What's your new fiddle tune?

[Mike Snyder]

I'm making a concerted effot to ramp up the old learning curve. These are getting cleaner by the day. What have you been working on?
Cherokee Shuffle
Big Scioty
Barlow Knife
June Apple
Nail that Catfish to a Tree
Sal's Got Mud between Her Toes
Squirrel Heads in Gravy (still kinda rough)
A couple of those make me hungry.

[JeffD]

Spotted Pony
I Love My Wife As Well As Anybody, But When My Back's Turned, She's Hugging Everybody

[John Flynn]

I just taught myself "Quickstep to the Battle of Prague" off of the David Surrette recording. It's a really cool tune, can't get it out of my head.

[sgarrity]

I've been working on Spotted Pony and Folding Down the Sheets. Squirrel Heads and Gravy.....glad you mentioned that one. I started on it a while back and never really got it down.

[allenhopkins]

Jefferson and Liberty

[Tom Sanderson]

I've been learning tunes out of the book " The Portland Collection" trying to get better at sight reading, so I'm constantly working on something. I've learned about 15 new tunes in the last 2 months. Right now I'm learning a tune called "John Bowes" in the key of C. Pretty cool tune.

[Mike Snyder]

I envy your ability to read, Tommy. I only learn this stuff by ear, and there's no slow downer on these web sites I use, so stuff goes pretty fast. I just do a lot of repeat, repeat, etc, etc....and it's real easy to wind up with a close VERSION of and old tune. It's a lot harder to get one spot on. But what fun I'm having trying to get up to speed for the Walnut Valley Festival next month. Fiddlers out the wazoo at midnight. Pretty close to heaven.

[Tom Sanderson]

I envy your ability to read, Tommy

I learned to read notation in school band starting in 6th grade. I've never been a good sight reader, I usually stumble my way through, but I decided to get better. I've been working at it for a couple months and I've made a huge improvement. It's like anything else, hard work and determination.

[Rick Schmidlin]

Ragtime Annie from the Sam Bush DVD.

[Clyde Clevenger]

I just learned Bonaparte Crossing the Rocky Mts. and have been pairing it with Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine (thanks Skip Gorman) Hint: don't start off too fast on the Rhine or you will fall off the Rockies and could hurt something important.

[Mike Snyder]

So true, Clyde. I fell off Jerusalem Ridge once and it took me a month to recover.

[Joe F]

I just learned Bonaparte Crossing the Rocky Mts. and have been pairing it with Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine (thanks Skip Gorman) Hint: don't start off too fast on the Rhine or you will fall off the Rockies and could hurt something important.
At the local Saturday old-time jam, we often pair "Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine" with "Bonaparte's Retreat." #In other words, he went there and then came back. #The two tunes do work very well together.

My band is currently working on learning "Breaking Up Christmas" and "Baby-O".

[ALog]

Marmadukes Hornpipe and Spanish Two step

[woodwizard]

My new tunes are:
Spotted Pony
Ten Miles To Deep Gap
Big Country
Mississippi Sawyer
and a cool Norman Blake tune "Bright Days"

[bgjunkie]

I've been working on tunes from Butch Baldassari's Mandolin Tunes for Practice and Repertoire:

Last Night's Fun (great version of this on More Ultimate Pickin)
Wild Rose of the Mountain (sounds like octave mando on the Appalachian Mandolin and Dulcimer CD version of this tune)
Woodchopper's Reel
Little Jackie Wilson

I can already do a passing job (meaning I can keep up with Butch on the CD) of:
Big Sciota
Big John McNeill
Cheep Mountain
Tater Patch

[JGWoods]

Hell Among The Yearlings from Alan Kaufman.
I'll get it on the mando eventually but I don't think I'll ever get it on the fiddle.

[Tom Sanderson]

[QUOTE]a cool Norman Blake tune "Bright Days"

I learned Bright Days a couple years ago, I love that tune.

[JeffD]

#Squirrel Heads and Gravy.....glad you mentioned that one. #I started on it a while back and never really got it down.
Isn't that a fun one. A real find.

[JeffD]

I've been learning tunes out of the book " The Portland Collection" trying to get better at sight reading, so I'm constantly working on something.
The Portland Collection is a great collection. And the versions of the tune in their is usually the one I want.

For sight reading practice, however, I prefer a tune book with the tunes organized by type, like hornpipes, reels, jigs etc. That way I can grab the rythem right out of the gate. I'll sight read down several tunes of the same type and get farther than I do in a book with the tunes alphabetical. Right now my favorite is Ryans Mammoth Collection though I use many.

http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Bay....&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Bay-Presents-Walk-arounds-Strathspeys/dp/0786603003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219758348&sr=1-1)

I readily admit, though, that for looking up a tune I want to learn, the alphabetical listing has clear advantages.

[BillD]

Working on Big Sciota, Shove the Pigs foot a little closer to the fire and Drowsy Maggie.

Bill

McClanahan Via del Rosa

[Clyde Clevenger]

I've almost got Greenleaf Fancy, another Norman Blake tune, up to speed. It seems a little bent in the B part, but when I remembered about counting to 4 it all became clear.
Let's see, that's 1 and 2 and 3 and a duh 4. I've got it.

[minnedolin]

I feel as though the fiddle tunes are getting up to snuff.. I particularly have "Whiskey Before Breakfast" "Cuckoo's Nest" and "Fisher's Hornpipe" well under my fingers and have been able to throw it in different gears, but have a bit of trouble goin off the map, so to speak, so that the melody is still there but is still far off enough to sound fresh.. Any suggestions/past threads on how to solo these tunes? Arpeggios, scales, runs,exercises, et al?

[JeffD]

Any suggestions/past threads on how to solo these tunes? #Arpeggios, scales, runs,exercises, et al?
Well in a BG setting I guess you would want to improvise.

But I play mostly in OT jams, where I (we) stick real close to the melody. Play it clean, using phrasing I hear in the fiddler's playing. Recently I have been putting in some double stop harmonies when taking a break or playing them solo or with a rhythm backup. I might do some small departures from the melody, to arrive at the end of the phrase from the bottom instead of the top for example, but nothing more than that. Nothing remotely like the fireworks expected in a BG jam.

One reason is I like the tunes so much. Especially Cuckoo's Nest - I love that tune as it is. I really cannot improve on it.

[sgarrity]

I worked on Squirrel Heads and Gravy last night and got it back up to playing speed. #I feel another YouTube video coming on soon! # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

The video is posted!

[Mike Buesseler]

So many mentions of my hero, Norman Blake. Anyone working on "Blake's March"? Absolutely wonderful tune. My tablature posted here in that section is pretty close to Norman's arrangement (forget the harmony part...I wrote it years ago. Passable, but not great. I was just learning how to do that....)

The Montana Mandolin Society has a recording of Blake's March on one of their CDs that is also great. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Gary S]

Ive been playing "Back Step Cindy" alot here lately...Gary

[David M.]

Been learning some Gene Goforth tunes lately, mostly on fiddle but still there for mando, for some dances we have scheduled in the near future: White River (AEAC# tuning); Gettin Out of the Way of the Federals (got it down and it's a fun tune); Wolves a Howlin'.

Also working on Sweet Little Julie, a cut from the Pilot Mtn. Bobcats and I have a good Kirk Sutphin version. This one's all right hand (bow in this case) technique that gives it the drive. Because of the bowing drive, it's fun to pick on mando to get some of that rhythm and timing going.

Also (like I need more to work on) working a tad on Five Miles of Ellum Wood off Bruce Greene's cd of that title. Great stuff on that cd.

Just got done gettin' down Old Virginia Reel off Kirk Sutphin's "Old Roots, new Branches" cd. Great stuff.

Changing my version of Mississippi Sawyer to be a little less shuffle bowing and more old timey bowing.

