​Hi all,
we will continue to jam during the summer on Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9pm at Powderhouse!
If you know you'll come, write your first name and instrument in the required name field in the blog comment below - e.g. Petra (Fiddle). There is no need to fill out anything else (unless you want to tell us, what you are going to call). 
And a bonus feature - if you click the box under the comment area, you'll get notified when others comment (rsvp).
This way all can see, if we have enough people for a jam ... or if you are the only one....
The system will work best, if you only comment when you know you will come! (Do not post maybes or no shows).
A new blog post (with the jam date as title) will show up every Sunday.

​Have fun jamming :) ​

Sorry about last weeks missing post....

​​Hi all,
we will continue to jam during the summer on Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9pm at Powderhouse!
If you know you'll come, write your first name and instrument in the required name field in the blog comment below - e.g. Petra (Fiddle). There is no need to fill out anything else (unless you want to tell us, what you are going to call). 
And a bonus feature - if you click the box under the comment area, you'll get notified when others comment (rsvp).
This way all can see, if we have enough people for a jam ... or if you are the only one....
The system will work best, if you only comment when you know you will come! (Do not post maybes or no shows).
A new blog post (with the jam date as title) will show up every Sunday.

​Have fun jamming :) ​

​Hi all,
we will continue to jam during the summer on Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9pm at Powderhouse!
If you know you'll come, write your first name and instrument in the required name field in the blog comment below - e.g. Petra (Fiddle). There is no need to fill out anything else (unless you want to tell us, what you are going to call). 
And a bonus feature - if you click the box under the comment area, you'll get notified when others comment (rsvp).
This way all can see, if we have enough people for a jam ... or if you are the only one....
The system will work best, if you only comment when you know you will come! (Do not post maybes or no shows).
A new blog post (with the jam date as title) will show up every Sunday.

​Have fun jamming :) 

​Hi all,
we will continue to jam during the summer on Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9pm at Powderhouse!
If you know you'll come, write your first name and instrument in the required name field in the blog comment below - e.g. Petra (Fiddle). There is no need to fill out anything else (unless you want to tell us, what you are going to call). 
And a bonus feature - if you click the box under the comment area, you'll get notified when others comment (rsvp).
This way all can see, if we have enough people for a jam ... or if you are the only one....
The system will work best, if you only comment when you know you will come! (Do not post maybes or no shows).
A new blog post (with the jam date as title) will show up every Sunday.

​Have fun jamming :) 

​​Hi all,
we will continue to jam during the summer on Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9pm at Powderhouse!
If you know you'll come, write your first name and instrument in the required name field in the blog comment below - e.g. Petra (Fiddle). There is no need to fill out anything else (unless you want to tell us, what you are going to call). 
And a bonus feature - if you click the box under the comment area, you'll get notified when others comment (rsvp).
This way all can see, if we have enough people for a jam ... or if you are the only one....
The system will work best, if you only comment when you know you will come! (Do not post maybes or no shows).
A new blog post (with the jam date as title) will show up every Sunday.

​Have fun jamming :) 

​Hi all,
we will continue to jam during the summer on Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9pm at Powderhouse!
If you know you'll come, write your first name and instrument in the required name field in the blog comment below - e.g. Petra (Fiddle). There is no need to fill out anything else (unless you want to tell us, what you are going to call). 
And a bonus feature - if you click the box under the comment area, you'll get notified when others comment (rsvp).
This way all can see, if we have enough people for a jam ... or if you are the only one....
The system will work best, if you only comment when you know you will come! (Do not post maybes or no shows).
A new blog post (with the jam date as title) will show up every Sunday.

​Have fun jamming :) 

Hi all,
we will continue to jam during the summer on Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9pm at Powderhouse!
If you know you'll come, write your first name and instrument in the required name field in the blog comment below - e.g. Petra (Fiddle). There is no need to fill out anything else (unless you want to tell us, what you are going to call). 
And a bonus feature - if you click the box under the comment area, you'll get notified when others comment (rsvp).
This way all can see, if we have enough people for a jam ... or if you are the only one....
The system will work best, if you only comment when you know you will come! (Do not post maybes or no shows).
A new blog post (with the jam date as title) will show up every Sunday.

