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Shady Grove (major key)

10/16/2015

1 Comment

 
Hi,
The song of the week is 'Shady Grove' in the key of C. 
 
The progression for the song is:
 
1111
1151
 
(In the key of C, 1=C, 5=G)
 
Some guitar and banjo players will likely find that this song works best for them in the key of C if they capo to the 5th fret and then play as if they were in the key of G (1=G, 5=D), while others will prefer to play in C without a capo.
 
I have included a live recording of Bill Monroe singing Shady Grove in C.  In the performance, the song is played much faster than what would be appropriate for us to try to play it at at the beginner jam, but there are good fiddle and mandolin breaks in it to listen to. 

In the following link (also in the key of C), Hot Rize performs a mostly instrumental version of 'Shady Grove' that has a B Part which we will not use at the jam next week; but the tempo at which they play it is more jam friendly, and unlike the Bill Monroe recording, there are banjo and guitar breaks in it. If, in the breaks, you zero in on the A Part, and ignore the B Part, the breaks on this recording will hopefully be of use to you in helping you to come up with your own breaks for the song.

Hot Rize - instrumental - Shady Grove
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUF6hQYA2kY
 
These versions of Shady Grove are closely related to the old-time tune 'Susanna Gal', which also goes by the names 'Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss', and 'Western Country'. The melody for the A Part of Susanna Gal is virtually identical to that for Shady Grove.
 
There is another old-time song called Shady Grove, that many of you may be more familiar with than the 'Shady Grove' that I have chosen as the song of the week. It has a very different melody and chord progression, but some of the same lyrics (more or less, depending upon which sets of lyrics for the two 'Shady Groves' are being used). If you go on youtube to find recordings a performances of Shady Grove, most of what you will find will be versions of this other 'Shady Grove'.
 
It is not uncommon in old-time music for there to be two different songs with the same title, or for there to be two or more titles for the same song; and in many cases, it is not clear whether one is dealing with two different, but closely related, tunes, or just simply two different versions of the same tune. It also happens frequently that two or more different songs may share some of the same lyrics in common.  All of these things are the natural results of the informal ways in which old-time music has traditionally been handed down from one person to another and from one generation to another.
 
Happy Pickin',
Jason
Shady Grove - banjo tab
File Size: 332 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Shady Grove - mandolin tab
File Size: 235 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Shady Grove - guitar tab
File Size: 342 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Shady Grove - melody in C
File Size: 258 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Conversion Chart for Shady Grove in C
File Size: 336 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

1 Comment
Arnold Greg link
9/18/2024 09:05:15 pm

Hi thanks for sharing thiss

Reply



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  • Home
    • About
    • Join Us
    • Donate
    • IBA Newsletter
    • Our Logo
  • Articles & Podcasts
    • Podcasts >
      • Jason Homey Interview
      • Donna and Mike Bond Interview
      • ​Jeremy Garrett Interview
      • Keith Reed Interview
      • Becky Smith Interview
      • Marv Quinton Interview
      • Rue Frisbee 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
    • Winterfest >
      • Past WinterFests
    • SpringFest 2025
    • Virtualgrass
    • Other Bluegrass Events
  • Jam
    • Idaho Jams
    • Beginner Jam
    • Jason's BIBJ
    • All of Jason's Songs
    • Old Blogs from Jason >
      • Jason's Beginner Jam Blog 2021 - 2023
      • Jason's Intermediate Jam Blog 2021 - 2023
      • 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