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

Recording
Peter Rowan - key of Bb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe1hlelnwg8


Progression
The progression I use for Roving Gambler is:
1111
1141
11511

If it helps, you may wish to think of this progression as consisting of the first half of the progression for Long Journey Home (or Gotta Travel On) followed by the last line of the progression for Wildwood Flower (or Leaning On The Everlasting Arms. or Molly And Tenbrooks). 

Other songs that have been played at the jam in which a three-line (as opposed to the much more common four-line) progression is used include 'Banjo Riff', and the short form (12 measure) version of Worried Man Blues.

The progression given here is the same as that used for the breaks on the recording (minus extra measures of the 1 that go by between the ending of a break and the beginning of the next verse), but not for the verses. On the recording, there are extra measures of the 1 chord at the ends of both lines 2 and 3 in the verses. I keep the progression the same for both the verses and the breaks (once again, not counting any extra measures of the 1 that I might allow to go by between the ending of a break and the beginning of the next verse).


Form & Arrangement
The arrangement I use for Roving Gambler when leading it at the jam is based upon the recording: seven verses, no chorus, with two verses being sung back to back between breaks, with one verse left over to end the song.  

Both the form and the arrangement I use for Roving Gambler are nearly identical with the form and arrangement used on the original Bill Monroe recording of Molly And Tenbrooks, a song that has occasionally been played in previous incarnations of the intermediate jam, except that Molly And Tenbrooks is sung with 9 verses instead of 7, and makes use of a tack-on ending. See to what extent you can detect the similarities in form and arrangement between the two songs. 

Molly And Tenbrooks - Bill Monroe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pK3kfq4y6Q

A third song with a similar form and arrangement to Roving Gambler and Molly And Tenbrooks is the version of McKinley's Gone (a.k.a., White House Blues) found on Flatt & Scruggs' Folk Songs Of Our Land album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxD1g2I4FN8

The practical advantage of learning to group songs together based upon similarity of form and/or arrangement is the same as the practical advantage of associating songs with each other that have similar progressions or the same progression as each other. It reduces the number of distinct pieces of information to keep track of when learning new songs, or when trying to follow along on new songs that come up at a jam, and this enables one to more quickly and easily expand one's repertoire.


Melody
The melody of Roving Gambler consists of the notes of the Major Pentatonic scale which are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th notes of the Major Scale (A, B, C#, E, and F# in the key of A;  G, A, B, D, and E in the key of G, etc.) The first two lines (first 8 measures) of the melody of Roving Gambler are similar to the first two lines of the melody of Long Journey Home, except that the melody goes higher in Roving Gambler in measures 3 and 4 of line 1 than what it does in measures 3 and 4 of line 1 of Long Journey Home. The second lines of the two songs are similar enough that I often use exactly the same notes/licks in a melody-based intro break for the second line of Roving Gambler as the ones that I typically use for the second line of an intro break for Long Journey Home. Keep in mind that good melody-based breaks often do not follow the melody slavishly, but take some liberties with it.


Harmony
Although Roving Gambler does not have a chorus, it does have repetitions in its lyrics. In these spots, namely, the third (last) line of each verse, it is common for harmony to be sung. The third line of any given verse repeats twice the lyrics that make up the second half of the second line of that verse. (Note: Molly And Tenbrooks has a similar type of repetition at the ends of its verses, but in that song it is not customary for harmony to be sung on the last line of the verses.)


Song List
18 songs were played at last night's jam: 

Bill Cheatham - A
Cry, Cry Darlin' - G
Dooley - B
Gold Watch And Chain - D
Little Willie - A
Love Of The Mountains - C
Love, Please Come Home - B
Roving Gambler - A
Steel Rails - G
Bring Back My Blue-Eyed Boy To Me - G
Flint Hill Special - G
Cripple Creek - A
Lonesome Feeling - C
Little Cabin Home On The Hill - C
Lonesome Road Blues - G
Wreck Of The Old '97 - D
St. Anne's Reel - D
Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms - A

Happy Pickin',
Jason

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


Recordings
The Stanley Brothers - key of A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw2yH1iDYYg

John Reischman & The Jaybirds  - key of C
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84lf7l2BMqc


Progression
The chord progression for Little Willie is:
1   1   b7  b7
1   5   1    1
1   1   b7  b7
1   5   1    1


The b7 Chord
The b7 (flat-seven) chord is always one whole step (= two half steps) lower than the 1 chord. 

If you know the 7 letter circular musical alphabet, and know that there is a note between every natural note except between B and C and between E and F, and know what is meant by a whole step (or by two half steps) and what is meant by flat (b) and sharp (#) and natural, then you have all the information you need to know in order to very quickly calculate what the b7 chord is for every key (albeit perhaps not the all the information you need in order to ensure that you are always naming it correctly: e.g., G# - incorrectly named - in place of Ab - correctly named - for the key of Bb, even though G# and Ab are one and the same note/chord).