​Have fun jamming :) 

Hi all,
we will continue to jam during the summer on Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9pm at Powderhouse!
If you know you'll come, write your first name and instrument in the required name field in the blog comment below - e.g. Petra (Fiddle). There is no need to fill out anything else (unless you want to tell us, what you are going to call). 
And a bonus feature - if you click the box under the comment area, you'll get notified when others comment (rsvp).
This way all can see, if we have enough people for a jam ... or if you are the only one....
The system will work best, if you only comment when you know you will come! (Do not post maybes or no shows).
A new blog post (with the jam date as title) will show up every Sunday.

​Have fun jamming :) 

​Hi all,
we will continue to jam during the summer on Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9pm at Powderhouse!
If you know you'll come, write your first name and instrument in the required name field in the blog comment below - e.g. Petra (Fiddle). There is no need to fill out anything else (unless you want to tell us, what you are going to call). 
And a bonus feature - if you click the box under the comment area, you'll get notified when others comment (rsvp).
This way all can see, if we have enough people for a jam ... or if you are the only one....
The system will work best, if you only comment when you know you will come! (Do not post maybes or no shows).
A new blog post (with the jam date as title) will show up every Sunday.

​Have fun jamming :) 

​Hi all,
we will continue to jam during the summer on Tuesdays from 6:30pm to 9pm at Powderhouse!
If you know you'll come, write your first name and instrument in the required name field in the blog comment below - e.g. Petra (Fiddle). There is no need to fill out anything else (unless you want to tell us, what you are going to call). 
And a bonus feature - if you click the box under the comment area, you'll get notified when others comment (rsvp).
This way all can see, if we have enough people for a jam ... or if you are the only one....
The system will work best, if you only comment when you know you will come! (Do not post maybes or no shows).
A new blog post (with the jam date as title) will show up every Sunday.

​Have fun jamming :) 

Hi everyone,
The song of the week is 'Way Down Town' in the key of E.


Recordings 
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Doc Watson - key of D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4boKwvWNZc

Tony Rice - key of D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u326dPx_5U

Doc and Merle Watson - key of E 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACAFvj42xY4

Jason Homey & The Snake River Boys - key of E (starts at 3:31)
Jason Homey and the Snake River Boys, IBA Open Mic, 6_25_19 - YouTube

Jam Videos
Here are four youtube jam videos I have made for Way Down Town. In the one listed second, I am on guitar, and play the song in the key of E.
Jason’s YouTube Links – Alphabetical Listing – Parisology (cyberplasm.com)


Progression
The chord progression for Way Down Town is:

4411
5511
4411
5511
This is Progression W10 on the Basic Chord Progressions handout.

Notice that: 1) the progression starts with the 4 chord rather than the 1 chord; 2) the two halves of the progression are identical; 3) the chord changes occur consistently once every two measures; and 4) each line of the progression ends with 2 measures of the 1 chord.

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.
The notes that make up the E chord are: EG#B
The notes that make up the A chord are: AC#E
The notes that make up the B chord are: BD#F#
Together, these 7 notes make up the E major scale: (four sharps:) EF#G#ABC#D#.


