From the Flog [Fiddle student blog], here are links to all the tunes he taught in workshops and to classes during his residency at the Old Town School in September 2009.
Weeks 1 & 2
Weeks 3 & 4

From the Fiddle Club blog, here are the tunes he gave us in 2009.
Arto Järvelä tunes

The story thus far. Long ago in a galaxy far away I started playing the fiddle and calling square dances, because I thought that was the most fun a group of people could have.

Al Smitley & Paul Tyler re-enacting frontier life in 1836 Conner Prairie Pioneer Settlement Noblesville, Indiana – 1981 (click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

Way back then, I had the glimmer of notion that the American square dance was just one type of set dance among many. Even then I knew the fiddle was the universal instrument. But over the next thirty years, I concentrated on playing for and calling American square dances, in part, because they were easy for folks to learn, and required only a walking step. No aspiring dancer had to learn to do anything special with his or her feet.

But in the meantime, in merry old England, a set dance revival was growing that attracted thousands of people young and old, and several dozen high energy dance bands to a scene called Barn Dancing. In the last ten years it’s also become known as Ceilidh dancing, borrowing a term for similar explosion of old time dancing in Scotland. The dances are for sets of 4 to 6 couples, or for lines for “as many as will,” or for circles made up of couples or groups of 3. The dances are all easy to learn and great fun to do.

And part of what makes English Ceilidhs such big fun, is that the dancers use a few special steps that bring them to a closer connection with the music. These steps are the setting step (for reels), the rant step, and the polka. We’re going to try them out at the next meeting.

Here’s some tunes. My current favorite reel is Beatrice Hill’s 3-Hand Reel. Click the title for a slow version I posted on the Old Town School’s Flog, and click this link for the notes. If you want to get inspired, listen to this live version from the Old Swan Band, the top-of-the-heap band for English ceilidh.

Another great, and easy, English reel that has been played in Old Town fiddle classes is Albert Farmer’s Bonfire Tune. And for the right feel for an English reel, take a look at this video of the Old Swan Band playing “Speed the Plough”. For the last figure each time through, the dancers do a simple polka step (and-a|1 & 2 and-a|1 & 2).

Another step from the old-time polka (also known as a schottische), is the step-hop, step
-hop (1 & 2 &|1 & 2 &). At an English Ceilidh, reels and polkas dance alike, as seen in this video of the Old Swan Band playing a couple of well-known polkas learned from Walter Bulwar of East Anglia.

Check back in a day or two for part 2 of this post. I’ll provide some sounds and video for the reel setting step and the rant step.

Paul Tyler, convener

And here’s some cool stuff I found that I wanted to share.

First off, is my snapshot of a photograph from the 1920s taken by Frank Hohenberger, a native of Indianapolis who opened a photo studio in Nashville, the county seat of bucolic Brown County, Indiana. Hohenberger is famous for his portraits of the people, homesteads and landscapes of Brown County. This photo, title “The Old Fiddler” may have been taken in Indiana, or perhaps on one of Hohenberger’s trips to Kentucky. The identity of the fiddler is unknown.

(click to enlarge)

This print is in a display of Hohenberger portraits hanging on the walls of the Indiana Memorial Union at Indiana University in Bloomington. I used to see it nearly every day as I cut through the Union on my way to the library. Several books of Hohenberger’s photos have been published by Indiana University Press. Most notable is the book compiled by my friend Dillon Bustin, a dance caller and banjoist now living in Massachusetts, with the great title If You Don’t Out Die Me.

And from a neighboring continent, the haunting sounds of a three string fiddle–rabeca de tres cordas–played by the makerLeonildo Pereira from the southern coast of Brazil.

Here are some photos of Sr. Pereira and his instrument.

(click to enlarge)

For more information and a fabulous map, check out rabeca.org.

And come back in a few days for some fun English tunes to learn.

Paul Tyler, convener

The fiddler is Osiris Caballero who visited Fiddle 4 Twin Fiddle last week. His group, Los Utrera performed at World Music Wednesday the next night. Thanks to Yahvi Pichardo for arranging this visit. Yahvi and Maria McCullough assist in this rendition of La Cielito Lindo.

Another version in the Son Huasteca style can be found on the CD Folk Songs of Illinois #2: Fiddlers, played by Chicago’s own Sones de Mexico. Full disclosure: I co-produced this CD.

Paul Tyler, convener

La Guignolee played by Charlie Pasha (or Pashia) in 1976 for the landmark LP of field recordings, “I’m Old But I’m Awfully Tough: Traditional Music of the Ozark Region.”

(A 1950s recording of the full Prairie du Rocher singers can be found on Folksongs of Illinois #1.)

(click to enlarge)

Another fine fiddler from Old Mines was Joe Politte. The following are a couple of his unnamed breakdowns recorded 30 years ago. The first one, in D, has been frequently taught at Old Town School fiddle classes under the title “Bass in the Hollow.”

Joe Politte (click to enlarge)	Dennis Stroughmatt (click to enlarge)
D breakdown played by Joe Politte C breakdown played by Joe Politte	Jury Baker played by Dennis Stroughmatt

Dennis Stroughmatt will be the featured guest at the next Fiddle Club of the World meeting on Sunday, March 28. A younger downstate fiddler and singer, Dennis learned directly from such traditional masters from Old Mines as Charlie Pashia and Roy Boyer. He leads two bands that cover a variety of French-American styles–L’Esprit Créole and Creole Stomp–but will appear as a soloist at the Fiddle Club of the World. That meeting is scheduled for 6:30p on March 28 at the Leadway Bar & Gallery (5233 N. Damen). Click here to register.

