Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash

rogue_drummer

rogue_drummer

Gold Member
I've got to come up with the beat to "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash for a April 10th gig. I've listened to the song on You Tube several times, but can't make out what beat the drummer is doing. I can't decide if it's a country / blues shuffle, or a rock beat with the snare on the upbeats, or what.

Any ideas? Is there a chart out there somewhere I can pull? Thanks a bunch!
 
I've played this song a thousand times....i usually use a kind of loping train beat, if that makes sense. Kind of a behind the beat sort of thing to give it some feeling. I've also done straight 1-2 beat, but put doubles on each snare hit. hope that makes since, i'm terrible with terminology.
 
You can also play that with a fast "jazz" ride pattern on the hi hat, works really well.
 
Chop wood during the verses.

Back to the snare on the chorus's and solo(s).

That's how I have always done it.

The tune has a slight swing to it and I thought playing a train-type beat was a tad too busy to my ears, but you can certainly play it that way. I play it with slighty swung 8th's on the hihat and a good 'ol boom-chuck-boom-chuck with the side stick or snare and bass drum. Keep it real simple...no fills necessary......keep it chugging along.
 
dairyairman said:
i've always played a train beat for johnny cash songs. that's just accented sixteenths on the snare with the bass drum on 1 and 3. here's a pretty good example i found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bljch7nXqo
Click to expand...

That train beat is what I play as well. We throw Folsum Prison and Ring of Fire together and it sounds pretty darn good.
I will say though we play them rather fast.
 
I usually do the 16th note on the snare for veses and chorus,on the leads I go to the ride with the country 2 beat but use a broken shuffle (jazz pattern ) with the right hand.The main thing is to get it chugging along with that forward kind of lope,then everyone should be happy.
 
Agree with the train beat...played the song hundred of times..but I have seen live take of this the drummer is using HI Hat and snare...so I adjusted my train beat with one hand on the HH and the other on the snare(during the verses) on the solos I play the train beat on the snare. Makes for good contrast. Denis
 
Ok. This helps a bunch. I'll do the 16th note train beat. Thanks for the vid Muckypops. It helps to clear up my questions.

This forum site is awesome!

Thanks again everybody!!
 
RogerLudwig said:
If I recall correctly, Fluke Holland played a shuffle using brushes on the original
Click to expand...

It does kind of sound like a shuffle on the original, but the drums are so in the background, it's tough to say.

Here's and ad for a special DVD, and toward the end, you hear the song with drums mixed further up with more clarity, and it sounds almost 1/2 way between a shuffle and a train beat with brushes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmve1IH7_bw&NR=1

This version from Johnny's TV show is a bit faster that original version, and it sounds much more like train beat played with brushes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7gV5C5mB7A&feature=related
 
And then there is this version from Johnny's concert at San Quentin.

Again much faster.

You briefly see the drummer, using sticks, not brushes, playing time on the ride, light back beat on the snare with some ghost notes thrown in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Ts4M3irWM&NR=1

So it seems (like so many classics) Johnny Cash didn't even have the song played the same way every time.
 
DrumEatdrum is correct..that why I modified my beat...as note in my earlier email within this thread. Ride/HH with ride hand and left on snare..during solo I go for deep feel train on the snare laying down a soild groove. Denis
 
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