Arranged by Roland White

Please scroll down for performance notes

Hear this tune played slowly:  First half (up to the first beat of measure 11) MP3 file size: 366 K
                                            Second half  (measure 11 to the end) MP3 file size: 348 K

Hear Roland play this tune faster (not exactly what is transcribed here, but close)  MP3 file size: 393 K

Click .zip for PC (1.1 Meg) or .sit for Mac (1.15 Meg) to download the the tablature image above and all sound files to your hard disk for later use.

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Performance notes:  This is in the key of A, which is where the Stanley Brothers recorded it.  We'll post it in F in a couple of weeks--that's where Dan Tyminski sang it on the "O Brother.." soundtrack--in case you want to play along with that recording.  The measures marked as downstrokes could be played with tremolo instead.  Measures 4 and 10 have a hammer-on from the 6th to 7th fret. You start with index and middle fingers on the 4th and 6th frets, then hammer with the ring finger at the 7th fret.  A dash before or after a note means a slide unless otherwise marked.  If the dash is before the note, you will slide up to the note; if the dash is after the note, you will slide down (toward the nut). All but two slides in this arrangement go up in pitch. They should be played from one fret below the slid-to note. (In case you are entirely new to this, a slide is where you pick a note at one fret and then slide the fretting finger up or down to another note--you don't pick the slid-to note, but slide with enough pressure to make the note sound.)  There are two downward slides in the arrangement (down in pitch, toward the nut): one from the 7th fret in measure 13 (just slide down over the 6th fret and continue sliding while lifting your finger up a little, making an indefinite sliding-down sound); and there's a more definite one from the 9th to the 8th fret in the next to last measure. Be sure to refer to the recordings to get the sound right.  You can save them all on your hard disk by clicking the link to download the zipped files.

This arrangement is Roland's adaptation of Monroe's style to his own.  It may seem hard on the pinky at first, but if you persist through just a few practice sessions you'll find it much easier.  You'll also notice that the double stops are all recognizable parts of the A, D and E chords.  If you approach the notes on the 3rd and 4th strings that are fretted with the ring and pinky fingers as part of the larger A chord, and go for holding the whole chord, though you're only playing the lower two strings, you'll find it much easier to play.  This will also help you to play out of chord positions rather than just playing individual notes.  If you've played through the first several tunes in our book, you're probably ready for this one.  

Sorry about the spotty tremolo on the slow versions--I recorded it and I'm not really a mandolin player.
Roland was rushing off to do the Bluegrass at the Beach workshop in Oregon. --Diane