Although we only use 8 of the 12 Major keys at our jam, here is the b7 chord for all 12 Major keys:
G:   b7 = F
Ab: b7 = Gb
A:   b7 = G
Bb: b7 = Ab
B:   b7 = A
C:   b7 = Bb
C#: b7 = B (or Db: b7 = Cb)
D:   b7 = C
Eb: b7 = Db
E:   b7 = D
F:   b7 = Eb
F#: b7 = E (or Gb: b7 = Fb)

Banjo and guitar players who regularly make use of a capo should at the very least memorize the letter name of the b7 chord for the keys of G, C, and D. 

Guitar players whose guitars are set up to be capable of the level of volume needed in order to stand a chance of cutting through at a large Bluegrass jam
(medium or heavy gauge strings and high action) will find it helpful to remember that the b7 chord in the key of C is Bb, so that when they know that the song about to be played at the jam has a b7 chord in it, and is going to be played in the key of C, or D, or E, or F, they can choose a option that will not require them to play a Bb chord-shape: for this chord-shape is physically difficult to form and to make sound right on a guitar with high action and medium to heavy gauge strings.


4 vs. b7
When I am playing guitar, my F shape chords look so similar to my C shape chords that, in order to distinguish them from each other, you may find it easier to rely on your ear to hear the difference between when I am playing a b7 chord instead of a 4 chord for the keys of G, A, Bb, B, and C, than to rely on what you (may think you) are seeing on my guitar. 

The b7 chord sounds distinctively different than the 4 chord (even if not as different as what the b7 sounds like relative to the 1 and the 5). To help familiarize yourself with the specific sound of the b7 chord, you may find it helpful to listen to some of the following songs that use this chord back to back with songs that have only the 1,4 and 5 chords in them. 

'Rain And Snow' (This song uses only the 1 and b7 chords: every line of the progression is 1 b7 1 1.)  Key of G: 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dUUGRHej_Q

'June Apple' (1 and b7 chords in the A-Part, 1, b7,  and 4 chords in the B-Part: no 5 chord): Key of A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b-8fxsjnZY 

'Little Maggie' - (1, b7, and 5 chords, like Little Willie) Key of C:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXl5YJrVeII  

'High On A Mountain' (2nd measure of the 3rd line of the verses and breaks, 2nd measure of lines 1 and 3 of the choruses) Key of G:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw82yX4b_vE

'Red Haired Boy' (4th measure of the A-Part, 1st and 4th measures of the B-Part) Key of A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZJZrOhwEQA

'Old Joe Clark' (The b7 chord occurs in the 4th measure of the B-Part; the corresponding spot in the A-Part uses the 5 chord; the tune does not use the 4 chord) Key of A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYu_FdJWDs0

You may also find it helpful to play through the progression for Little Willie back to back with the progression for Nine Pound Hammer, for the only difference between the two progressions is that Nine Pound Hammer uses the 4 chord in the spots where Little Willie uses the b7 chord.


Melody
In the version of the melody for Little Willie given in the attachments, which is based upon how Ralph Stanley sang the song on the Stanley Brothers recording, the melody consists of the first 5 notes of the Major Scale (A, B, C#, D, and E in the key of A; G, A, B, C, and D in the key of G), plus the two 'blue notes' b3 (C in the key of A; Bb in the key of G) and b7 (G in the key of A; F in the key of G). It is because the b7 note is lingered on in measure 3 of lines 1 and 3 that the progression for the song contains the b7 chord.


Song List
20 songs were played at the jam last night:

Are You Missing Me - Bb
Bill Cheatham - A
Cherokee Shuffle - A
Cry, Cry Darlin' - G
Cryin' Holy - G
Dooley - B
I Saw the Light - A
Little Willie - A
Red Wing - G
Steel Rails - C
Wabash Cannonball - G
Why Don't You Tell Me So - C
Love Me Darling Just Tonight - A
Wreck Of The Old '97 - A
Red Rose, White Carnation - G
Foggy Mountain Breakdown - G
Golden Slippers - G
Your Love Is Like A Flower - A
Sun's Gonna Shine In My Back Door Someday - Bb
Temperance Reel - G

Happy Pickin',
Jason

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

​
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.
(In the key of B: 1=B, 4=E, and 5=F#.)

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'll 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 little 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 mostly 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.


Song List
18 songs were played at last night's jam:
Are You Missing Me - G
Canaan's Land - Bb
Cherokee Shuffle - A
Cry, Cry Darlin' - G
Cryin' Holy - G
Dooley - B
Down In A Willow Garden - G
Homestead On The Farm (played twice) - A & G
Love, Please Come Home - A
On And On - G
Roving Gambler - A
Steel Rails - G
Turkey In The Straw - G
Why Don't You Tell Me So (played twice) - G & Bb
Reuben - D
Clinch Mountain Backstep - A
Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms - B
Roses In The Snow - B

Happy Pickin',
Jason

Hi,
The song of the week is 'Cry, Cry Darlin'' in the key of G.


