2021-08 Tune of the Month - Mouth of the Tobique

  1. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    The tune of the month for August, 2021, is "Mouth of the Tobique". The Tobique River is in New Brunswick (Canada); it empties into the St. John River near the US border, just north of the village of Perth-Andover. The north bank of the Tobique at its mouth is the site of Tobique First Nation (Neqotkuk) Reserve, one of six Maliseet Nation reserves in New Brunswick. The name "Tobique" is derived from the name of a First Nations chief who lived on the site of the present Tobique Reserve in the mid to late 18th century. Incidentally, the correct pronunciation is apparently "toe-bick" despite the french spelling.

    "Mouth of the Tobique" has been attributed to a First Nations fiddler, Francis Sowish, who composed several tunes in the French Canadian fiddling genre. The tune was popularized by CBC radio and TV fiddler Don Messer. There is a story floating around that the tune Messer published with this title is actually the tune "Grouchy Old Man Grumbling Old Woman". I can't verify that, but the "Mouth of the Tobique" in the book "The Don Messer Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes" (Alfred Publishing Co.) is definitely the A and B sections of what we know by that name today and is not at all similar to the versions of "Grouchy Old Man ..." that I have heard.

    This tune is definitely a fiddle tune. The Song A Week thread (located here) may be the best reference for observing actual mandolin-based versions. The following video of the legendary Irish fiddler Kevin Burke is probably the cleanest version I found for hearing how the tune goes. He is joined by Zoe Conway and John McIntyre.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btZi3Z4G9Dw&t=76s
    (Mouth of the Tobique starts at the 1:16 mark, after Dion Reel)


    I normally think of tunes crossing the Atlantic from East to West. This is a tune that went from West to East.

    Most sources describe the tune as a three part reel, played AABBCCBB. But several point out that the C section is actually a double-shuffle variation of the A part. Perhaps that is why the Messer anthology referred to above omits the C part.

    There are several instructional fiddle videos for the tune which may be of use while learning the tune on the mandolin. The one I liked best was this one:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PsWMhXJe64


    It is all in French, but the music and fingerings are universal. And she does spend an extra few moments at the end of the video explaining and illustrating that syncopated-sounding double shuffle in the C part. I was tickled to find that I could actually understand a lot of what she said. It has been a lot of years since my high school French classes.

    This should be a fun exercise. I particularly look forward to working on that double shuffle part. And I can't help noting that several versions of this tune contain a phrase that has become an earworm for me. In hopes of passing it along (and thus getting rid of it), listen for "...the law they swore they'd get him but the devil got him first..."
  2. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    I have always liked low humor. Sorry. I can't help myself ...

    Here is "Foot in the Mouth of the Tobique":
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GmVcmuTar0
  3. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Sources for abc, music notation, and/or tabs:

    Thesession.org - https://thesession.org/tunes/423

    The Mandolin Cafe tabledit library - two similar versions I liked and one oddball. The two I liked are https://www.mandolincafe.com/te/tabl...que-G-Trad.tef, and https://www.mandolincafe.com/te/tabl...-MacMaster.tef . The third one seems incomplete and out of order and employs some "interesting" time signatures to try to notate that double shuffle C part.
  4. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Anybody else working on this one? I am finding it to be interesting in several aspects.

    I had looked at this tune a few times in the past few years and the big stumbling block, for me at least, was that I couldn't really make any sense of the A part. It just seemed like a long string of notes instead of the highly structured QAQA form common to most reels and hornpipes. Then I discovered that the last eighth note of measures 1,2, and 3 could be regarded as a pickup note to lead into the following measure. Same thing in measures 5, 6, and 7. That means that the A part consists of 4 one measure phrases that make up one "statement", then repeat that statement with maybe a slight variation for emphasis.

    I kind a wonder if this is a characteristic of French Canadian or maybe even Cajun music. In any case, thinking in this way made the A part much more "playable" for me.

