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User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
Marc Origins: Yankee Doodle (26) RE: Yankee Doodle 29 Apr 03


Actually I wanted to bring this question up the last time this thread was up, but never got around to it. I play fife and drum music in northeastern US. This is not the battle reenactment presentation hobby that is popular today. It's more of a Town Band tradition that appears to really date back to the 1870's or '80's. So hear is my question. A small group of older f&d corps have a different B strain than what is the popular one today. They call it Betsy Baker, (when calling the tune-'Yankee w/Betsy Baker', or 'Modern Yankee'). Local lore has it that this is the real Yankee Doodle, the popular version being more recent. Although rhythmically the 2 tunes are vary similar, harmonically they differ. If you end the A strain on the tonic,or 1, ( Key of D , you play a D). In the familiar (modern)version you'd start the B strain by going down to the submediant, or 6, (key of D, Play B), thereby placing you in either a IV chord, or vi chord. Now with Betsy Baker, one goes up to the dominant, 5,( key of D, play A), definitely V chord. Making for an entirely different feeling tune. Did that make any sense? Can anyone shed any light on the betsy baker ending?


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