Fiddle Club of the World

Ten Strike strikes again!

When Chirps Smith visited the Fiddle Club of the World, he played a tune called “Ten Strike” that, well, struck a chord. A Club member requested that the tune be posted to this blog. It already has, on the report of the April 20th meeting. It’s still worth taking a closer look at Ten Strike. (Here it is again.)

Ten Strike by Chirps Smith

Chirps learned the tune from the playing of Les Raber (1911-2000), a lifelong resident of Michigan. Through the last years of his life, we both heard Les play the tune on numerous occasions. On this example, I’m playing guitar and Paul Gifford is on hammered dulcimer. It’s February 1998, and we’re getting Les prepared to perform that summer at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington. The scene is the cozy living room of Les and Rosemary’s farmhouse outside of Hastings in rural Barry County.

Ten Strike by Les Raber

Properly speaking, the tune is for the 4th figure or change of the Ten Strike quadrille, as printed in Gems of the Ballroom, compiled circa 1890 by Geo. B. McCosh of Dekalb, Illinois. Les also played the tunes for both the 1st and 3rd changes. (In fact you can hear both on this CD: Come Dance With Me . . . Again.)

Ten Strike Quadrille in Gems of the Ballroom

When I first met Les in 1981, Paul Gifford had, at my behest, brought him along from Michigan to Battle Ground to perform at the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering. Les had just acquired a copy of the first violin edition of Gems of the Ballroom, had polished up his music-reading skills, and was working his way through book while sitting under the shade of a tall oak that had witnessed the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, a full century before his birth.

Here’s how, over ten years ago, I wrote down what Les Played.

Notation of Les

There is some debate whether Geo. B. McCosh’s “Ten Strike, No. 4″ is the source for “Oklahoma Rooster,” a tune associated with old-time fiddler Uncle Dick Hutchison. You can judge for yourself.

Oklahoma Rooster

I’m planning on adding a few more pieces to this post, so check back.

Paul Tyler, convener
May 14, 2008

Filed under: Musings by Paul | May 14, 2008 | Comments (0)

Fiddle Club meeting coming up May 10th!

It’s Cajun fiddling with Will & Holly Whedbee

Leadway Bar and Gallery 5233 N. Damen, Chicago

NEWS FLASH!!!
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The meeting will start at 4:00 pm
(Not 3:30 as previously announced.
The bar doesn’t open till 4. Doh!)
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You can still sign up.
Find workshops here.

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And

DOUBLE NEWS FLASH!!! We’ll begin with a special showing of
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The producers are Old Town School parents who, at one time, were in a variety of fiddle and banjo classes and the Old Time Ensemble. They will be there. This is something extra special.

You can still sign up for the May meeting by calling the Old Town School of Folk Music at 773.728.6000. If you want to bring a guest, you’ll have to sign them up for the Club. Hurry. It’s first come, first served.

Paul Tyler, Convener

The Fiddle Club of the World meetings start with an unplugged concert by the featured guests. The concert will be followed by a jam session for club members with the featured guest. Several tunes you can learn are posted on this website under the category “Tunes” linked on the right sidebar.

Filed under: Meeting Schedule by Paul | May 6, 2008 | Comments (0)

Report on April 08 meeting

Lynn “Chirps” Smith was our featured guest, playing a variety of old time dance tunes native to the Midwestern United States.

Chirps cut his old-time teeth during his college days in Charleston, Illinois, where he played with the Indian Creek Delta Boys. More importantly, following the lead of fiddler Garry Harrison, the “Crik Delters” recorded and learned tunes from scores of senior fiddlers in the southern and eastern reaches of the Prairie State. Several of these tunes showed up in Chirps’ performance at the Leadway Bar & Gallery.

Ten Cents
Joe Wingerter tune
Stella’s Jig
Gallatin Special

He started his set off with a version of “Paddy on the Turnpike,” which may owe something to Harvey “Pappy” Taylor of Effingham. But then again, it may have been closer to the “Paddy on the Handcar” recorded in 1928 by Texas fiddler A.L. “Red” Steeley.

For the last several decades, Chirps has lived in the Chicago area. For much of that time, he played with the Volo Bogtrotters an old-time string band named after a natural feature located a short hop away from Chirps’ home in Grayslake. Representing that period of his life are tunes he learned first-hand from elders elsewhere in the Midwest, including Les “Red” Raber from Michigan, Nile Wilson from Missouri, Dwight “Red” Lamb from Iowa, and Lotus Dickey from Indiana.

Ten Strike
Old Reunion
Old Ladies Pickin’ Chickens
Sweet Bundy

Other pieces he played were learned from lesser known recordings of Nebraska fiddler Bob Walters, and a favorite piece of the Native and Métis fiddlers from Central provinces of Canada.

Bob Walter’s Hornpipe
Red River Jig

Finally, we must note that Chirps is now a resident of Wisconsin. Thus he performed a piece learned from a recording of Leonard Finseth of Mondovi, and a waltz from Madison-area concertinist (I believe he calls a bandoneon), Bruce Bollerud.

Stegen Waltz
Leonard Finseth’s Polka

Around 30 musicians enjoyed the performance and the jam that followed. We played all six of the tunes posted earlier on this blog. Plus a bunch more. A request was made for “Ten Strike,” the Les Raber quadrille piece, to be posted here. The tune is, in fact, the melody to be played for the 4th figure of the Ten Strike quadrille, as printed in Gems of the Ballroom (compiled circa 1890 by Geo. B. McCosh of Dekalb, Illinois). Les learned the tune from the book, which he had just acquired in 1981 when I brought him to perform at the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering in Battle Ground. Here’s the the tune as played by Chirps. It’s in C.


Ten Strike

The next Fiddle Club of the World meeting is coming up soon, on Saturday, May 10. It will feature the Cajun team of Will & Holly Whedbee.

Paul Tyler, convener

Filed under: Reports by Paul | May 6, 2008 | Comments (2)

Notation for Paddy Jones tunes on a single page

All tunes transcribed by Paul Tyler. Musical notation is only a guide to one way to play a tune. Use the written notes along with the recordings. If you hear something different than what is written down, good. Trust your ears. Play what you hear.

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Click on thumbnail to enlarge.

Notation of Paddy Jones tunes

Written music is a sketch. Sound documents are the ultimate authority.
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To hear some Paddy Jones tunes.

Paddy Jones performed at the Fiddle Club of the World’s meeting on Friday, March 14 at the Leadway Bar & Gallery.

Filed under: Notation by Paul | May 5, 2008 | Comments (0)

Notation for Chirps Smith tunes

All tunes transcribed by Paul Tyler. Musical notation is only a guide to one way to play a tune. Use the written notes along with the recordings. If you hear something different than what is written down, good. Trust your ears. Play what you hear.

or
Click on thumbnail to enlarge.

Notation of Chirps Smith tunes

Written music is a sketch. Sound documents are the ultimate authority.
or

To hear some Chirps Smith tunes.

Also, more Chirps Smith tunes.

Chirps Smith performed at the Fiddle Club of the World’s meeting on Sunday, April 10 14 at the Leadway Bar & Gallery.

For now, the Old Town School is handling the club meetings as if they were workshops. Call 773.728.6000 to register. Cost is $12. Your name will then be entered on a list that allows entrance to the club meeting. Only those registered for the workshop will be considered members. Space is limited. Register early.

Filed under: Notation by Paul | May 5, 2008 | Comments (0)