June 2018 Tune Project

  1. Sleet
    Sleet
    June's project is Shady Grove. Mandolessons has a five part series on the tune, from chords and lyrics to strum patterns to double stops. Part one starts here:.

    Banjo Ben has a short youtube tutorial: and a longer one if you are a paid member of his site.

    The tune of the week folks seemed to favor faster paced and sung versions, but there are a number of ways to work the tune. I look forward to seeing what you do with it.
  2. Trav'linmando
    Trav'linmando
    Ah yes. An old favorite. I have been playing this for awhile. For you luddites such as myself, the following books are available.

    Bradley Laird in Dm.
    David Grisman also Dm.
    Dan Levinson Gm
    Brian Wicklund Em
  3. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    I think this is common in bluegrass, but I knew it as a Doc Watson tune and hear it that way. I understand it actually derives from the old country, so this tune has been around a long while. Looking forward to playing this one.



    Garcia & Grisman



    My favorite instrumental version is Rice, Rowan, Gilchrist

  4. Trav'linmando
    Trav'linmando
    Sleet and Mark. I am unable to view your videos. Perhaps I need a plug-in for my phone. Help please. I don't know which R&R unit video you posted Mark, there are several versions of them on YouTube. Sharon is a superb mandolinist. She also shines on Cold Rain and Snow performed with Rowan & Rice. Dare I say "she doesn't get enough love on the cafe".
  5. Kevin Stueve
    Kevin Stueve
    hitting the road headed to Deal's Gap and the Tail of the Dragon then on to Asheville and up the Blueridge Parkway to Roanoke Va. So this is my way of saying I am going to be hard pressed to work a song up this month. :D
  6. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    Larry, it's from the Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Quartet album - and that album has Cold Rain and Snow. It's one of my all-time favorite albums, Peter Rowan puts bone-chilling vocals on that album, and I agree, Sharon is just way too good.

    Here are the direct links:

    Doc Watson (banjo & vocals): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-kaG1NuLZM

    Jerry Garcia & David Grisman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayk_qQw0XZg

    Rice, et al: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=089XRViMhtw

    Apologies to the bass players out there, I always forget the name of the chick who plays bass in that quartet.
  7. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    Kevin, I'll be headed out to Colorado next Thursday, really looking forward to it. Have a safe trip!
  8. Trav'linmando
    Trav'linmando
    Kevin, enjoy the dragon. Keep the rubber side down my friend.
  9. Trav'linmando
    Trav'linmando
    https://youtu.be/QwL-qOKcC4E
    Live version of Rowan and Rice Quartet. This is why we go to festivals.
  10. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    Don't want to stray too far from the topic, but Larry mentioned Cold Rain and Snow -- and anybody who hasn't heard that quartet perform that song at least needs a chance to hear it. It's about as beautiful a piece of music as I've ever heard anywhere.

    Both Peter Rowan and Sharon Gilchrist play mandolin on the tune. Bassist Bryn Davies provides some backup vocals, and Peter Rowan's signature haunting vocals really make this song special, along with the musicianship and soul of all these world class instrumentalists. Here's a less polished but very soulful live performance.



    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p0AryAE6Bw
  11. Ellsdemon
    Ellsdemon
    Perfect!!!
  12. bbcee
    bbcee
    Not that it's so important, and also not to go too far off the rails, but I think Rowan is playing mandola. He is pretty well known for integrating it into bluegrass-style music as well. And yes, this has my vote as one of my top songs of all time. It's all there.
  13. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    Good eye, Bruce! It's hard to tell, but I think you're right and it makes more sense that it's a mandola.
  14. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Here is a Shady Grove which isn't exactly Joan Baez style.



    Easy peezy. Just play the fiddle part and get somebody to play the banjo part and Bob's your uncle. Vocals are optional.
  15. Bluegrasscal_87
    Bluegrasscal_87
    Here's a go at it. I've been trying to branch out and work on playing the melody licks in between chords/verses so excuse the sloppy transitions. This is more along the lines of the Jerry Garcia/MandoLessons version:

  16. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    Well done, Justin! Good job of keeping it all together with rhythm, vocals and melody fills. Very nice.
  17. Sleet
    Sleet
    Good one, Justin. You've put together a nice package of vocals, melody and licks and delivered it with lively pacing and assurance.
  18. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Nice job, BG'87. You know what I like about it?
    * The solid but easy rhythm
    * the solid but easy vocal part
    * the solid but easy chord changes
    * the solid but easy picking part.

