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your basic old time fiddle repetoire
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your basic old time fiddle repetoire |
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Subject: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: winniemih Date: 02 Oct 00 - 10:45 AM I've recently (4 months ago) taken up the fiddle and have been practicing a lot. I'm at the point where I can begin to think about joining in at "slow" jam sessions. I have been introduced in playing guitar at bluegrass jams to some of the classic tunes "Over the Waterfall", "Cherokee Shuffle", "8th of Jan.". "Bonaparte Crossing...", "St. Anne's Reel", "Redwing", "Campbell's Farewell", and a few others. It would be helpful to me to know what others have played frequently. As I said, my only exposure is though bluegrass sessions which probably varies some from old time/ trad. styles. Also, I'm having a hard time connecting the name of the song to the tune. Any suggestions? It's also problematic to remember the first few notes of songs I've been playing. If I can get started I'm O.K. How do others deal with this? I read music and have been using the Fiddler's Fakebook, but it seems to be looked upon with disfavor to bring the book along. (Although I was told that Yo Yo Ma plays trad. music from sheet music- I don't mind too much being lumped into his group). Thanks for your help. You Mudcatters are a great source of inspiration. Winnie |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Mark Clark Date: 02 Oct 00 - 11:29 AM Winnie, I think it's helpful to learn a tune the first time by whistling it. It's much more difficult to learn to play a tune you can't whistle. In the process of learning the tune before trying to play it, you also get a firm association of the tune and its title. The other best thing to do is find an accomplished old old-time player---one who's been playing and collecting all his or her life---and strike up a friendship. Play together often and don't worry if it isn't exactly what all the hip younger players are doing. While the ability to read is always a plus, I think you should learn fiddle tunes by ear from experienced fiddlers and, later, from recordings. One reason is that fiddle tunes in notation are often stripped of the tricks and ornaments that make the tune attractive to you in the first place. You can learn to play the score only to discover that you don't like the tune as much as you thought. Play what you hear, not what you see. Another reason is that you need to train your ear to "see" fingerings as you listen. You don't want your playing to become primarily visual. Good luck in your efforts, - Mark |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Sorcha Date: 02 Oct 00 - 12:23 PM I use a combo of paper and recording to learn a tune. I am hopless at just learning a tune by hearing it. I hear it first, find the sheet music, then sit and listen while I look at the music. I can't whistle worth a damn, but I can dum-ditty the tune in my head or with nonsense syllables. When I can reliably do that, I get out the fiddle and the sheet music. Usually doesn't take long at that point to get the fingerings in my head. I learn tunes without ornaments, then add my own later when I have the tune cold.
You have a pretty good list going as far as tunes, you might want to look at:
Gal (Girl) I Left Behind |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: GUEST,Russ Date: 02 Oct 00 - 12:25 PM Pardon the preaching, but I'll pass on some things I have personally learned the hard way (with some serious help from Dwight Diller). You should spend more time listening than playing. You need to figure out where you want to go with a fiddle. Round Peak? WV? Kentucy? Indiana? If you don't know where you are going, you're going nowhere. To my ears Bluegrass sounds a lot more homogenized than old time and you can get further with generic versions of tunes. That's not what old times musicians are aiming for. Learning old time music is not about learning tunes. Focus on beginning a lifelong relationship with a few tunes you truly love rather than going for one night stands with a bookload of tunes. If you cannot remember how a song you think you know starts, you know too many songs. Jams can be hazardous to your musical health. You end up being able to zip through a million tunes that all sound exactly alike at festival jam tempo. They can be great fun AFTER you've established your musical identity enough so that the chance that jams will corrupt you is minimal. All you need for a band is a fiddle and a banjo. Work to