[woodwizard]

MikeB Quote: So many mentions of my hero, Norman Blake. Anyone working on "Blake's March"? Absolutely wonderful tune.
****
I love "Blake's March" I talked my band into performing that one reguarely. We've been doing it for a couple of years now. I never get tired of Norman. I usually have to pick his tunes by myself sadly because my band likes more bluegrassier stuff. Got to even visit with him awhile when he came though Arkansas not that long ago. He is awesome. My wife snapped a pic of me & him together. Needless to say that's hanging in my music room and makes me pretty proud every time I look that way.

[Uncle Choppy]

So many mentions of my hero, Norman Blake. #Anyone working on "Blake's March"?
Not quite up to that one yet!

I've done "John Brown's March" along with "Green Castle Hornpipe" and Nancy's "Father's Hall" - some of the simpler ones on the "Mandolin of Norman Blake" DVD.

Hopefully I'll get round to "Blake's March" at some point. Here's a link to the nice version mentioned by MikeB by the Montana Mandolin Society (http://www.stumbleaudio.com/#tmms4/9)

[Gary S]

Sounds like your listening to some good music David M.You wont here any better fiddlin than Kirk Sutfin.IMHO

[Gerard Dick]

Angus Campbell #Whiskey before Breakfast and Over the Waterfall are in the works right now.

[David M.]

Sounds like your listening to some good music David M.You wont here any better fiddlin than Kirk Sutfin.IMHO

Somewhere I have a VHS of "Appalachian Fiddling Today", a vid put out years ago by Fiddler Magazine. Several folks on it like Charlie Acuff, Hartford, Leftwich, Gellert, and others. Kirk's on there and he was about my favorite next to Bruce Greene. On there, Kirk plays Roscoe, Old Virginia Reel, and others. He's amazing.

[JeffD]

On there, Kirk plays Roscoe, Old Virginia Reel, and others.
Roscoe is a great tune. I heard it in a jam the other day and instantly became addicted. Its on my list.

[Don Grieser]

Thanks for all the tunes to check out guys. I'm another Norman fan here. I've just about got "Bright Days" up to speed. Love to play "Greencastle Hornpipe" and some of the other tunes he teaches on his mando video. "Father's Hall" by Nancy Blake is another excellent tune to play. Nancy really plays a great version on Norman's mando video. Anybody work up any of the tunes on "Original Underground Music from the Mysterious South"?

[sgarrity]

For Blake fans, how about Muddy Creek and Callahan. Both fun, sprightly tunes.

Greenwillis is another good one...

[Mike Snyder]

JeffD, I think that you may be the devil. I,ve been obsessed with The Cuckoo's Nest since your post. I can't eat. I can't sleep. My fingers hurt. There may not exist a more perfect fiddle tune. Thank you for this exquisite torture.

[Mike Bunting]

Green Leaf fancy is a great Norman Blake tune also.

[Aran]

Damn...... I am at one of those stages where I just can't make up my mind which one to tackle next....

Hopefully the inspiration will come to me this weekend...

Vacancy for a muse available! Apply here http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[David M.]

yeah, GreenLeafFancy is a good one. Crooked as all-get-out, which makes it cool. Learned that one about 6 months ago.

Worked on some James Bryan off his First of May and got Swedish Waltz, Star of Bethlehem, and Chicken in the Snowbank down. Chicken in the Snowbank is tricky.

So many tunes, so little time...

[JeffD]

JeffD, I think that you may be the devil. I,ve been obsessed with The Cuckoo's Nest since your post. I can't eat. I can't sleep. My fingers hurt. There may not exist a more perfect fiddle tune. Thank you for this exquisite torture.
It is great. A perfect little short story in melody. Like oreos and milk, you just can't stop playing it.

I can't imagine improvising a break over Cuckoo's Nest. What am I going to add? It will just show me up as a pretentous chump.

I mean, improvise all you want over Fisher's Hornpipe, Rickett's Hornpipe, St. Anne's Reel, Liberty, Soldiers Joy or any of the many stolid honest four square tunes so many of us play - heck I don't know if there is a "right" version of them. But but don't touch Cuckoo's Nest, Wild Rose of the Mountain, Cat Out of the Bag, Sandy Boys, or The Cat that Kittled in Jamies Wig - they are too good as they are.

[woodwizard]

quote: For Blake fans, how about Muddy Creek and Callahan. #Both fun, sprightly tunes.

Greenwillis is another good one...
******
Also ...Valley Head, White Oak Swamp, Willow's Creek and Nancy's Hornpipe #are pretty fun ones to play. I especially like to play #Nancy's Hornpipe because of the cool 4 parts to it. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif He has so many good ones.

[Clyde Clevenger]

School starts on Tuesday, so yesterday I was feeling a little down about my last Friday off for a while. Decided to pick a few on the front porch. I think the devil go into me as I grabbed my Weyman banjolin off the wall and hauled it out front. I started in playing a couple of old time sets and to my surprize, it sounded great, even the neighbor kids liked it. I've been bad-mouthing the little beastie for years and here comes Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine and the Rockies just pouring out like they belonged. I'm still stunned.

[Jean Fugal]

>>GreenLeaf Fancy is a good one. Crooked as all-get-out, which makes it cool. >>

I think it just sounds crooked. I could be wrong though.
Still, like you say "a good one"

[Dan Krhla]

Cherokee Shuffle from Butch's book. There is a phrase in the B part about 1/2 way thru that sounds ok when he plays it but seems unnatural & wrong when I play it. Seems like you get a little groove going then kill it with some odd-timed notes.

Hoping to be able to play it more gooder one day. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Also on the chords to that the F#m is a blast!

[Clyde Clevenger]

>>GreenLeaf Fancy is a good one. Crooked as all-get-out, which makes it cool. >>

I think it just sounds crooked. I could be wrong though.
Still, like you say "a good one"
Jean is right, it's not crooked, I just had ... to...learn....to.....count...to.ah... four. Once I got that counting business down, it all fits in the 4s.

[tango_grass]

The Mouth Of The Tobique, a traditional French Canadian tune, inspired to try it by Patrick Street, and the Celtic Fiddle Festival, a la Kevin Burke. Works great on mandolin.


http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/423

[mandozilla]

Cherokee Shuffle, June Apple, Lonesome Fiddle Blues, and Dixie Hoedown (or is that actually a banjo tune?). I've got a lot of irons in the fire right now...I'm so confused. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Stephanie Reiser]

St. Anne's Reel (the Canadian version)
Whiskey Before breakfast
Angeline The Baker
Red Haired Boy
Brilliancy (which may not really be a fiddle tune)

[David M.]

Quote (jpf @ Aug. 30 2008, 10:18)
>>GreenLeaf Fancy is a good one. Crooked as all-get-out, which makes it cool. >>

I think it just sounds crooked. I could be wrong though.
Still, like you say "a good one"

Jean is right, it's not crooked, I just had ... to...learn....to.....count...to.ah... four. Once I got that counting business down, it all fits in the 4s.


Are yall sure? I just counted it in my head (no recording handy at the moment) and it's not coming out square in the B part. Something happens at the end of the B part that's not coming out square. A part is square, though. Maybe it's because I've not had coffee yet or something. Don't know.

[Denny Gies]

The "Arab Bounce" in the key of A.

[Amandalyn]

anybody play Limerock? Is it usually done in key A?

[JeffD]

Hope has her new tune of the month up - and its a beauty. I heard this at several OT jams last few festivals, sucked it all up with my digital recorder and saved it off on my lap top to learn it later. I think I will bump it up in priority.

So many tunes, so little time.

http://www.happyhollowmusic.com/tuneofthemonth.htm

[PaulD]

I was told at a jam last weekend that nobody wants to hear fiddle tunes. Oh well... that's not going to stop me from playing them!

I don't know Salt Creek or Bill Cheatum, which seem to come up quite a bit so I want to learn them (started Salt Creek on the fiddle last night). I also need to learn Drowsy Maggie since every time I mention Irish/Celtic to non-Celtic players they seem to know that (it's harder to find someone to jam on The Kid On The Mountain or Atholl Highlanders).

