  

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


Song List
20 songs were played at last night's jam: 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
Boil The Cabbage Down - A
Bury Me Beneath The Willow - D
Cripple Creek - A
Down The Road - B
Gathering Flowers From The Hillside - G
Long Journey Home - A
Mama Don't Allow - G
A Memory Of You - A
Nine Pound Hammer - G
Old Joe Clark - A
Shortnin' Bread - A
Soldier's Joy - D
Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong - C
Will The Circle Be Unbroken (played twice) - A & G
Canaan's Land - G
Little Cabin Home On The Hill - A
Your Love Is Like A Flower - G
Fireball Mail - G

Happy Pickin',
Jason
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    Jason's Beginner Jam Blog 2019 - 2021

    Weekly on Thursdays
                   6:30pm

    at Revitalize Juice Bar in the Pioneer Building (6th and Main downtown Boise)
    started Jan 2019
    ​with Jason Homey

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

    ​
    All of Jason's Songs
    in alphabetical order

    ​

    Categories

    All
    0 - Song List 2020 Jan.
    2 - Song List 2019 Sept.
    3 - Song List 2019 Jan.
    4 - How The Jam Works
    5
    A Few More Seasons
    Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
    All The Good Times Are Past And Gone
    Amazing Grace
    A Memory Of You
    Angeline The Baker
    Auld Lang Syne
    Away In A Manger
    Beautiful Brown Eyes
    Blue Ridge Cabin Home
    Boil The Cabbage Down
    Buffalo Gals
    Bury Me Beneath The Willow
    Camptown Races
    Clinch Mountain Backstep
    Cluck Old Hen
    Columbus Stockade Blues
    Come Back Darling
    Cripple Creek
    Down The Road
    Foggy Mountain Top
    Forked Deer
    Gathering Flowers
    Gathering Flowers From The Hillside
    God Gave Noah The Rainbow Sign
    Golden Slippers
    Good King Wenceslas
    Goodnight Irene
    Hand Me Down My Walking Cane
    Handsome Molly
    I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore
    I Have No One To Love Me
    I'll Fly Away
    I'll Live On
    I'll Still Write
    I'll Still Write Your Name In The Sand
    I'm Goin' Back To Old Kentucky
    I'm Gonna Sleep With One Eye Open
    I'm On My Way Back To The Old Home
    I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
    I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes
    In The Pines
    Jambalaya
    Jesse James
    Jimmy Brown
    Jingle Bells
    Katy Daly
    Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
    Let Me Be Your Friend
    Liberty
    Light At The River
    Little Birdie
    Little Cabin Home On The Hill
    Little Girl Of Mine In Tennessee
    Little Joe
    Lonesome Road Blues
    Long Journey Home
    Lost And I'll Never Find The Way
    Love Me Darling Just Tonight
    Mama Don't Allow
    Molly And Tenbrooks
    Mountain Dew
    My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains
    My Main Trial Is Yet To Come
    New River Train
    Nine Pound Hammer
    No Hiding Place Down Here
    Old Joe Clark
    O Susanna
    Paradise
    Poor Ellen Smith
    Rain And Snow
    Riding On That Midnight Train
    Roll On Buddy
    Rose Of Old Kentucky
    She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain
    Shepherds In The Field
    Shortnin' Bread
    Silent Night
    Soldier's Joy
    Sun's Gonna Shine In My Back Door Someday
    Sweet Chariot
    Sweetheart
    Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong
    Swing Low
    Take This Hammer
    The Crawdad Song
    The Prisoner's Song
    There's More Pretty Girls Than One
    The Walls Of Time
    This Land Is Your Land
    This Little Light Of Mine
    Tom Dooley
    Way Down Town
    We Can't Be Darlings Anymore
    When My Time Comes To Go
    When The Saints Go Marching In
    Wild Mountain Flowers For Mary
    Will The Circle Be Unbroken
    Will You Be Loving Another Man
    Worried Man Blues
    Wreck Of The Old '97
    Y'all Come
    You Are My Sunshine
    You Done Me Wrong
    Your Love Is Like A Flower

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      • 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