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Beautiful Brown Eyes

4/7/2019

0 Comments

 
Hi,
The song of the week is 'Beautiful Brown Eyes' in the key of G, played in cut common time (2/2) rather than in waltz time (3/4).


Recordings
Red Allen (under the title: Beautiful Blue Eyes) - key of G
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhPgbKqwNkc  

The Gibson Brothers - key of Bb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IupOvRqFqSo  

Jason Homey & The Snake River Boys - key of G (first break, verse, and chorus in 3/4; remainder of the song in 2/2); starts at 5:16.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1NKw99Anlo  


Time Signature
When I introduce Beautiful Brown Eyes into the Beginner Jam repertoire, I play it in 3/4 time because I think it is one of the easiest songs to use for acquainting new jammers with playing in 3/4 time. Also, people from non-bluegrass backgrounds who are already familiar with the song are more likely to have heard it played in 3/4 time rather than in cut common time.

However, while most non-bluegrass recordings of Beautiful Brown Eyes are in 3/4 time rather than in cut common time, the opposite is true of bluegrass recordings of the song. 

The first bluegrass version of Beautiful Brown Eyes, or rather Beautiful Blue Eyes (a common alteration of the title and the chorus lyrics in bluegrass versions of the song), that I ever heard was the Red Allen recording provided here. Apart from retaining 'brown' in place of 'blue', my cut time version of the song follows this recording closely.   

My reasons for recycling Beautiful Brown Eyes as a song of the week for the Intermediate Jam are: 1) to draw attention to a much more standard way of playing the song as a bluegrass song than how it has usually been played at the jam up to this point, and 2) to help demonstrate how to convert a song from one time signature to another.

Time Signature Conversion
Beautiful Brown Eyes is just one of many songs for which there are both 3/4 time and non-3/4 time recorded versions. 

I believe the best way to get started with learning how to convert a song from one time signature to another is by listening to examples of the same song played in more than one time signature. For this reason, I have included youtube links for some of the examples given below.

Another thing that could be helpful would be to compare the timing of the melody notes on the melody sheets attached here with the timing of the melody notes on the melody sheets for Beautiful Brown Eyes in 3/4 time provided for the beginner jam, for which, go to: https://www.idahobluegrassassociation.org/jasons-beginner-jam-blog-2019---2020/category/beautiful-brown-eyes

The classic example of a bluegrass song played in both 3/4 time and in cut common time is Bill Monroe's 'Blue Moon Of Kentucky'.  Bill originally recorded the song in 3/4 time.  But after Elvis Presley recorded his non-3/4 time version of the song  (which the Stanley Brothers later copied), Bill recorded it again, playing the first half of it in 3/4 time and the second half of it in cut common time. 

Bill Monroe: 3/4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtpiqdN2lJk 

Elvis Presley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7M0CmkJ-2o

The Stanley Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g67Y9Q15cNU 

Bill Monroe: 3/4 & 2/2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXqW6MiyEZo

Other songs that I have heard both 3/4 and non-3/4 versions of include:  
The Girl In The Blue Velvet Band
Bill Monroe 3/4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATc22oHWitg  
Hylo Brown 2/2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbwk6Ka5HQc

How Mountain Girls Can Love
2/2 (standard)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrqhZxvsxTs
3/4 (non-standard)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMUosnwJFpQ

Streamline Cannonball
Hank Snow 3/4; 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9vNUJJX6-k  
Doc Watson 2/2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Ri4YBDnt4

Mary Of The Wild Moor 
Doc Williams 4/4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCkSS0v8Ffs
The Louvin Brothers 3/4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJrKke0sf0s

Before I Met You
Paradise
I'm Thinking Tonight Of The Old Folks (a.k.a. Dixie Home)
Philadelphia Lawyer
I Never Will Marry
Dark As A Dungeon 
Amazing Grace
We Three Kings 
What Child Is This/Greensleeves

Here's a banjo solo version of 'Down In A Willow Garden' that is played first in 3/4 time and then in 2/2 time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iudBMZgsPDM  