Pickup Notes
An effective way to lead into a melody-based break for Way Down Town in the key of E is to play the same set of pickup notes that I have recommended in previous song of the week write-ups for Down The Road and Mama Don't Allow when played in the key of A:

                 E   F#  G#   leading to A (the first melody note)
Key of E:  1    2    3                      4  
Key of A:  5    6    7                      1

When Way Down Town is played in the key of E and Down The Road (or Mama Don't Allow) is played in the key of A, they share the same starting melody note (the A note), and the same starting chord (the A chord)

Transposed to the key of D (for Way Down Town) and G (for Down The Road/Mama Don't Allow): the pickups become:
                 D   E   F#  leading to G (the first melody note)
Key of D:  1    2   3                     4
Key of G:  5    6   7                     1 

Transposed to the key of C (for Way Down) and F (for Down The Road/Mama Don't Allow): the pickups become:

                 C   D   E  leading to F (the first melody note)
Key of C:  1    2   3                    4
Key of F:  5    6   7                    1 


Fiddle & Mandolin: Easy Double Stops
Notice that, in first position, in the key of E, the melody (see the files at the bottom of this write-up) is carried on only the 2nd and 3rd strings. It is convenient that the 1st string on the fiddle and on the mandolin is tuned to an E note, for both the E and the A chords contain that note. Therefore, the open first string can be played along with the melody notes that occur on the 2nd string during the E and A chord measures to create double stops.


Fill-in Licks
Way Down Town has dead spaces in its melody on the 1 chord measures that occur at the ends of lines 2 and 4. These are the same spots where the dead spaces occur in I'll Fly Away, Mountain Dew, Nine Pound Hammer, Bury Me Beneath The Willow, Blue Ridge Cabin Home, Foggy Mountain Top, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, All The Good Times Are Past And Gone, and too many other songs on the song lists to name here. To fill up some of these dead spaces, try to make use of the simple E chord fill-in licks provided in the PDF file at the bottom of this write-up when playing your breaks and when playing backup if you do not already have fill-in licks in your repertoire of licks that work for playing over an E chord.


Banjo: Capo 2, Spike 9
I recommend that banjo players try to play this song with the capo on the 2nd fret and with the fifth string capoed, or spiked to a 'b' note, i.e., 9th fret, playing as if in the key of D. This way the melody can be located on the 3rd and 4th strings at the very same locations as is most common for melody notes for songs played in the key of G (or with a capo, A, Bb, etc.) See the banjo tab melody sheet at the bottom of this write-up.


Guitar: Capo 2 or 4
Guitar players will probably want to capo either to the second fret to play as if in D (1=D; 4=G; 5=A) or to the fourth fret to play as if in C (1=C; 4=F; 5=G). The latter option will work better for those who wish to play a Carter-style break for Way Down Town, but the first option lends itself more easily to the use of 'blue notes' (b3 and b7 notes: in the key of D, these notes are F's and C's: called b3 and b7 respectively because they are each a half step lower than the 3rd and 7th notes of the D Major Scale, namely F# and C# notes) which can also sound good when used in appropriate spots in breaks for this song. Therefore, I have included two melody sheets in guitar tab at the bottom of this write-up.


Lyrics
The set of lyrics that I sing for the chorus of Way Down Town are given on the melody sheets in the files at the bottom of this write-up. 

The three verses I sing for the song begin as follows:

1. Late last night when Willie came home....
2. I wish I was at my sweet Sally's house....
3. Now one old shirt is about all I've got....

Song List
18 songs were played at last night's jam: 11 from the main list, 3 from the additional songs list, and 4 that are on neither list:
Down The Road - B
Foggy Mountain Top - G
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms - A
Lonesome Road Blues - G
A Memory Of You - A
Mountain Dew - A
New River Train - F
Nine Pound Hammer - A
Old Joe Clark - A
Way Down Town - E
Wreck Of The Old '97 - D
Blue Ridge Cabin Home - A
Columbus Stockade Blues - Bb
Hand Me Down My Walking Cane - C
Bring Back My Blue Eyed Boy To Me - A
Home Sweet Home - D
O Susanna - G
You Are My Sunshine - A

Happy Pickin',
Jason


Way Downtown - banjo tab
Download File

Way Downtown - mandolin tab
Download File

Way Downtown - guitar tab 1
Download File

Way Downtown - guitar tab 2
Download File

Way Downtown - melody in E
Download File

E Chord Fill-in Licks
Download File

Hi everyone,
The song of the week is 'Wreck Of The Old '97' in the key of D.

