B Major

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    • July 4, 2024 at 7:29 AM #33373
      George Bretz
      Participant

      Roger,
      Good questions. The help you are looking for is here on the site.
      First, I try to spend time everyday playing standards in various keys.
      For example, Rolling In My Sweet Baby’s Arms, I work on playing it in popular keys A, D, G, C but also add B, Bflat and E.
      After you play tunes in the “common keys” a few times you’ll realize you can transpose to any key.

      The video lesson you are after is “Nashville Numbering System”, by Megan Lynch Chowning. The whole series is great with simple theory. In particular in the first Nashville Numbering lesson video she describes the “Fiddle Capo”.
      That lesson will get you playing in all the keys with chord accompaniment.

      It is impressively simple but not really easy.

      Best luck,
      George

      • July 9, 2024 at 6:34 PM #33374
        Casey Willis
        Keymaster

        Good answer, George. I would also recommend Megan’s Nashville Number System/fiddle capo lessons. And I’m with you, Roger…playing in B is not a ton of fun.

    • March 5, 2025 at 5:51 AM #33541
      Roger Green
      Participant

      I learned of another tune in B that’s fun to play. It’s called The Road To Spencer by Ricky Skaggs. It’s a very Irish sounding tune but when asked about it, Ricky laughs and responds that he composed it on the way to a gig in Spencer Iowa.

    • March 16, 2025 at 7:15 AM #33542
      George Bretz
      Participant

      Roger,
      My wife’s maiden name is Spencer so my interest is piqued. Maybe Mr. Ricky wrote that tune, it sounds like like 100 other fiddle tunes I’ve heard.
      Brings a joke to mind: “you know why fiddle tunes have names?” “So you can tell them apart!”
      George

    • March 17, 2025 at 8:35 AM #33543
      Roger Green
      Participant

      LOL! George, that’s a good joke. I’m gonna use that one.

    • April 3, 2025 at 1:01 PM #33549
      Casey Willis
      Keymaster

      Hi, Roger.

      That’s a great tune, sir. I think it’s actually a trad celtic tune, but Ricky brought it into the bluegrass genera with that album/tour. Andy Leftwich crushes it on the fiddle. If I ever get back into the studio, I’ll cut a lesson on this one. C

    • April 17, 2025 at 4:48 PM #33555
      Roger Green
      Participant

      Casey, Andy Leftwich is amazing. He has a version of Big Mon that he does with twin mandolin that is simply beautiful. I do a weekly bluegrass radio show that’s broadcast in Ireland and I closed this coming Sunday’s (April 20) show out with Big Mon by Andy.

      If you should cut a lesson of Road To Spencer in C, and I learn it, my fiddle jam friends are going to look at me strangely. But, that’s ok, because I play Beaumont Rag in F and they do it in D. 🙂 I’ll have the last laugh. Ryans Mammoth Collection has Fisher’s Hornpipe in F too. Eventually, I’ll get it up to speed in F and then I’ll work out a transition from D to F.

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