Ken Middleton
12 Tunes for for Bluegrass Bluegrass Ukulele Ukulele
Standard High G Tuning www.kenmiddleton.co.uk Copyright 2009
12 Tunes for Bluegrass Ukulele
by
Ken Middleton
12 Tunes for Bluegrass Ukulele (2009)
All rights reserved 2
12 Tunes for Bluegrass Ukulele
by
Ken Middleton
12 Tunes for Bluegrass Ukulele (2009)
All rights reserved 2
CONTENTS
Contents
Page 3
Introduction
Page 4
What You Get
Page 5
Reading the TAB
Page 6-7
Using the MIDI Files Page
8
Performance Notes and Music 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Page 9-35
A Bluegrass Calypso Page 9-11 Angel Band Page 12-13 East Virginia Page 14-15 I Am A Pilgrim Page 16-17 Just A Closer Walk With Thee Page Sally Goodin Page 21-23 Skip To My Lou Page 24-25 The Great Speckled Bird Page 26-27 The Wabash Cannonball Page 28-29 Under The Double Eagle Page 30-31 West Fork Gals Page 32-33 Worried Man Blues Page 34-35
And Finally ...
Page 36
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18-20
INTRODUCTION Thank you for buying this eBook. I have written it because I love bluegrass music. It contains 12 new bluegrass arrangements for ukulele. All use standard high G tuning. The first tune, A Bluegrass Calypso, is a piece that I have written and arranged just for this book. The other 11 are some of the most popular and well-loved bluegrass tunes you could wish for. Wonderful melodies like Sally Goodin and The Wabash Cannonball are a must for a bluegrass player on any instrument. Glorious gospel songs such as Just A Closer Walk With Thee or Angel Band work so well and have a timeless, spiritual feel to them. And Under The Double Eagle will impress just as much on the ukulele as it does when picked on a guitar or banjo in the parking lot at your favourite bluegrass festival. Although some of my arrangements are more difficult to play than others, I have just put them in alphabetical order. I will let you decide which are easy and which are harder. I have included some basic performance notes for each piece which should help you to master those tricky passages and techniques. I also give a little bit of historical information about each song. Each arrangement is in ukulele TAB with conventional music above it. I have also added chords for each tune. These tunes are arranged especially for ukulele and so are not always in the usual, standard key. Instead, I have put them into a key that makes them easily playable. As the ukulele cannot really compete in volume with guitars, banjos, mandolins and fiddles, why not try out these pieces with a friend on another ukulele? Have fun. 4
WHAT YOU GET
So what do you get for your money?
First of all you get this eBook which contains 12 newly arranged ukulele pieces in a bluegrass style. The book and all the music were produced during 2009. It is loaded onto your computer as a PDF file. I have also included each tune as a single PDF file. You can therefore print out and work on the tunes individually. These PDFs should give you a slightly better printout as well. Each song is accompanied by 3 MIDI files. Each of the 3 files goes at a different speed. This will enable you to work on a song at the tempo of your choice. In the future you may be able to freely download my recordings of these tunes in MP3 format from my website. I have already produced a video for several of them which can be viewed on YouTube. My website can be found at www.kenmiddleton.co.uk My YouTube channel is www.youtube.com/kenmiddletonukulele
What don’t you get for your money?
Y ou don’t get the right to distribute these arrangements to others, either by photocopying, printing out or by giving them an electronic copy. 5
READING THE TAB If you have bought this book, you probably already know how to read either TAB or conventional music. However, in bluegrass music there are a number of important techniques used. These tend to be notated in lots of different ways. Here, I shall explain which techniques I have used, how I have written them and how you should play them. I have tried to keep the conventional music as clutter free as possible, with just written chord symbols over this part. It is mainly in the TAB part that I have used the following signs and abbreviations. This is hammer on (HO). This one is in bar 12 of Sally Goodin. To play this, you pluck the open 3 rd string and then hammer a finger of your left hand on to the 2nd fret of the same string. You do not pluck the string for the second note. This technique is very common in bluegrass music.
This next technique is also very common. It is called a pull off (PO). This one is found in bar 3 of West Fork Gals. Here, you would pluck the 2 nd string with you left hand on the 2 nd fret. For the next note you just pull the finger of your left hand off the string but do not pluck it.