establish contact with a few other people who love the music you are trying to learn. Play with them in small groups. |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: The Shambles Date: 02 Oct 00 - 03:44 PM If it is helpful to hear the tunes, you may like to put the title of the tune in the search box HERE and you will probably be able to instantly hear a few MP3 versions. |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: The Shambles Date: 02 Oct 00 - 03:58 PM EXAMPLE The Girl I Left Behind Me |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Ely Date: 02 Oct 00 - 04:54 PM Cumberland Gap, Whiskey Before Breakfast, John Brown's Dream, Booth Shot Lincoln, Old Molly Hare, West Fork Gals, Mississippi Sawyer, Sally Anne, Salt Creek, Julianne Johnson, Dubuque, Bile' Em Cabbage, Billy in the Low Ground, Granny Will Your Dog Bite?, Ryestraw, Rock the Cradle Joe, Forked Deer, Cold Frosty Morn, Cotton Eyed Joe, Miller's Reel, Colored Aristocracy, Wake Up Susan, Old Kentucky Whiskey, Kitchen Girl, Susannah Gal/Western Country/Pretty Little Dog [same tune, different names], Turkey in the Straw, Cripple Creek, June Apple, Arkansas Traveler, Sourwood Mountain, Bonaparte Crossing the Alps. I have a little handheld tape recorder that I take everywhere, and I ask the name of each tune played. I usually have to listen to it a practice it over and over but eventually I learn them. For me, it's easier to remember a title once I learn to play the tune and can associate the name with the "feel". The recordings aren't great, of course, but it's easily portable and at least I can hear the tune. |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Pinetop Slim Date: 02 Oct 00 - 05:38 PM Winniemh: We've all got different learning styles. I have an awful time remembering a fiddle tune alone, but if there are words to it, it's pretty easy. If this works for you, check through the DT. There are few fiddle tunes that somebody hasn't set words to. If there's a contra dance band, weekly session, monthly jam or whatnot nearby that you think you might want to join, check around to see if they've ever printed a set list. The Hartford, Ct., Contra Dance group posts a guide to their song selections on their Web site; so do some slow jams in the Rhode Island area. I'd be surprised if no one in your area has done the same thing. Happy surfing. |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Little Neophyte Date: 02 Oct 00 - 06:05 PM Russ, I would send you a personal message if I could Do you have an email address you could PM me with? If I want to learn fiddle tunes on my banjo I have a few questions about how to go about picking out the notes. I have learned Red Haired Boy but I was shown the notes to pick. Now I want to learn The Flowers of Edinburgh. I have figured out the chords to The Flowers of Edinburgh but I am struggling with picking out the notes. Is this because I have chosen a more difficult fiddle tune or is it because I am trying to learn it from Mark O'Connor's CD and I should try to find a simplier version of the tune. I have lots of questions Russ, but I don't want to impose them on this thread. Bonnie |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Little Neophyte Date: 02 Oct 00 - 06:15 PM Can any of you guys suggest which are the simpler fiddle tunes that are listed here. When I learned Red Haired Boy it was easier because Rick Fielding put it on tape for me note for note. But I would like to figure out how to pick out the notes on my own and I think it would be good to start with simple fiddle tunes. That site Shambles mentioned is extremely helpful. Bonnie |
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Subject: RE: old time fiddle repetoire From: Uncle Jaque Date: 03 Oct 00 - 10:13 AM I read this thread with interest, not being a fiddle-player personally, but having some experience with the fife and pennywistle. Most of the tunes we play in the Fife & Drum Corps started life, apparantly, as fiddle tunes; "Granny Will Yer Dog Bite", "Girl I Left", "Frog in the Well" to name a few. It also seems that most sheet music for the fiddle is written in fife - freindly keys (D or G) making it a fairly easy transition between the instruments. Are any of you familiar with "Swingin' on a Gate"? I saw on a Civil-War thread that it bears a stiking resemblance, when slowed down, to the contemporary "Ashokan Farewell". If it can be documented to have been around during or before the ACW (1861-5) it would be a hoot to work it into our reenacting repitoire. Many of your learning suggestions are quite applicable to about any instrument, IMHO. I am forcing myself, slowly, to