# Music by Genre > Old-Time, Roots, Early Country, Cajun, Tex-Mex >  Squirrel hunters

## David M.

Been fiddling and picking Squirrel Hunters for years now. Got it from some Hartford cd a long time ago. Anybody know if it's traditional or something he wrote? Compton also plays it alot.

I think it's one Hartford breaks down on one of his fiddle vids, too. Cool tune.

thanks.

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## sgarrity

It is a traditional tune. Not sure I remember the origin

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## Fred Keller

From the fiddler's companion site :

SQUIRREL HUNTERS, THE. AKA - "Squirrel Hunting." AKA and see "The Bell Cow" (Pa.), "Dilly's Favortie" (Pa.), "Jenny Put the Kettle On We'll All Take Tea" (Pa.), "###### on the Woodpile" (Pa.), "Old Common Time" (Pa.), "The Pennsylvania Quickstep" (Pa.). American, March (2/4 time). USA, southwestern Pa. D Major. Standard. AB. This tune was known in Pennsylvania primarily as a fife "stop-beat" piece, though Bayard has identified it as a member of "one of the most widespread and ramifying of our British Isles melodic families." This very old tune family has innumberable variants and forms in most of the commonly used folk modes, in quick and slow tempi, and in 2/4, 4/4, 6/8, and 3/4 time, and all resembling each other to the extent that family traits are confirmed yet seemingly not enough to differentiate clear classes and subgroups. Bayard, arbitrarily he admits, has assigned the nomen "Welcome Home" to this family from one of its member Irish airs. He lists a few of the recurrent old-country titles of members of this melodic complex: "The Oysterwives Rant," "The Haughs of Cromdale," "Wate You How the Play Began," "The Hillside," "Welcome Home," and "(Fare Thee Well) Sweet Killaloe," and in his note to this tune he cites numerous other references. See also note for "Dan Friend's Piece." Sources for notated versions: nine southwestern Pa. fifers and fiddlers [Bayard]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 220A-I, pgs. 174-177. Rounder CD 0392, John Hartford - "Wild Hog in the Brush and a Bunch of Others You Might Not Have Heard" (1996).
T:Squirrel Hunters, The
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:175
S:John Hartford's "Wild Hog in the Redbrush" transcribed by Llarry Brandon
K:D
&#124;:"4"e3d .B2 Bd&#124;efed .B2 BA&#124;GABc d2 dc&#124;dBcA BcBA&#124;!
"4"e3d .B2 Bd&#124;efed .B2 BA&#124;GABc d2 B2&#124;1"4" A8:&#124;2"4" A6&#124;!
&#124;:Bd&#124;edeg a2ag&#124;edef g2BA&#124;GABc d2dc&#124;dBcA BcBA&#124;!
edeg abag&#124;edef g2BA&#124;GABc d2B2&#124;1"4"A6:&#124;2"4"A8&#124;

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## Brian Ray

Trad. And a personal favorite.

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## rainy512day

Is this tune in D major or mixolydian? Playing in D maj (c# instead of c) sounds better to me.

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## evanreilly

Everyone in Western North Carolina plays it in A. It is a trad tune, as told around here.

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## rainy512day

Hmm. I just ran through the chords on this and came up with A G D. Key of D but starting the V chord? Anyone have any opinion on this?

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## NoNickel

A nice mando version on Red Henry's new CD. Also on Ken Sager's "Here." Agreed that this is just a great song.

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## floyd26

agreed squirrel hunters is definitly one of my favorite fiddle tunes. been trying to learn by ear. it's coming pretty slow, but I'll get it one of these days. you guys gotta check out david long and matt combs playing it over on youtube, just awesome

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## John Flynn

I just found a historical reference online that is interesting. I don't know for if this relates to the tune, but it might. The term "The Squirrel Hunters" in the Civil War refers to a group of 15,000 civilians who in 1862 answered the call of the then governor of Ohio to take up arms against a Confederate force that was marching on Cincinnati. The attack never came. The term allegedly comes from the report of a Confederate scout who said words to the effect that they looked like a bunch of squirrel hunters.

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## adgefan

> Hmm. I just ran through the chords on this and came up with A G D. Key of D but starting the V chord? Anyone have any opinion on this?


