Hi, The song of the week is 'Boil The Cabbage Down' in the key of A. This was the first tune to be made the song of the week for the present incarnation of the Beginner Jam when it started back in January, and this tune has been played regularly at the jam ever since. The jam group as a whole has made a lot of progress over this time. In revisiting Boil The Cabbage Down and certain other familiar past songs of the week, I intend to help push the jam group forward in several ways. In the case of Boil The Cabbage Down, I intend to use this tune to: 1) provide the jam group with the opportunity to gain experience playing at faster tempos; 2) encourage those who have a basic break for this tune down pat, and have played this tune the same way so many times, to start working on coming up with variant breaks to use for the tune, so as to keep the tune 'fresh' for them; and 3) help newcomers to the jam to get better acquainted with the commonly shared established repertoire of the jam group as a whole. Form Like a lot of other traditional fiddle tunes and folk songs that have been absorbed into bluegrass, there are many noticeably different versions of Boil The Cabbage Down. At bluegrass jams, one of the more common ways of playing it is as an instrumental in the key of A with the typical fiddle-tune form AABB, and that is how we will play it at the beginner jam when it is played during the first half of the evening. Alternate versions of the song are welcome to be introduced during the second half of the evening. AABB means that the tune has two parts (A-Part = first part; B-Part = second part), each of which is played through twice before going on to the next part. Like many other fiddle tunes, each A-Part and each B-Part is 8 measures long. Therefore, it takes 32 measures (8x4) to get through a complete break for Boil The Cabbage Down. Progression The chord progression for the A-Part is: 1 4 1 5 1 4 1/5 1 This is the same as the progression for the B-Part of Soldier's Joy. (Prog. Y7 on the 'Basic Chord Progressions' handout.) The chord progression for the B-Part is: 1 1 1 5 1 4 1/5 1 (Prog. Y2 on the 'Basic Chord Progressions' handout.) Note: 1/5 means that the measure is split between the 1 chord and the 5 chord. In the key of A: 1=A. 4=D, 5=E. Banjo players and most bluegrass guitar players habitually capo to the 2nd fret for playing in the key of A, so their chord shapes will be the same as those for the 1,4, and 5 chords in the key of G, which are: 1=G, 4=C, 5=D. Recordings Here are a few youtube links to watch and listen to. I recommend the first one not only for mandolin players, but for anyone who wishes to get a better handle on the melody of the tune and the difference between the A-Part and the B-Part of the tune. You might notice that my version of the melody for the B-Part (see the attached melody sheets) differs a bit from the version of the melody used by the mandolin player on the first youtube link. This kind of variance in interpretation of the melody from one person to the next is quite common within bluegrass and old-time music, especially on fiddle tunes. Fiddle players should be aware that the mandolin is tuned the same way as the fiddle, so the fingering positions are identical on both instruments. The mandolin breaks in the youtube link - including the one that uses double stops (i.e., two strings being played simultaneously) can be played note for note on the fiddle just as easily as on the mandolin. The versions on the second and third links have vocals in them, and do not follow the form AABB all the way through. The instrumental sections of the second link do follow the form AABB while the vocal sections do not. In the version on the third link, the form for the breaks is: ABB and the form for the vocal sections is AB, but with the high part being used as the A-Part (i.e., the first part), and the low part being used as the B-Part (i.e., the second part), which is the opposite of what we will be using as the A and B Parts at the jam. Boil The Cabbage Down mandolin lesson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaIitAtwS5M The Hillbilly Gypsies (Old Time Version) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTf3GwKspus Jackstraw (Bluegrass version) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bzE8-5GfMM Melody, Breaks, and Variations In the attachments, I have included the basic melody for Boil The Cabbage Down in standard notation, mandolin tab, banjo tab, and guitar tab. For fiddle, mandolin, and guitar players who wish to create a simple break based upon the basic melody, I recommend applying a constant shuffle rhythm to the melody. That simply means playing a constant pattern of one quarter note followed by two 8th notes. Two cycles through this pattern is the length of one measure of music in cut time (2/2), and is counted as: 1 &a2 &a. In the attachments, I show what this rhythm looks like when applied to the first 4 measures of the melody for the B-Part of Boil The Cabbage Down (see the attachment titled 'Shuffle Rhythm Example'.) For more complex breaks, and for variations on a basic break, some things to experiment with include: 1) sliding (and on mandolin and guitar, also hammering) into certain notes; 2) adding extra notes around