Noodlin - Posted - 05/31/2023:  12:15:53

Played on the banjo I recently finished building for my wife, this is an arrangement I worked out recently for fretless banjo, mostly clawhammer, but with a little bit of old-time 2-finger in the intro. Recorded very simply with just a phone mic, I originally was going to re-record with proper mics and get video, but I liked this take well enough that I decided to roll with it, and just make a video that kind of lends itself to a bit of a creepy, haunting vibe. Added a little bit of ambience I captured recently of our coyote neighbors that come through every few days, rather dig it in there - so here we are, lol.

The banjo is a 20" scale fretless tackhead, with a mahogany neck, oak rim, and locust fretboard/integrated tone ring. Tuned here to relative Double Cm - gCGCEb (actual tuning here 3 semitones lower at Am - eAEAC).

VIDEO: In the Pines (Where did you sleep last night?)
(click to view)

 

Paul Roberts - Posted - 05/31/2023:  15:01:35

Very well done! Evocative of past times in the pines. You made a good sounding banjo for your wife.

Noodlin - Posted - 05/31/2023:  16:28:21

Thank you Paul! That was the goal, glad to hear I’m near the mark.

She’s very happy with it, and I have to admit, I keep wanting to pick it up myself, hehe.

Will Frady - Posted - 05/31/2023:  17:11:40

Two thumbs up ! Way ta go with the coyotes. That was nice in a creepy way , or was it creepy in a nice way ? Anyway it was cool !

Noodlin - Posted - 05/31/2023:  17:51:35

Haha, perfect! Definitely the vibe I intended!

phb - Posted - 06/01/2023:  02:11:55

Very nice version, very atmospheric! I have always wondered whether "in the pines" refers to an area in the USA that is typically associated with lots of pine woods similar to the prairies. Anyone enlighten me, please?

Noodlin - Posted - 06/01/2023:  11:40:13

Thanks Philipp!



Hmm - I'm not sure there really is a specific location attached to "The Pines", though I think the essential tune/song is thought to originate in the southern Appalachian Mountains, which are of course largely blanketed in pine forests. It has, of course, been leveraged into numerous variations, all reflecting the general story that the performer intends to convey. From stories of heartache and loss, to more specifically a murder ballad (which is more the direction I took with it - influenced by Lead Belly and Nirvana's renditions of the songs - hey, I came of age in the 90's, hah). Sometimes "the longest train I ever saw" is a major theme that runs through the song, but not always, and sometimes the actors in the stories are husbands or wives, or children, or whatever really works for what the singer is conveying. "The Pines" are almost always featured in the song, intended to represent the tragedy of the tale, and typically is leveraged as the name of the song. Not always though - The Longest Train is another, and Nirvana (and maybe Lead Belly?) named it "Where Did You Sleep Last Night".



In general, I think "the Pines" are more of a euphemism for those sort of concepts (like death, loss, maybe even "carnal improprieties", lol) - it's more of a tragic "you know what I mean" sort of representation than a specific place.



That's just my take from reading about the origins of the tune - I could be way off base, lol. Regardless, it's a wonderfully haunting melody/tune/song, and as is often the case in folk music with murky origins, it is quite fascinating - and it's a lot of fun to play and sing.



Cheers,

Adam

Edited by - Noodlin on 06/01/2023 11:40:32

phb - Posted - 06/02/2023:  01:08:18

Adam, thanks for your explanations! We usually sing the Monroe lyrics (longest train, but no "where did you sleep") over here but changed to the "Nirvana chords" (or Grateful Dead?) with the IIIb chord when someone introduced us to that version. Oh, and we play it Bluegrass-style. This coming Sunday I'll have to sing and play the song on a stage as part of one of many short sets by several scratch bands recruted from two jam sessions 2 hours apart that share some regulars. It will be the first time I'll be on a stage in 30 years. I hope I won't faint...

