SimplyMandolin

tabs & music for the mandolin player

Bluegrass Tunes

Shady Grove

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Doc Watson made Shady Grove popular.

Doc Watson (from album cover)

Shady Grove is a well known ballad with origins in the Appalachian mountains. More specifically, eastern Kentucky.

It’s often described as a love song (or a “courting song”), and that seems to be the general theme for every version I’ve heard.

However, the lyrics often change a bit as they’re passed along. This is common with a lot of traditional folk songs. Owing to that, I think Shady Grove must have over a hundred different verses!

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A Popular Tune

Shady Grove has been recorded by a lot of great artists; Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs…

Unquestionably though, I’d have to say my “all time favourite version” was done by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. I’ve always been a fan of both. I love Garcia’s raspy voice and acoustic guitar, and Grisman.., well he can pretty much make the mandolin do anything he wants. (Although, for Shady Grove, I’ve been told he’s playing a mandola.)

So, I hope you’re not expecting a foot stomping, high-octane bluegrass version.

The Chords

Just a couple of chords used here – Dm and C Major. Here’s a couple of simple, two finger shapes you can try. But, as always, experiment with whatever you like.

Simple chords to play Shady Grove on mandolin.
A couple of simple chord shapes – Dm and C.

The Tune

Shady Grove is a Dorian tune, and therefore tends to have a bit of a minor feel.
This version is in D Dorian. As a result, there are no sharps or flats. Additionally, you may also find this tune in A Dorian or E (or whatever}.

Verse and chorus both have the same chord progression which makes for a short break. So, I’ve just played it through three times.

Have a listen to Shady Grove for mandolin… (Just ignore the furnace fan in the first several measures)

Shady Grove
An image of the tab and music for the tune Shady Grove.
Mandolin tab & music for the old time tune “Shady Grove”.

Downloads:

Tab & MusicDownload
Just the TabDownload
Just the MusicDownload
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6T4RDDANKE8PN

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

Flat Picking Shady Grove

With his unmistakable flat-picking style, Doc Watson did a lot to help popularize this tune. He often played the tune throughout his career, being that it was a big hit for him in the mid 60’s.

Without a doubt, there are probably over a million flat pickers out there that would name Doc Watson as their inspiration for the style. Also, I’ll bet that every one of them, at one time or another, has tried to learn Doc’s version of Shady Grove.

As a result, the tune quickly made its way into the bluegrass genre and soon became a standard.
I hope you like the arrangement.

Cy…

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Millers Reel

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An image of an old millers wheel.

Old Mill Wheel

“Millers Reel” is another traditional North American fiddle tune. I can’t say that I’m all that familiar with it. On the other hand, it does seem to have a familiar sound to it. It tends to to be one of those melodies that I may recognize, … or perhaps it just sounds similar to another tune that I’ve heard before.

Either way, I enjoyed working on it.

The tune has a shared popularity in Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the United States. However, it tends to be another one of those ‘melodies with muddied roots’. As a result, it has been called ‘traditional American’ and ‘traditional Irish’.

Some will dispute the origin of “Millers Reel”, but popular opinion tends to lean toward American roots.

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Chords for Millers Reel

There are always an number of different shapes to explore for each chord, but here a few to get you started. However, a couple of them might take some practice, but this tune is good for that! There are a lot of quick chord changes throughout the melody to keep the left had moving.

Suggested chords for Millers Reel.
Chord suggestions for Millers Reel

The Tune

As with any tune, this melody can remain a simple version of the traditional, or get more complicated and intricate. Also like many tunes, you can definitely notice a different ‘flavor’ between the North American versions and those from Ireland and Scotland.

My version sticks fairly close to the traditional. It’s set here in 4/4 time and played in the key of A Major. It has a typical A-A-B-B format.

Miller’s Reel
Slower
An image of music and tab for the traditional tune "Miller's Reel".
Mandolin tab & music for the fiddle tune “Millers Reel”.

Downloads:

Tab & MusicDownload
Just the TabDownload
Just the MusicDownload
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6T4RDDANKE8PN

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

What’s in a name?

Millers Reel is known by more than one name, as is the case with thousands of old tunes and melodies.

In Scotland and Ireland it may be referred to as “The Miller”, or “The Dawn Reel”.

But, it answers to few other names as well.

