Canaan's Land

Hi,
The song of the week is 'Canaan's Land' (a.k.a. 'Where The Soul Never Dies') in the key of F.


Recordings
Here are three versions of Canaan's Land to take a listen to. The third one is not a bluegrass version, but the vocal arrangement is so good that I couldn't help but include it here. It is well worth listening to and learning from, after you have listened closely to at least one of the first two versions. 

Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice (key of E)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_mJxXFxcy4

Jim and Jesse (key of G)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV44JL1ktng  

The Oak Ridge Boys (key of F, final choruses modulate to the key of Bb)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV7RhC9ZGfk  


Harmony & Lyrics
I advise getting solid on of the first two versions first, to the point that you can clearly distinguish between the lead part and the tenor harmony part, and then study the third recording for additional harmony parts that might be better suited to your vocal range than the tenor harmony part.

Canaan's Land is an interesting song to sing harmony on. The set of lyrics used for the harmony part(s) on the chorus, and on the repetitive parts of the verses, is different than the set of lyrics used for singing the lead part (i.e., the melody).

Here is how the two set of lyrics line up with each other for the chorus. Try singing the lyrics for the harmony parts for the chorus along with your favorite of the youtube links:

Lead:       No     / sad                 /      fare / wells        /           no       /
Harmony: Dear / friends there'll / be no   / sad   fare / wells, there'll 

Lead:       tear    /         dimmed / eyes  /     where /
Harmony: be no / tear-dimmed / eyes  /      where /

Lead:        all    /            is    / love      /          and the /
Harmony: all is / peace and / joy and / love, and the /

Lead:        soul    /          never / dies. /       /
Harmony: soul of / man never / dies. /       / 

The repetitive parts of the verses (lines 2 and 4 of each verse) line up in the same way as line 4 of the chorus.

I know 5 verses for Canaan's Land, but at jams I usually only sing 3 of these:

Verse 1 is given on the melody sheets attached here.

The non-repeating parts of my second verse are:

(line 1) The love light beams across the foam
(line 3) It shines to light the shores of home

The non-repeating parts of my third verse are:

(line 1) A rose is blooming there for me
(line 3) And I will spend eternity

Additional Verses:
4th verse: 
(line 1) I'm on my way to that fair land
(line 3) Where there will be no parting hand

5th verse:
(line 1) My life will end in deathless sleep
(line 3) And everlasting joys I'll reap


Learning the Lyrics
I strongly advise against printing lyrics off the internet as a starting point for learning lyrics to songs. People who habitually do this tend to not do nearly as well with memorizing the lyrics than people who write them out by hand while listening to a record. Printed lyrics on the internet are good to consult in cases in which you find yourself uncertain as to what the words being sung on the records are, but in doing this, be sure to look at several versions of the lyrics, for alternative versions that may not correspond closely with the recordings you are learning the song from, not to mention outright errors, abound on the internet.

Make for yourself a cheat sheet that consists of the bare minimum number of words that you actually need to see in order to jog your memory as to what the lyrics are if you are concerned that you will likely forget some of them in the moment when singing at a jam. The most common spots in songs for people to forget the lyrics to when singing at a jam are the first line of the verses that come after the first verse. 


Progression
The chord progression is the same as for 'Gathering Flowers From The Hillside', 'Fireball Mail', 'Bringing In The Georgia Mail', the original version of 'I'm Goin' Back To Old Kentucky' and the verses of 'Feast Here Tonight':

1111
1155
1111
1511
In the key of F: 1 = F and 5 = C.


Melody Notes
The melody uses the major pentatonic scale, and therefore, in the key of F, it contains no notes that are not also part of the C and Bb major scales. F and C are closely related keys, F and Bb are closely related keys. But, C and Bb are not closely related keys. The 5 notes of the F major pentatonic scale are: F, G, A, C, and D. (The 7 notes of the C major scale are: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The 7 notes of the Bb major scale are: Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, and A. Each of these scales share 6 notes in common with the F major scale, but the C and Bb major scales only share 5 notes in common with each other. The 7 notes of the F major scale are: F, G, A, Bb, C, D, and E.)


Guitar: Capo Options
The two most common options used by bluegrass guitar players for playing in F are: 1) Capo 5 and play as if in C. In the key of C: 1 = C and 5 = G; and 2) Capo 3 and play as in D. In the key of D: 1 = D and 5 = A. In the attachments, I have included 2 melody sheets for guitar, one written in C and the other written in D.


Banjo: Capo and Tuning Options
On banjo, there are many ways to play in the key of F, but I think that for 'Canaan's Land', played in Scruggs-style, the 3 best options are: 

1) Capo 3 and tune the 5th string up to a C note (i.e., use your 10th fret spike if you have one, or, if not, then use your 9th fret spike and then tune up the extra half-step to a C note manually). and play as if in D. See banjo tab #1 in the attachments.

2) Tune the 2nd string down to an A note, tune the 3rd string down to an F# note, capo the 3rd fret, then tune the 5th string up to an A note (i.e., use your 7th fret spike), and play as if in D. Your 'open' strings will now register on your tuner as the notes belonging to the F chord: AFACF. See banjo tab #2 in the attachments.

3) Play in F without a capo, but tune the 5th string up to an A (i.e., use your 7th fret spike) so that the 5th string is tuned to a note that belongs to the '1' chord.  

Of these options, I prefer the 2nd and 3rd. The 2nd option allows one to use more open strings than the other options, and favors the use of slides and pull-offs to the same degree as key of G Scruggs-style playing. The 3rd option allows one to play a break within the first 3 frets of the banjo. When played in F, 'Canaan's Land' contains no chords or melody notes that are not also shared in common with key of C playing. So, if you are accustomed to playing in C, but not F, without a capo, I suggest that 'Canaan's Land' might work well for you as a way of introducing yourself to playing in F without a capo. 


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

Ashes Of Love - F
Beautiful Brown Eyes - G
Canaan's Land - F
Cherokee Shuffle - A
Clinch Mountain Backstep - A
Columbus Stockade Blues - G
Down In A Willow Garden (played twice) - G & D
Homestead On The Farm - A
I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore - D
In The Sweet By And By - A
Little Cabin Home On The Hill - D
Old Joe Clark - A
Will You Be Loving Another Man - G
Why Don't You Tell Me So - G
Born To Be With You - B
Florida Blues - D
Steel Rails - B
I Saw The Light - Bb 

Happy Pickin,
Jason

Canaan's Land - banjo tab 1
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Canaan's Land - banjo tab 2
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Canaan's Land - banjo tab 3
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Canaan's Land - guitar tab 1
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Canaan's Land - guitar tab 2
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Canaan's Land - mandolin tab
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Canaan's Land - melody in F
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