Flog (Fiddle Blog)

Fiddle 2Rep (Tue) – week 5

Paul — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:03:04 +0000

A fun tune in G, with more bow rocking.

Cotton-Eyed Joe, short version at medium tempo

lyrics in a pdf file

Fiddle 3 (Sun) – week 4

Paul — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:59:50 +0000

A classic in D, the Arkansas Traveler. This version is close to how I taught the tune. More great ideas for variations can be found on the version Colby posted in the Tune Archive.

Arkansas Traveler by Lee Stoneking from Missouri

Fiddle 4 (Mon) – week 5

Paul — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:56:07 +0000

Grab your sweetie for a waltz! (In the key of C)

Black Velvet Waltz by Chirps Smith of Lagrange, Wisconsin

Fiddle 3 – January 30, 2012

Maria — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:39:01 +0000

Hi!

It was good to see everyone last week, you all sounded great on Paddy on the Handcar, Paul is going to teach some more bowing next week.

We worked on the A MINOR pentatonic which is: A, C D E G A (we used it in Cross Road Blues)

The A MAJOR pentatonic is: A B C# D E F# A

You can learn more about Cross Road Blues and listen to it here:

http://oldtownschool.org/classes/songs/session11_6.html

We also went over Dancing Bear in Em

you can find it on the Kids’ Tune Archive, oldtownschool.org/fiddle/fun/kids and download the music in Kids’ Fiddle Book 3.

We talked a bit about ABC notation (thanks for your help Kerry), if you have questions, Paul has posted a PDF called “ABC Notation for Fiddle Tunes” at the top of the Tune Archive

oldtownschool.org/fiddle/fun

Hopefully I’ll see you at Open House Friday on February 10

Maria

Youth Mariachi Ensemble – January 31, 2012

Maria — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:26:23 +0000

Here are the lyrics to Cólas that we learned on Tuesday:

Colás, colás, colás y Nicolás
Lo mucho que te queiro
Y el mal pago que me das

We’ll learn some more next week

You can watch this video of the group Mono Blonco playing in Pasadena, CA

See you next week!

Maria

Old-Time Ensemble (Wed) – week 4

Paul — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:19:16 +0000

Ladies on the Steamboat by Burnett & Rutherford of Monticello, Kentucky

Leonard Rutherford played the fiddle. Richard Burnett played banjo. This classic recording is from 1928 or ’29.

Fiddle 2Rep (Tue) – week 4

Paul — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:44:30 +0000

Another D tune, Dry and Dusty.

Dry and Dusty as played by Chirps Smith of the Volo Bogtrotters

His version is based on this one . . .

Dry and Dusty as played by Otis Reynolds of Geff, Illinois

Fiddle 4 Old-Time (Mon) – week 4

Paul — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:52:18 +0000

We worked on the shuffle bow pattern–long, short short, or slur, saw saw–on this C tune. The versions linked below vary from the tune as we worked on it. A medium tempo demo version in the Tune Archive is close to how we learned it.

Billy in the Lowground by Clay Smith of Fairview Heights, Illinois

Billy in the Lowground by David Hall of Monticello, Indiana

Billy in the Lowground, by Lotus Dickey of Orange County, Indiana

The first Billy was recorded by Jim Nelson in 1992 on a visit to Mr. Smith’s home. I visited David Hall in 1979 and recorded Lotus playing the tune in 1986.

Old-Time Ensemble (Wed) – week 3

Paul — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:48:23 +0000

Boatin’ Up the Sandy, fiddled by Craig Johnson with the Double Decker String Band

There is also a slower demo version in the Tune Archive.

Fiddle 3 (Sun) – weeks 2 & 3

Paul — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:44:44 +0000

We worked on the shuffle bow pattern–long, short short, or slur, saw saw–on this G tune
Green Fields of America, by Lotus Dickey of Orange County, Indiana

There are also slow and medium tempo demo versions of Green Fields of America in the Tune Archive.

Our first tune in the key of C is a bit challenging.
Old Joe by Bob Walters of Tekemah, Nebraska