Bluegrass: Vassar Clements 1

Vassar Clements: A Tribute to an Iconic Fiddler

Now we have a couple of lessons dedicated to Vassar Clements. Of all the fiddlers in the world, I think he's my favorite, or was my favorite, because he died a while back.

Early Collaborations

Vassar Clements played with Bill Monroe from 1949 to 1956. To be honest, what he did with that band was not particularly outstanding; he was simply copying what the other guys had done. He didn't step beyond what was asked of him by Bill Monroe.

After leaving Monroe, he went on to play with John Hartford, Norman Blake, and Earl Scruggs.

Breakthrough Moment

However, it was in 1972, with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on an album called Will the Circle Be Unbroken, that he finally revealed the amazingness of his fiddle playing to the world. From there, he played in 1975 with a band called Olden in the Way, which included Jerry Garcia on banjo and David Grisman on mandolin.

As I mentioned previously, the first time I heard bluegrass was when I listened to Olden in the Way. It truly was a startling development of what had come before in bluegrass, and everything Vassar did was remarkable.

Musical Style

Vassar was a completely untrained musician in that he didn't understand any theory whatsoever. But what came from his fingers was some of the most dynamic and exciting music you'll ever hear on the fiddle.

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Learning Vassar's Licks

Now, I'm going to give you a selection of my favorite licks, which I have religiously learned and practiced over many years. We'll start off with a series of blues licks, because he was a very bluesy player.

Blues Licks

1. Key of E Over A Major Chord

   • Emphasize the flattened seventh, then slide from a flattened third down to an A.
   • Listen: [Backing Track]

2. Another Blues Lick

   • Triplet from the 7th to the flattened third going up to the major third.
   • Listen: [Backing Track]

3. D Sharp to A Lick

   • Uses the first and second fingers playing a D sharp, followed by A and E natural with the second finger.
   • It sounds like it's in A minor but clashes beautifully with the A major chords.
   • Listen: [Backing Track]

4. Fast Blues Lick with Slur

   • Aim for a big long slur.
   • Listen: [Backing Track]

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Dissonant Licks

Next, we'll look at what I call dissonant licks. Deliberate dissonance is one of the features of startling bluegrass soloing, and Vassar Clements was certainly the master of this.

1. A Over B Dissonance

   • Start off hitting hard on the two notes together, then slide them down and up again with a big, wide vibrato at the end.
   • Listen: [Backing Track]

2. E Chord Lick

   • Starting with a G natural over A, sliding down to AB and G flat.
   • This makes almost no sense over an E chord, but sounds incredible.
   • Listen: [Backing Track]

3. Single Note Dissonance

   • Instead of a single note apart, try playing a C sharp with your fourth finger, then play one note down.
   • This creates real dissonance, which can be slid up and down.
   • Listen: [Backing Track]

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Vassar Symmetric Licks

Now we have a group of licks that I call Vasar symmetric licks. These do the same thing on different strings with the same fingers.

1. Lick Variations

   • You can do either 3, 2, 2, 1 or 4, 3, 2, 1 across three alternate strings.
   • It works well over anything in C but doesn't translate well to different keys.

2. Parallel Fifths

   • Again, use 3, 2, 2, 1 or 4, 3, 2, 1.

3. Haunted House Lick

   • This one sounds very peculiar, but it fits over the key of C and probably works in other keys as well.

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Your Assignment

1. Listen to Olden in the Way and be prepared to be amazed, using the backing track of the A chord.
2. Practice these licks and try making up your own solos.
3. Finally, reflect on how truly astonishing Vassar Clements was and how you might never reach the heights of what he played.