Here is a slide (S). These sound terrific in bluegrass music. This one is a descending slide and is found in I Am A Pilgrim. To play it you pluck note of the 4 th fret on the 2 nd string. Then slide your finger down one fret without plucking the string again. This sort of slide can also be used in an upwards direction. 6
With this kind of slide, from Worried Man Blues, you don’t start on the string that you have just played. In this case you play the note of the 2 nd fret 3rd string and slide up to the 4 th fret without actually plucking the note.
In the tune Angel Band you will find some broken chords. To play these you pluck the notes rapidly, one after the other in the direction of the arrow. I play the 4 th string with my thumb, 3rd string with my first finger, 2 nd string with my second finger and 1st string with my third finger.
This little symbol tells you to bend the note upwards. It is sometimes labelled with the letter B. You play the note and then stretch the string sideways, towards the other strings. You can do this to other notes as well, but don’t overdo it. You’ll find this example in I Am A Pilgrim.
Here is a repeat sign. You go back to the sign where the dots are on the other side of the double bar. You then play it again. It saves paper, but it can make the piece of music a little more confusing. This example is taken from the end of Angel Band .
In Angel Band , as well as playing single notes, it is necessary to play 2, 3 or even 4 notes at once. To play these chords you use a combination of your thumb and 1, 2 or 3 fingers of the right hand, depending on how many notes there are. The pinky (4th) finger is not used to play the strings.
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USING THE MIDI FILES
You will find the MIDI files for these tunes in a separate folder. MIDI files do not play very stylishly, but they are perfect for playing along with, however. Playing with style is something you will have to do. You can open the files by double clicking on them and they will open in your default player, like Windows Media Player, for instance. Don’t expect them to sound much like a ukulele though. The purpose of these files is to help you to understand the music, not to be a perfect performance. For a more subtle and human performance, refer to my website, www.kenmiddleton.co.uk , for videos and MP3s of me playing most of these songs. There are three MIDI files for each tune. Each of these three will play at a different tempo: slow, medium, fast. The slow file is always at 60 BPM (beats per minute). This is one beat every second. The medium file plays at 100 BPM. The fast file will play at the fastest speed that I think is appropriate for the arrangement. You can, of course, play these pieces at whatever speed you choose – it’s up to you. Here is an example The Wabash Cannonball – slow 60 BPM The Wabash Cannonball – medium 100 BPM The Wabash Cannonball – fast 166 BPM
If you have a music application that is capable of manipulating MIDI files, you can get them to play at whatever tempo you like.
8
PERFORMANCE NOTES and MUSIC
A Bluegrass Calypso A Bluegrass Calypso, the only original composition in the book, is my attempt to show that you can mix two completely different styles of music. It combines the rhythm of calypso (3+3+2 in the eighth notes or quavers), with some of the extra notes you’d expect to find in bluegrass. I have made a conscious effort to make it straightforward to play. Once you have learned it, you should be able to get it up to quite a speed. Because it is in the key of C, the chord shapes will be very familiar to more or less everyone. Most of the notes lie very well under the fingers. Some of the rhythms are a bit unusual and need to be looked at carefully. Look particularly at bars 8, 16 and 23. If you get these bars right, you should be able to play it all. A couple of passages also require the use of the pinky (4 th) finger of the left hand. Practise carefully bars 27 and 31. You may find it hard at first, but with some work your pinky will “remember” how to do it. The last 2 bars of the piece are really important. You need to build up to a big ending. This too may need some extra practice. 9
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Angel Band This gospel song dates back to the 19th century. The words were written by William Batchelder Bradbury and the music by Jefferson Hascall. Many musicians have recorded this beautiful song, but perhaps the most famous version is that recorded by the Stanley Brothers, which many of you will remember was used in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? Notice that this song is in 3 time. All the other tunes in this book have 4 beats in the bar. It is in the key of A. The eighth notes (quavers) should not be played straight, but with a light swing. This gives a song a lilting waltz-like feel. The first 16 bars of the piece should not present too much of a problem. They are made up of either single notes or 2-3 note chords. However, you may need to look at the middle section more carefully. The middle section has lots of shorter notes. Practise bars 17-24 very slowly at first to make sure that you are getting these notes right. Bars 17 and 21 contain broken chords. These are most effectively played with separate fingers of the right hand. However, you could use your thumb if you prefer. See the notes on page 7.
