Fiddle 4 (Mon) – Week 3

Here’s a great schottische taught by Arto Järvelä. He learned it from Erkki Metsapelto (who also gave us the “Rahapolska” we learned in Week 1). You can get a cd and book of Mr. Metsapelto’s playing from the Folk Music Institute in Kaustinen, Finland.

Hulttiahon sotiisi

Hultiahon sotiisi

Here’s the chording harmony that Arto came up with in class:
second voice

Filed under: Fiddle 4,Paul Tyler by Paul | September 16, 2009 | Comments (1)

Old Time Ensemble (Weds) – Week 2

Last week we learned a tune from a downstate Illinois fiddler. This week’s it’s southern Indiana.

I learned this from Lotus Dickey . . .

Oyster River Hornpipe

Here’s Lotus playing it in a medley on stage at the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering in 1982.
Oyster River Hornpipe-Weller’s Reel-Green Fields of America

The last tune is from the Fiddle Club of the World, where you can find another take on Oyster River. On the Fiddle Club blog, you can also find more tunes from Lotus, a picture and links on this post: I’ve been thinking about Lotus Dickey.

Filed under: Old Time Ensemble,Paul Tyler by Paul | September 11, 2009 | Comments (0)

Arto Järvelä tunes – Weeks 1 & 2

For Walter’s “Music Skills for Fiddlers” class, Arto taught . . .

Syrjälän Heikias Maito polkka (Heikki Syrjälä’s Milk polka)

For Maria’s Thursday night Fiddle 3, he taught . . .

Friarsvalssin

and

Koputus polkka

At his September 6 workshop Arto taught three archaic Finnish tunes . . .

unnamed polska #1 in D dorian

unnamed polska #1 in D dorian

Minuet after Matti Haudanmaa

For Colby’s “Four-String Improvisation” class, Arto taught a schottische . . .

Wikströmin aatun stigare

Also, check out posts for Paul’s Fiddle 3 and Fiddle 4 (Week 1). In Fiddle 3, Arto taught Pollonesa #1 (a Polonaise) and in Fiddle 4 it was Rahapolska (a wedding polska).

Filed under: General Interest by Paul | September 11, 2009 | Comments (2)

fiddle-one-o-rama

tuning tones, mississippi is a rivers’ and this old man. keep an eye on your right hand, relaxed and rounded, no fists. right arm relaxed and not raised. use wrists and elbows. left relaxed and rounded. bow perpendicular to the strings, one string at a time, long full bowstrokes and no stopping. play scales in all 3 keys, as well as twinkle little star in all 3 keys.

tuning tones.gdae.mp3

1 2 3 4 mississippi is a river 1234miss.mp3

mississippi ground hog missground.mp3

grasshopper grasshoppa.mp3

this old man thisoldman.mp3 which you can also play in all three keys.

have fun. play with relish! and any other condiments you like. come to the barn dance this monday the 14th at 8 at the abbey pub, beginners instruction at 7:30 (chicago barn dance company a non-profit, not associated with the old town school). info here.. live old time fiddle music, with banjo, guitar and bass as well.

Filed under: Fiddle 1,Steve Rosen by Steve | September 10, 2009 | Comments (0)

Fiddle 2 (Tues) – Week 2

On to “Dry and Dusty”

Played by me.
slow

Played by Otis Reynolds on Dear Old Illinois (CDs and book) compiled by Garry Harrison.
Dry and Dusty

Filed under: Fiddle 2,Paul Tyler by Paul | September 10, 2009 | Comments (0)

Old Time Ensemble (Weds) – Week 1

Welcome back.

The first tune was Tater Blossom, from the playing of Noah Beavers of Elkville, Illinois.

Here it is at slow

and medium tempos.

(Click the arrow to play; right click and choose “save link” to download sound file.)

The Noah Beavers recording is one of over 100 tunes available on Dear Old Illinois, a 3 CD set. The recordings accompany a book that contain 350 tunes and an equal number of folk songs. Click the title for ordering information.

We also started working on Lonesome Road Blues by Dacosta Woltz’s Southern Broadcasters. [Link is to the iTunes store]

Filed under: Old Time Ensemble,Paul Tyler by Paul | September 9, 2009 | Comments (0)

Fiddle 2 (Tues) – Week 1

We started with Sourwood Mountain.

slow

medium

full tempo

Filed under: Fiddle 2,Paul Tyler by Paul | September 9, 2009 | Comments (0)

Report on the Finnish square dance at First Friday

What a gas! Eight folks came to the Resource Center see the film “The Night Quadrille” about the exuberant crowd of dancers who close the Kaustinen Folk Festival every year with a huge square dance called variously the ‘Night Quadrille’ or the ‘Huutokatrilli’ (that is, shouted square dance).

Another bunch joined in for some hot dancing upstairs. One group of eight couples danced for about 25 minutes straight to the marvelous medley of tunes fiddled by Arto Järvelä, our guest artist-in-residence from Kaustinen, Finland. Our own Walter Hoijka thumped along on piano. Paul Tyler was the “shouter” (aka, the caller).

A second smaller set danced the quadrille for about 15 minutes. Lynn Garren caught part of that on video and uploaded it to YouTube. Have a look-see.

Huutokatrilli in Chicago

Filed under: General Interest by Paul | September 5, 2009 | Comments (0)


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