​
Recordings
Flatt & Scruggs: key of Bb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=732g2a7pmpM

The Osborne Brothers: mandolin intro break and verses in the key of E; fiddle break in the key of A; banjo break in the key of B 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XSTYrVV4Pc

Mac Wiseman: key of D 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_vt-s3aYl8&list=RDD_vt-s3aYl8

Jason Homey & The Snake River Boys - key of D 
Wreck Of The Old ’97 - Jason Homey and the Snake River Boys - YouTube


Jam Videos
Here are four youtube jam videos I have made for Wreck Of The Old '97. In the one listed second, I am on guitar, playing the song in the key of D.
Jason’s YouTube Links – Alphabetical Listing – Parisology (cyberplasm.com)


Progression & Melody 
Wreck Of The Old '97 uses the most commonly recurring chord progression in bluegrass, the 'Bury Me Beneath The Willow' progression.

1144
1155
1144
1511
(Prog. V7 on the Basic Chord Progressions chart.)

In the key of D: 1=D, 4=G, 5=A.
The D chord consists of the notes: D, F#, and A
The G chord consists of the notes: G, B, and D
The A chord consists of the notes: A, C#, and E.

Together, these notes make up the D major scale: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, and the melody of Wreck Of The Old '97 uses all the notes of the scale, with the lowest note in the melody being a D (the root note of the key), and the highest note in the melody being the E that is one octave plus one whole step higher than the lowest note in the melody.

Wreck Of The Old '97 has no chorus. There are 6 verses for the song, but it is common for only 5 verses to be used for the song.

While Wreck Of The Old '97 uses a very common chord progression - the most common of all progressions in bluegrass, there are some things about its melody that are uncommon in bluegrass. For instance, in the second line, at the point where the change to the '5' chord occurs ('A' in the key of D), the melody hangs on the 7th note of the scale ('C#' in the key of D), whereas it is far more common in songs for the melody to go the 2nd note of the scale ('E' in the key of D) at this point instead when the second line of the progression for a song is 1155.


Melody Sheets
In the attachments, I have included 2 guitar tabs of the melody: one written in the key of D, and one written in the key of C. The locations of the melody notes on the fretboard in the 'C' tab make the 'C' tab more conducive than the 'D' tab to working out a Carter-style break for the song. If for this reason, or some other reason, you choose to work with the C tab instead of the D tab, you will need to capo the 2nd fret in order to be playing the song in D.  I have also included 2 banjo tabs of the melody, one in D and one in C. Since the lowest note of the melody is the 1st note of the scale (a 'C' note in the key of C, a 'D' note in the key of D), you will need to tune the 4th string of the banjo down to a 'C' note if you choose to work with the key of C banjo tab of the melody given here. Capoing to the 2nd fret will then raise the pitch of the 4th string back up to a D note. (In the banjo youtube jam video, I play in C tuning, capo 2 for D. On the Snake River Boys recording, I play in G tuning, no capo, but still with the 5th string raised up to an A note. In both cases I am playing in the key of D.)


Points of Interest
If you are interested in learning about the history of the song, and the event that the song is about, check this out:
The Wreck of the Old 97 - History and Music Video - YouTube

For those who are interested, here are a few non-bluegrass versions of Wreck Of The Old '97 (all referenced in the youtube video above) that I was familiar with before I got into bluegrass music. The second one is the second-oldest recording of the song, dating from 1924, and was the first million-seller 'Country' record. The B-side of the record is 'The Prisoner's Song', another old 'pre-bluegrass' classic that has been adopted into the standard bluegrass repertoire.

