Red River Valley

RED RIVER VALLEY
Beginner - Level 1

Traditional

Button-Accordion Notation (for beginners who know the tune)

Verse 1 (of several)

5 6 7 7 7 7 7* 7 7* 6
From this val-ley they say you are go-ing

5 6 7 6 7 8 8* 7 7*
We will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile

8 8* 7 7 7* 6 7* 7 8 8*
For they say you are tak-ing the sun-shine

5* 5* 5 6* 6 7* 7 7* 6
That has bright-ened our path-ways a while

Each verse & chorus follows the same accordion notation.

CAUTION:   You may damage the bellows if
  you open (expand, stretch. pull) them too far.
With practice. you will find that the air button
can help you control the extension of the
bellows, keeping them within safe limits.

TIP 1: Use the (left) air button to open the
  bellows at the start. This is especially
convenient for songs that require more
  pushes than pulls on the bellows.

TIP 2:   For this song, if you place your "index
  finger" at button 5 and your "little finger" at
  button 8, you will be able to use four fingers
  to press buttons 5, 6, 7 & 8 without having
to reposition your right hand.

Accordion Notation (for beginners who are less familiar with tune)

If you are not familiar with the tune, you may not know the duration of each note, that is, how long to hold each note as you play it.

Once fairly simple way of showing each note's duration is to attach one or more dots to each button number. For example,
- If we let a single dot (such as .6) represent a short duration (for this button 6 note), then
- Two dots (such as :6) would indicate a longer note duration (twice as long), and
- Three dots (such as .:6) would indicate an even longer note duration (three-times as long),
and so on ....

Verse 1 (of several)

.5 .6 :7 .7 .7 :7 .7* .7 .7* ::6
From this val-ley they say you are go-ing

.5 .6 :7 .6 .7 :8 .8* .7 ::7*
We will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile

.8 .8* :7 .7 .7* :6 .7* .7 .8 ::8*
For they say you are tak-ing the sun - shine

.5* .5* :5 .6* .6 :7* .7 .7* ::6
That has bright-ened our path-ways a while

Each verse & chorus follows the same accordion notation.

Observation:

  The four dots ( :: ) at the end of
each line is a suggestion to hold
that note much longer (four time
as long) as the single-dotted ( . )
   first note on each line; some
   musicians hold it even longer.

Embedded youTUBE VIDEOS

These videos are included mainly for the benefit of anyone not familiar with the tune. Most performances include only a couple of verses with choruses.

As recorded here, the videos are somewhat fast for beginners to play along with, at least initially. However, you can select three slower playback speeds ( 75%, 50% and even 25% ) from youTube's "Settings" menu.

5 videos (6 recordings) - in keys: C=1 D=2 F=2 G=1

Key: C

Tempo: ~85 bpm

Singer: Challace Earls

Posted by: Challace Earls

To accompany Challace on your accordion, use the inside row on a G-C accordion or the outside row on a C-F one.

Key: D

Singer: Lynn Anderson

Posted by: Cowboy Hat Radio

To accompany Lynn on your accordion, use the inside row on an A-D accordion or the outside row on a D-G one.

Key: D

Singer: Mike ?

Posted by: ichingiching

To accompany Mike on your accordion, use the inside row on an A-D accordion or the outside row on a D-G one.

Key: F

Tempo: ~110 bpm

Singer: Eddy Arnold

Posted by: jym1644

To accompany Eddy on your accordion, use the inside row on an C-F accordion.

Two separate recordings, posted together "back-to-back" in one video.

Key: F from time 0 to 2:55
(Verses 1 & 2 with choruses)
To accompany Marty, use the
inside row on a C-F accordion.

Key: G from time 2:56 to 5:36
(Verses 1 & 2 with choruses)
To accompany Marty, use the
outside row on a G-C accordion
or the inside row of a D-G one.

Singer: Marty Robbins

Posted by: tarquin45

Background Materials, Information & Links

Lyrics:

Most of the videos above
contain only a couple of
verses with chorus.

Also, there are other
versions of the lyrics
in some of the videos.

From this valley they say you are going,
We will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile,
For they say you are taking the sunshine
That has brightened our pathways a while.

Chorus (same tune as verse):
Come and sit by my side if you love me;
Do not hasten to bid me adieu,
But remember the Red River Valley,
And the girl that has loved you so true.

I've been thinking a long time, my darling,
Of the sweet words you never would say,
Now, alas, must my fond hopes all vanish?
For they say you are going away.

Won't you think of the valley you're leaving,
Oh, how lonely and sad it will be,
Just think of the fond heart you're breaking,
And the grief you are causing to me.

From this valley they say you are going,
When you go, may your darling go too?
Would you leave her behind unprotected,
When she loves no one other than you.

As you go to your home by the ocean,
May you never forget those sweet hours,
That we spent in the Red River Valley,
And the love we exchanged 'mid the flowers.

I have promised you, darling, that never
Will a word from my lips cause you pain,
And my life, it will be yours forever,
If you only will love me again.

They will bury me where you have wandered,
Near the hills where the daffodils grow,
When you're gone from the Red River valley,
For I can't live without you I know.

Background Link:

There are many "Red" rivers in North America. My favorite flows out of the Northern United States into and through Manitoba, including Winnipeg. During periods of flooding (which happen all too frequently) it covers wide areas of land, and the locals refer to it as the "Red Sea".

Click HERE for additional info about this song.

RED RIVER VALLEYBeginner - Level 1

RED RIVER VALLEY
Beginner - Level 1