wormbower - Posted - 08/01/2010:  12:55:22

This week’s TOTW is TOTM, a tune I first learned at the TOTMC.

(Translation: This week’s Tune of the Week is “Trouble on the Mind,” a tune I first learned at the Tucson Old Time Music Circle.)

Or is it Trouble on My Mind, or just Trouble on Mind? Well, this point, and indeed this tune, have been a bit of trouble--as well as mystery, intrigue, and pure joy--on my mind since I first heard it performed by our fabulous fiddlin’ fillies (Mary Jane, Carolyn, and Michele) at the monthly Tucson Old Time Music Circle several years ago. It instantly became my very favorite fiddle tune, but I’m only just beginning to really (update since I first wrote this) and I’ve finally learn learned how to play it!

First, the basics:
This is one of those wonderful crooked tunes from Kentucky fiddler, John Morgan Salyer. Word has it that it was a commonly played tune in Salyer’s home and time in Magoffin County, eastern Kentucky, at the turn of the 20th century, but played primarily on banjo. I play it in cross A tuning (AEAE), though Salyer’s recording is pitched about half a step lower.

Two parts: AABB

The A part has 6 measures. The B part has the “standard” 8, but with a twist. In the second time through the B part, before returning to A, two beats get clipped off the last measure of B! This must be a plan to keep dancers and transcriptionists on their toes.

Like my previous TOTW entry, Trouble on the Mind was welcomed back into the modern repertoire in large thanks to Bruce Greene, who convinced Salyer’s sons, Grover and Glen, to make their personal recordings of their father—Trouble on the Mind among them--available. All of the recordings are available at the Digital Library of Appalachia. (You can also get the complete set, fully tagged, from this FHO discussion).

According to Bruce Greene, the tune had been common in east Kentucky in Salyer’s time, despite a recorded claim by Nora Carpenter that she wrote it. “A lot of country folks claimed ownership of traditional material when they got seduced into "professional" music careers, as did she. It has been around a long time,” Bruce told me in an email. Several contemporary fiddle versions of this tune are around, including Bruce Greene’s own outstanding solo fiddle track on his absolutely must-have CD, Five Miles of Ellum Wood.

The late great Kentucky fiddler, Art Stamper, recorded a version on his Wake Up Darlin’ Cory album, as well as at a 2002 recording available through the Digital Library of Appalachia. Beware though, that Stamper’s version is differently crooked from Salyer’s.

Music historian, Jeff Todd Titon included his transcription of the Salyer recording in his book, Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes. Beware though, that Titon’s transcription doesn’t indicate the crookified B part when played the second time through.

Here’s a great You Tube tutorial, presented by our own groundhogbrains. She posted it just for me!

There seem to be many vocal versions of this tune, exemplified by the Nora Carpenter link above, most featuring old-time banjo. These are interesting, but don’t make my hair stand on end the way Salyer’s fiddle arrangement does. Here are some of those:

Frank Blevins & His Tarheels (Music from the Lost Provinces)
Crockett Ward and His Boys (Round the Heart of Old Galax, Vol 1)
Sam Conner/ Dent Wimmer (Appalachia – the old traditions)
Brett Ratliff (Cold Icy Mountain)
Carolina Chocolate Drops (Genuine Negro Jig)

So, what is it about this tune that makes it so magical in MY mind? It seems I discover something new almost every time I hear it. The first time I heard it, played in perfect unison by three or four fiddlers, I think it was the B part—that relentless (typical Salyer) dip down to the low A and E drones punctuating the start of each two-measure phrase. With lots of fiddles, it gives the tune the feeling of a march—albeit one that would bet you off step each time through…

With more listening, I noticed a few tasteful second-string slides and trills sprinkled throughout that make this such a beautiful tune. I’m told this is a typical Kentucky fiddle style.

Some more samples on the web:

Kathy Bawn on banjo
A nice fretless banjo video (which takes a few artistic liberties with the B part)

A terrific mp3 recorded of an unknown group at Fiddle Tunes ‘06

Oh yeah, the title. Here’s what Bruce Greene had to say about it:

“The Salyers called it Trouble on the Mind. Most places I've seen it elsewhere it was Trouble on My Mind. ".....the mind" is an expression of an older speech pattern where body related words were referred to as the instead of my. This is often true in other languages such as Spanish. The Salyers always said "the Mind". I checked my CD and it says "the."

Ok, I made the bold claim that I finally learned how to play Trouble on the Mind. I had been floundering on it for a long time, but recently fiddler extraordinaire (and FHO member) David Bragger, showed me a way to play it that works for me. A couple weeks ago I had a chance to do a little two-fiddle jamming with Carolyn, and we tried it. We turned up the speed as we went along, and Carolyn occasionally went down to the low strings. All the mistakes are mine, but I think it sounds pretty good, and it sure was fun!

Paul

Edited by - wormbower on 08/01/2010 13:03:49

ironworker - Posted - 08/01/2010:  14:09:12

glad to see that you got this in again,paul.
as usual, this is beautiful work.

