Category: Dooley

Dooley

5/5/2018

Hi,
The song of the week is 'Dooley' in the key of A.

Recordings
The Dillards - key of B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxFYKYm3TPA&list=RDgxFYKYm3TPA&start_radio=1

Progression
The chord progression is uncommon for a vocal bluegrass song in that it makes use of progressions that are usually reserved for fiddle tunes:

The progression for the chorus is the same as the progression for the A Part of Liberty:
1144
1151

...unless one counts as part of the progression the extra measure of the 1 on the recording that separates the end of the chorus from the beginning of the breaks. But this extra measure has usually been left out when we have played the song at the jam, and I intend on keeping it that way when I lead the song at the jam as it goes through its song of the week cycle.

The progression for the breaks and verses is the same as the progression for the A Part of Boil The Cabbage Down and the B Part of Soldier's Joy:

1 4 1 5
1 4 1/51
(played twice for a complete verse or break)
This is Prog. Y7 on the Basic Chord Progressions handout.

This progression is closely related to the most common chord progression in bluegrass for vocal songs, namely the progression that is used for Bury Me Beneath The Willow, Wreck Of The Old '97, I Still Write Your Name In The Sand, and countless other songs:

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

Notice that Prog. Y7 differs from Prog. V7 only in that Y7 runs through the chord changes twice as fast. Where there are two measures of a given chord back to back in V7, there is only one measure of that same chord in Y7. Where there is one measure of a given chord in V7 before the next chord change, there is only half a measure of that same chord in Y7 before the next chord change.

Breaks
Since I intend on leaving out the extra measure of the 1 chord between the end of the chorus and the beginning of the breaks, there will be no time for me to call out the breaks that immediately follow the chorus. (Notice that the chorus progression as written here ends with only one measure of the 1 chord.) If one does three quarter note pickups into these breaks, the first of the pickup notes must start immediately after the last sung syllable of the chorus. So, for breaks following choruses, you will need to rely solely on visual cues from me.

Ending
I end the song with a vocal tag by repeating the last phrase of the chorus: 'and I'll pay you back someday'. With the tag included, the progression for the final chorus will become:

1144
1151
511

The last syllable occurs on the first beat of the second to last measure, which allows for a typical two-measure ending lick to be played on the 1 chord measures that the song will end with, just like in nearly all the other vocal songs we play at the jam.

Happy Pickin',
Jason