Treasure Island: 2. Jim's blues
The pirates attack the Admiral Benbow Inn hoping to seize Billy Bones' map. Jim and his Ma escape to Squire Trelawney's house, where they discover that the map is a pirate treasure map. The song is a slow blues number.
Tutorial: 'Jim's blues'
Key timings in the tutorial video are:
00 00: Learning Verse 1, beginning: 'When the moon and the stars are shining up above...' by listening to each phrase and then repeating with the choir. Then singing the whole of the verse through.
02 49: Learning Verse 2, beginning: 'The sun in morning, the deep blue is calling...' Verse 2 is sung to almost the same melody as Verse 1. Then singing the verse all the way through.
04 33: Learning the Middle 8, beginning: 'It's early in the morning...' The music for the Middle 8 provides a contrast to the verses and comes at about the middle of a song.
06 20: Learning the ending to Verse 3, beginning 'I'm longing for adventure...' Verse 3 has the same melody as Verses 1 and 2, except the bluesy ending, which is more complex in both rhythm and pitching the notes.
The story
Synopsis:
Jim and his mother escape from the pirates, taking the map with them. They go to the home of Squire Trelawney where they meet with Jim's friend Dr Livesey. The Squire sends the local militia to the Benbow Inn and one of them returns to inform the group that the Blind Beggar has been trampled to death but that the other pirates have all escaped.
When they study the map they determine it must be the key to the lost treasure hoard of Captain Flint. Squire Trelawney declares that they will sail to the Caribbean to find the treasure. Dr Livesey sounds a note of caution, saying they must all remember to keep the undertaking a secret.
...you must not breathe a word
Livesey to Trelawney
See Resources below for a quiz about the story episode.
Song: 'Jim's blues'
Learn the song ‘Jim's blues’ - a song for Jim about his longing for adventure.
Once you have learnt the song singing with vocal version you can polish your performance singing with just the backing track.
Click here for the lyric sheet.
Click here for the music sheet.
