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Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

3/13/2015

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Hi,
Good jam last night.
 
The song of the week is 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot', an old spiritual that lends itself very well to being played as a bluegrass song.  Jason Young introduced this song to the jam at the end of the jam last night, and I thought it was excellent song choice. 
 
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot has a familiar melody and chord progression.  The progression is the same as for many other songs we play at the jam, including Foggy Mountain Top, the verse of Cotton Fields, the verses of Little Cabin Home On The Hill, All The Good Times, and Amazing Grace.  The melody for the verses is quite similar to that of many first generation bluegrass songs and 'pre-bluegrass' songs, especially to the verses of Flatt and Scruggs' 'Little Girl Of Mine In Tennessee', and to the verses of the Carter Family's 'Lulu Walls'.
 
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot will be sang and played this coming week in the key of G. The progression is:
 
1141
1155
1141
1511
 
(In the key of G: 1=G; 4=C; 5=D)
 
Note: In some versions (examples are in the youtube links below), the second line of the progression is played as 1111 instead of as 1155.  The reason why this works is because the melody note that is dragged over the last two measures of the second line is (in the key of G) a D note, and the D note is common to both the G (1) and the D (5) chord.  Which chord is played at this point does, however, affect which notes would be sung by harmony singers at this point. The tenor harmony, for instance, would go to a G note if a G chord is played here, whereas it would go to an F# note if a D chord is played here. 
 
The melody for the chorus is a bit different than the melody for the verse, though the progression is the same for both. So, one could just as easily use the chorus melody instead of the verse melody as the basis for one's breaks, but in the melody sheet attached here, I have given only the verse melody, and I recommend basing your breaks off of the verse melody, as this is what would usually be expected for breaks.
 
Del McCoury - key of B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OBDrNGH9sg
 
Bill Monroe - key of B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0ZQVYXC76k
 
Happy Pickin',
Jason

Conversion Chart for Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar
File Size: 274 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - melody in G
File Size: 369 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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    Past
    ​Bluegrass ​Jam
    ​Song posts

    with Jason Homey

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    Angeline The Baker
    Auld Lang Syne
    Away In A Manger
    Bury Me Beneath The Willow
    Can't You Hear Me Calling
    Columbus Stockade Blues
    Foggy Mountain Top
    Get In Line Brother
    Gold Rush
    Good King Wenceslas
    In The Pines
    I Saw The Light
    I Still Write Your Name
    Keep On The Sunny Side
    Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
    Little Birdie
    Little Darlin' Pal Of Mine
    Liza Jane
    Lonesome Road Blues
    Long Journey Home
    Mother's Only Sleeping
    Mountain Dew
    New River Train
    Old Home Place
    Old Joe Clark
    Red Haired Boy
    Reuben
    Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms
    Shady Grove
    Silent Night
    Suggested Jam Songs
    Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong
    Swing Low Sweet Chariot
    The Crawdad Song
    Turkey In The Straw
    Wabash Cannonball
    When The Saints Go Marching In
    Wildwood Flower
    Will The Circle Be Unbroken
    Will You Be Loving Another Man
    Worried Man Blues
    X Playing A Break
    X Playing In Bb

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  • Home
    • About
    • Join Us
    • Donate
    • IBA Newsletter
    • Our Logo
  • 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