It is sometimes called “Dusty Miller Reel”, but don’t let that confuse you (like it did me), it is not the same “Dusty Miller” that Bill Monroe made famous. So, make sure you know which one is expected before you play along.

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Buckskin Reel

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image of old stye buckskin clothing made by the Metis.

Buckskin Leathers

Buckskin Reel is another great tune from Canadian Métis fiddler Andy Dejarlis. When Andy died (near Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1975), he had recorded nearly 200 original compositions. I think his most recorded composition would be Whiskey Before Breakfast. I’ve also got Caribou Reel tabbed out on this site.

The name of this particular melody ( Buckskin Reel) was probably a tribute to the ornate buckskin clothing and accessories that were worn by the Métis people across Canada, many years ago. The different coats, moccasins, leggings, etc.., were made from deer skin or elk hide, and often decorated with porcupine quills, feathers and beads..

The art has been passed down over the years. As a result, you can still find modern examples of these beautifully decorated items worn today. The Métis are renown for their intricate and colorful floral patterns and beadwork.

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The Chords

Firstly, we have a pretty simple chord pattern, with only three chords. In addition, you’ll notice a slight deviation from the common I – IV – V progression. The composer has chosen a I – vi – V progression. Therefore, we end up with the minor 6th chord of the scale. As a result, in the key of D Major we’ll use D – Bm – A.

Below, are some shapes that I like. They’re formed on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings, with the 1st string muted.

Some chord shapes to try

Or, for more of an ‘old-timey’ feel, try the D Major and A Major chords like this:

Of course, these are only suggestions. For example, you can use the full chord form if you like, and there are other chord voicings that will work just as well. See if you can come up with something different that suits your ear better.

The Tune

I’ve tabbed Buckskin Reel out in 4/4 timing. It’s in the key of D Major and has the standard reel format – played A-A-B-B.

The tab/music in the image below is the basic melody without embellishment.

Buckskin Reel
Slower
Mandolin tab & music for the Andy Dejarlis tune “Buckskin Reel”.

Downloads:

Tab & MusicDownload
Just the TabDownload
Just the MusicDownload
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

Can we pull it off?

This arrangement started out as a note-for-note transcription of Buckskin Reel that I found on YouTube, played by Andy DeJarlis himself. However, I did remove some of the little embellishments to make it easier to learn (Ok, I might have changed the B-part a little bit too, just for fun).

If you listen to DeJarlis play this tune, you’ll hear a little ‘trill’, or embellishment on many of the notes throughout the tune. We can pull this off on the mandolin by using a ‘pull-off’ (pun intended).

In the download, you’ll find a few examples of these embellishments in the second version of the tune. This is fun to play on the mandolin, I hope you like it.

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Turkey in the Straw

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picture of a turkey looking straight at the camera.

Turkey Surprise!

Turkey in the Straw is a request from a mandolin player in Connecticut. She was looking for a really easy “beginner’s” version with simple chords. I realized afterwards that maybe she just wanted the chords for backup.

Anyway, I tabbed out a simple arrangement of the melody along with the chord progression, and included diagrams of some easy ‘two-finger’ chords to play along.

Also, if you download the PDF file, you’ll find a second version. That second arrangement is only slightly more difficult than the first, so check it out!

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The Chords

Here are some easy two-finger chords for backup. If you want to make it even simpler, you can forget about the D7 chord and just use the D chord in its’ place.

Mandolin chord diagrams for G, C, D and D7.

The Tune

It’s in 4/4 time, set out here in the key of G Major. The A-part is played twice, then the B part twice.
I’ve included the pick strokes in the tab for the first version.
They look like this:

Image describing the symbols used to indicate pick direction.

Make sure you’re picking “down” on the beats, and “up” on the off-beats.
Listen to “Turkey in the Straw” for mandolin

Turkey in the Straw
Here it is at 100 Bpm
Image of the music and tab sheet for the tune “Turkey in the Straw”,
Mandolin tab and music for the old-time tune “Turkey in the Straw”.

Downloads:

Tab & MusicDownload
Just the TabDownload
Just the MusicDownload
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

Turkey Legs

Turkey in the Straw is a very recognizable old time tune. Not everybody will be able tell you what It’s called, but most will recognize the melody. It’s usually played as an instrumental.
I played it for my granddaughters – and they knew it right away! In fact, they even sang me some verses:

Well I had a little chicken and it wouldn’t lay an egg
So I poured hot water up and down it’s leg
The little chicken hollered and the little chicken begged
And that crazy little chicken laid a hard boiled egg!

