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The Crawdad Song

12/2/2016

0 Comments

 
Hi,
The song of the week is 'The Crawdad Song' in the key of G.

The chord progression is:

1111
1155
1144
1511
(Prog. V2 on the basic progressions handout. In the key of G: 1=G, 4=C, 5=D.)

The melody of The Crawdad Song (see the attachments) has no built in pickup notes, so to start the song effectively with an intro break at a jam, one needs to create pickup notes for it.

When the song is played in the key of G, the first melody note is a G note. The simplest and most straightforward way to create a pickup measure for this scenario that consists of 3 quarter note pickup notes is to start with a D note and then ascend from there up the G major scale, playing an E note next (2nd fret on the D string), and then finally an F# note (4th fret on the D string) This should lead your ear to want to hear next  the G note that starts the first measure proper of the song. 

Other songs played at the beginner jam that, when played in the key of G, have a G note as the first melody note and have no built in pickup notes include Buffalo Gals, Down The Road, and Mama Don't Allow. This same set of pickup notes (D,E,F# when in the key of G) will work just as well to lead into a break for these songs as what it does for The Crawdad Song.

If playing in a different key, then the pickup notes will need to be transposed. For instance, for the key of A, each of the three notes need to be raised up by a whole step, for the distance from G up to A is a whole step. The three notes would then be E, F#, and G#, which will lead the ear to want to hear an A note next. For the key of D, the notes would be A. B. and C#, for these three notes have the same relation to D that the notes D, E, and F# have to G and that the notes E, F#, and G# have to A.

Here are some bluegrass versions of the song to take a listen to:

Flatt & Scruggs - key of E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EinAwyQ3Xc

Doc Watson - key of D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDajv6RowvI

Randall Franks - key of G
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPI7O9jeYaI

Happy Pickin',
Jason
The Crawdad Song Banjo_tab.pdf
File Size: 305 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

The Crawdad Song Guitar_tab.pdf
File Size: 319 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

The Crawdad Song Mandolin_tab.pdf
File Size: 270 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

The Crawdad Song Melody in G.pdf
File Size: 311 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

0 Comments

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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