I've also been constantly reworking Whiskey Before Breakfast... I've been playing it for years but I keep coming up with new ideas. I wish I were playing enough to be learning even 1 or 2 new tunes a month. When I do play it seems I spend quite a bit of time resurrecting tunes I used to be able to play at speed.

pd

[Hallmark498]

1. East Tennessee blues
2. Amandolin

[Joe F]

"Arkansas Pullet" has recently started making the rounds at the local old-time jams. #Great tune!

[Kevin Briggs]

I'm working on:

1. Brown County Breakdown (Kenny Baker version)
2. Four Leaf Clover

[JeffD]

I was told at a jam last weekend that nobody wants to hear fiddle tunes. Oh well... that's not going to stop me from playing them!
I think there are folks who think that. But even the general public, when I out with a nice tune, responds with enthusiasm. Perhaps the truth is, nobody wants to hear a boring fiddle tune. But a good tune, with its own melodic drama, a little tension, a little resolution, who can resist?

We played Spotted Pony the other day, and it was shock and awe at the coffeehouse. We were hot. We committed spontaneous harmony. We played just that tune, for what seemed like an eon - we had the audience hypnotized.

But then again, Spotted Pony is a great tune. My new obsession. A tune I can immediately get a lot of energy behind. I think when a tune by itself seems to energize the musicians, the audience (or in our case bystanders) can't help but love it.

[PaulD]

I was told at a jam last weekend that nobody wants to hear fiddle tunes. Oh well... that's not going to stop me from playing them!
I think there are folks who think that. But even the general public, when I out with a nice tune, responds with enthusiasm.
I agree... I think the statement was actually being quoted as coming from another guy who's a decent guitar picker but prefers Bluegrass and old Grateful Dead songs. I think if you're putting together a set it's good to mix it up... songs, fast tunes, slow tunes, tunes with different timing, etc.

I'll have to add Spotted Pony to my list of things to learn. I think I've got recordings of it, but I don't recall hearing it at local jams. Last night I worked on Langstrom's Pony a little bit (a jig in 4 parts) and then spent the rest of the evening trying to be disciplined and do FFcP exercises. So much for working on the jam tunes I listed above!

Paul

[Joe F]

[quote=PaulD,Sep. 03 2008, 08:38]But then again, Spotted Pony is a great tune. My new obsession. A tune I can immediately get a lot of energy behind. I think when a tune by itself seems to energize the musicians, the audience (or in our case bystanders) can't help but love it.
There's an interesting little twist I like to throw into "Spotted Pony". #I learned it a couple of years ago from one of the local fiddlers.

In the A part (or B part in some regions), there's a scale progression D-E-F#-G (0-2-4-5 on the D string). #Every once in a while, I'll play D-C#-C-B (5-4-3-2 on the A string) instead. #It adds an interesting contrast to the tune, and sounds pretty good with everyone else playing the "normal" way.

[JeffD]

In the A part (or B part in some regions), there's a scale progression D-E-F#-G (0-2-4-5 on the D string). #Every once in a while, I'll play D-C#-C-B (5-4-3-2 on the A string) instead. #It adds an interesting contrast to the tune, and sounds pretty good with everyone else playing the "normal" way.
Woo hoo! I just tried it and I like it.

I like tunes that are deceptively simple. They are like elegent line drawings or charicatures, where a couple of lines and squiggles evoke a whole picture.

[Uncle Choppy]

I like tunes that are deceptively simple. They are like elegent line drawings or charicatures, where a couple of lines and squiggles evoke a whole picture.
That comment eloquently summarises the Norman Blake stuff to me.

It seems almost overtly rustic, naive and straight ahead in it's joyous simplicity on first listening. Yet when you try and learn it, there's so much more than first meets the ear!

[Mike Snyder]

OP here, just wanting to thank all the posters to this thread for all the great tune suggestions. I may never have tried Spotted Pony or The Cuckoos' Nest without your tips, and that surely would have been my loss. Thanks. I'm a goin to Winfield next week to hang with the dulcimer crowd and try out my new licks.

[sgarrity]

How about Dubuque? That's one I had forgotten about. I still need to learn the Cuckoo's Nest.

[raulb]

Liberty
Swallow Tail
Red Wing
Around the Horn

[Jon Hall]

I've been learning "Cattle In The Cane" and "The Mineola Rag". "Cattle" is easy but the rag is fairly difficult for me.

[John Ritchhart]

Bonaparte's Retreat - Aly Bain

[JeffD]

Bonaparte's Retreat - Aly Bain

I like the Emerson Lake and Palmer version -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0FuFfcCZiE

:disbelief:

[John Ritchhart]

I like the Emerson Lake and Palmer version Yikes that's sick. 180 from Aly Bain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNigFpaBBf8

[Jonas]

I've picked on:
Natchez Under the Hill
Cumberland Valley Reunion

[evanreilly]

My latest fiddle tune project is "Waiting for the Federals".

[JeffD]

Doesn't "Waiting for the Federals" have another name? I forget now, but I think I play it under another name, because someone once said, "oh, that is also called "waiting for the federals".

[Mike Snyder]

If fiddle rags is your thing, I can highly recommend The Old 78s. They are recording some very obscure and wonderful stuff these days and it is not your run-of-the-mill fiddle music. Usually just Curly on the fiddle and Carole Ann on a Baritone banjo that appears to have too many strings. I heard that they about wore the legs off of the contra crowd a week or so ago in Mtn View Ar. NFI. Visit them on the web. Carole Ann asked me my name on Thursday nite at Winfield and saw me on Saturday, ran me down, called me by name, and gave me a button/badge thingy. Really, really nice people with huge talent. Some of you must have been out in Oxford and learned some new tunes. Titles folks, give me titles!

[Fred Keller]

JeffD:

IIRC, Waiting For the Federals is also known as the Seneca Square Dance.

[John Hill]

The Fun's All Over (thank you Jim Richter)
Is Old Ebeneezer Scrooge a fiddle tune?

[sgarrity]

I learned The Fun's All Over thanks to Jim Richter too. That's a great tune and Climbing the Walls should be required listening for any Compton fan.
Old Ebeneezer Scrooge is one of my favorite Monroe tunes. That fourth part really gives the pinky a workout!

[mandogreg2]

I'm learning a nice version of Red Wing in G from Tony Williamson's cd My Rocky River Home. He puts in a lot of interesting double stops. Also working on Big Sandy River in A. Good sounding tune and not too hard to play.

Greg

[Mike Buesseler]

One of, if not my most, favorite tunes (it's newly written, but definitely old-time, IMO) is "Fred Digs Up A Hornet's Nest," written by our own Fred Keller. You can hear it in the MP3 section. There's tab floating around here somewhere, too. Just a great tune! I never tire of playing it (and I got to play it WITH Fred, himself!).

[bgjunkie]

MikeB:

If you find the tab for "Fred Digs Up A Hornet's Nest" can I get a copy of it? What a great tune!

[John Hill]

I learned The Fun's All Over thanks to Jim Richter too. That's a great tune and Climbing the Walls should be required listening for any Compton fan.
Old Ebeneezer Scrooge is one of my favorite Monroe tunes. That fourth part really gives the pinky a workout!

Yeah, The Fun's All Over is...well...fun because there's so much room to interpret and kind of go crazy.

I cheat on the 4th part of Old Ebennezer Scrooge and have worked out a pattern using open strings instead of the 7th fret pinky workout. I can't get it smooth enough and sound like I'm falling down, plus I like the way it sounds on the open strings...noisesome in a pleasant kind of way.

[JeffD]

:) :mandosmiley:
JeffD:

IIRC, Waiting For the Federals is also known as the Seneca Square Dance.

Yes yes, thank you. I love that tune.


