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Mandolin tablatures for Old Joe Clark

Traditional

Recomended level: Beginner

Tags: #old time, #instrumental, #fiddle tune

This is a jam standard! Make sure to learn this at the easiest level so you get the basic melody. You'll need to adjust the green difficulty slider for that. Once you get comfortable playing this at the easier level, you can raise the difficulty level bit by bit with the slider or use the Tunefox Tutor to guide your progression. Learn the Bluegrass arrangement first. The Low Octave arrangement requires quite a bit more stretching for the fret hand but opens up a whole new world of sound and is great for your understanding of the fretboard and patterns.

  • Mandolin Old Joe Clark Bluegrass

    Bluegrass

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      A
    • Tempo
      110 bpm
    • Tuning
      GDAE

    This is the classic version of Old Joe Clark. It can be simplified with the slider, or you can crank up the difficulty and play the full fledged fiddle tune version of this song. Mak...

    Mandolin Old Joe Clark Bluegrass
    Learn
  • Mandolin Old Joe Clark Low Octave

    Low Octave

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      A
    • Tempo
      120 bpm
    • Tuning
      GDAE

    Time to get low. Playing in the lower octave can unlock new ideas and sounds. It also comes with more challenge in the fretting hand. Take it slow, and play it clean!

    Mandolin Old Joe Clark Low Octave
    Learn
  • Mandolin Old Joe Clark Simple

    Simple

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      A
    • Tempo
      80 bpm
    • Tuning
      GDAE

    Old Joe Clark is a great starting place for learning how to play out of the key of A on the mandolin. Practice tip: Play with the metronome every day to develop your internal clock.

    Mandolin Old Joe Clark Simple
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  • Mandolin Old Joe Clark Jam

    Jam

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      A
    • Tempo
      90 bpm
    • Tuning
      GDAE

    A development on the beginner arrangement. This version of Old Joe Clark takes the beginner melody and advances it just enough so it feels like an easy solo to pick up.

    Mandolin Old Joe Clark Jam
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  • Mandolin Old Joe Clark Bluegrass

    Bluegrass

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      A
    • Tempo
      110 bpm
    • Tuning
      GDAE

    This arrangement of Old Joe Clark fills out the melody with more up and down strokes. Slides, and slurs are used throughout. Play with the metronome for maximum evenness.

    Mandolin Old Joe Clark Bluegrass
    Learn



Practicing Tips

‘Old Joe Clark’ is a notable learning resource well-equipped with bluegrass mandolin tablatures in Bluegrass and Low Octave Styles for intermediate players. It embodies the essence of old-time instrumental charm distinctly associated with the fiddle tune genre. Old Joe Clark is not just a tune; it's an opportunity for learners to engage with traditional music, gradually polishing their skills in the process.


Effective learning of bluegrass often necessitates innovative tools. Tunefox ergo introduces the Lickswitcher tool, a feature designed to make the learning process more flexible and creative. This tool allows learners to interchange licks within each measure, encouraging them to experiment and ideate their own unique renditions of the tune.


Another integral part of the Tunefox platform is the Arrange Slider, a tool designed to suit the varying skill levels and musical predilections of learners. It allows users to modulate the difficulty and tone of 'Old Joe Clark’, thus bridging the gap between the tune's original complexity and the learner's proficiency.


Listening plays a pivotal role in learning any music style, including bluegrass. Hence the 'Hide notes' slider. This tool promotes ear training, encouraging learners to hide individual notes and play by ear. This approach heightens musical awareness, improving intuition, memory recall and the general understanding of melody and rhythm.


Lastly, remember that consistency is the key. Practicing daily, even if for only a few minutes, will significantly enhance your skill and speed. Also, don't shy away from experimenting and making mistakes; they are often the stepping stones towards mastering a tune.


Old Joe Clark lyrics

Old Joe Clark's a fine old man Tell you the reason why He keeps good likker 'round his house Good old Rock and Rye Fare ye well, Old Joe Clark Fare ye well, I say Fare ye well, Old Joe Clark I'm a going away Old Joe Clark, the preacher's son Preached all over the pain The only text he ever knew Was High, low, Jack and the game Old Joe Clark had a mule His name was Morgan Brown And every tooth in that mule's head Was sixteen inches around Old Joe Clark had ayellow cat She would neither sing or pray She stuck her head in the butermilk jar And washed her sins away Old Joe Clark had a house Fifteen stories high And every story in that house Was filled with chicken pie I went down to Old Joe's house He invited me to supper I stumped my toe on the table leg And stuck my nose in the butter Now I wouldn't marry a widder Tell you the reason why She'd have so many children They'd make those biscuits fly Sixteen horses in my team The leaders they are blind And every time the sun goes down There's a pretty girl on my mind Eighteen miles of mountain road And fifteen miles of sand If ever travel this road again I'll be a married man