This staple of the western swing and bluegrass repertories was originally written by Polish composer Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska in the 1850s. Bob Wills transformed it into a western-swing fiddle tune nearly a century later. “Maiden’s Prayer” became one of his signature pieces after he first recorded it in 1938, and it became a hit when he recorded it again in 1941, with lyrics sung by Tommy Duncan. The 16-bar tune is in the key of A, but Joe prefers to play it with a capo on the second fret as if it were in the key of G, which allows the lower open strings to drone against the melody line above. In this video, Joe shows you the first half of the melody.