the melody; 3) lowering or raising the melody by an octave to use as one's starting point for coming up with a break; 4) harmonizing the melody with double stops (2 notes played simultaneously); and 5) altering the melody at few points here and there: 'overshooting' the melody (i.e., substituting a harmony note higher in pitch than the melody note) is often more effective than 'undershooting' the melody. For banjo players who wish to create a simple melody-based break for Boil The Cabbage Down, I recommend applying one type of roll pattern across the board to the whole tune. For this purpose, the two roll patterns that work best to apply to the whole tune are the alt. thumb roll and the forward roll. (See the attachment: 'Fitting Rolls Around the Melody' for examples of this.) Remember, on banjo, there is more than one convenient location within the first few frets for some of the notes; in particular, banjo players will often get the B note on the 4th fret of the 3rd string instead of using the open 2nd string, so that they can slide into the B note, and so that they can put an alternating thumb or reverse roll around it. Likewise, they will often get the D note on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string instead of using the open 1st string, so that they can hammer into the D note, and so that they can avoid starting a roll on the 1st string. For those who wish to create a more complex melody-based break for Boil The Cabbage, I recommend making use of several different roll patterns: experiment with them to discover for yourself at which points in the break you find that one roll works better than another to carry the melody. For the sake of creating variations, try substituting one roll in place of another, vary the spots in which you make use of left-hand techniques (slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, etc.), and select a couple of spots in which to intentionally deviate from the melody (for starters, try overshooting the melody in these spots with a note that belongs to the chord being played at the time that is a higher note than the melody note). Don't This Road Look Rough And Rocky The chord progression for Don't This Road Look Rough And Rocky is: Verse: 1 1/4 1 1 1 1 5 5 1 1/4 1 1 5 5 1 1 Chorus: 4 4 1 1 1 1 5 5 1 1/4 1 1 5 5 1 1 The Bluegrass Album Band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M76rllf5X7U Flatt & Scruggs (live) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAXyuTic9sQ Happy Pickin', Jason
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Hi, The song of the week is the old bluegrass classic 'Long Journey Home' (a.k.a. 'Two Dollar Bill' or 'Lost All My Money') in the key of A. Recordings Flatt & Scruggs - key of A (song starts at 2:07) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j36uEgzfer4&list=PL75WHOdULzEkvqS1g3YFtHWFP0Av_Fio4 Rhonda Vincent - key of B https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M8j_Ofnstc Bill Monroe & Doc Watson - key of G https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIsDyBxPujM For reasons of historical interest, I include the following version of 'Long Journey Home' by the Monroe Brothers (Bill Monroe and his older brother Charlie). From 1936, this was one of the first songs that Bill Monroe recorded, and it is played wickedly fast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4ZLjumc8x0 Progression The chord progression is: 1111 1141 1111 1511 While this is a fairly basic chord progression, there are relatively few bluegrass standards that use this progression. I like to think of this progression as being closely related to the more common progression: 1111 4411 1111 1511 (Will The Circle Be Unbroken; I'll Fly Away; Ridin' On The Midnight Train; Mountain Dew, etc.) The first, third, and fourth lines are identical in both progressions. The second line of both progressions is made up of 1 and 4 chords, but they differ from each other as to where the 4 chord occurs within the line and how long one stays on the 4 chord before changing back to the 1. The main challenge that the Long Journey Home progression presents is that with so many 1s in the in the progression, it can sometimes be all too easy to lose one's place within the progression. But, if one thinks/feels the song in terms of distinct lines consisting of 4 measures each, then this is less likely to happen. However, if you do lose track of the progression, then the safest chord to play is the 1. Just keep on playing the 1 while you are trying to figure out where in the progression the song is at. Use the vocal as a guide to help you to feel where each line of the progression begins. Keys When I lead the song at the beginner jam for the next two jams, we will play it in the key of A. However, it is also a good idea to be prepared for the future to play it in G and in Bb, since these are the keys that others have chosen to sing it in at the jam in past. (In the key of A: 1=A; 4=D; 5=E. In the key of G: 1=G; 4=C; 5=D. In the key of Bb: 1=Bb; 4=Eb; 5=F.) Tempo Long Journey Home is quite often played at a fast tempo. While this song would not work very well at a slow tempo, it is not necessary to play it nearly as fast as it has often been played on recordings in order for it to sound