Hello and welcome once again
to Flatpicking Guitar Magazine’s free lesson portion of our monthly
newsletter. I am very proud to offer the melody to
“Grandfather’s Clock” as this month’s tune. My mother plays a
really cool version of "Grandfather's Clock" on the banjo and even when
I was into Led Zeppelin and Nirvana in high school, I was still
obsessed with hearing her play the melody to this song. I
remember figuring it out on my guitar and playing it for my parents.
“Grandfather’s” Clock” is not an AABB
fiddle tune. It was originally a song with words written by Henry Clay
Work back in 1876. Over time bluegrass players have turned
this classic song into a jam tune. Here’s a taste of the first verse:
My grandfather’s clock was too
large for the shelf,
So it stood ninety years on the
floor;
It was taller by half than the
old man himself,
Though it weighed not a
pennyweight more.
It was bought on the morn of
the day that he was born,
And was always his treasure and
pride;
But it stopped short - never to
go again -
When the old man died
The song is told from the perspective
of the grandson. The clock is purchased on the morning of the
grandfather’s birth. It worked for ninety years. When the
grandfather brings his bride into the house, the clock rings
twenty-four chimes. When the grandfather dies, the clock
stops. It’s a pretty sad song.
My
goal for this lesson was to really convey the tune’s beautiful melody
in a way that is easily accessible and enjoyable. My
banjo-ish kick-off along with a few banjo fills are most probably in my
head from hearing my mother’s banjo version growing up.
I feel if you listen to the
included lesson mp3 you will have no problem playing this arrangement
of “Grandfather’s Clock.” As always, if you have any
questions or comments on this e-lesson or any ideas for cool tunes
you’d like to see here in the future just drop me a line at [email protected]