sight-read a score, as we are doing tunes that just arn't available as recordings yet, that we know of, or are our own arrangements. Sometimes we make crude cassette recordings to share, but that gets awkward, and I can't escape the reality that sometimes I've just gotta bite the bullet & work off of the written score. The whistling/singing tip for tune familiarization is a good one, and I use it while driving, puttering around the house, or (as tolerated) at work. Knowing the lyrics, and "singing" them mentally while playing (it's a little tough trying to sing out loud while playing the fife) can really help keep that tune-train on the tracks and running on time! |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: winniemih Date: 03 Oct 00 - 10:27 AM Thanks for all the useful information. I'm sure I'll be able to apply some of these tips. Winnie |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Sorcha Date: 03 Oct 00 - 10:28 AM Bonnie, Angeline and Old Joe Clark are both fairly easy. If you go to JC's Tunefinder you can search for lots of tunes. They are returned in a choice of formats, including GIF (a picture of the sheet music) and MIDI so you can listen to them. You can print the sheet music, then look at it while you play the MIDI. |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: GUEST,Russ Date: 03 Oct 00 - 10:41 AM To Little Neo How do I PM you? |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Little Neophyte Date: 03 Oct 00 - 01:12 PM Thanks for the suggestion Sorcha. I'll listen to those tunes you mentioned and check out the tune finder. Russ, you are right, you can't PM me as a Guest. But can we correspond by email? Do you have an email address you can post here? Bonnie
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: GUEST,Russ Date: 03 Oct 00 - 01:20 PM To Little Neo I am currently happy as a guest at Mudcat. I am not ready to become a member. I am too nervous to post an email address in a public forum. Sorry for the paranoia. |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Little Neophyte Date: 03 Oct 00 - 01:25 PM No problem Russ How about you email me at littleneophyte@hotmail.com If that is okay with you Bonnie |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Alice Date: 04 Oct 00 - 10:48 AM Russ, your email address does not have to be public to become a Mudcat member. |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Jim Krause Date: 04 Oct 00 - 02:21 PM Winnie, In addition to all the above, if you can ever get to the Augusta Heritage Foundation's Old-Time Week at Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, WV. GO THERE. I did and boy, it was the best money I ever spent. They have fiddle classes for all levels, and you get to learn from the masters, too. Plus the scenery can't be beat. As far as repertoire goes, try to get your hands on the two Fuzzy Mountain Stringband records on Rounder. They may be out on CD by now. I still have my old vinyl copies. Seems like the tunes on these recordings have become pretty standard everywhere you go. Not surprising, since they were collected mostly in Va, NC, and WV too. Hope this helps some, too. |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 04 Oct 00 - 04:38 PM Oh, I dunno. All this soul-searching! Why don't you just buy the Fiddler's Fake Book by David Brody (Oak Publications) and start ripping through the tunes. You could even select them on the basis of what you enjoy rather than just doing what other players are doing. (I ordered this book through our town's classical music store.)
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: GospelPicker (inactive) Date: 04 Oct 00 - 08:47 PM Don't forget "Sally Goodin"... Also, read up on Bill Monroe... not for his songs necessarily, but just to read about the repetoire his uncle Pendleton Vandiver played... a great Scotch/Irish player, he played things like "Going 'cross the Sea" and "Jenny Lynn". Fiddle on, my friend... it's encouraging to know that another person is discovering old-time music like I am... email me at RevHarp@aol.com and we can swap songs and such... GospelPicker @:()>[+]
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Geoff the Duck Date: 06 Sep 01 - 08:43 PM refresh |
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Subject: RE: your basic old time fiddle repetoire From: Stewie Date: 07 Sep 01 - 08:56 PM The 2 Fuzzy Mountain String Band albums, mentioned above by Jim, were reissued on a single CD in 1995 (33 tunes) - 'The Fuzzy Mountain String Band' Rounder CD 11571. I presume it is still available. --Stewie. |
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