    The other stumbling block was that fiddle-shuffle in the C part (or A' part, whatever). That has been primarily a matter of deciding how to pick it with the right hand. I think a case can be made for playing it like slowed down triplets, DUDDUD - if you do, then the emphasis with the initial down pick of each "triplet" comes naturally but you have to be real careful not to speed through them and rush the beat. I am finding that if I continue with the DUDU picking through the whole section I can keep the rhythm correct more easily - but it is taking a lot of practice to get the emphasis on the correct notes. That video from Véronique has a nice slow speed illustration of how that works at the very end of the video - no french language skills needed.

    Of course, a third solution, probably just as valid, is to just say "That so-called C part doesn't belong - it is just a show-off variation of the A part." Then just play AABBAABB.
  5. Swimbob
    Swimbob
    Hi Hank, yes I have been working on this one. I'm afraid you'll probably never get to see or hear me play it but I've almost got it.

    To me the hard part is coming back to the A part after playing the B part the second time. It just doesn't seem to flow like it should. I'm also having trouble getting clear notes on the C part. Once I get that nailed down though I think I'll be able to go through it twice in my patented lurching stumble fumble finger style I'm so famous for.

    Then of course one of these days (if I ever get to retire) I'll figure out how to post videos so I can show off my utter lack of talent for the mandolin!
  6. Louise NM
    Louise NM
    Lurching stumble fumble fingers? Why, I have a set of those, on display here.

    After working seven days a week since early July, I finally had an actual weekend, and wasted it on learning to butcher "Mouth of the Tobique." Here it is the evening of the 30th, and no one else has taken a stab at this poor tune yet? C'mon, folks, let's get with the program. Murder this reel—it's fun!


  7. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Louise, that was really nice, especially considering your workaholic month. I have been a bit lazy this month but I am bound and determined to get something posted tomorrow. I hate it when my tune of the month gets backlogged.
  8. Sherry Cadenhead
    Sherry Cadenhead
    Louise, are you sure you haven't been working on that piece all month? Must be nice to be so accomplished.

    Love the sound of that instrument!
  9. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Well, here is a video. I am in the Pacific time zone, so I am getting it in right under the wire.

    This is a fun tune. The lurkers don't know what they missed. The structure of the A part is different from the usual reel structure. The C part has that double shuffle fiddle variation that I think of as a basic Scruggs three finger bluegrass banjo roll - Index finger (i), middle finger (m), thumb (t), i, m, t, i, t. I played it as straight DUDUDUDU, but I experimented with playing it DUDDUDDU. There are pluses and minuses for either way but I think I was better able to keep the proper tempo going with the DUDUDUDU.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNsXO_6MSYQ


    Oooops. Posted to wrong thread last night. Sorry.
  10. Louise NM
    Louise NM
    Nice work, Henry, and that L&H is sure sounding fine.
  11. NDO
    NDO
    Nice work Louise and Hank! I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t seven try this month
  12. Sue Rieter
    Sue Rieter
    Nor did I
    But you guys are inspirational !
  13. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Thanks, folks. I really like the L&H a lot. New frets made a lot of difference. And I think the TI strings (Mittels) are perfect for this mandolin.
  14. Sue Rieter
    Sue Rieter
    So, Henry, how do you play your mandolin and zoom in on your coffee mug at the same time? My husband says someone else is doing it, but I don't think so.
  15. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    I don't. I just take a normal video without any zoom, then use video editting software later to do any zooming or panning I want. In this case, I realized that at the beginning of the tune I was making some awful Mr. Yuck face, so I decided to start with Red Bear and the coffee cup and then zoomed out. By then my face had returned to its usual grimace. Then I thought zooming back to the same scene made a good ending.

    I use PowerDirector by Cyberlink Software (I have a Windows computer - don't know if they have an iOS version). It's not terribly expensive, but not trivial either. There probably is something open source that can do everything that I expect from PowerDirector. Video editting can quickly get you deep into CAS (computer acquisition syndrome) - watch out.
  16. bbcee
    bbcee
    Well done, you two brave mandolinists! I had a LouiseNM month this month, but I’m looking forward to September’s tune.
  17. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Thanks, Mr. Cee!
  18. Swimbob
    Swimbob
    Very well done both of you! I managed to mangle it up pretty well but fortunately for you I don't have the techno ability to share.
  19. Sherry Cadenhead
    Sherry Cadenhead
    Bob, if I can manage to post a video, so can you!
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