Funny thing is.. those are pretty much the words to it. No wonder it’s usually played as an instrumental.

Hope you enjoy the arrangement. Thanks for taking a look.
Cy…

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Flying Indian

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Image of an old restored Indian Motorcycle.

The Indian Motorcycle

Flying Indian is an old-time tune that I had never heard before.

For some reason when I saw the title for the first time, it made me think of the Indian Motorcycle. Perhaps there was a model by that name, I don’t know. It’s just the first thing that popped into my head. And, that’s why you see the pic on the left. However, I’m pretty sure the tune has nothing whatsoever to do with the motorcycle.

This was a request that interested me from the beginning. Like I said, I wasn’t familiar with the tune at all. I didn’t find much in the way of history or info for it (didn’t look too hard), but I did find a recording by Dan Levenson on iTunes (Beyond the Waterfall), and most notably, by one of my favorites – Bruce Molsky (on his “Can’t Stay Here This A-Way” album).

This melody seems to lay out quite well on the mandolin.

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The Tune

“Flying Indian” is tabbed out here in the key of G major. The A-part is played two times, followed by the B-part, also played twice. There’s nothing really tricky in this version. Therefore, it should be fairly easy for everyone to pick up.

I did keep fumbling around with this melody, so I’ll make another version available in the mailout this month!

Listen to “Flying Indian” for mandolin

Flying Indian


Here’s the slower version to play along with (100bpm):

Slower
image of mandolin tab & music for the old time fiddle tune "The Flying Indian".
Mandolin tab & music for the old time fiddle tune “Flying Indian”.

Downloads:

Tab & MusicDownload
Just the TabDownload
Just the MusicDownload
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

If any downloads or images are missing, please let me know. I’ll get on it as soon as I can.

That’s all…

Thanks for taking a look at “Flying Indian”. I hope you enjoy playing this old-time fiddle tune.
Please feel free to leave comments below.

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Fire on the Mountain

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image of a mountain fire in British Columbia
Buckskin Leathers

“Fire on the Mountain” seems to be a very popular song title. Therefore, there could be some confusion as to which melody we’re looking at in today’s lesson.

The Marshal Tucker Band did a number by that name, and that particular song became very popular. As a result, that’s probably what most people will think of when they hear this title. But, this isn’t that song!

Also, The Grateful Dead recorded a tune with the same name, as did The Charlie Daniel’s Band. Both great tunes! However, once again, this isn’t it.

The tune below is a traditional old-time fiddle tune that dates back to the late 1800’s. Its an instrumental (no lyrics that I know of) and has roots originating in the U.S.

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The Tune

I was listening to a version of this instrumental done by Bill Munroe and the Bluegrass Boys. I’ve never been very successful trying emulate Mr. Munroe, so I don’t usually try. Consequently, the following arrangement is based more on what’s happening with the fiddle, but with fewer notes. That is to say, it’s been modified for these pages.

The A-part is played twice, and its in the Key of A major. The tune then switches to the Key of D major for the B-part. That’s played through just once, then it switches back to the Key of A, incorporating a short, 2 bar bridge to lead back to the A-part.

Of course, there are variations to that formula. So, its entirely up to you.

Listen to “Fire on the Mountain” for mandolin.

Fire on the Mountain
Slower
image of mandolin tab for the tune "Fire on the Mountain".
Mandolin tab for the instrumental “Fire on the Mountain”.

Downloads:

Tab & MusicDownload
Just the TabDownload
Just the MusicDownload
Make a donation to SimplyMandolin

If you feel you can help support this site with the donation of a dollar or two, It would be very much appreciated…

If you don’t wish to donate at this time, I totally understand – Enjoy!

If any downloads or images are missing, please let me know. I’ll get on it as soon as I can.

Rapid Fire on the Mountain

This tune is usually played very fast with a barrage of 8th notes. But, learn it slowly and commit it to memory before trying to speed up. Meanwhile, if you feel you’re ready to add some more notes, just remember what key you’re in and try adding notes from that scale. Do some experimenting. Your ear will tell you what works!

I hope you enjoy the tune. Let me know what you think.

Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

Cy…

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