Chords for Angelina Baker Improvisations - Mandolin Lesson

[A] _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
[F#m] _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ [G] _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
[D] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ [A] _
_ _ [D] _ _ [Em] _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
_ [Em] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [Gm] _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ [Em] _ _ [A] _ _ _
[F#] _ _ _ [G] _ _ [D] _ _ [G] _
_ _ [Bm] _ _ That was an [G] improvisation based on the old fiddle tune, Angelina Baker, or Angelina Baker,
or Angeline the Baker, _ whatever title you know that tune by.
Anyways, it's a simple pentatonic tune in the key of D, pentatonic meaning there's really
only five different notes in the entire song, D, E, F sharp, A, B.
That's it.
Those are arranged in different ways to make that melody.
_ So my improvisation is also primarily _ those same five notes.
So _ I think the first thing we need to learn how to do is play [D] even notes in this pentatonic scale.
So D, [Em]
[Bm] E, F sharp, A, B, [D] E, and I'm going to continue [Em] it up, [Bm] E, F sharp, A, B. _
_ _ _ [Em] _ [D] And then
on [G] the low string I'm going to play [A] B and A also.
[A#] So here's my [Em] entire scale, the entire range I'm [Am] going to be using for this.
[Bm] _ [F#] _ [Bm] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
[D] _ _ So fiddle tunes tend to be pretty brisk.
You need to play them with a pretty loose wrist.
So we want to keep notes flowing at about this speed.
So I'm just going to try to make up melodies. _
_ [F#] _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ [D] _
[F#] _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
[G] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Bm] _ _ [F#] _ [D] _ So
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [G] _ [F#] _ _
[Bm] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ that's the first thing you need to learn how to [D#] do, just play even notes like that
and be able to come up with melodies.
Hear the melodies in your head and play them.
Pentatonic scale is pretty easy to hear.
It doesn't take that long to be able to play what you hear.
Most of it is in the right hand for mandolin players to play loose enough to do that.
_ _ Then we need to know the structure of the song.
Assuming we already know the melody, now we're going to look at the chord structure of the [D] song.
So, do do do do do do do do [G] do do [D] do do do do [G] do do do do do do do do [D] do do do do do do do do.
Very simple, just D and G.
Halfway [G] through when it lands on the G chord, halfway through the verse, and halfway through
both the A part and the B part it sounds to me like it's an unresolved part or I
like to call it a question if I think of this in sentence structure just imagine
this as [D] a question _ _ _ _ _ [G] and _ _ _ the answer [D] is _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
[Dm] _ _ so _ [Gm] _ _ _
I based my improvisation around that
same thing so the question [Em] happens on a B note and exactly when we're sounding
a G chord _ so if I'm [G#] playing the pentatonic scale and keeping the [A#] melody
in my head [Bm] _ now _ _ [D] _ [Em] _ _
[F] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Gm] _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ the chord structure for the A part and the B part of this song
the way that I play it is exactly the same so the only thing that
differentiates the two is the melody the B part well and some people switch the
A and the B part around the other part is _ _ which _ [G] _ _ _ [D] the same kind of improv will
work so _ [A] _ [Gm] _ _
[Bm] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Gm] _ _ [Bm] _
_ _ _ [Em] _ _ [F#m] _ [N] _ _
_ it's a combination of melody _ pentatonic scale or knowing the scale or
the key that the melody comes out of a loose wrist being able to play even
eighth or sixteenth notes _ and understanding the chord structure like
the think of the chord structure like the punctuation of the song the question
and the answer part for for phrasing okay I might want to add that that this
kind of behavior isn't always acceptable at every party _ some people take their
old-time fiddle tunes very seriously and they do really don't want people
improvising with them and I don't mean to be disrespectful to those people at
all I'm an improviser and I improvise on all different types of music and I
really love fiddle tunes and I love to improvise on them so it's out of
respect that I pick a theme like this and try to improvise on but I wouldn't
say show up at any old-time jam and start doing this I think this kind of
improvisation is for more open-minded _ _ experimental type of folks to play so if
you're playing with guys who are into jazz and like to jam and that kind of
thing this this could work out really well but remember some people are _ they
don't appreciate us doing that to their old-time fiddle tunes and and I you
know we need to respect that thanks for watching hope that helps and see you next time