Working on Jerusalm Ridge, Any Tips?

[David Beavers]

Any help would be appreciated, this is turning out to be a catastrophe.

[AlanN]

First off, remove the feline from the sheet music, so as to be able to read the notes...lol.

Seriously, JR is a 4-part number with distinct lines and phrases, none too complex, and all can be played in first position, even part IV. Tabs/std. notation exist for the bare bones melody and there are many (many) recorded versions on fiddle and mandolin to study.

Good luck.

[samlyman]

You can find a free backing track to this and a number of other bluegrass tunes at: http://www.fbbts.com/Tunes.html

This site offers variable speed, chords on some tunes, and multiple options of rhythm and melody instruments.

The version of JR in The Fiddler's Fakebook is pretty accurate and easy to play.

Have fun, Sam

[CarlM]

I listened to it thousands of times before I learned it. With the tune in my head it came fairly easily. There are several sets of backup chords out there especially for the third and fourth part. That can become confusing if you listen to different versions. They all work so you have to choose one.

Getting the tune broken up into its pieces is one of the challenges. The first two parts are fairly straightforward though the first part gets repeated an extra couple times. The third part is short with few notes, more of a bridge. The fourth part has two separate melody lines and can be looked at as two separate parts put together.

Break it up and learn one piece at a time or it becomes a huge jumbled mess.

Good luck, hope this helps.

[Tobin]

Seriously, JR is a 4-part number with distinct lines and phrases, none too complex, and all can be played in first position, even part IV.

How would one play the last part in first position? Just move it down an octave or something? I can't imagine it would sound the same without reaching that high C at the 8th fret, walking up from A to B to C starting at the 5th fret. I usually shift up to third position for that bit, and it's very simple to do. But I'm curious what you do if you're staying in first position?

[AlanN]

Yep, down 1 octave. Most pickers do as you state, getting the C note on E8. I have a twin version somewhere in the stack where the lead and tenor stay on the lower octave. Sounds lovely.

For someone just learning this tune, it may be easier without the shift up the neck. Or maybe not. Just another way to...ahem....skin the same cat.

[Ruckmanite]

This is a pretty great guide to the song IMHO.....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0RMti55zPo

[Hadji36]

You could try this "Banjo Ben" version that is free on his site. It's pretty straight forward. It should help you get the melody and timing down so you can tackle some more difficult versions.

http://www.banjobenclark.com/shoppin..._TAB-M028.aspx

[paul dirac]

Not an expert on this or any tune, but will chime in as I answered this question for myself already.

First, for me, it started with which version I wanted to learn- I'd suggest either the man himself:


or I think Jeff's got one of the smoothest deliveries on Youtube:


From there, you might entertain using some slow-downer app or program. I like Anytune.

The rest, for me, was just using the app to break the tune into passages, slow down and practice (repeat).

Pro tip would be earplugs for your S.O. during those repeated practices...

[bigskygirl]

First off please don't hurt the cat...see my avatar....

I love this tune and it was a bit of a challenge. Like CarlM said listen to it and break it into parts. For the last part use your ring finger on the second string to slide up to the E which leaves my middle finger on A and index on G on the first string. I find I'm perfectly positioned to grab the high C at the 8th fret along with all the other notes until you hit the open E and move back to first position to finish. Of course it does depend on the arrangement version but I'm pretty sure mine is a standard one.

Don't give up on it, a great tune and fun to play.

[9lbShellhamer]

The best advice I can give is to play along with your favorite tracks. (I used the noam plays kenny plays bill version of JR, and the Rice version) Learn the rhythm first, as it'll help with the timing on the odd measures when you're playing lead eventually.

I used the backing track from flatpick apprentice and it was awesome.

[Tom Smart]

How would one play the last part in first position? Just move it down an octave or something? I can't imagine it would sound the same without reaching that high C at the 8th fret, walking up from A to B to C starting at the 5th fret. I usually shift up to third position for that bit, and it's very simple to do. But I'm curious what you do if you're staying in first position?

That tune got a whole lot easier for me the day I realized you can play the entire fourth part in second position. Start that part by sliding your ring finger up to the 7th fret E note on the A string, and the rest of the fourth part is right there under your fingers, including the A-E double stop using your middle and ring fingers. Then go back to first position for the last part.