Don't forget, FHO members, that paul has developed a near perfect format for the TOTW....hint,hint.

wormbower - Posted - 08/01/2010:  14:20:16

Many thanks, Michael. But there is no perfect format. Members should feel free to present their TOTW however they see fit. The important thing is just for people to contribute, so it doesn't die.....hint, hint.

Paul

Edited by - wormbower on 08/01/2010 14:20:54

wormbower - Posted - 08/03/2010:  07:57:37

Hmm...the silence is deafening. So, is it that people just don't like his tune, or aren't interested in Tune of the Week? Or is everyone afraid that if the reply, I'll recruit them to submit a TOTW?

Paul

wormbower - Posted - 08/03/2010:  08:07:45

Or is this a consequence of the Arizona boycott?

ScottK - Posted - 08/03/2010:  08:08:24

I love this tune! I first learned it on banjo from one of my fiddle buddies who I think learned it from Sammy Lind. Later on it just sort of fell out of my fiddle during a practice session one day.

I think the deafening silence is just folk out on vacation and at music festivals. BHO and FHO forums both seem kind of slow at the moment.

I recently picked up Bruce Greene and Don Pedi's Rare Old Chestnuts CD. It's another great recording. Includes interesting versions of Yellow Rose of Texas and Durang's Hornpipe that I encountered at festivals this summer.

Great TOTW post!
Scott

hendrid - Posted - 08/03/2010:  08:19:42

Paul, I also noticed the lengthy silence but hopefully you will get a delayed reaction or it may pop back up later. I keep thinking about Trouble on My Mind, too much of that lately, took a nasty fall on my face and tore it up..., but maybe this tune is different. Kind of wanted a set of dots or such and did look around. Not enough push to buy it. My problem is that I am already working on way too many tunes right now and am getting overwhelmed from all the good TOTWs and my other favorites that I am perpetuately muddling with. Need to do the learning by earball and pick the melody up in one or two times thru then would put this one under my belt. Long ways from being there but keep working on it.

Don

Edited by - hendrid on 08/03/2010 08:22:13

wormbower - Posted - 08/03/2010:  08:29:28

Yay, discussion! ScottK, I have that Rare Old Chestnuts CD. It's a great one, like all of Bruce Greene's stuff. Don, you can find the dots for Trouble on the Mind in Titon's book. Just beware of that shortened ending second time through the B part, which is not indicated in the transcription. I agree with you, for this tune, learning by ear works best.

Paul

Runaway - Posted - 08/04/2010:  14:53:44

This is a really good tune. I have a "bluegrass favorites no.2" book that has "Trouble in Mind," but I doubt it is to the same tune. I've never heard it sung.

Trouble in mind, I'm blue,
But I won't be blue always.
You know the sun's gonna shine
In my back door some day.

I'm gonna lay my head
On some lonesome railroad line.
Gonna let that big 800
Satisfy this mind of mine

Trouble in mind, I'm blue,
my poor heart is beating slow.
I ain't had so much trouble
In my life before.

hendrid - Posted - 08/05/2010:  03:51:19

Yes Runaway, seems to be different songs/tunes. This Trouble in Mind seems to be a slow blues song sung by Johnny Cash and many others with your above lyrics and a few more stanzas. If you look at Michele's youtube.com video you see also to the side, Koltk45 chording with a uke to Trouble on My Mind with a different set of lyrics and apparent melody yet.

When Paul posted this TOTW, Willie Nelson singing Always on My Mind kept running through my head. Did some searching through all of this and got off on Man of Constant Sorrow, another blues tune and ran down the sheet on The Wandering Boy and old Baptist Hymn apparently related or root and then noticed Elk River Blues and blew some time on it. So many tunes, so little time. Never did run across lyrics for Trouble on Mind or Trouble on My Mind with the same melody. Did I miss something?

DougD - Posted - 08/05/2010:  05:38:18

Does everyone already know this version? archive.org/details/TroubleInMind Its the one I'm familiar with, and they seem related.

I sometimes wonder if some of these Kentucky tunes became garbled on the trip through Cumberland Gap, or whether they came from completely different sources.

The song Runaway mentioned is completely different. It was recorded by Bob Wills in 1936: youtube.com/watch?v=s9kkohRJQC8

Edit: I see now that Paul mentioned the family of tunes like the Fields Ward version. You can also hear Crockett Wards recording at the Juneberry 78 site: juneberry78s.com/otmsampler/18...0Mind.mp3

