Review: Frontier Fiddler, Kartchner

Subject: RE: Review: Frontier Fiddler, Kartchner
From: GUEST,vrdpkr
Date: 22 Apr 04 - 10:14 AM

Tape should be available through University of Arizona bookstore in Tucson. Great book. Great tunes.

vrdpkr

Subject: RE: Review: Frontier Fiddler, Kartchner
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 04:39 PM

I bought it from a dealer through Abebooks. I just scanned their listing and some 80 copies are offered, but none lists the tape. I guess I was lucky. The dealer was Zenbooks.com, they listed the tape with their offering.

PM me

Subject: RE: Review: Frontier Fiddler, Kartchner
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 03:51 PM

So, Q, where is the tape and book available ? I have a used copy of the book - didn't know there was a tape extant.

Subject: Review: Frontier Fiddler, Kartchner
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 21 Apr 04 - 03:32 PM

Frontier Fiddler, 1990, Kenneth C. Kartchner, Univ. Arizona Press, 280 pp. plus casette tape of about 30 tunes. Still in print.

This is more a listing of contents; I hope that I can talk a son-in-law fiddler into a review.
The book has been mentioned a 2-3 times with regard to specific songs by Richie and Les, but little has been said about the book itself.

Mormon fiddler Kartchner began to play dances in 1902, mostly in Arizona. He worked as a cowboy, forest ranger, and for the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Although the book is an important record of the life of a Mormon family in Arizona, its interest for musicians lies in the appendices and tape cassette.
Appendix A- Principal Fiddle Tunes played by Kartchner. Tunes are listed under these headings:
Hoedowns, Reels and Hornpipes
Fox Trots, One-steps, Two-steps and Polkas
Schottisches
Waltzes
A number of these tunes were not originally waltzes, etc.

Appendix B
Brief Analysis of Kartchner's Playing Style
Droning and "a driving rhythm characterized by off-beat elements... pervade Kartchner's music."
Examples are shown.

Appendix C
Dance Descriptions

Appendix D
Seventeen Fiddle Tune Transcriptions (Some names local; check Bluegrass Messenger and Ceolas)

Black Hills Waltz (Les was looking for an ABC in an earlier posting)
Bobtailed Mule
Old "C" Waltz
Cacklin' Hen
Chicago Glide
The Drunkard's Hiccups
Grey Eagle
Johnny Blevin's Tune
Leather Britches
Pinedale Waltz
Rattlesnake
Schottische
Sally Johnson
Sweets O'Weaver
Tom Wagner
Walk Along John to Kansas

Cassette Tape
The tape has no markings and no listing of tunes. Tracks were home-recorded over the years, with piano accompaniment. The names of most of the tunes are announced before they are played, but the sound is muffled and difficult to understand. I hope to get my son-in-law to go through them.