Noodlin - Posted - 06/02/2023:  11:53:12

quote:

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Originally posted by phb

Adam, thanks for your explanations! We usually sing the Monroe lyrics (longest train, but no "where did you sleep") over here but changed to the "Nirvana chords" (or Grateful Dead?) with the IIIb chord when someone introduced us to that version. Oh, and we play it Bluegrass-style. This coming Sunday I'll have to sing and play the song on a stage as part of one of many short sets by several scratch bands recruted from two jam sessions 2 hours apart that share some regulars. It will be the first time I'll be on a stage in 30 years. I hope I won't faint...

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Oh, very cool!  I'd love to hear it.  I hear you with performing - I haven't played in front of anyone in quite a while at this point, since pre-pandemic anyways.  Hang in there and try to enjoy it!  Good luck :-)

Frailblazer - Posted - 06/03/2023:  08:28:31

Very cool. The perfect soundtrack for your video.

- Ric

Noodlin - Posted - 06/04/2023:  11:46:28

quote:

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Originally posted by Frailblazer

Very cool. The perfect soundtrack for your video.



- Ric

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Aww man, thank you Ric!

Noodlin - Posted - 06/06/2023:  10:51:50

quote:

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Originally posted by phb

Adam, thanks for your explanations! We usually sing the Monroe lyrics (longest train, but no "where did you sleep") over here but changed to the "Nirvana chords" (or Grateful Dead?) with the IIIb chord when someone introduced us to that version. Oh, and we play it Bluegrass-style. This coming Sunday I'll have to sing and play the song on a stage as part of one of many short sets by several scratch bands recruted from two jam sessions 2 hours apart that share some regulars. It will be the first time I'll be on a stage in 30 years. I hope I won't faint...

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Hey Philipp, how did that stage performance go?

phb - Posted - 06/07/2023:  03:57:46

Oh, it went over pretty well, thanks for asking. I did not faint. I had to kick off the first of our three songs which generally is a thing I'm not good at. The first couple of measures of the kickoff were rather shaky but from then on I was content with my playing (I know my limits). I almost missed my break for the 3rd song but it's not really noticable in the smartphone video I saw unless you know that I wanted to play something else for the first measure.

"In the Pines" was our second song and everything went smoothly. It's not a very polished arrangement but we managed to play/sing it the way we had intended to do it and that's what counts. None of our arrangements were ambitious in any way, and I made sure that all of my parts were simple to play.

Overall, it was a good experience. We had perfect weather on Sunday which probably was why the audience was smaller than last year (where I didn't play). Perhaps some 50 people only which were mostly jam buddies or family of people performing on the stage. This made it much easier for me to play. Interestingly I got a little nervous when I was done with my break to the last song and there really wasn't much left to get nervous about.

The show was recorded, if I get some good video or audio recording, I may post them on my BHO homepage.

Noodlin - Posted - 06/12/2023:  14:28:43

quote:

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Originally posted by phb

Oh, it went over pretty well, thanks for asking. I did not faint. I had to kick off the first of our three songs which generally is a thing I'm not good at. The first couple of measures of the kickoff were rather shaky but from then on I was content with my playing (I know my limits). I almost missed my break for the 3rd song but it's not really noticable in the smartphone video I saw unless you know that I wanted to play something else for the first measure.



"In the Pines" was our second song and everything went smoothly. It's not a very polished arrangement but we managed to play/sing it the way we had intended to do it and that's what counts. None of our arrangements were ambitious in any way, and I made sure that all of my parts were simple to play.



Overall, it was a good experience. We had perfect weather on Sunday which probably was why the audience was smaller than last year (where I didn't play). Perhaps some 50 people only which were mostly jam buddies or family of people performing on the stage. This made it much easier for me to play. Interestingly I got a little nervous when I was done with my break to the last song and there really wasn't much left to get nervous about.



The show was recorded, if I get some good video or audio recording, I may post them on my BHO homepage.

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Hey Philipp, apologies, I thought I had responded to this.  I'd love to hear or see a recording!  Glad it wasn't too traumatic, haha.  I'm sure it was a good feeling at the end of the day!