Row Jimmy

[glocke]

Hopefully someone here plays this tune and knows it well...


I like to think I've got a pretty good grasp on a lot of the Deads catalog, even what some would consider some of the more challenging tunes but this one has always been a struggle for me and frankly I think it's probably one of the more (for me probably the most) difficult song they play that was ever in regular rotation. 


This one is coming into rotation for one of the bands I play in and I just got done spending some time with it, comparing what Im hearing on different recorded versions to what others have written down as the changes.


I've written in red on the sheet below what Im hearing...Can someone chime in and tell me if they are hearing something different?  The biggest thing that Im noticing is that during the end of the solo part a lot of people have three full measures of the D chord written in, where as I am only hearing two full measures...


Its also mind boggling to me how in the break someone has the chordal movement going from A-D when its clearly C#-D...

[goran]

Hey, in the beginning who ever wrote this wasn't sure if he counted half speed or double speed. I would write it like this.

I think it's this: check D/F# chord and then on second bar two chords (thirds) A and C# note and G and B note (so you get Amaj chord and Gmaj) (that goes where I bold the chord names in bars)

| G D/F# | A G | D  | D  | A   |  A   | A   |  A   |

And in the end you are right he plays C#, but I think I hear also Amaj cord over C#  (no sure), sometimes that's written as A/C# or A3.

Sorry, but my english is second language, so be nice to me if I said something wrong

hope this helps a bit

Goran

[goran]

Actually funny to me it sounds like this, the beginning

one bar of 4/4, one bar of 2/4, one bar of 6/4, and then one bar of 4/4 before first | A | bar

but that my weird head

[edwin]

I think the chart is all kinds of weird. It's not consistent as to whether it's in cut time or not. You are right about the number of measures at the end of the solos but you have to make sure that the D hits on beat 3 prior to the last two bars and then has two full measures (or, as I count it, beat 4 with a full measure after that, counting in cut time). I think it's one of those songs where you just have to count it with the recordings until you get it down and decide for yourself whether you are going to count in cut time or not. The thing that always turns people around is that the D chord comes on beat four (in cut time) in much of the song.

[glocke]

I think the chart is all kinds of weird. It's not consistent as to whether it's in cut time or not. You are right about the number of measures at the end of the solos but you have to make sure that the D hits on beat 3 prior to the last two bars and then has two full measures (or, as I count it, beat 4 with a full measure after that, counting in cut time). I think it's one of those songs where you just have to count it with the recordings until you get it down and decide for yourself whether you are going to count in cut time or not. The thing that always turns people around is that the D chord comes on beat four (in cut time) in much of the song.

thanks...actually listening to this more it sounds like on the last measure of the solo sections it resolves to A on beat 3..most of the time anyway lol...I find one or two versions where that does not happen 100% of the time. 

Its a really tricky tune and I've never seen a G.D. cover band do this one without out it devolving into a train wreck.  The guys Im currently playing this wanted to try this one without a rehearsal also lol..

[David Houck]

One of my favorite GD tunes; loved it from the first time I heard it on Wake Of The Flood.  I've never played it, but I imagine that beyond learning the parts it's one of those tunes that could be difficult for a band to get the feel right.

[edwin]

Here's the version we did a few years ago with Melvin Seals sitting in. Starfire with the caramel pickups.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mh4zrbj2c37gwq1/Row%20Jimmy_1.mp3?dl=0

[David Houck]

Loved it, Edwin!

[edwin]

Recently I did a series of shows where we covered Aoxomoxoa and Live/DEAD with Tom Constanten. There's some crazy bass stuff in there!

[glocke]

Here's the version we did a few years ago with Melvin Seals sitting in. Starfire with the caramel pickups.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mh4zrbj2c37gwq1/Row%20Jimmy_1.mp3?dl=0

that was awesome...

what part of the country do you gig in?

[edwin]

Mostly Colorado. That was from the Fox Theater in Boulder. Every now and then the west coast (probably coming up this February).

[cozmik_cowboy]

Very nice, Edwin.  I'm in Denver for the holidays; you gigging?

Peter

[hieronymous]

I've been going over this one for the past couple of days - first time trying to play it. First, I played along with it a couple of times, then listened while reading along with your chart. Finally figured out - I've been hearing it wrong all these years! I heard bars of 6/4 (or you could say extra bars of 2/4), but when I counted along with your chart discovered it works best just counting 4/4 the whole way through! I think it's because it goes back to the tonic early in several sections, and I always started feeling the beat starting over there, but you have to just count it as beats 3 & 4 instead of reverting to 1 & 2. I still can't play it right though!

I also think you are right about it going back to the A during the lead. And I thought your corrections were right, except I also think that there is an extra bar of A in the intro that shouldn't be there. (though that could also be related to the way they were playing it in '77 - I was listening to the original studio version) What an interesting song! I wonder if they had charts when they learned/recorded it?

[rv_bass]

Here is the music as published by Ice Nine...

[edwin]

Very nice, Edwin.  I'm in Denver for the holidays; you gigging?

Peter

I'm at the Fox in Boulder on 12/29, covering 12/29/1977. Let me know if you're going to come down and I'll see about a guest list spot.