    Othern that it was pretty good I guess.
  19. bbcee
    bbcee
    Terrific, Justin! This song really needs to be sung, and as the others have said, you've put it all together really well. Great tempo. Well done!
  20. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    This is from an ABC transcription by Bruce Thomson of Shady Grove as performed by Bruce Molsky and Big Hoedown. I found it at http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/cgi/abc/findtune . After listening to the original on YouTube, I can say that it does resemble the transcription in some ways. Due mostly to laziness, I decided to play it pretty much as transcribed instead of trying to get a better flavor of the original. Molsky's rendition of the tune is much closer to the traditional Shady Grove that we usually hear. I think a lot of the reason for that is his choice of double stops.

    Here's the ABC text from trillian:
    X: 1
    T:Shady Grove
    R:Reel
    M:C
    L:1/8
    N:Transcribed by Bruce Thomson
    H:From the playing of the Bruce Molsky & Big Hoedown (Rounder CD-0421)
    K:D
    |:ABABA2B2|d2BAG4|A2A2Bd3|e3ee4|efgfe2d2|
    d2BAG2G2|B2B2dB3|A3AA4::efgfe2d2|d2BAG2G2|efgfe2d2 |
    ea2g aged|efgfe2d2|d2BAG2G2|B2B2dB3|A3AA4:|



    My co-star, scene stealer that she is, is Josephine, aka JoJo the Wondercat. She is very skillful at knocking down any precious object that is standing up. This video was destined to be an out-take, but little Miss Wondercat threatened a violent projectile hairball episode if I didn't publish it.
  21. bbcee
    bbcee
    Well done to both of you, Hank & Jo-Jo. I really like this arrangement.
  22. Sherry Cadenhead
    Sherry Cadenhead
    I especially love the clear tone, Henry.

    I need to have a conversation with my 2 cats. They seem to feel my playing is their signal to leave the premises.
  23. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    Such a nice, fiddle-tune version, Henry. It's nice to hear something a bit different on this one.
  24. Sleet
    Sleet
    I like that version, Hank, and had a similar transcription to work on with that modal feel. Then I found another Shady Grove transcription that sounded exactly unlike any Shady Grove I've ever heard and started to work on that. I figured if it calls itself Shady Grove, who am I to argue? I probably won't get it on video before the end of the month though.
  25. Sleet
    Sleet
    Not that Shady Grove - This one is from the Portland Collection volume 2. The notes say it's from Luther Davis of Galax Virginia. Since I don't sing, I'd sort of given up on this tune. Here's a quick video of the alternative, which spends most of the time running up and down the A scale.

  26. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Geez, Sleet, that one is even stranger than the one I played. Very interesting. I pulled out my copy of the Portland Collection and followed along. You got it. It's one of those tunes that ends on the dominant chord, which just leaves you hanging and looking around like maybe you're the only one left standing. Good job indeed, and thanks for showing it to us.

    I saw one other transcription of Shady Grove from Bruce Thomson on the trillian tunefinder search and that one was an oddball, too. It is labelled "as played by the Adobe Brothers", which I think is a local group in New Mexico that he plays with.

    Interesting tune.
  27. Louise NM
    Louise NM
    Well, they may have been along the same river, but I think we have three totally separate shady groves immortalized in music here! Such different versions all, and all well done.

    JoJo too—I especially like the part where she turns her back to you and has a bit of a bath, Henry. Way to be a polite and attentive audience member, JoJo. Don't forget who hauls those cans of tuna paté and bags of Meow Mix home from the grocery store, Missy! Same guy who has the opposable thumbs to open them.
  28. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    Now, Sleet, I agree with Henry, that one is much more different than the one he pulled out. Sounds like a different tune altogether. I wonder if Luther sang lyrics to that one? Interesting. Great picking on that one!
  29. Sleet
    Sleet
    There were many groves; several of them were shady.
  30. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    I went with the usual vocal rendering of this one. The lyrics follow Doc Watson's version.