right. So, at the beginner jam, I do not intend on playing the song as fast as it is played on the youtube links provided below, but it will still be one of the faster songs, relative to the speeds that we tend to play songs at at the jam. Lyrics One of the things that makes 'Long Journey Home' a jam friendly song is the repetitive nature of the lyrics. So there is not much that needs to be memorized in order to be able to sing harmony on the choruses, and the last line of the chorus is identical to the last line of each verse: Lost all my money but a two dollar bill, Two dollar bill, boys, two dollar bill. Lost all my money but a two dollar bill: I'm on my long journey home. The repetitive nature of the lyrics also makes Long Journey Home a good song choice for those who wish to lead a song at the jam, but do not have much experience yet singing at a jam, or who have difficulty memorizing lyrics.
Hi, Excellent jam last night! The song of the week is Beautiful Brown Eyes in the key of G. The chord progression I use for the song is: 1144 1155 1144 5511 (Prog. W7 on the Basic Chord Progressions handout.) (In the key of G: 1=G, 4=C, 5=D) There are other versions that use 1511 instead of 5511 for the last line of the progression, but 5511 fits better with the version of the melody I sing for the last line. Time Signature Beautiful Brown Eyes is one of those songs that some people prefer to play in 3/4 time (boom-chuck-chuck rhythm on guitar) and others prefer to play in cut time (boom-chuck-boom-chuck rhythm on guitar). I think it works equally as well when played and sang either way, and I enjoy playing and singing it both ways. On the main song list for the beginner jam, Beautiful Brown Eyes is specified as being played in 3/4 time. One reason why I did this is because there is only one other song on the list that is in 3/4 time, namely, All The Good Times Are Past And Gone, but being just as comfortable with 3/4 time as with cut time is an essential bluegrass playing skill. Another reason is that people who are new to bluegrass but who are already familiar with this song are more likely to know a version of it in 3/4 time rather than in cut time. As the song of the week for the beginner jam, Beautiful Brown Eyes will be played in 3/4 time, but at some point in the future, I intend to play it sometimes in cut time at the jam. Recordings Most of the bluegrass recordings of Beautiful Brown Eyes (or, in some versions: Beautiful Blue Eyes) that I have in my record collection and that I have found on youtube are played in cut time, whereas most of the non-bluegrass recordings of Beautiful Brown Eyes that I am aware of are played in 3/4 time. This is the closest I could come to finding on youtube a bluegrass version of Beautiful Brown Eyes in 3/4 time: Bailey Brothers, key of F http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYnzyeM1orQ Notice that both the intro break and the break after the second chorus are only half the length of a verse or a chorus of the song. When this is done, it is the second half of the progression that is used for the break. This is common on recordings - especially for songs that aren't played at a very fast tempo - but at a jam, less confusion results when one plays breaks that are the same length as a verse or a chorus, rather than shorter breaks. Besides, bluegrass jammers, especially those who don't sing, will tend to appreciate being able to play full length breaks, rather than just half-length breaks. Here are two good bluegrass versions of the song in cut time. Notice on the Red Allen recording, the intro break is even shorter than the intro break on the Bailey Brothers version just discussed. It is only a quarter of the length of a verse or a chorus. When a break is this short, it is called a 'turnaround', and is played using the last quarter of the progression for the verses or choruses of the song. Red Allen, key of G http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhPgbKqwNkc Gibson Brothers, key of Bb http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBdHE1NAtMU Lyrics and Melody In comparing the different recordings of the song, you might notice that each version uses a different set of lyrics. You might also notice that while there is much less divergence amongst the versions in the interpretation of the melody than what there is in the choice of lyrics, none of the 3 versions uses exactly the same melody. Both of these things are common in bluegrass, and this seems to be especially the case with songs that were not originally bluegrass songs, but were introduced into the bluegrass repertoire by one or more of the first or second generation bluegrass bands. The melody sheets attached here show how I sing the melody for the chorus, which is slightly different from all the recordings provided here. The melody for the verses is similar enough to that for the chorus (the difference occurs in the second line of the verses), that it doesn't matter whether one uses the chorus melody or the verse melody as the basis for a melody-based break for the song. In songs where there is a greater degree of divergence between the melody of the chorus and the melody of the verse, it is usually the melody for the verses that is used as the basis for breaks.
