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September 2010 Free Flatpicking Lesson
from
Flatpicking Guitar Magazine
Two Classic Melodies:
“Turkey In the Straw” and “Arkansas Traveler”
Arranged by Mickey Abraham
Greetings to all you e-lesson readers out there. I welcome you,
once again, to another installment of FGM’s free lesson portion of our
monthly newsletter. Each month, when you click here, you will find
something new to add to your guitar technique and overall flatpicking
guitar knowledge.
I try to mix things up
from time to time in order to continue offering a little something for
everyone. This month, instead of arranging two versions of the same
tune, I chose to give you two different classic melodies.
I paired these great tunes together because “Turkey
In the Straw” and “Arkansas Traveler” are both flatpicking standards
that have made their way into mainstream pop- culture. Many folks
will recognize the first couple measures of these melodies, but unless
they are a bluegrass or folk musicians, they might not know the names
of these tunes.
My first exposure to “Turkey in the Straw” was as a
kid, hearing the ice cream truck coming down the road in my
neighborhood. I must say that Aubrey Haney’s Texas swing version is more
musical to me now, but nonetheless, the sounds coming from the ice
cream truck implanted that melody in my head. To many, the “Turkey in
the Straw” melody will get folks singing the famous children’s lyrics,
“Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro?” I am not sure where
those lyrics are from originally.
As for “Arkansas
Traveler,” I feel I first heard this tune in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. It
was a slow and bouncy version done in a very low octave. I even
remember some kind of lyrics that included the word “bumblebee.” Am I
getting off track? The point is that these melodies are so great
that they have been used and enjoyed by many musicians over the years.
Although
the “Turkey in the Straw” and “Arkansas Traveler” are often
associated with feelings of childhood simplicity, they are actually
pretty tricky melodies to pick and have quite interesting chord
back-up to go with it. I chose to arrange this lesson with very
straight forward melodies and traditional chords; these version are
free of any hot licks and are designed to be simple interpretations of
these iconic melodies As you work through this lesson remember to
pick carefully; pay attention to your timing and proper pick
direction. If you are not familiar with proper pick direction please
see my e-lesson called “Pick Stroke Theory.”
I hope you enjoy
working on these great classic fiddle tunes. I suppose that if you play
nothing else, and you learn these two tunes, you are well on the road
to being a flatpicker! Finally, any questions, comments, or concerns on
this e-lesson or any great ideas for future e-lessons? email me at
[email protected]
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