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East Virginia This is a lovely country melody that works really well as a solo ukulele piece. It sounds equally effective whether played slowly or fast. It is in the key of C and the notes themselves should not present too much of a problem. The chords are also easy to play. The arrangement contains two of the most common bluegrass techniques: the hammer-on and the pull-off. Because they are from a fretted note to an open string, all of the pull-offs are straight-forward. In bar 26 you have to hammer-on two notes, one after the other, but this is very low down on the fretboard and should present no problems. Even though the two sections of the song are very similar, the first section is rather easier to play than the second. This is because the second half has a number of bluegrass notes added. Get these passages correct and this piece will really impress. In many places the 4 th string is used as a sort of drone note. It is played after the melody note in a pair of eighth notes (quavers). Interestingly, this is one of those pieces of music that sounds more difficult than it actually is.
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I Am A Pilgrim I love Doc Watson’s guitar version of this tune. He plays this wonderful gospel song with such clarity and ease. This is nothing like Doc Watson’s version, but I have tried to arrange it so as to achieve the same crispness. Notice that some parts of the piece use short notes (bar 11) and rests, while other passages have longer notes (bar 29). Get this right and it will add contrast and interest to your playing. This arrangement uses lots of hammer-on, pull-offs and slide techniques Perhaps the most important technique to get right in this tune is the bending of some of the notes. I have marked some of the G#’s to be bent. In fact, you can do this to other notes as well. Just don’t overdo it. Like East Virginia, the second half of the arrangement is more difficult to play because it has more bluegrass notes added. It should be played with a definite swing feel, so that for each pair of eighth notes the first should be slightly longer than the second. Don’t forget to accent the last note. It should be short and loud to really make the music sound finished. 16
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Just A Closer Walk With Thee What a lovely old hymn this is. It is now a really popular bluegrass piece too. No-one knows who wrote it, but by the 1930’s it had become well-known in the USA and is still sung today in churches the world over. In the hymn, the verse uses the same tune as the chorus. I have arranged in two sections to represent the verse and chorus. Again, it is the second half that is a little harder to play. There are not too many difficult techniques used, but there are certainly a lot of notes. Watch out particularly for the triplet phrases. This is where you have to play 3 notes per quarter note (crotchet). You will probably have to practise bars 23-25 more than the rest. Play slowly at first and gradually built up speed. For much of the piece, the tune is played up on the top string (1 st). Make sure that you work out exactly which frets you need to use so that your fingers automatically go to the right place. This tune should be played with a heavy swing. Take great care with the rhythms, particularly where a triplet suddenly appears in the middle of a bar. The chord sequence in this piece is a little harder than most bluegrass pieces. If you are going to be playing the accompaniment, make sure that you play the chord in exactly the right place. Look at bar 16 – it has a 3+3+2 pattern to the strum. 18
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Sally Goodin This is only a simple folk tune, but it is one that nearly every bluegrass player knows. It is a real favourite and works so well on all the bluegrass instruments. Here I have written it in the key of F. This seemed to me to be a good key for the ukulele. Look at the opening few bars. Using this key has enabled me to split up the tune using the 1 st, 2nd and 4th strings. It allows the strings to ring on a little longer and give the ukulele a harp-like quality. The technical term is cross-picking. There are a couple of tricky passages near the end that will need to be practised really thoroughly. In bar 29 there are three hammer-ons in a descending passage. Two of these have to be played with both notes fretted. In bar 30 there are two slides that go quite high up the keyboard. In the descending passage in bar 31 it is very easy to get your fingers “tangled up”. Work through these sections slowly at first. As a general rule it is good to practise things slowly so you can improve the accuracy of your playing. However, it is important to play through the piece at a fast pace as well, or your fingers will never “learn” how to play quickly.
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Skip To My Lou This song was originally a partnerstealing dance that became popular in the frontier towns of 19 th century America. Those participating would clap, sing and dance, as instruments were usually not used. The word “lou” is probably a corrupted form of the Scottish word for “love”. I have written this out in the key of G. The open 4 th string is used throughout to emphasise the G note and fill in the harmonies. The notes themselves are not really that difficult. What makes the piece more effective though, is to play it at a speed that makes it sound exciting. Considering it uses a lot of sixteenth notes (semi-quavers), about 112 BPM will be fast enough. Take it faster if you like. Perhaps the hardest passages are those where a hammer-on or pull-off is used, but at least they are all on the top (1st) string. I would suggest that you practise these slowly, making sure that you play them in time. You could play along with the slow MIDI file, use a metronome or even just tap your foot. This arrangement will sound particularly good if there are two instruments playing: one playing the TAB and the other the chords.