Johnny Cash: key of Bb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lza4Li_0o78

Vernon Dalhart: key of D 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T06xJJth0Y

Hank Snow: key of A
THE WRECK OF THE OLD 97 by HANK SNOW - YouTube


Song List
18 songs were played at last night's jam: 11 from the main list, 4 from the additional songs list, and 3 that are on neither list:

Cluck Old Hen - A
Down The Road - B
Foggy Mountain Top - G
In The Pines - C
Long Journey Home - A
A Memory Of You - Bb
Mountain Dew - A
New River Train - F
Old Joe Clark - A
Worried Man Blues - Bb
Wreck Of The Old '97 - D
All The Good Times Are Past And Gone - G
Cripple Creek - A
Gold Watch And Chain - D
Soldier's Joy - D
Lonesome Feeling - G
Fireball Mail - G
A Girl From West Virginia - A

Happy Pickin',
Jason


Wreck Of The Old '97 - banjo tab D
Download File

Wreck Of The Old '97 - banjo tab C
Download File

Wreck Of The Old '97 - guitar tab D
Download File

Wreck Of The Old '97 - guitar tab C
Download File

Wreck Of The Old '97 - mandolin tab
Download File

Wreck Of The Old '97 - melody in D
Download File

Hi everyone,
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 

Jason Homey & The Snake River Boys - key of F (starts at 4:02)
Jason Homey and the Snake River Boys, IBA Open Mic, 4/23/19 - YouTube


Jam Videos
Here are four youtube jam videos I have made for New River Train. I recommend starting with the one listed second. In that one, I am on guitar, and am playing the song in the key of F.
Jason’s YouTube Links – Alphabetical Listing – Parisology (cyberplasm.com)

(Note: On a laptop, you can slow down youtube videos to 75% or 50% speed by going to settings and then clicking on 'playback speed'. Doing this does not change the pitch of the recording.)


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
                            Guitar & Banjo             Banjo 5th string tuned to

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

For beginner level 3-finger style 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 files (scroll down to the very bottom of this song of the week write-up), 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 files 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 files, 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 files in the song of the week write-up for Bury Me Beneath The Willow: scroll down to the very bottom of the following page:
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), five (Snake River Boys), 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, for instance, 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
14 songs were played at last night's jam: 8 from the main list, 5 from the additional songs list, and 1 that is on neither list:

Cluck Old Hen - A (played twice)
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms - A
Liberty - D
Lonesome Road Blues - G
A Memory Of You - A
Old Joe Clark - A
Will You Be Loving Another Man - A
Wreck Of The Old '97 - D
Columbus Stockade Blues - A
Hand Me Down My Walking Cane - G
I'll Fly Away - A
Soldier's Joy - D
Wildwood Flower - G
Wabash Cannonball - 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 everyone,
The song of the week is 'Cluck Old Hen' in the key of A. 
Cluck Old Hen is an old-time tune that has made its way into Bluegrass circles. Although there are lyrics for Cluck Old Hen, it will be played as an instrumental when I call it at the jam as the song of the week.


Recordings
Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby - key of A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxGjLIPBOLs

Fletcher Bright & Bill Evans - key of A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE2zPlDtKyg

Ralph Stanley - key of A 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEqpuvBwLIk

Jason Homey & The Snake River Boys - key of A
Cluck Old Hen - Jason Homey and the Snake River Boys - YouTube


Jam Videos
Here are three youtube jam videos I have made for Cluck Old Hen. In the one list listed first, I am on guitar:
Jason’s YouTube Links – Alphabetical Listing – Parisology (cyberplasm.com)


Form & Progression 
Like Shortnin' Bread and Cripple Creek, Cluck Old Hen follows the form AABB (i.e., there are two parts, each of which is repeated before the next part is played), with each A Part and each B Part being 4 measures long.

The progression we use at the jam for playing Cluck Old Hen is:
A-Part:
1  1/4  1  5/1 

B-Part:
1  1/b7 1  5/1
In the key of A: 1 = A; 4 = D; 5 = E; b7 = G. In the key of G: 1 = G; 4 = C; 5 = D; b7 = F


Melody & Breaks
While the chord progression for Cluck Old Hen uses only major chords, the melody is not major, but minor. 
 