Just like Western Country is also Sally in the Garden, is also Susananna Gal. Or at least they are the same tune when I play them.

[Mike Crater]

Paddy on the Turnpike
Done Gone
Billy in the Lowground
Monroe's Hornpipe
Kentucky Mandolin

[Mike Scott]

My latest is "Whiskey Before Breakfast" about to start on Cherokee Shuffle. Just a newbie working through the "Fakebook". :mandosmiley:

[woodwizard]

Well yesterday and today it has been another great Norman Blake tune called "Callahan"
Love it!

[Stephanie Reiser]

My newest fiddle tune project is Sedi Donka, which is a Bulgarian tune. I think it was Jamie Stanek who had posted the link to it, and I printed it out. Has the strangest tempo which I am still trying to solve:
SQQ.SQQ.QQSQQ
This reminds me of the one Thile and Marshall perform on their last record.

Edit: Whoops! I just perfromed a search, and found that JGARBER had posted that music.

[sgarrity]

Callahan.....another great tune. I've never found anyone else to pick that one with. But I still play it all the time.

[AlanN]

Soppin The Gravy (Little Betty Brown), in D chord. Deceptively simple, as all the good ones are. Allows for nice note selection, like a well-placed B note here and there.

[Joe F]

A G tune that's been making the rounds lately in old-time jam circles here is "Knock Around the Kitchen Until the Cook Comes Home." It has an ABAC pattern; the B part is a variation of the A part but an octave lower, and the C part is short and very crooked. It can be heard on the Foghorn Stringband's CD "Boombox Squaredance."

[OlderThanWillie]

Two tunes that have me playing them over & over until I get them right: Smokey Mountain Schottische from Skip Gorman's Monroesque CD and Norman Blake's Spinning Wheel.

[woodwizard]

Callahan.....another great tune. I've never found anyone else to pick that one with. But I still play it all the time.
***
Yep! I really like that one. It might just be me but doesn't that first part remind you of Grey Eagle just a little bit? :)

[doc holiday]

Cousin Sally Brown, taught to me on the guitar by Scott Nygaard & Bob Holt's version of Acorn Hill Breakdown.

[woodwizard]

Been working on some variations of "The New Five Cents". That's a great traditional old time fiddle tune. I really like it. :)

[Ivan Kelsall]

Ricky Skagg's tune "Monroe Dancin' " of his 'Brand New Strings' CD. Of course it's a vehicle for Ricky's Mandolin playing,but it's mainly fiddle & a terrific tune. Another 2 that ARE fiddle tunes,are one of my favourite Monroe tunes, "Big Sandy River" & another 'classic' by Jim & Jesse, "Dixie Hoedown". I've been playing both on Banjo for ever it seems, & as they are amongst my favourite tunes,it's only natural that i play them on Mandolin as well,
Saska :mandosmiley:

[WindinBoy]

Working on Dill Pickle Rag from the fiddlers fakebook. Lays out well for the mandolin, and sort of fun.

[David M.]

Been working on some variations of "The New Five Cents". That's a great traditional old time fiddle tune. I really like it.

I use to have a cool version of that tune that James Bryan did on fiddle. Found it online somewhere, but can't seem to locate it there or on my computer.

It is a cool tune.

[TWINGDAE]

Tunes in Em...
Pelican Reel
Unfortunate Rake
Ingonish Jig

And for Hallowe'en ...Peek-A-Boo Waltz

[Tom C]

Having fun with "Huckleberry Hornpipe"

[AlanN]

Town & Country Fiddler, using Bush's version as a guide.

Not for the faint-hearted.

[JeffD]

I have just started getting into "Waltz for Bill Monroe", a beauty from Butch Baldassari.

The tune as some nice dramatic moments, and if I slow down and delay the resolution, it can really get to you.

[woodwizard]

Alright ... my new "old" ones now: :)

Oklahoma Twister
Twinkle Twinkle
John Brown's March
Oklahoma Redbird (is the latest one I'm working on) Great Tune!
Got the first 3 up to tempo pretty good ... I'll get there on the last one before long.

[Mike Bromley]

Oklahoma Twister


Isn't the second solo a real nutter where you do the run to the seventh fret, all on the E string....

My present fun-one is Parrot/Stiernberg's version of "Nova Scotia", with some lovely first-position antics. Another one from the MP3 section of the Cafe, which induced me to purchase the CD. Great stuff.

:mandosmiley:

[Susanne]

My "new" tunes are:

June Apple
Clinch mtn backstep
Western Country
plus I've been working on Pig Ankle rag for some time but don't seem to get it right... need to work some more:)

My next new tunes will, hopefully, be Black mountain rag and Grey cat on a Tennessee farm.

[woodwizard]

Isn't the second solo a real nutter where you do the run to the seventh fret, all on the E string....
:mandosmiley:
******************

I love that tune. It's just got a great feel. Yep! It's quick. As you mentioned before though it does have some cool rests in it before another charge. :)

[JeffD]

I do Pig Ankle Rag as a duet with a friend of mine on mandolin - she does chords and I do melody.

We have a lot of fun with it.

[John Ritchhart]

The Lover's Waltz by Jay Unger. Casey Willis' playing of this on YouTube was the inspiration to try and learn it. His tone and feeling are hard to match.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay_kEmIX794

[Mike Scott]

Red Haired Boy and Ashokan Farewell (a beautiful tune imho)

[PineTar]

I seem to be drawn to Monroe tunes lately. I'm currently working on Old Dangerfield and Come Hither to Go Yonder.

[evanreilly]

I heard a very good version of "Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine' by ThatTharJonesy (?) on YouTube and it hooked me. I love trying to get the drones and doublestops all in it. Great old-timey tune; thanks Jonesy!

[bgjunkie]

I went to the Nashville Old Time String Band Association's (NOTSBA for short) jam the other night and was able to record some of the tunes. After listening to some I have picked the following to work on:

Old Molly Hare
Westfork Gals
Valley Forge

[woodwizard]

Well I finally have gotten pretty comfortable with "Oklahoma Redbird" That's a great tune.
My newest is "Big Country" and working on "Lee Highway Blues"

[Bernie Daniel]

EvanReilly: I heard a very good version of "Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine' by ThatTharJonesy (?) on YouTube and it hooked me. I love trying to get the drones and doublestops all in it. Great old-timey tune; thanks Jonesy!


Yes that is a fine version and in fact ThatTharJonesy guy has a lot of good stuff on YouTube -- his body is in Sweden (I think) but his soul is in Kentucky!

I've been hooked on eagle tunes and have been learning:

Grey Eagle
Tennessee Grey Eagle. and the
Golden Eagle Hornpipe

[JeffD]

I have heard something like three tunes that are all called Grey Eagle, and sound totaly different from each other. Not even derivitaves.

[Bernie Daniel]

JeffD: I have heard something like three tunes that are all called Grey Eagle, and sound totaly different from each other. Not even derivitaves.


Yup! At least three.

[Miked]

Sawing on the Strings.

I picked up the Homespun David Grisman Teaches Mandolin book and that's the first song. It's forcing me to get a spastic pinky a little more under control.

[Shelby Eicher]

Garfields Blackberry Blossom
Dusty Miller
Old Dangerfield

[sgarrity]

Those are three good ones. I really want to learn Garfield's Blackberry Blossom. Mike Compton plays a great version on the NBB's 20 Year Blues recording.

[WindinBoy]

Blackberry Blossom and Devil's Dream are two tunes that I could never count among my favorites for some reason. Curious to hear some alternate version of BB. Devil's Dream is good in a medley but by itself I dunno.

[sgarrity]

Blackberry Blossom and Garfield's Blackberry Blossom are two different tunes.

[RobP]

I have been working on a tune called Raivlin Reel to play and record w/a group of highschoolers in our home school group. I don't have a recording - had to learn it from the sheet music. I almost have it up to the fiddle player's pace - boy I wish I could have played that well when I was 17 :)

Rob

[Sean Greer]

Currently working on Bury Me Beneath the Willow. My instructor worked up a nice simple melody that features a good amount of tremolo, something that I'm just learning to incorporate into tunes. Oh yea, Long Black Veil is another recent project.

