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One of the ways you can start embellishing melodies is by varying the pickups to lines of the melody. In “Worried Man Blues” the vocal pickup is just one word/note: “it.” In this video, Lauren shows you how you can start varying the pickup rhythmically and melodically.
Lauren talks about what she's going to teach in Folk and Bluegrass Songs for Fiddle.
Folk and Bluegrass Songs for Fiddle starts by working extensively on one song in four different keys. “Worried Man Blues” was recorded by the Carter Family in 1930 and has since become a popular standard and jam-session favorite in old-time, bluegrass, and folk music. You’ll learn the melody and get introduced to pickups, endings, fills, ornamentation, double stops, and more in the keys of D, A, G, and C
Lauren starts by showing you “Worried Man Blues” in the key of D. In addition to the melody, you’ll learn how to add pickups, endings, fills, blues notes, and double stops to the melody in two octaves.
Lauren shows you how to apply your previous work on “Worried Man Blues” to a new key: A. You’ll learn how to transpose the melody and chords, as well as add pickups, endings, fills, blues notes, and double stops to create your own solo in the key of A.
Lauren shows you how to move everything you’ve learned on “Worried Man Blues” to the key of G. You’ll learn how to transpose the melody and chords, as well as add pickups, endings, fills, blues notes, and double stops to create your own solo in the key of G. You’ll also learn a new handshape that you’ll use to play in the upper octave.
As with previous lessons, Lauren shows you how to apply your previous knowledge of “Worried Man Blues” to a new key. In this lesson, you’ll transpose what you’ve learned about creating your own solos to the key of C, where you can play the melody in two different octaves. You’ll be surprised how quickly you move through this key, since you’ve learned both hand shapes in previous keys.
The folk and bluegrass favorite “Long Journey Home” was recorded by the Monroe Brothers (Charlie and Bill) in 1936, and it has become a popular song in jam circles. As with “Worried Man Blues,” Lauren leads you through “Long Journey Home” in four different keys. The first and third phrases of “Long Journey Home” are the same as the first and third phrases of ““Worried Man Blues,” so you’ll be surprised how quickly you learn this new song.
Lauren starts by showing you “Long Journey Home” in the key of D. In addition to the melody, you’ll learn how to add pickups, endings, fills, blues notes, and double stops to the melody in two octaves.
In this lesson, you’ll continue on your transposition journey of moving the melody, chord progression, and soloing ideas to the key of A. Remember, being able to transpose on the fly is a crucial skill when a vocalist’s range determines the key.
Lauren shows you how to apply your previous knowledge of “Long Journey Home” to the key of G in this lesson. Using transposition, you’ll be able create your own solos in two different octaves for the key of G, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you move through this lesson, since one handshape will be in your muscle memory and the new handshape will be familiar from your previous work on “Worried Man Blues.”
Lauren explains the “closed handshape” and how to use it in second position (II) for soloing in the key of C on “Long Journey Home.” This new skill will begin to unlock other more challenging keys in the future, so it’s well worth your time!
“Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” is a traditional song that was first recorded by Buster Carter and Preston Young in 1931. It has been recorded by numerous people since and has become a jam session favorite. There are great versions by Flatt and Scruggs, Buck Owens, and Doc Watson, among others. As with her previous lessons, Lauren shows you the melody and gives you ideas for soloing in the keys of A, D, C, and G, but in this song you’ll work a lot on playing in second position in the keys of C and G.
Lauren begins “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” in the key of A. The melody includes a lot of empty space at the end of each lyric line, providing many opportunities to fill up that space with fills, pickups, rhythmic and melodic variations, blues notes, and double stops.
In this lesson, you’ll transpose “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” from the key of A to the key of D, using your theory knowledge and familiar hand shapes.
By playing “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” in the key of C, you’ll gain more experience in second position and the closed hand shape.
To reinforce everything you’ve learned about playing in second position in the key of C, in this lesson you’ll learn to play “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” in second position (as well as open position) in the key of G. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how quickly you move through this key since you’re already familiar with both hand shapes.
The folk and bluegrass classic “Bury Me Beneath the Willow” was first recorded by the Carter Family in 1927. Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice’s recording has been particularly influential on the way people sing and play it these days.
The folk and bluegrass classic “Bury Me Beneath the Willow” was first recorded by the Carter Family in 1927. Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice’s recording has been particularly influential on the way people sing and play it these days. That recording was in the key of G, so Lauren starts in the key of G, and then, as usual, shows you how to play it in the keys of D, G, and A. The melody of “Bury Me Beneath the Willow” has a lot of long, flowing notes, leaving plenty of room for fills and variations. Lauren’s solo ideas for this song include blue notes and melodic/rhythmic variations.
In this lesson you’ll move what you’ve learned on “Bury Me Beneath the Willow” up a whole step to the key of A. Many of Lauren’s solo ideas are the same as in the key of G, but of course in a new key you’ll use different double stops and drones. In the key of G you used the lower two open strings (G and D) to create double stops but in A you’ll use the higher two (A and E).
To play “Bury Me Beneath the Willow” in the key of D, you’ll use the two hand shapes you’ve learned in the keys of G and A and use them to play “Bury Me Beneath the Willow” in two octaves in the key of D.
Playing “Bury Me Beneath the Willow” in the key of C gives you another great opportunity to work on playing in second position, while the lower octave uses the same fingering and ideas you used in the key of G.
“Sitting on Top of the World” was first recorded by the black string band the Mississippi Sheiks in 1930, and has since found its way into many genres, including folk, blues, jazz, Texas swing, and bluegrass.
There are many different versions of “Sitting on Top of the World” and occasionally different chord progressions, but Lauren keeps it simple with a basic I, IV, V progression. She starts in the key of D and then works through the keys of G, C, and A, giving you new ideas for bluesy licks, melodic variations, and syncopation.
Playing “Sitting on Top of the World” in the key of G will feel very familiar, because you’ll use the same handshapes you used in the key of D. The upper octave melody in G will feel the same as the upper octave melody in the key of D and the lower octave melody will feel the same as the lower octave in D, but Lauren displaces the melody in both instances to move phrase four up an octave.
For the key of C, you’ll learn to play “Sitting on Top of the World” in second position with the closed hand shape in the upper octave and then using the handshape you used for the upper octave in the keys of D and G in the lower octave. All of the solo ideas remain the same as the other keys.
To play the melody in the lower octave of “Sitting on Top of the World” in the key of A, you’ll use the same closed handshape you used for the higher octave in the key of C. And to play the melody in the upper octave you’ll use the same handshape you used to play in the lower octave in D.