There are 7 melody notes in the version of the melody given in the attachments for Cluck Old Hen.  In ascending order of pitch, these are: G, A, C, D, E, G, A.  

A,C,D,E,G are the notes that make up the A Minor Pentatonic Scale. (By contrast, the A Major Pentatonic Scale consists of the notes: A,B,C#,E,F#). Even if one is not playing the melody per se in one's break, sticking to the notes of the A Minor Pentatonic Scale, and playing no other notes in one's break will make the break sound like it 'belongs' in the tune. 

For those with instruments usually capoed to the second fret for playing in the key of A (guitar, banjo, dobro), you will need to lower each note in the preceding explanation by a whole step in order for the information to correspond with what you see on the melody sheets in the attachments written in guitar and banjo tab.

So, for instance, in place of "A,C,D,E,G are the notes that make up the A Minor Pentatonic Scale. (By contrast. the A Major Pentatonic Scale consists of the notes: A,B,C#,E,F#)", think: "G,Bb,C,D,F are the notes that make up the G Minor Pentatonic Scale. (By contrast, the G Major Pentatonic Scale consists of the notes: G,A,B,D,E).

This does not mean that one should never include notes from the A Major Scale that are not in the A Minor Pentatonic in one's breaks for Cluck Old Hen (Ralph Stanley, for instance, includes several C# notes and a few F# notes in his breaks on the recording given here), but only that one needs to be careful about using those notes.

It is common in Bluegrass for breaks to contain notes from both the Major Scale and the Minor Pentatonic Scale, even when the melody of the song is either entirely major or entirely minor, so long as the chord progression is major (i.e., the progression uses 1 chords rather than 1m chords). 

On the other hand, if you are playing 'Cluck Old Hen' in the context of an Old-time jam you may find that you have less leeway to make use of notes outside the Minor Pentatonic Scale than what you do when playing the tune in the context of a Bluegrass jam. 

In connection with this, one may observe that, for playing Cluck Old Hen, most Old-time (clawhammer) banjo players tune their 2nd string up a half step from where it would normally be tuned when in G tuning (capo 2 for A) precisely to avoid the resonance of the distinctively major scale note that is on the open 2nd string when in G tuning, whereas Bluegrass banjo players (at least when playing in a Bluegrass context) tend not to do this. If tuned this way (G modal tuning: GDGCD capo 2 for A = AEADE), then, in reading the banjo tab melody sheet in the attachments, just simply substitute 0's in place of the 1's that are written on the line representing the 2nd string. 


Key
Although the melody of Cluck Old Hen consists only of the notes of the Am pentatonic scale, it is called at jams in A (Major) rather than A Minor because the '1' chord that is used in the chord progression for the song is an A Major Chord rather than an Am Chord ('1m'). To call Cluck Old Hen in A Minor instead of in A (Major) at a jam would imply that 1m Chords are to be played in place of 1 Chords.

In the attached standard notation melody sheet for Cluck Old Hen, I have used the key signature for Am (no sharps or flats, same as the key signature for C Major, the Relative Major of Am) instead of the key signature for A Major (3 sharps) to avoid the need to write natural signs in nearly every measure. I hope that my doing this makes the sheet music easier to read than if I had used the key signature for A Major. 


Song List
16 songs were played at last night's jam: 11 from the main list, 4 from the additional songs list, and 1 that is on neither list:

Cluck Old Hen - A
Foggy Mountain Top - G
Gathering Flowers From The Hillside - G
Liberty - D
Lonesome Road Blues - G
Long Journey Home - A
A Memory Of You - A
Old Joe Clark - A
Will You Be Loving Another Man - A
Worried Man Blues - Bb
Wreck Of The Old '97 - A
All The Good Times Are Past And Gone - C
Blue Ridge Cabin Home - A
Bury Me Beneath The Willow - A
Forked Deer - D
Lonesome Feeling - G

Happy Pickin',
Jason