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The Great Speckled Bird I have only recently discovered this song. It has, of course, been well-known in some parts of the USA for a long time. The words to this song were written by Reverend Guy Smith and are based on a Bible verse (Jeremiah 12:9). Roy Acuff made the earliest recording of this song in 1936. However, the tune has been popular for longer and was also used for the songs "I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes" and "It Wasn't God Who Made HonkyTonk Angels". The basic tune is 16 bars long and I have used it twice making a total of 32 bars. In the Blue Eyes version of the song, the verse and the chorus share the same tune anyway. This arrangement presents no real difficulties. But be sure to practise hitting the note on the 7 th fret accurately (bars 4, 12, 20 and 28). If you miss this note it is likely to sound horrible. In the bar that follows there is a chord position that some might find uncomfortable. If you persevere with it though, it will soon become straightforward to play. The last note of the piece is a G. Both the 2nd and 4th string have the same note. If these two notes are out of tune with each other, the ending of the song will be less than brilliant.
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The Wabash Cannonball This song first appeared in print in the 1880’s. When the Carter Family recorded it in 1929, it became famous all over America. The song is about a fictional locomotive. I have made no real attempt to imitate the movement of a train, except perhaps in the constant repetition of certain notes (mainly G and A). This is why G was the key of choice for this arrangement. It is in 2 sections, corresponding to the verse and the chorus. There are a good few hammer-ons and pull-offs and it is quite important to get these right in this arrangement. They really add something to the “feel” of the song. Only one is a little difficult to get your fingers around (bars 7 and 23). Take care with the rhythm in bar 19. If you are not sure how to play it, please listen to the MIDI file. Although this sounds really effective as a solo ukulele piece, adding a second instrument playing the chords (maybe a guitar) would mean that you could get more movement into your performance.
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Under The Double Eagle This tune gives you a great opportunity to show off your playing skills. Get it right and it will sound magical. Even played slowly it is very effective. Composed in 1902 by the Austrian bandmaster J F Wagner, it has everything: tricky chords, many different techniques, lots of short notes, etc. Unless you are a really competent player, this piece will require careful study. However, I have not intentionally made it difficult, and in some ways it is easy. It is, for instance, in a key that means that all the notes are within easy reach. Look very carefully at bars 9, 13 and 17 where the fingering is a bit unusual. Practise it slowly and get it right. Bar 21 is not easy for two reasons: the rhythm is complex, and the hand needs to move up the fretboard. Firstly, I would suggest that you listen to the MIDI file until you are certain of the rhythm. Secondly, just remember that the second half of the bar is exactly the same as the first half, only three frets up the fingerboard. The last line is not that easy to play because there are a number of chord changes, but it all lies easily under the fingers.
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West Fork Gals I don’t know much about this tune except that it is a really exciting ukulele piece that is fun to play. As in many of my arrangements I have used the 4 th re-entrant sting a lot. In the first bar of this piece, I use it where there is a repetition of the note G. This allows for faster, cleaner playing. In the third bar I use it to “share out” the tune. This enables you to play really smoothly in a harp-like or bell-like style. This is called campanella (Italian: little bells) technique. There is a great deal of repetition in this tune. This means that some of the tricky passages are played several times. But remember, you only have to learn them once. Whenever the chord of C is used I have used mainly open string. This means that it is very effective whilst also being very easy to play. Look at bar 2, for instance. Bars 17-20 are a little more difficult to play. The main reason for this is that you have to rely heavily on the pinky (4th) finger of the left hand to play parts of the tune. In bar 18 you can slide up from the 5 th fret to the 10th, but remember you must pluck each note to bring out the tune properly.
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Worried Man Blues Here is another Carter Family classic. They recorded it in 1930, but Woody Guthrie’s version, recorded 10 years later, is also well-worth listening to. It can be taken at quite a pace if you want to. The rhythm is quite simple: mainly eighth notes (quavers), with a good few quarter notes (crotchets). The melody is played mainly on the 1st and 2nd strings. It is accompanied by a lot of open strings. The more challenging bars, like 7 and 8 (also 23, 24), for instance, need to be looked at very carefully. It is very easy to get this passage wrong. I would suggest practising bar 7 in two halves and then putting them together. It is the pull-off with the pinky (4 th) finger that you may find tough. In bar 8 it is the first 3 beats that need to be looked at. The 4 th beat is the start of the next phrase. At the start of the bar you must slide up from the 2 nd fret to the 4 th on the third string and then carry on playing. Do it very slowly at first, but make sure you get the rhythm absolutely correct.
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