Edited by - DougD on 08/05/2010 05:50:56

hendrid - Posted - 08/05/2010:  07:16:28

Well Doug and Paul, don't know that this will get us anywhere but did a Google search:

bluegrassmessengers.com/aint-t...n-1-.aspx

Ain't That Trouble In Mind
Old-time Bluegrass Breakdown;
ARTIST: Fields Ward & the Grayson County Railsplitters
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: 1929
RECORDING INFO: 1. Blevins, Frank; and His Tarheel Rattlers. Goin' Up Town. Old Time String Bands, Vol. 2, Marimac 9111, Cas (198?), trk# B.04 [1928/04/17] (Don't Get Trouble in (Your) Mind) 2. Bogtrotters (Bog Trotters). Original Bogtrotters, Biograph RC 6003, LP (1968), trk# 4 [1937-42] 3. Connor, Sam. Appalachia, The Old Traditions, Home Made Music LP-001, LP (1983), trk# A.06 [1979/08/08] (Don't Get Trouble in (Your) Mind) 4. Mainer's Mountaineers (J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers). J. E. Mainer's Crazy Mountaineer's, Vol. 1, Old-Timey LP 106, LP (197?), trk# 1 [1937/08/05?] (Don't Get Trouble in (Y 5. Stecher, Jody; and Krishna Bhatt. Rasa, Rooster Rstr-115, LP (1982), trk# 7b (Don't Get Trouble on Your Mind) 6. Ward, Crockett; & his Boys. Round the Heart of Old Galax, Vol 2., County 534, LP (1980), trk# A.06 [1927/09/26] 7. Ward, Fields; and his Buck Mountain Band. Early Country Music. Vol. 1, Historical HLP 8001, LP (197?), trk# A.02 [1929/03/29]
RELATED TO: Mollie/Molly and Tenbrooks; Quit that Ticklin' Me; Ain’t That Skippin’ and Flyin,
OTHER NAMES: “Don’t Get Trouble in Mind”
SOURCES: HM Belden; Frank Brown’s Collection;
NOTES: Recorded first by Crockett Ward in 1927, “Ain't That Trouble In Mind” is a part of the Mollie and Tenbrooks family of songs that includes “Quit that Ticklin' Me” and “Ain’t That Skippin’ and Flyin’.” The song is not related to the blues song, “Trouble in Mind” credited to Richard Jones.

Here are the lyrics to: “Ain't That Trouble In Mind”

Trouble, oh trouble, it’s trouble all the time
If trouble don’t kill me, I’ll live a long time.
Ain’t that trouble in mind, Ain’t that trouble in mind

My Mammy told me something, my Daddy told me more
I ever I married in my life, bring trouble in the door
Ain’t that trouble in mind, Ain’t that trouble in mind

What my Mammy tells me will sure to come to pass
A-drinkin’ and a-gamblin’ will be my running last
Ain’t that trouble in mind, Ain’t that trouble in mind

What my Daddy tells me it’s sure to be done
I’ll live a couple of centuries Before I’m twenty-one
Ain’t that trouble in mind, Ain’t that trouble in mind

Sometimes I have money, sometimes I have none,
When I get on a drunken spree my money’s soon all gone.
Ain’t that trouble in mind, Ain’t that trouble in mind

Sometimes I drink one dram sometimes I drink two
When I get on a drunken spree no telling what I’ll do
Ain’t that trouble in mind, Ain’t that trouble in mind

My daddy told me to marry but not for riches
Marry a gal six feet tall so she can’t wear my britches
Ain’t that trouble in mind, Ain’t that trouble in mind

Fields Ward Ain't That Trouble in Mind keep that trouble in mind

DougD - Posted - 08/05/2010:  08:35:26

Funny, I was thinking of recording this version to post here, and noticed the similarity to "Molly and Tenbrooks," which I'd never thought of before. Just in the melody though, the story is completely different.

"Ain't That Skippin' and Flyin'" was recorded by the Allen Brothers for Columbia in 1928. You can here it here: 1001tunes.com/PCvolume01/volume01.htm
And the lyrics are here: 1001tunes.com/SongLyrics/aint_...THERS.htm

It also seems related to the tune and song sometimes called "Mountaineer's Courtship."

Sorry Paul, I know we've strayed from your original tune somewhat.

Edited by - DougD on 08/05/2010 08:36:22

wormbower - Posted - 08/05/2010:  08:50:19

quote:

---

Originally posted by DougD

Sorry Paul, I know we've strayed from your original tune somewhat.

---

groundhogpeggy - Posted - 08/05/2010:  12:52:25

Another great totw... I've been so busy I didn't get the time to look through this until now. That Groundhogbrains is sure good... I wonder what happened to my own...

Shawn Craver - Posted - 08/06/2010:  03:54:08

I see how it relates to Molly and Tenbroeks and that song "Steamboat Freight train, river and canal... yonder comes a sucker and hes got my gal..."

alaskafiddler - Posted - 08/06/2010:  04:52:05

Must be something on the mind, me my friend, in preparing for a set this week decided to play this tune, haven't played it in a long time. He was listening to a Rhythm Rats version, which is much like the Sayler version.

This is not the "Ain't That Trouble in Mind" - it's related but significantly different, I couldn't imagine singing the words to it.

It's a guitar nightmare unless you are really familiar with the tune. It's really easy to get the alternating bass twisted backward. Most give up.

We elected to work out a just two fiddle version. Seconding works very well, with no alternating bass to worry about.

bsed - Posted - 08/07/2010:  04:21:48

Are you talking about the song Don't Get Trouble in Mind by Frnak Blevins & His Tarheel Rattlers (in the key of G)?
My favorite verse:
Oh if you see my baby
Ask her if you can
Tell her when she bakes her bread
To wash her nasty hands.

Edited by - bsed on 08/07/2010 04:28:11