Chord Progression
Just a quick note that Beautiful Brown Eyes as I play it, and as played on the recordings provided here, does not use the Bury Me Beneath The Willow/Wreck Of The Old '97 progression, the most common chord progression in bluegrass, but uses the closely related, but far less common, progression:

1144
1155
1144
5511


Song List
19 songs were played at the jam last night:
Angel Band - Bb
Ashes Of Love - A
Beautiful Brown Eyes - G
Cherokee Shuffle - A
Clinch Mountain Backstep - A
Cry, Cry Darlin' - A
Gold Watch And Chain - C
Homestead On The Farm - A
I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore - D
In The Sweet By And By - B
Little Willie - A
Old Joe Clark - A
Temperance Reel - G
Turkey In The Straw - G
Wildwood Flower - D
Will You Be Loving Another Man - A
Little Darling Pal Of Mine - Bb
All The Good Times Are Past And Gone - D
A Memory Of You - Bb

Happy Pickin',
Jason

Beautiful Brown Eyes - banjo tab
Download File

Beautiful Brown Eyes - guitar tab
Download File

Beautiful Brown Eyes - mandolin tab
Download File

Beautiful Brown Eyes - melody in G
Download File
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    ​Jason's Intermediate Jam Blog 2019 - 2021

    Was weekly on Thursdays
             6:30pm
    at Pioneer Building in downtown Boise
    ​

    started Jan 2017
    ​as  Beginner jam 
    (click to see Beginner blog 2017-18)

    ​with Jason Homey

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

    ​

    All of Jason's Songs
    in alphabetical order

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    9
    Angel Band
    Are You Missing Me
    Ashes Of Love
    Auld Lang Syne
    Banks Of The Ohio
    Beautiful Brown Eyes
    Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem
    Bill Cheatham
    Black Mountain Rag
    Blue Night
    Blue Ridge Cabin Home
    Cabin In Caroline
    Canaan's Land
    Can't You Hear Me Calling
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    Clinch Mountain Backstep
    Cold Corn
    Columbus Stockade Blues
    Cora Is Gone
    Cry
    Cry Cry Darlin
    Cry Darlin'
    Cryin' Holy
    Dark Hollow
    Devil's Dream
    Diamonds In The Rough
    Don't This Road Look Rough And Rocky
    Dooley
    Down In A Willow Garden
    Down The Road
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    Feast Here Tonight
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    Foggy Mountain Special
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    God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
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    Gold Watch And Chain
    Hallelujah
    Hard Hearted
    Hard Times Come Again No More
    Head Over Heels
    Homestead On The Farm
    Home Sweet Home
    Honey
    Hot Corn
    How Mountain Girls Can Love
    I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore
    I Hope You've Learned
    I'll Never Shed Another Tear
    I'm Ready To Go
    I Never Will Marry
    In The Pines
    In The Sweet By And By
    I Saw The Light
    I Still Miss Someone
    It's Mighty Dark To Travel
    I Wonder Where You Are Tonight
    John Hardy
    John Henry
    Joy To The World
    Keep On The Sunny Side
    Last Train From Poor Valley
    Liberty
    Life Is Like A Mountain Railroad
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    Little Darling Pal Of Mine
    Little Darlin Pal Of Mine
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    O Little Town Of Bethlehem
    On And On
    Over The Hill To The Poorhouse
    Please Come Home
    Red Haired Boy
    Red Wing
    Reuben
    Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms
    Roving Gambler
    Sally Goodin
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    Sitting On Top Of The World
    St. Anne's Reel
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    The Lone Pilgrim
    Think Of What You've Done
    Thirty-Two Acres:
    Tiny Broken Heart
    Turkey In The Straw
    Two Little Boys
    Wabash Cannonball
    We'll Meet Again Sweetheart
    We Three Kings
    What Child Is This
    Whiskey Before Breakfast
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    You Don't Know My Mind

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  • Home
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  • Articles & Podcasts
    • Podcasts >
      • ​Jeremy Garrett Interview
      • Keith Reed Interview
      • Jason Homey Interview
      • 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