Howdy! This week we are starting off, by request, with a new tune: Jerusalem Ridge by Bill Monroe. This tune stands out from everything else we've learned so far because it is in a minor key - in this case the key is A minor. Luckily, A minor utilizes the exact same notes as C major, a key we have worked in plenty. Those notes are C D E F G A and B. No sharps or flats. My hope is that you will play around and experiment with this key. I think you'll see how much it relates to C major. The only difference really is that the "gravity" of the song is all oriented around an A note rather than a C. After explaining the new key a bit, I will teach you to play the A part of this tune.
Enjoy!
Chris
Topics and/or subjects covered in this lesson:
Bluegrass
Loop 0:00 Run-Through of Jerusalem Ridge
Loop 1:32 Breakdown of Jerusalem Ridge
Loop 20:41 Practice Loop With Chris Playing Rhythm
Comments
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Looking forward to working through this tune, sorry audio quality is poor need to get a microphone. thanks Chris!
Hey John! Sorry this took awile for a response - just got back from tour last night and about to get caught up on everything!
2 things:
-The intro sounds good but it is twice as long as it's usually played.
-When you start into the melody after the intro the tempo slows down drastically. I think what you should try is playing the melody where it feels good to you, figure out what the beat is, and then play the intro according the the beat that you found. Then the intro and melody tempos should match. Does that make sense?
Otherwise, sounding good!
Starting this new tune and tried to incorporate the assignment of finding the notes elsewhere within the scale
Kip, you are just killing it! You've made such enormous strides in the last year. It's so awesome. Sounding great here - keep up the good work!
Chris , thank you for doing this tune, Roy Cotton
Thank you for suggesting it!