Song Of The Week The song of the week is 'Angeline The Baker', a key of D fiddle tune. Recordings Here are a couple of good youtube links to listen to for Angeline The Baker: Sammy Shelor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0BcfHZW5CQ (Preview) Alison Krauss (starts at about the 4 minute mark) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCYsZIQ0FQc (Preview) Form & Progression Angeline The Baker is a standard length AABB fiddle tune. By that, I mean that each part of the tune is 8 measures long, and that there are 2 parts to the tune, called the A-Part and the B-Part respectively. Each part is played twice before going on to the next part. So this means that each break for the tune is 32 measures long. (8x4) Other tunes on the song lists that have this same form are: Boil The Cabbage Down, Buffalo Gals, Soldier's Joy, Liza Jane, and Old Joe Clark. The chord progression is the same for both parts of Angeline The Baker: 1114 1111 In the key of D: 1=D, and 4=G There is no standardized order in which the two parts of the tune are played. When asking the person leading the tune which part they intend to start with, it does no good to ask: Do you start with the A-Part or the B-Part?, because whichever part is played first is, by definition, the A-Part, and whichever part is played second is, by definition, the B-Part. However, the two parts can be distinguished from one another by calling them the low part and the high part. Like most AABB fiddle tunes, one part of Angeline The Baker starts on a higher note than the other part, and is overall higher in pitch than the other part. When I call Angeline The Baker at a jam, I almost always start the tune with the high part. For this reason, in the melody sheets attached here, the high part is written as the A Part and the low part is written as the B Part. Since the chord progression is the same for both parts of 'Angeline', and since, in Bluegrass jam arrangements of this tune (as distinguished from Old Time arrangements), it is usually only one person who plays the lead at a time, the need will rarely arise at a bluegrass jam to know in advance which part the leader intends on starting with. This is just as much the case at our beginner jam: for even though we do collective breaks in which all instruments of the same kind play their breaks at once, the person who starts the tune off gets to play through the form once (AABB) with no one else playing a break along with him. (During the first pass through the tune, everyone else besides the person who kicked off the tune should be playing backup.) Nevertheless, it is important to pay attention to which part the tune starts with, the lower part or the higher part, for each person who does a break on the tune will be expected to play the parts in the same order as the person who kicked off the song. This is standard practice in bluegrass jams, and this procedure helps to minimize confusion. The chord progression is unusual for bluegrass in that it does not have a 5 chord. In the key of D, this means that there is no A chord. Concerning the attached melody sheets Some guitar players prefer to play 'Angeline The Baker' without a capo, whereas others prefer to play it with the capo on the 2nd fret and then play it as if in the key of C (In the key of C: 1=C, and 4=F) The same is true of 3 finger-style banjo players, except that they will usually have their 5th string tuned up to an A note (spiked or capoed at the 7th fret) regardless of whether they have a capo on the 2nd fret of their four long strings. I have included in the attachments, guitar and banjo tabs of the melody of the tune written in both the key of D and in the key of C. You might wish to try it playing it both ways, and see which way you like best. You might notice that there are fewer notes on the banjo tabs than on the rest of the melody sheets. The reason for this is because most Scruggs-style banjo players tend to choose to play other notes in place of the melody notes in these spots that are more convenient to grab in the context of one of the standard picking patterns (rolls) that