    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOwoI6KPVQA
  31. bbcee
    bbcee
    Mark, everything about your version is super fine-
    I like the chord progression
    Your improvs are inventive and don't just stick to the usual octave
    Your singing has the plaintive feeling the lyrics need.

    Well done!!
  32. Sherry Cadenhead
    Sherry Cadenhead
    Wow, Mark! I loved everything about this. I'm especially impressed with how you coordinated the lyrics and video shots.
  33. Sleet
    Sleet
    Mark, I'm so impressed with your musical ability and inventiveness. A fine, fine production all the way around.
  34. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Mark, one critique -- your videos are so good I sometimes forget why I am watching (which is your music and which would be fantastic against a black screen). Awesome man, awesome.
  35. FredK
    FredK
    Mark, this was impressive; very well done. I'm a big fan of Doc Watson, too.
  36. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    I'm glad you guys enjoyed this, I tend to only hear the flaws in most of my stuff. The video footage of dancers was taken earlier this month at Pagosa Folk & Bluegrass Festival. The chording for this was tough, I tried a lot of ways and different keys, and finally just played in Dm up the neck.
  37. Peter123
    Peter123
  38. Peter123
    Peter123
  39. bbcee
    bbcee
    Hi Perter123 - if you're trying to post a link to a YouTube video, see this thread. It's foxed the best of us!!
  40. Bluegrasscal_87
    Bluegrasscal_87
    Great job, HH! I enjoyed watching you pay. Clear tones and smooth. Sleet, good job on the up/down picking method!
    Mark, great vocal/instrumentation. Your vocals add so much to the tune, I love the way you sing it!
  41. MikeZito
    MikeZito
    Hey Mark - nice job . . . if I still had my old-time country/bluegrass radio show, I would offer to play your tune on-the-air. Keep up the good work.
  42. bbcee
    bbcee
    A bit late on this one. I struggled all June trying to wrassle this into ... something. I'm not sure WHAT exactly it is.

    I was really interested in following Tony Rice's version, alternating between two keys. Eventually I realized it was going to have to have vocals, since I can't play endlessly interesting solos, like Rice/Gilchrist/Rowan, etc. So you're hearing my first attempt at singing outside the shower. Thanks to Mark G. for his encouragement.

    GDAD tenor guitar & mandola rhythm, mandola & mandolin solos.

    This is the best I can make this for the moment, with the time I had. I'd love some critique.

  43. Sherry Cadenhead
    Sherry Cadenhead
    Very nice, Bruce. I can't comment on the technical aspects, but I sure enjoyed listening to your playing and singing.
  44. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    I like it bb. I can't imagine myself actually singing in public so I congratulate you on just stepping up and doing it. I don't even sing in the shower.

    Mando critique? Well, it was very smooth and effortless-sounding. Your understated use of hammers and slides to land on notes is very effective.
  45. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    Nicely done, Bruce, I like the various instrument voices, the key changes and your general arrangement there. I'm glad you put out the vocals, you have a quality to your vocals that remind me of Neil Young, Jerry Garcia or Bob Weir in the Dm section. Thanks for sharing!
  46. Louise NM
    Louise NM
    Sounds great, Bruce.

    Gotta say, I'm having a hard time believing that really was your first foray into vocals!
  47. bbcee
    bbcee
    Thank you for the nice words, kids! Even my wife liked the vocals. Life is weird.

    Funny you said that about Neil Young, Mark - as I listened back to various takes, that's what I heard too, much to my surprise, so I started thinking of all the great Neil Young songs that have inspired me over the years. Again thank you Mark, your positivity had a lot to do with me actually putting this on the forum.

    I'm grateful too that we have such a place of friends, where we can show a bit of ourselves in a supportive environment.
  48. Sleet
    Sleet
    Fantastic, Bruce. Although you say you can't play endlessly interesting solos, they sounded intriguing to me, and the vocals were the flourish on top.
  49. Mark Gunter
    Mark Gunter
    Adding Willem's version here.

  50. bbcee
    bbcee
    Hey Willem, nice one! You've thrown in a lot of techniques in this version - doublestops, chop chords, tremolo, etc. - and pulled them all off really well. That mando sounds the business too, it has a nice bell-like bottom end, and a authoritative woof when you chop. Hope to hear more from you!
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