I started a thread on this subject a while back. I tend to play it with Em, D and G, but have come round to the idea of using an A instead of the Em. The general consensus at the time was to play an A without the third to give it a nice old-timey feel.

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## John Flynn

FWIW, both the tab by Dennis Ladd here on the Cafe' and the tab by Mike Stangland have it Em, G and D, not that it couldn't be played lots of different ways.

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## David M.

Hmmm, interesting about the chording and key. I play the tune on fiddle and mando, melody only and rarely chording. Have to go and play it and see what key I do it in (or what key Hartford did it in, thus my version).

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## rainy512day

Not very good with theory, but upon further thought an A/G/D progression would probably mean the key is A mixolydian. Also I've seen tab with the Em/G/D progression. But playing along with the versions I have (John Harford, Mighty Squirrel) A seems to fit better. BTW, I checked out the David Long version on youtube, what a great performance.

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## sgarrity

Either Em or A will work with the same melody. Just so long as everyone is playing the same chords! I tend to prefer the A chord though. And be careful with those tabs. There are some "mistakes" in there if you're tryin' to learn Hartford's version pretty close.

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## Ken Sager

> A nice mando version on Red Henry's new CD. #Also on Ken Sager's "Here." #Agreed that this is just a great song.


Thanks, NoNickel. It is a great song. I also play it with one of the bands I'm in. It's always A, like the Hartford version. 

The Wilders do a fun Hartford-esque version, too.

Best,
Ken

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## acousticphd

> not that it couldn't be played lots of different ways.


I think that is an important and good point. We hear a couple of different arrangements of this tune played by the bands who play for contra dances here in Nashville. I personally like the 'old-timier' sound of the B natural melody note in the first measure, against the A chord.

Another accompaniment variation I like is to bounce between the A and Em chords, eg,
A part: 
A Em /  A Em / G  / G  / .......

and B part:
A  /  Em (or A) /  G  /  G ....... 

I have also seen it chorded out like this in a "dance" tune collection:
Em Bm / Em  Bm /  G .....

(I think some dance musicians just like to use more chords)

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## rainy512day

Dennis's tab uses a C and the ABC file posted by Fred uses C#. I like the C#. Any preferences out there?

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## Fred Keller

I definitely hear the C# better. It fits with the A mixo. tuning, too: C#, F#, G natural. I'm nearly certain that Hartford plays the C# which is where I learned it.

Can't help singing out "This Is The Squirrel Hunters" every time I play it

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## bgmando

I noticed the "Jenny Put the Kettle On" in above post, so is the same tune as "Polly put the kettle on?"

bg

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## billkilpatrick

this site may be known to you all already but it was the only place i could find an mp3 of this song:

http://vrteach.freepgs.com/banjo/index.php?TuneID=112

... other songs are listed alphabetically.

restrained claw-hammer banjo - i like it.

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## David M.

BillKilpatrick: That's a pretty good version. I kinda like it.

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## billkilpatrick

i do too - nice pace, sound, etc. ... but unless i'm totally wrong, he's not playing in tune (not on the same page as my chromatic tuner.) #tried running up and down the neck, searching for the root note but couldn't find it.

btw - how do you rate your flatiron for "old-time" sound?

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## bradeinhorn

here's mr. long's take:


Squirrel Hunters

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## woodwizard

Mandozine's got some tab for it in Em

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## sgarrity

The mandozine tab isn't what I'd call correct for this tune.

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## Dennis Ladd

> FWIW, both the tab by Dennis Ladd here on the Cafe' and the tab by Mike Stangland have it Em, G and D, not that it couldn't be played lots of different ways.


Yes, never having heard it before, that was the best I could do. Now I play it with A, G and D, following Sharon Gilchrist's version on Youtube (https://youtu.be/njXObuqrzgI). I like her speed her, more rolling along than bluegrass.

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## Simon DS

Nice vid, thanks Dennis. 
Thanks to Sharon Gilchrist too.
Her break was a bit Bluegrassy in the middle?



I’ll have to give this a go, just the tune, here’s the link to the song a week page: 

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/g...e=4&do=discuss

See ya there!

...

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## mtucker

Okay, I’ll bite on a 12 year old thread because I like the tune as well. Here’s the Forward Backsteppers from Oz a few years back.

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