characterize Scruggs-style playing, but the exact choice of notes in these spots differs from player to player. A similar thing tends to be true also of Clawhammer banjo arrangements of Angeline The Baker. The basic melody for Angeline The Baker is pentatonic. That is, it consists of 5 notes: major scale degrees 1,2,3,5, and 6. In the key of D, that means it consists of the notes D, E, F#, A, and B. (In the key of C, the five notes of the major pentatonic scale are: C, D, E, G, and A.) The range of 'Angeline' is relatively narrow for a fiddle tune. The range spans exactly one octave. The lowest note is the 5th scale degree (A), and the highest note is the 5th scale degree an octave higher (A). So, in ascending order of pitch, the notes are 5,6,1,2,3,5: A,B,D,E,F#,A. (In 'C', those notes would be instead: G,A,C,D,E,G.) The range of the low part is even narrower than that. Its highest note is the 3rd scale degree (F#). Tunes with such a narrow range can easily be played in two different octaves on fiddle, mandolin, and guitar (this is not so much the case with banjo). For, these three instruments each have 'A' notes in three different octaves that can be found on the instruments within the first five frets (or, on fiddle, in 'first position') Most guitar, mandolin, and fiddle players who learn to play Angeline The Baker learn to play it in the higher of the two readily accessible octaves. For those of you who already play the tune, you might try working out a break an octave lower than how you usually play it, as a variation to have up your sleeve when, at a jam, you get called on to play more than one break during the tune. Or, since we do collective breaks at the beginner jam, where all the fiddle players play their breaks at the same time, all the mandolin players play their breaks at the same time, etc., if you have worked out a break in the lower octave, it can be effective to play this while someone else is playing their break in the higher octave. For this reason, I have included in the attachments melody sheets in both octaves for fiddle, mandolin and guitar. One final point about the tune. Unlike most tunes, the last note of the melody does not have the same letter name as the key the tune is played in. Instead of ending on a 'D' note (the 1st scale degree), each part of Angeline ends on an 'A' note (the 5th scale degree), the lowest note of its range. Happy Pickin', Jason
Hi, I hope that you have had a good Summer. I will resume leading the Beginner Bluegrass Jam at the Pioneer Building next Wednesday (Sept. 6). New Song Lists Included in the attachments are two new song lists for the jam which are intended to replace the 'top 20' list and 'additional 30' lists that we used for the jam before the Summer break. The first list (titled 'Beginner Bluegrass Jam - Sept. - Dec. 2017') consists of the 20 songs that were on the top 20 list, plus 7 more songs that I intend on making the song of the week between now and the end of the year. This list of 27 songs is the list that we will play from for the first half of the evening. Notice that, unlike the top 20 list, most of the songs are not given a specified key. The lead singer, from now on, chooses which key these songs will be played in during both halves of the evening. The second list (titled 'Beginner Bluegrass Jam - Sept. - Dec. 2017 Additional Songs') consists of 22 songs that have been played at least once at the Beginner Jam between Jan. and June of 2017 during the second half of the evening, when people were free to call songs not on the top 20 list, so long as these are beginner-friendly and appropriate for a Bluegrass jam. Many of these songs will likely continue to be called by people at the jam during the second half of the evening, and many of the songs on this list will eventually become songs of the week for the jam.
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Jason's Beginner Jam Blog 2017 - 2018
Songs regularly called at the Beginner Bluegrass Jam and links from Jason's "Song of the Week" emails. (from Renee)
Songs
All
in alphabetical order
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