SimplyMandolin

tabs & music for the mandolin player

old time

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
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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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The New York Volunteer

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drawing of soldiers camp for the new york volunteers

Old civil war drawing

“The New York Volunteer” is an old civil war song. It was suggested for the site by a mandolin player named Callum, from South East Hampshire, UK. I believe he had heard it on an old Bobby Horton album.

I was totally unfamiliar with the melody, and can’t recall ever hearing of it before. But, I found a few different recordings and thought I might give it a go.

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The Tune

The melody actually comes from another old tune, ‘The Lincolnshire Poacher’. It’s an old English folk song that was (and still is) used in several different locales as a marching song. With a change of lyrics, the melody was used by some of the New York Regiments during the American Civil War and renamed ‘The New York Volunteer’.

This tune has been recorded by many different artists over the years. The following setting is in the key of G Major, with a 6/8 time signature (count 6 beats per measure). As a result, with emphasis on the 1st and 4th beat, you can get the feel for that marching rhythm.

I’ve tabbed out 3 slightly different versions. The first two are very similar to each other, with some slight variations in the second. Just for fun, the third version is played an octave higher and moves up the neck for a few bars.

I apologize in advance for the sound file. I’m recording it on my phone and the furnace keeps cutting in.

New York Volunteer
Slower

To save space, I’ve only included an image of the first version below. But, you’ll find all three versions in the download.

Mandolin tab & music for the bluegrass tune “Cripple Creek”.

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!

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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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Bill Cheatham

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image of a dusty cowboy - watercolor Jani Freimann

Watercolor by Jani Freimann

Bill Cheatham is another popular old-time fiddle tune. Many well-known musicians have recorded this simple little melody, and it has always been a common and ‘often learned’ bluegrass session tune.

Finding information on its origin was pretty much futile, at least in the time I spent scouring the internet. I was able to find a couple of old recordings from the late 1800’s, but no composer – and not a bit of info on who Bill Cheatham might have been.

But, the tune has survived, and remained popular for over a hundred years, like thousands of other traditional old melodies. It isn’t a difficult tune to play, and well worth the effort to learn.

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The Tune

Bill Cheatham is most often played in the Key of A. The ‘A-part’ is usually played twice followed by the ‘B-part’ (also twice).

I’ve written a basic version below that everyone should be able to work with. Following that, I’ve shown a couple of simple little two-bar variations. Nothing complicated, I’ve  just added a couple of notes to demonstrate how we can keep our right hand moving. After learning the arrangement as shown below, try playing the changes. Practice it until you can just pop them in and out whenever you want.

Both versions are in the downloads.

Listen to “Bill Cheatham” for mandolin (version 1)

Bill Cheatham
Image of mandolin tab for the tune "Bill Cheatham".
Mandolin tablature for version 1 of the tune “Bill Cheatham”.

Downloads:

*Tab & Music
*Just the Tab
*Just the Music
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!

Just a note or two…

Just adding a couple notes here and there can help keep your right hand moving. What notes can you add? To start with, look at the key your tune is in (this tune is in the key of A), and try notes from that scale.

Sometimes, just adding a note or two can make a big difference to the flow of your tune, as well as the finger movement of your left hand.

As an example, in the A-part, take a look at the 6th and 7th measures.

Instead of this:

image of the sixth and seventh measures of Bill Cheatham before adding more notes.

Try the following:

Image of the 6th and 7th measures after adding a couple of notes.

We could also make some simple changes to the 12th and 13th measures in the B-part.

Instead of this:

image of the 12th and thirteenth measures of Bill Cheatham before changes.

Try this:

Image of the two measures after adding a couple of notes.

Listen to “Bill Cheatham” for mandolin after these easy changes:

Bill Cheatham version 2

Take a look around and see where else you might be able to add a note or two. Of course, if you wanted, you could add enough to produce a constant barrage of 8th notes throughout the whole arrangement. That would be a great exercise to help learn how to change the flow, or how to keep your right hand moving. As a result however, your tune could end up sounding a little less musical and more like a typewriter.

Its not a matter of trying to make it more difficult to play, but to improve the flow or make it more musical. So, add to and take away until it sounds good to your ear.

Drones

Another thing to think about with this tune is drone notes. In the key of ‘A’, two of the major tones  are ‘A’ and ‘E’. As a result, the open first and second strings can often be struck as drones. It’s up to you to decide where they sound best.

Experiment a little and see what you can come up with.

Thanks for taking a look at Bill Cheatham. I hope you enjoy the tune.

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