[Steve G]

Banish Misfortune. ~o)

[John Ritchhart]

I'm now doing Russ Barenberg's "Drummers of England". Not a fiddle tune per se but anytime Aly Bain is playing it's a fiddle tune to me. I love the sound of it and it's easy to play by ear.

h0wCwBXfMx4

[JeffD]

I have been playing Glass Island Reel.

Its a fun tune to learn, but I am sure I will get tired of it soon. Its like Blackberry Blossom, Devil's Dream Hornpipe, Brilliancy, and a few others - fun but not enduring. More sizzle than steak.

Whereas something like Banish Misfortune, mentioned earlier, or Wild Rose on the Mountain, or Kid on the Mountain, or Pig Ankle Rag, or Maggie Brown's Favorite, or any of a number of equally intense tunes are both flashy and meaty. And I never tire of them. Playing or hearing.

[TWINGDAE]

In the Holiday Spirit !
Tremoloooo-ing along...3 of my favorites:

O Little Town of Bethlehem
Away in a Manger
What Child Is This?

[lenf12]

I haven't read through this entire post yest but jbrwky mentioned Ali Bain which reminded me that I recently learned "Shove the Pigs Foot Further Into the Fire" from a really good rendition featuring Ali, Bruce Molsky, Phil Cunningham, Jerry Douglas and a bunch of other folks sitting around the living room, playing their hearts out. I think it's a youtube video if you want to do a search for it. It's really worth the effort to find and to learn. Good stuff!!

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[sgarrity]

Do a search for Shove the Pig's Foot.....there's a whole thread about that tune. It's one of my favorites. I recorded it and put it on my YouTube page. Not nearly as good as the Molsky version, but I'm tryin! :mandosmiley:

[Stephanie Reiser]

Angeline the Baker.

[Mike Bromley]

I'm in a Jethro Moment

Kelly Boy Rag

And, though rather not a fiddle tune, I've been stealing some classic Burnsisms from a couple of different versions of Chet Atkins' "Galloping Guitar" where Jethro does everything BUT play off the major scale in D.:disbelief:

[woodwizard]

Shove the Pigs Foot... sure is a cool tune. Sounds pretty cool Shaun. I wish I could find some tab for it. Some new ones for me I've been playing most recently are.

Soppin' the Gravey
Witch of the Wave
Dusty Rose
and
Dry and Dusty

[Sean Greer]

Haven't been feeling well for the last few days, so I was able to put in some extra time. I learned Turkey in the Straw over the last two days and began working on Chicken Reel today.

Looking forward to putting in a little less time (and feeling a lot better)...

[Eddie Sheehy]

Working on 3:
Soldier's Joy
St. Ann's Reel
Ragtime Annie.
Nice to know that there are more American tunes than just C&W and Bluegrass.....

[Jon Hall]

As a New Years resolution I'm learning some tunes that were always too difficult because of the pinky acrobatics. I've found that angling the mando about 45 degrees from my body and lifting the headstock about 45 degrees from horizontal allows me to reach with my pinky without getting tense and stressing my hand, arm and neck.

Rachel's Hornpipe
Forked Deer
Blackberry Blossom

[Michael Barnett]

anybody play Limerock? Is it usually done in key A?

Ah, Limerock, used to play that a few decades ago. GREAT tune! I played it in A. Gonna have to work that one up again. Good luck with it!

Currently trying to improve on these, to play with my boss at our next team gathering in Feb:

Cuckoo's Nest -> Whiskey Before Breakfast is another fav that I've begun working on once again. First heard this medley by The Bonnie Phipps Ensemble before I ever played a note, and it inspired me to pick up the fiddle first, then the mandolin.

Paddy on the Turnpike -> Red Haired Boy

Cheers!
Michael (who also wanted to name his daughter Amanda Lynn, but was shot down by her mom. Beautiful name!)

[Mike Buesseler]

Sandy River Belles, Ed Sweeney's version. Not sure if this is a fiddle tune, really. Lots of banjo versions out there. Works great on mando, though!

[Jim Nollman]

jbrwky,

that is one finely produced music video of a truly gorgeous tune, that is exceedingly well played. It doesn't get any better, any where, than what you guys have produced.

[John Ritchhart]

Beluga, I wish I could take credit. That comes from the Trans-atlantic sessions done for the BBC over several years. I think they've done three of them now. You can find them on YouTube. I think Barenberg's playing is great and he wrote Drummers of England which is fun to play. Glad you liked it too.

[Mike Scott]

As I continue my "mandolin journey" I thought I would venture into some celtic music so I am just beginning The Kesh Jig. Seems like mostly all triplets which is kind of cool. Also in keeping with my Old Time bent, I just started Campbells Farewell to Red Gap. There is no method to my selections, I just look at the tab and pick something to work on. :mandosmiley:

[Mike Buesseler]

....The Kesh Jig. Seems like mostly all triplets...

Hey, Mike, I wonder if you are new to jigs? I never heard The Kesh played with all triplets. 6/8 time has sort of that quality, but you play it differently. Maybe your version is different, but if not, search here for playing jigs. It's the DUD DUD DUD (or something similar) picking pattern that you're after. Volumes have been written here about this subject.... :)

[Mike Scott]

Definitely new to jigs. This is the first one. I must be dumb lucky or something, because I am playing it dud dud dud etc. It seemed the logical thing to do. The tab isn't handy so I can't say if it is in 6/8 time or what.

[Mike Buesseler]

Good work! Definitely 6/8 time. There are thousands of great jigs to play once you get the basic feel....

[karlssoni]

Virgin Pullets

[AlanN]

Miller's Reel in A chord. The first part can be substituted with the A part from Monroe's Hornpipe, with a tweak or 2.

And, to commemorate the day, 8th of January, such as Dawg's cool solo on T. Rice Rounder record. As a matter of fact, if they call out for requests tonight , I'll shout this one out:

On Thursday, January 8, the Pickin’ A Bluegrass All-Star Jam is coming to Raleigh. The lineup for this one-night only concert reads like a “Who’s Who” of bluegrass musicians, featuring almost 20 multi-award winning artists, including Rob McCoury, Terry Baucom, Jason Carter, Michael Cleveland, Josh Williams, Dale Ann Bradley, Steve Gulley, Kim Fox, Rob Ickes, Missy Raines, Alan Bibey, Mike Compton, Phil Leadbetter, Kenny & Amanda Smith, Tim Stafford, and Mike Bub. These incredible musicians will take the stage together in a song-circle format hosted by Cindy Baucom, the 2005 IBMA Broadcaster of the Year for the nationally syndicated radio show “Knee Deep in Bluegrass.”

[bones12]

Today it is the Eighth of January, in two weeks it might be the Twenty-Eighth of January. Doug in Vermont

[woodwizard]

My new one is ... Sally Johnson ! ... I love that tune. There is a cool old b & w youtube out there of Clark Kessinger playing it. It's worth watching. As a matter of fact it looked like Jimmy Driftwood introducing him at a talent show. Anyway it sure did look and sound like him. :mandosmiley:

[Eric Platt]

Hi,

First post here. Working on Witch of the Wave from Ryan's Mammoth Collection. Quickly discovered that it's different than Norman Blake's version, which I already play on guitar. May end up with a hybrid of both versions by the time it's under my fingers.

[woodwizard]

Welcome to the cafe Eric. There's a cool tab version of "Witch of the Wave" at mandozines/tabedit. Norman style.
Just finally learned a little simple tune I really like today after watching as many youtubes of it as I could find. "Shove the Pigs Foot a Little Further Into the Fire"

[Eric Platt]

Woodwizard,

Thanks for the welcome. I've been playing Norman's version of "Witch" for years on the guitar. Actually have a couple of different transcriptions of the tune. But I was working on sightreading and grabbed my copy of Ryan's just to find a tune.

