Working on a Building - Melody

When you are "Working on a Building", you should start by building a solid foundation. In the case of learning this song, begin here - with the melody.

First learn the right notes in the right order. Then, work on incorporating precise timing. Commit the melody to memory. Use the lyrics to help guide your playing and boost your memorization. Listen regularly to Tunefox and different versions of this tune. Remember, you don't need your instrument to practice listening or to read the banjo tablature. Doing both of those are forms of practice that are hugely beneficial.

The timing of this melody is very tricky in the chorus. It's best understood by singing or speaking the lyrics in time and through listening practice with Tunefox and to recordings by Bluegrass artists.

While this tune uses a G chord, the melody is not always using a strict G major or G minor scale. It's what we call "modal", it's somewhere in between. This is very common in the blues and mountain music. Sonically, it leans a bit more towards G minor pentatonic, but depending on the artist it may have a bit more of a major sound. Listen to Bill Monroe's version, then check out the Stanley Brothers recording. See what similarities and differences you can notice in how the different versions sound and feel.

Explore more Working on a Building Banjo Tabs:

Melody - Syllablic, Scruggs Style - Basic, Single String, Vamping