It looks like that's how Mr. Baker is playing it too. Once you're done studying his fingering, take a look at his right wrist. It's mesmerizing. That's how to play the fiddle.

Edit: Same as what bigskygirl said above, except I don't go back to first position at all during that part. You can still take advantage of the open strings, but the fourth part doesn't have any notes that require your index finger in first position, so there's no need to shift back down.

[sgarrity]

Listen to Monroe play it. Less is more!

[Mark Wilson]

Any help would be appreciated, this is turning out to be a catastrophe.

Find a basic version. Even if you are in the middle of a more advanced version - you can usually replace a tough spot with the phrase from the simpler version. Don't feel you have to copy anything note for note.

IMO - don't try to learn the whole thing at once. Take your time learning one section at a time before taking on the next.

[Barry Canada]

How long should it take to really become comfortable to learn and play a piece like this one?

[Stevo75]

If you use Chrome as your browser you can slow down you tube videos right there using an option on the YouTube display.

[David Beavers]

Update: I've tried what AlanN suggested. Removing the cat from the sheet music has been a huge improvement!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi David - THE big problems occur when the cat sits on your lap while you're trying to practice,something i have to battle with most days. My 'constant companion' seems to think that a good 'head rub' on the side of my mandolin improves things !!!.
Back to 'the point' - have a look here to see if you can find anything that will help:- https://play.riffstation.com/results
Ivan

[Ron McMillan]

When I want to learn something complex (and too fast to catch), I use a webpage to extract the mp3 from a good YouTube clip. Then I open the mp3 in the Amazing Slow Downer program from Ronimusic and slow the track down to a point that I can start to learn phrases. The program allows me to select loops that cover particular sections or solos of my choice, and play them repeatedly.

[ralph johansson]

Listen to Monroe play it. Less is more!

I suppose you are referring to Monroe's solo on Baker's album, and, well, there's less of the tune there and some quite arbitrary shortcuts. Baker's version is of course the canonical version since he played on the original recording and more than helped write the tune. (Monroe had the third part, Baker contributed most of the ideas and Monroe made the decisions).

I like to think of the tune as three parts waiting for the fourth. The first three parts don't amount to much in themselves, but without them the fourth part, with the switch from an am chord to C major, wouldn't be nearly as striking (it reminds me of the beginning of Howdy Forrester's Rutland's Reel). It's the first fiddle tune ever that I transcribed from a record on a turntable without half speed; my ears grew in the process.

[AlanN]

This is one of them tunes that almost begs to be:

- left alone
- embellished

depending on the mood/who is playing it. I have Ray Legere recording called Common Denominator (just excellent, he plays all the instruments - m,f,g,bass - on a varietyof trad tunes and originals). Ray plays JR - the melody, with hooks, where appropriate and with finesse and aplomb, is very apparent. He then does his take-off thing, playing hot and cool without ever leaving the gist of the tune behind. Pretty incredible. Monroe or Baker never played it quite like that, and somehow, I don't care.

And as an added bonus, he includes well-written tabs to all of the mandolin solos on the record.

[Tom Morse]

I'm working on JR, too. I've been trying to add what jazz players call a "qoute" by playing the first four bars of "In The Hall of the Mountain King" by Edvard Grieg over the first four bars of JR's A part. It drives our banjo player nuts!

[farmerjones]

I think of it as a Kenny Baker etude. By the time one gets it solid, there's four or five other tunes one can play, because of what the tune teaches. Y'know, Kenny would be the first to admit to never playing the same thing twice. But he was more of a precisionist than he lead on. Just about every time I've seen him play it, he does quite close to the same.

[bigskygirl]

I have been working on jamming in Am and this is one of the tunes along with David Grisman Bow Wow that I really like to play when I'm just noodling.

Catch a listen to these two....

[stevedenver]

I think its important to get the groove on JR.

opn utube theres and adam steffey and danny Roberts clip, and the tempo is slightly slower, and the groove strong.
heres a nice straight ahead version imho. on a cherry MM no less