Oh, and thanks for the suggestion. Just grabbed my Mid-Mo and got Shove that Pigsfoot back.

FWIW, I used to play mando a few years ago. Then quit due to hand issues and being too busy as a guitarist. Now am trying it again. So figure they'll be a lot of tunes that come back quickly. Then will be the slow process of adding to that list.

[Joe F]

For the record, Eric is an excellent guitarist and a regular attendee at our local old-time jam circles. If I'm ever confused about the chords of a new tune, watching Eric's fingers always provides the answer.

I'm glad you're picking up "Shove that Pig's Foot..." We really need to work that one back into our regular tune rotation.

[Eric Platt]

For the record, Eric is an excellent guitarist and a regular attendee at our local old-time jam circles. If I'm ever confused about the chords of a new tune, watching Eric's fingers always provides the answer.

I'm glad you're picking up "Shove that Pig's Foot..." We really need to work that one back into our regular tune rotation.

Thanks Joe. Although I've been known to crib chords from you also.

It is somewhat surprising "Pig's Foot" isn't popular around here right now. Maybe it's just the natural cycle of a tune.

[woodwizard]

Just learned a few more great old time fiddle tunes. Lovem'! They are: Swinging On A Gate, The Yellow Barber, Denver Belle and Black Mountain Aire. Wonderful tunes. :mandosmiley:

[Rick Schmidlin]

Blackberry Blossom, I can play it on guitar and now I am learning Roland Whites version, next I will work on Sam Bushs.:mandosmiley:

[Kirk Pickering]

Campbell's Farewell To Red Gap (from Kenny Hall)

Black Hawthorne (Norman Blake)

[mandozilla]

Not a fiddle tune per se but right now I'm learning "Lonesome Moonlight Waltz" ala Big Mon...I like it and it's easy to play plus, I know I can irritate all the folks at some of the BG jams I attend who think only hyperspeed 2/4 time is BG music HaHaHa :))

:mandosmiley:

[AlanN]

LMW was a fave of Butch's. I heard him (and picked it with him) play it many times. He did something a bit different with it, too. Where it goes to F major after the 2 bars of Dm, he played the open A string - a small little touch that put his stamp on it.

The B part, rather un-Monroe-ish, was actually written in by Richard Greene (so I've been told).

Fun tune.

[GALVEZMANDO]

-The Blackest Crow: very simple to play but when do right it is very pretty

[Mike Snyder]

Hail Against the Barndoor, Comin' Thru the Canebreak, Rush In The Pepper. This is the only sensible thread I've ever started. Keep 'em comin', boys and girls.

[WELSrev]

My Little Home in West Virginia

The Lament for the Death of the Reverend Archie Beaton

Soldiers Joy ( D ) / Soldiers Sorrow ( B minor ) with Glasgow Reel

Jerusalem Ridge coupled with Elzic’s Farewell

[ntbols]

New Camptown Races in the closed position.

[oldtimestrings]

Just recently learned "Old French." It's a good one. There's not much room for embellishing the melody, but it's a good workout in arpeggios.

[woodwizard]

Uncle Hermans Hornpipe. Great tune! It kinda jumps around like Blackberry blossom but has three parts to it. :mandosmiley: :)

[JeffD]

Just recently learned "Old French." It's a good one. There's not much room for embellishing the melody, but it's a good workout in arpeggios.

Thats a great tune. Not much need for embellishment actually.

[doc holiday]

"Crockett's Honeymoon" I heard Scott Nygaard play it and then stumbled on a youtube version www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FGerT21T6Y with Matt Arcara and several of the Claridge's on fiddle.
A real nice melody. Lays out well on the mandolin but also sounds great in several octaves on the guitar. Anyone know of any more classic versions?

[AlanN]

Yes to Herman's..always think of Herman Munster on that one.

My new FT today: Night in Tunisia :mandosmiley:

[Eddie Sheehy]

Working out the kinks in a couple of Rags - Ragtime Annie and The Pig Knuckle Rag. Fun, lively tunes...

[TMitchell]

Cherokee Shuffle. After watching Spencer Strickland tear it up, how could I not give it a (very slow) go?

[mandozilla]

I'm working on Paddy On the Turnpike...the Monroe style version. :grin:

:mandosmiley:

[Joe F]

Bound to Have a Little Fun has been making the rounds in the old-time jam circles here recently. Fun tune, in G. The B part has 12 bars instead of 8, making it a bit out of the ordinary.

[Mike Snyder]

Farewell to Longhollow and Sally Goodin, and I need to get to an old-time jam to re-inforce the learning of these tunes. It's impossible to lead these fiddle tunes off in a bluegrass jam, call out the chord changes, and not blow the picking when nobody knows and plays them. I know mando players that can teach tunes on the fly, but I'm just not in that league. With a little help, at a manageable speed, ok, but you get a banjo playing the wrong changes, no soap. I've got them onto St. Annes Reel, and some of them onto Cold Frosty Morning, but it's like pulling teeth. I miss Winfield.
Sorry for the whining.

[Charles E.]

I have been listening to Fiddlin Doc Roberts and as soon as I finish this response I plan to learn " take those lips away ". A great tune that he played on mandolin. After that , " Jackson Stomp " by Charlie McCoy.

[Gary S]

"Take those lips away" Great tune with Fiddlin Doc Roberts playing mandolin. Lately I have been playing Doc Robert's "Brickyard Joe"...Gary

[Taube Marks]

Like Clyde (some pages back) I have been listening to Skip Gorman (when is that man going to come to the UK?) and pairing Bonaparte Crossing the Rocky Mts. with Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine , and also am doing "Cowboy Waltz" which is a real sweet tune (you can find it in Kenny Hall's Music Book if you need the notation).


Taube

[woodwizard]

Smith's Reel and The Wise Maid are a couple nifty tunes I've just learned.

[woodwizard]

.... it's like pulling teeth. I miss Winfield.
Sorry for the whining.


I with you on that Mike

[Jim Nollman]

learning Morpeth Rant as a jig and then a reel. Maybe a waltz too.

A lot of fun for me, right now, is taking two tunes, both newly learned, Jamey Allen and Jubilo, and deconstructing each into 4 bar sectons, then randomly mixing up the sections so they become one tune. Just about every combination works fine. Once I master that, I may trying adding St Ann's Reel, which also fits like a glove with these other tunes.

[Stephanie Reiser]

I recently added St. Anne's Reel (the Canadian version) that I play on both mando and violin.
My newest fiddle tune is The Musical Priest.

[woodwizard]

Sugar In the Gourd ... A Great! fiddle tune... My newest. Anybody else pick it?

[Mike Snyder]

Lord knows I've tried to pick Sugar, but it keeps turning into Waterbound! You'll have to teach it to me next September.

[Gary S]

I play Sugar in The Gourd. My advice is "The way to get the Sugar out is roll the gourd about".

Have a great day...Gary

[Eddie Sheehy]

This week it's Ashokan Farewell. That tune resonates with my soul...

[JeffD]

I have renewed my acquaintance with La Bastringue. Great fun tune. That and Reel de Montreal. Tunes I thought I forgot, and hadn't.

[Jack Roberts]

Faded love

[JeffD]

Hunting the Buffalo

Found it in Portland book this afternoon, and remembered where I had heard it - Clyde Curly's CD of old timey mandolin. I can't get enough of this tune. I think I blew out my left index finger playing it.

[Martin]

Lonesome Fiddle Blues

[JeffD]

Hey folks. Check out Hope's tune of the month this month. Its an old timey classic. I play it, in a few renditions, on mandolin and its pretty awesome.


http://www.happyhollowmusic.com/tuneofthemonth.htm

[Marion Rose]

Chattanooga.