Recordings
Bill Monroe: key of A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P0aM1Y7Tk0

Alison Krauss: key of C (starts at 0:55)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8ijOit4CdI

Ricky Skaggs: key of G
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A39AXsav5Js

Notice how the last version, while falling within the parameters of the Bluegrass genre (at least as it is now commonly understood), lean the song in a decidedly Country direction. If one considers how many artists associated with other genres of music come from Bluegrass backgrounds, how many Bluegrass artists have been heavily influenced by other genres, and how many elements of other genres were put together to create Bluegrass in the first place, it should come as no surprise that the dividing line between Bluegrass and certain other genres is at some points quite thin, and that in many of these cases, it will not always be clear where the Bluegrass genre ends and another genre begins or vice versa.


Progression
The chord progression for the verses and breaks of Cry, Cry Darlin' is the most common of all progressions in Bluegrass:
1144
1155
1144
1511

The progression for the chorus is:
5511
2255
1144
1511

Notice that the last two lines of the chorus progression is the same as the last two lines of the verse progression.

Other songs that have 55112255 for the first two lines of their chorus progression which are then completed by the second half of their verse progression include 'Old Home Place', 'I'd Rather Die Young', 'Next Sunday Darling Is My Birthday', and some versions of 'My Little Home In Tennessee'. Other instances in which 55112255 shows up in songs include the first half of the third verse of 'Sunny Tennessee', and the first half of the pre-chorus of 'Tall Pines'.

2 Chord Review
The root note of the 2 chord is one whole step higher than the root note of the 1 chord, and is named using the letter of the musical alphabet that immediately follows the letter that is used to name the 1 chord. Therefore: 

In the key of A, 2 = B
In the key of Bb, 2 = C
In the key of B, 2 = C#
In the key of C, 2 = D
In the key of Db, 2 = Eb
In the key of D, 2 = E
In the key of Eb, 2 = F
In the key of E, 2 = F#
In the key of F, 2 = G
In the key of Gb, 2 = Ab
In the key of G, 2 = A  
In the key of Ab, 2 = Bb
In chord progressions, the 2 chord is almost always followed by the 5 chord. 


The 2 Chord in Cry, Cry Darlin'
In the two other songs that have been played regularly at the intermediate jam that use a 2 chord in their progressions ('I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore', and 'Homestead On The Farm'), the 2 chord is not necessary to use in the progression for the song: one can find recorded versions of these songs that do not use the 2 chord that sound musically correct (though perhaps not always quite as interesting), and the same is true of many songs that are commonly played in Bluegrass circles with a 2 chord. The main reason for this is that, for a song that uses no notes in its melody other than that of the Major Scale, no Major chords other than the 1, 4, and 5  are needed to harmonize the melody, for together, these three chords contain all 7 notes that make up the Major Scale, and they are the only Major Chords that contain no notes that are not part of the Major Scale. 

In the case of 'Cry, Cry Darlin'', however, the main melody note in the 6th measure of the chorus (a C# note when the song is played in the key of G) forms a severely dissonant interval with the root notes of the 1, 4, and 5 chords, and also with one of the other notes in the 1 chord, and in the 4 chord. The note in question happens to be the one and only note in the 2 chord that is not part of the Major Scale. 

When played in the key of G, the first half of the chorus of Cry Cry Darlin' uses in its melody all, and only, the same notes that make up the D Major Scale. The three chords that are used for that part of the song when played in the key of G also happen to be the same chords that are the 1,4, and 5 chords for the key of D, namely D, G, and A. (Conversely, the 1,4, and 5 chords for the key of G are the 4, b7, and 1 chords respectively for the key of D. G and D are closely related keys: the G Major and D Major Scales share 6 of their 7 notes in common with each other.) For these reasons, it is possible that some people might find it helpful to think of the first part of the chorus of Cry, Cry Darlin' as involving a modulation to the key of D when we play it at next week's jam.


Song List
19 songs were played at the jam on Wednesday:

Bill Cheatham - A
Cabin In Caroline - G
Canaan's Land - Bb
Cherokee Shuffle - A
Cry, Cry Darlin' - A
Cryin' Holy - G
Down In A Willow Garden - G
Homestead On The Farm - A
I Saw The Light - A
Love Of The Mountains - A
Love, Please Come Home - A
Red Wing - G
Steel Rails - G
Why Don't You Tell Me So - C
Old Home Place - Bb
Devil's Dream - A
Flint Hill Special - G
Whiskey Before Breakfast - D
Salt Creek - A

Happy Pickin',
Jason