Anyone within driving distance of Sand Mountain Alabama, contact me or TNDARLN, there will be some great singing this Sat. & Sun (July 28 & 29)

Two stories about Pinetop Slim's question.

A leading southern singer was leading a singing school in a northeastern venue. He was clearly coming in early. Someone asked about it and he said don't do it. We continued to sing, he continued to come in early. Several people were quite confused. I was sitting opposite my singing mentor, who had know the teacher for 20+ years. I got a big wink from him.

If you're in New England singing circles, or have just been to the session at Old Songs, you have probably heard Hal Kunkel's Ten Thousand Charms. The tune has some early entrance syncopations written right into a couple of parts, pretty unusual for a shape note tune. In a discussion session, Hal told us that he modelled this entrance especially on what he had heard one particular southern leader do. The leader was later attending & doing some teaching at a northeastern convention. I was not there, but I'm told that when they started doing Hal's tune, the singer was really thrown by those written in early entrances.

After observations & discussions, I've concluded that it's pretty much unconsciously done by those who take stong leadership roles. It tends to help keep the tempo up to speed. Not everyone does it but there does tend to be a fair amount of sotto voce anticipation as well. You'd only notice it sitting right next to the person. I'm not sure I'd recommend cultivating it but it does come somewhat naturally when you're in a leading situation. I do find myself doing it.

I don't know that anyone I've heard is barking, but if you're talking about some of the old field recordings, I think that may be the case.

A closely related tradition is the no instrument singing done from books with words only in Primitive Baptist churches. I've sung from a word only book with some PB friends where they know the tune & we're tring to follow. In this case the leader's always just a little ahead of everyone else. With no set tempo, even if you know the tune, you'll wait for the leaders to move on to the next syllable before doing so yourself. The feel of it is a bit the same as that anticipation in doing Sacred Harp music.