[Harlan_55]

Some great and downright fun fiddle tunes I have been working up

1. Candy Girl - once you get the groove on this one, you just cannot stop playing
2. Roaring River - great fiddle tune from Georgia, got that real bluesy old timey feel
3. Gallop to Georgia - another Georgia classic
4. Turkey in the Peapatch - Portland Collection Vol II
5. Granny, Will Your Dog Bite - New England Contra-dance tune
6. Hey Little Girl, Do What I Tell You - Portland Collection Vol II
7. Little Rabbitt - another barnburner endless looping
8. Hog Eye - don't know much about this but is fun to play
9.Georgia Railroad - another in the georgia theme
10. Squirrle Heads and Gravy - it's making the rounds through all the jams here, fun tune

Celtic Fiddle tunes

1. Swallowtail Jig - Morrison's - Drowsy Maggie ( Em set played lots in local sessions)
2. Foxhunter's - The Kid On The Mountain ( slides with a distinctive feel )
3. The Banshee - Blarney Pilgrim - Blackthorne Stick
4. Cooley's -Merrily Kiss the Quaker-Over the Moor To Maggie
5. Sid Chalmers - Mucking In Geordies Byer - Haste To The Wedding
6. O'Keefe's Slide - Road To Lisdoonvarna-Trip To Sligo
7. The Bucks of Oranmore
8. Caroan's Concerto
9. Balleydemonds - Breeches Full O' Stitches - Denis Murphy's - Egan's
10. The Butterfly - Drops of Brandy - Old Wife of Coverdale

[JeffD]

Sullivan's Hollow.

What a tune. Its got me in its tractor beam and I can't seem to do anything but play it over and over and over.

[TWINGDAE]

Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine

[Gary S]

Sullivan's Hollow...I was just playing that this morning...Gary

[JeffD]

Sullivan's Hollow...I was just playing that this morning...Gary

Isn't a fun tune.

[Pete Counter]

The week before last I learned "Temperance Reel", Last week it was "Sailor's Hornpipe", This week I learned "Lost Indian". Im having a great time with fiddle tunes lately.

[Kate D.]

My current new old time fiddle tune is "Folding Down the Sheets".
In fact I think I'll shut the lid on this laptop right now and play it!

[Mike Buesseler]

My favorite version of "Sullivan's Hollow" is played on fiddle by Uncle Earl. I can never get that flavor, on a slower tune, played on mandolin. Anyone care to post his/her version here for a little inspiration?

[JeffD]

My favorite version of "Sullivan's Hollow" is played on fiddle by Uncle Earl. I can never get that flavor, on a slower tune, played on mandolin. Anyone care to post his/her version here for a little inspiration?

While I do love the playing of Rayne Gellert, the version of "Sullivan's Hollow that inspired me is from a CD called Mississippi String Bands volume 2, and the tune is played by Leslie and Hendrix Freeny of Freeny's Barn Dance Band, recorded in December of 1930.

Freeny plays it faster than Uncle Earl, but not fast by any fiddle tune standard. Just enough to go from meditative to moving, but not fast enough to change time zones.

I am still working it over and over. I use a lot of double stop tremolo on those longer crooked pauses.

I liken the tune to a spring creek, full of exhuberance but pooling up every 100 feet or so.

[woodwizard]

President Garfield's Hornpipe and President Grant's Hornpipe (2) Gooderns!

[AlanN]

President Garfield's Hornpipe and President Grant's Hornpipe (2) Gooderns!


Oof....Garfield on the B part...Oof.

[Barbara Shultz]

Hey folks. Check out Hope's tune of the month this month. Its an old timey classic. I play it, in a few renditions, on mandolin and its pretty awesome.


http://www.happyhollowmusic.com/tuneofthemonth.htm

Hey, that's a cool site! We play that tune, have just known it as "Sally in the Garden"..... it's one of our favorites! I play it on either the mando or OM....

Barb

[woodwizard]

Oof....Garfield on the B part...Oof.

hey Alan ...actually the A part was kinda tricky for me getting it up to speed with that little down-down thing going on. The B part was pretty down-up down-up all the way. The B part is pretty tho ain't it? Both are fun President Hornpipes.

[JeffD]

Hey, that's a cool site! We play that tune, have just known it as "Sally in the Garden"..... it's one of our favorites! I play it on either the mando or OM....

Barb

The most mournful version I have heard of this tune is on Kathy Mattea's album "Coal". Its a solo banjo, at a slow temp, and if you listen to the cuts off the album in order (who does that anymore?), you will experience some powerful stuff. The tune by itself is moving, but in context it really glues together the song before it and the one after.

[AlanN]

hey Alan ...actually the A part was kinda tricky for me getting it up to speed with that little down-down thing going on. The B part was pretty down-up down-up all the way. The B part is pretty tho ain't it? Both are fun President Hornpipes.


Exactly opp. for me. The A part is pretty straight; the B part, with the pinky getting heavy use, is...oof.

Tony Furtado cut a version of it with A. Steffey doing mandolin chores. 'No pinky' Adam does a very nice job on it.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Whiskey Before Breakfast... see thread in General Section....

[Mike Bromley]

Whiskey Before Breakfast... see thread in General Section....

Funny! Same here!

On the other side, Snowflake Reel.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Childgrove and Parson's Farewell - for that Renaissance feel...

[JeffD]

Childgrove is a great old tune. With some double stops and volume changes you can wring tears out of a rock.

[Jim Nollman]

This week learning Earl Haig and Hunting the Buffalo.

The former is real gem. Almost no rhythm to it. I can imagine it set to a waltz, but I far prefer the "lament" rhythm. Very classical sounding, the B part sounds like something Bach might have used for inspiration. It uses up 3 octaves, just in the A part. Highly recommend learning it from he Alasdair Fraser recording.

The latter tune is very different, a mile-a-minute romp of what sounds (to my ears) to be a straightforward melodic hook. A "hook" is what we used to call such a simple repeated melody when I was writing pop and blues tunes.

[sgarrity]

Hunting the Buffalo.....I'm learning that one too. I've got the A part down, just need to spend some more time listening to the B part. Chords are the same for both parts. Two good recordings of this one are Clyde Curley and the Oxymorons and Old time Barndance from Cracker Barrel with Compton on mando. It's a catchy tune!

[Tripp Johnson]

Hunting the Buffalo is a fun tune indeed! Another one we're having fun with lately is Old Yeller Dog Come Trotting Through the Meeting House...very simple but infectiously fun to play.

[AlanN]

Miller's Reel. Just kind of lays under the fangers rill nice....

[sgarrity]

Hey Tripp....Isn't Old Yeller Dog.......the same as the Old Grey Mare Came Tearin' Outta the Wilderness???
I learned that one of off a Norman Blake album. He's recorded it a few times. It's a guitar tune for me.

[Tripp Johnson]

Ola Shaun, welcome back from Mexico! Yep, same tune only different :)...related anyway...we learned it from Rayna Gellert who got it from her dad. Chords are bit different and less notey melody than ogmctotw.
Blake's versions anyway.

[JeffD]

I love Hunting the Buffalo. I learned it from the Portland collection because it "looked" like it would be fun to play.

I like the Clyde Curly recording - the harmonica really makes that tune come alive.

I do that tune in a duet with another mandolin doing chords and rhythm backup. Those harmonica dips can be immitated in the chords. The result is really fun.

[woodwizard]

"Rock the Cradle Joe" ... got it! ... now if I can only get it up to the speed that this dad burn fiddle player I know does it! :grin::mandosmiley:

[Tripp Johnson]

now if I can only get it up to the speed that this dad burn fiddle player I know does it!

