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Love Of The Mountains

10/8/2019

0 Comments

 
Hi,
New Start Time for the Jams
Revitalize Juice Bar has gone back to closing at 5pm. So, starting this coming week, we will go back to starting the jams at 6:30 instead of 7.

​
Song of the Week
The song of the week is 'Love Of The Mountains' in the key of A.


Recording
Larry Sparks - key of A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOee0Ov9iyY
Larry Sparks - Love of the Mountains
From John Deere Tractor LP
www.youtube.com


Progression
The chord progression for Love Of The Mountains is simple and repetitive, but a bit unusual for a Bluegrass song in that a '4' follows a '5' without a '1' intervening between the 5 and the 4.

1411
5411
1411
5411

On the recording, an extra measure of the 1 is added to the end of the progression for the verses, resulting in a 54111 line for the last line of each verse, much like one or more extra measures of the 1 are often added to the ends of breaks before the next verse starts. When leading the song at a jam, however, it is safer to avoid adding an extra measure of the 1 to the end of the verses. In all my years of jamming experience, I don't recall ever playing the song with anyone who did add the extra measure to the end of the verses. 

The order of frequency, from most frequent to least frequent, in which chord changes involving the 1, 4, and 5 tend to show up in Bluegrass is as follows:

change from 5 to the 1 (most common)
change from the 1 to the 5
change from the 1 to the 4
change from the 4 to the 1
change from the 4 to the 5
change from the 5 to the 4 (least common)

The use of a '5411' line (sometimes modified to '5415') at the end of a progression is much more common in Blues and early Rock & Roll than what it is in Bluegrass.

The most common progression with a 5411( or 5415) ending line is the progression that is often referred to as the '12 bar blues':

1111
4411
5411

or

1111
4411
5415

Compare this with the progression that is used to play the 12 measure version of Worried Man Blues, and many other Bluegrass songs (Shuckin' The Corn, Blue Grass Stomp, the breaks for Rocky Road Blues, etc.):

1111
4411
5511


Fill-in Licks
Each line in the progression for Love Of The Mountains ends with two measures of the 1 chord, and within these two measures at the end of each line there is a long enough 'dead space' within the melody for a fill-in lick to be played.

Playing Love Of The Mountains at a jam provides one with a better opportunity than what most other songs do to practice varying one's choice of fill-in licks. For, on the one hand, if one simply uses the same one or two fill-in licks to plug up every dead space, it won't take long for this to start sounding monotonous, but, on the other hand, if not enough dead spaces are filled in, the song will sound empty.

Notice how every dead space is filled in on the recording (primarily by the banjo on the verses, and primarily by the fiddle on the choruses). Also notice the variety of fill-in licks being used to fill the dead spaces.


Melody
As I sing the song, and as it is sung on the recording, there is a bit more to the melody than what I have shown on the attached melody sheets. To give just one example, the careful listener should notice that the note sung in measure 3 of line 2 of verses 2 and 3 is a higher note than the note sung in measure 3 of line 2 of verse 1. 

The melody sheets in the song of the week emails are provided first and foremost to give people a good starting point of reference for creating melody based breaks. When it comes to learning to sing a song, it is much better to learn the melody of the song by listening to and singing along with the recordings rather than by trying to learn it from the melody sheets. The melody sheets, both in terms of the note choices and the timing of the notes, more often than not show the melody in a simpler form than how it would usually be sung.


Harmony
There are no harmony vocals on the recording. Not every song needs harmony on the choruses: especially if enough tasteful things are being done on the instruments to keep the song full and interesting. But, if you would like to, feel free to add a harmony part on the choruses when I lead the song at the jam.


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

Are You Missing Me - G
Ashes Of Love - G
Clinch Mountain Backstep - A
I Can't Feel At Home In This World Anymore - G
Little Cabin Home On The Hill - G
Little Liza Jane - D
Love Of The Mountains - A
Love, Please Come Home - B
Reuben - D
We'll Meet Again Sweetheart - Bb
Why Don't You Tell Me So - D
Wreck Of The Old '97 - A
Little Darling Pal Of Mine - E
Mountain Dew - A
Cripple Creek - A
Jambalaya - C
Bill Cheatham - A

Happy Pickin',
Jason

Love Of The Mountains - banjo tab
Download File

Love Of The Mountains - guitar tab
Download File

Love Of The Mountains - mandolin tab
Download File

Love Of The Mountains - melody in A
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

    ​

    Categories

    All
    0 - Basic Chord Progressions
    0 - Nashville Number System Charts
    0 - Song List 2020 Jan
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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
    Cherokee Shuffle
    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
    East Virginia Blues
    Feast Here Tonight
    Fireball Mail
    Foggy Mountain Breakdown
    Foggy Mountain Special
    Footprints In The Snow
    God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
    Gold Rush
    Gold Watch And Chain
    Hallelujah
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    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
    Little Cabin Home On The Hill
    Little Darling Pal Of Mine
    Little Darlin Pal Of Mine
    Little Georgia Rose
    Little Liza Jane
    Little Maggie
    Little Willie
    Lonesome Feeling
    Long Black Veil
    Love
    Love Of The Mountains
    Love Please Come Home
    Man Of Constant Sorrow
    Mountain Dew
    Nellie Kane
    Nine Pound Hammer
    No Mother Or Dad
    Old Home Place
    Old Joe Clark
    Ole Slew Foot
    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
    Salt Creek
    Salty Dog Blues
    Shady Grove
    Sitting On Top Of The World
    St. Anne's Reel
    Steel Rails
    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
    Why Don't You Tell Me So
    Wildwood Flower
    Will You Be Loving Another Man
    Wreck Of The No. 9
    Wreck Of The Old '97
    You Don't Know My Mind

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  • Home
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    • 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