L-R: Bessie Lee Maudlin, Bill Monroe, Joe Stuart, Del McCoury, and Bill Keith. Taken at the Brown County Jamboree Barn, 1963.
This week's tune is an old-time instrumental Bill Monroe popularized when he recorded it in 1963 with Bill Keith on banjo. The tune is also known as Salt River, but was renamed on Monroe's recording. Some say it was because the record company though it would be confusing having two tunes released near each other both ending in "river" (Big Sandy River was the other) and some say Monroe renamed it after a creek that runs near his Bean Blossom festival site.
Bluegrass players tend to refer to it as Salt Creek--old-time players tend to refer to it as Salt River.
Played AABB, typically in the key of A.
Learn the Tune:
Hear It using the GrooveShark playlist to the right.
We have a video lesson from Murphy Henry where she teaches you her own arrangement of a break for this tune. Murphy teaches it in a step-by-step, no tab needed fashion. Only $6 thru the end of the week. Get it here >
Backing Tracks: Band in a Box tracks are included below at various speeds for your practicing pleasure. (If you want more backing tracks that change speeds in smaller increments, as well as a "woodshed" track that gets progressively faster each time it repeats, then I recommend buying the "track bundle" for $1.99 from GrassTrax here.)
... and here's one from me, a little different, as it's played in the key of C in double C tuning, and on the slow side, which is inspired by Beppe Gambettas Slow Creek.