:mandosmiley::mandosmiley::mandosmiley:

[woodwizard]

:mandosmiley::mandosmiley::mandosmiley:

Yup! :mandosmiley:

[Jim Nollman]

two more added to my growing agenda, picked up at a session last night: Mistwald. It has a very catchy descending A part, with obvious classical overtones. Slowing it down to a crawl to learn the melody, and then accentuating certain notes, gives it the distinct feel of a minuet. I love these kind of tunes. Petronella offers a similar example of a classical sounding descending A part.

and then we did Pig Ankle Rag. another one of those mile a minute, chromatic scale tune, in the same ballpark as Ragtime Annie. Without knowing much about it, I'd speculate that it must be from the 1920s. Sounds like something you'd expect to hear on an old recording by Jelly Roll Morton.

[Dennis Ladd]

"Paige," by IIIrd Tyme Out's own Wayne Benson, I think. It sounds like a classical music study for the mando and uses more of the neck than I ever have before. Now that it's working for me, I can't seem to leave it alone. I'll post tab for it this month sometime.

Sorry, can't remember what CD it's off of. Of which it's off?

[Mike Buesseler]

Sorry, can't remember what CD it's off of. Of which it's off?

Hey, Dr. Ladd, how about, "which CD it's on?" (assuming it's still there! :) )

[TWINGDAE]

A few more tunes added to our repertoire...

Little Burnt Potato
The Girl I Left Behind Me
Under the Double Eagle

[Denny Gies]

McKinley's March by Bill Monroe in the key of C.

[Dennis Ladd]

Paige by John Teer is from "Chatham County Line's "IV" CD - YepRoc YEP-2157.

And it's tabbed right here at the mandocafe.

[Rick Schmidlin]

Blackberry Blossom

[Charles E.]

A north Alabama tune in the key of C, ' Monkey on a Dogcart ', via Norman Blake, via Strippling Bro's? Any way great tune.

[Jim Nollman]

Shenandoah Falls
Sandy Boys (by the way, a terrific tune to explore the mixolydian mode)

[Charles E.]

Childgrove is a great old tune. With some double stops and volume changes you can wring tears out of a rock.

I learned Childgrove from Lorraine Duisit in the early 80's and this is the first time I ever heard of anyone else that knows it! Lorraine taught us a cross picking version, droning on the open E string. I love that tune.

[Plectrosaurus]

Falls of Richmond from the Mel Bay website. Minor chords and mandolins were made for each other!!!!!!

[sgarrity]

Trying to learn Off to California.

[woodwizard]

Bill's Dream and Santa Anna's Retreat

[AlanN]

Thonatossa by Aubrey Haynie

and Sam's take on Snowflake Reel.

[Fred Keller]

Forty Miles From Georgetown Without Any Whiskey. Sometimes you just gotta learn a tune because of the title :))

[Jim Nollman]

I play Childgrove in my contra dance band of two fiddles, concertina, piano, and mandolin. On that tune, my primary job on mandolin is to stagger short 3 and 4 note phrases to complement the fiddle melody, but only on the G and D strings, to provide a quasi-baroque counterpoint to the fiddles. My BRW 3-point oval-hole (to the left) is so loud and clear on the bass strings, that it works quite well. I don't think I could pull off those same bass runs with an F hole mandolin. Sometimes we play Childgrove as the first tune, in combination with Sculley's reel. Try it, you might like it.

[woodwizard]

Fred Keller quote:
Forty Miles From Georgetown Without Any Whiskey. Sometimes you just gotta learn a tune because of the title.

Yup! Aint that the truth... That's why I learned ... Shove the Pigs Foot a Little Further in the Fire and Nail That Catfish to a Tree. :)

[sgarrity]

Don't forget Squirrel Heads and Gravy! Although it's more of a "new" old-time tune. But so is Nail That Catfish......

[Oliver R]

I'm having a bash at 'Jimmy in the swamp' & 'Drunken Landlady' (not together of course)

[Harlan_55]

I've recently starting working on ; Grey Cat On A Tennessee Farm, Black Widow Romp, Grey Eagle, Little Rabbit, Big Eyed Rabbit, Ducks On The Millpond, Ducks On The Pond, and John Brown's Dream.

I am thinking Old McDonald would have approved the farmyard tune list :-D

Those G fiddles are totally fun to play but the names are even better ( Nail Catfish, Shove Pigsfoot, Squirrel Heads &, Etc)

[man dough nollij]

Aren't those in the key of EIEIO?

[JeffD]

Fred Keller quote:
Forty Miles From Georgetown Without Any Whiskey. Sometimes you just gotta learn a tune because of the title.

Yup! Aint that the truth... That's why I learned ... Shove the Pigs Foot a Little Further in the Fire and Nail That Catfish to a Tree. :)


I am loving this one:

"I Love My Wife As Well As Anybody, But When My Back's Turned She's Hugging Everybody".

Its actually a quite simple tune, but very addicting.

[woodwizard]

Magpie and Indian Ate a Woodchuck are my new ones. Both are great OT tunes

[Tripp Johnson]

"
I Love My Wife As Well As Anybody, But When My Back's Turned She's Hugging Everybody".

Its actually a quite simple tune, but very addicting.

Fun tune!

Magpie has been in heavy rotation (again) around here, I love how tunes just kind of come and go in and out of popularity.

[TWINGDAE]

With western swing and cowboy music influences...

Old Spinning Wheel in the Parlor

[mikeyes]

Currently working on James Bryan's Chicken in a Snowbank, Tim O'Brien's First Snow (do we detect a pattern here?) and Salt River. All great tunes.

[Mike Bunting]

Forty Miles From Georgetown Without Any Whiskey. Sometimes you just gotta learn a tune because of the title :))
Where did you find that one? I'm looking for some oldtime repetoire and that sounds like a great one from the title alone.

[Mike Romkey]

Ashland Breakdown ... and if that doesn't count, Forked Deer (which here in Iowa is commonly referred to as Forked Deere).

[Fred Keller]

Mike:

Forty Miles... is in the "Dear Old Illinois" collection authored in part by Gary Harrison. Can't recall where I got it but it's a lot of fun.

[David M.]

Currently working on James Bryan's Chicken in a Snowbank, Tim O'Brien's First Snow (do we detect a pattern here?) and Salt River. All great tunes.

That James Bryan tune is great. I play that on fiddle. Still need to get First Snow down.

Currently working on: Polkas. Red Hills Polka (Bob Holt). Barn Dance Polka (Art Stamper). I'm filling in on fiddle for some friends' band and we play a wedding dance in Aug. and need a couple of polkas in our pockets. I only currently know 2 or 3 (Jenny Lind /John Ryan's). Fun stuff.

[Joe F]

"Indian Squaw" has been making the rounds of the local jams. Terrible title but a great tune. A recording by Jake Krack is the main source for this one.

[woodwizard]

Avalon Quickstep
Ook Pik Waltz
Ft. Smith Breakdown
Granny Does Your Dog Bite ...

Some new ones for me that I think are very fun to play.

[Mike Snyder]

I LOVE Ook Pik Waltz! I've been working on a few from Jack Tuttle's website. Connamarra is kinda neat. Monroe's Hornpipe and Old Dangerfield are still rough. That Monroe stuff ties me in knots.

[woodwizard]

On Monroe's Hornpipe I pretty much use all up down strokes and keep it even. It usually is played kinda fast. Do the same thing on Old Dangerfield too. I sometimes have a hard time doing Monroe's stuff when it's suppose to be played with all down strokes. I usually cheat on those. I love the Ook Pik Waltz too... sure is a pretty tune.

[Plectrosaurus]

My last two are Falls of Richmond and Swallowtail Jig. Not good enough to put on YouTube yet.

[Jim Nollman]

Learning Kitchen Girl and Tombigsbee Waltz. I immediately noticed that the A part of KG somewhat resembles the start of "Rhapsody in Blue"?

[AlanN]

Cedar Hill, by Dawg. Someone re-posted a vid of Dave Harvey and Tim May playing this number, got me back into it. Dave Peters deftly tabbed out Mike Marshall's improv over the changes from the Mondo Mando recording. Great stuff. At the end, the band modulates to A major, and the opening line is like Devil's Dream.