Paul Tyler, convener

Check out this tune he made up while sitting on our couch.

Kostner Avenue Waltz

This Saturday, he’ll be doing 2 workshops and a concert at Little Prairie Farm (aka Dot & Chirps place) near Kettle Moraine State Park in Wisconsin. Here’s the information on a flier

Don’t forget his appearance at the Fiddle Club of the World on Friday, Sept. 25 and the workshop on new Finnish folk fiddling on Saturday, Sept. 26, his last day here.

Here are some more artistic selections for you to enjoy.

A tune on nyckelharpa (aka keyed-fiddle) or Hellstrand 1990 (composed by Arto Järvelä) or and one on fiddle or Jarvelan Antin polska or

Arto Järvelä with nyckelharpa (click to enlarge)

It’s coming up next weekend: July 11 & 12. Here’s the basic info and a full schedule. What follows are some of the highlights of special interest to fiddlers and friends. There’s a lot of stuff here. I’m sure you’ll find something that moves you . . .

First up, on Thursday July 9, is a preview of Folk & Roots in Giddings Plaza in Lincoln Square. For the past 6 years this has been the invitational round of the Midwest Fiddle Championship, with the finals scheduled for the Festival’s main stage. This year the preview will feature music from the dance tent: polkas, waltzes and square dancing. Everyone is invited to dance. All the dances are easy.  There will be instruction for the square dances. Music starts at 7 pm. The last waltz is at 9:30.

Dr. Hojka’s Medicine Show (click to enlarge)

Fantastic Toe Trippers Orchestra (click to enlarge)

Don’t miss this! Two special workshops are scheduled for 7 pm Friday evening, July 10 with Dan and Rayna Gellert. Dan was a guest at a Fiddle Club of the World meeting last March. He’ll be doing a workshop on old-time banjo (clawhammer). The workshop is titled “Drum on a Stick.” Register for it here.
Here’s Dan playing “Lonesome John” on a low-strung, gut-string banjo.

Or you could do “Old-Time Fiddle with Rayna” (she’s Dan’s daughter). Register here.
Here’s Rayna playing “Winder Slide,” a favorite with the Old Time Ensemble classes a few years back. You’ll want to get all the tunes on her wonderful first CD, The Ways of the World”

Saturday (July 11) is the big day. It all starts with the 7th annualMidwest Fiddle Championship at 12:55 on the main stage. This year’s contest, presented by the Fiddle Club of the World (Chicago Chapter), is an invitational for five bands. Each band will be led by one or more fiddlers, and each band must also bring along one or more dancers. The bands will compete for $1,200 in prize money.

The full list of competing fiddlers is on the home page of the Folk & Roots website.

Los Pichardos with Juan Rivera (click to enlarge)

The Hatfield Sisters (click to enlarge)

There’s more. Here are the fiddle-istic highlights for the Main Stage and Dance Tent. (Click on the blue link for more info.)

Main Stage
Saturday, July 11th
• 2:45 Dan & Rayna Gellert [old-time banjo and fiddle]
• 4:00 Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole [Cajun]
• 5:25 Caleb Klauder Country Band [with fiddler Sammy Lind from Foghorn]

Dance Tent
Saturday, July 11th
• 6:30p | Square Dance! Open Band
Sunday, July 12th
• 1:00p | Waltz Across Chicago!

For the Square Dance!, Walter Hoijka will lead a mass open band, with Paul Tyler and Lynn Garren sharing the calling. Some special guests will join the open band.

Waltz Across Chicago will feature instruction for the waltz, polka, and hora. Music will be provide by three bands: The Fantastic Toe Trippers Orchestra, an American/Mexican/Baltic polka band, The Alte Schteibeles (The Old Schoolers), the School’s Klezmer Ensemble led by Jon Spiegel and Stu Rosenberg; and Simbolo Norteño, a neighborhood conjunto. Have a listen to a couple of the bands in rehearsal:
The Toe Trippers the Venezuelan classic “Sombra en Los Medanos”

Simbolo Norteño plays a polka.

There’s still more! More fiddles and fiddle-friendly music can be heard on the Staff Stage and in the open jam sessions in the Welles Park Gazebo. Highlights include, but are not limited to, the following . . .

Staff Stage
Saturday, July 11th
• 4:00 WAZO County Warblers (Paul Tyler)
Sunday, July 12th
• 2:30 Lanialoha
• 3:00 Light, Sweet & Crude (Bau Graves)
• 3:30 Rosenpalooza (Steve Rosen)
• 4:30 The Barehand Jug Band (Jonas Friddle)

Welles Park Gazebo
Saturday, July 11th
• 12:00 Old Time Jam with Dan & Rayna Gellert
• 4:00 Fandango with Raul Fernandez – Nuestra Música
Sunday, July 12th
• 12:00 Family String Jam with Maria McCullough
• 1:00 Woody Guthrie Folk Jam with Mark Dvorak
• 2:00 Bluegrass Jam with Colby Maddox

Wow! What a fiddle-packed weekend to look forward to. Plus there’s lots of other great music as well. Don’t forget to check out the Nuestra Música stage and the Kids Tent

Let us know what you what you liked the most. Any surprises? Any tunes you heard you want to learn? See you there.

Paul Tyler, Convener
Fiddle Club of the World, Chicago Chapter

Or maybe you’d like to hear Geoff Seitz play the fiddle. Here’s a couple of tracks from his 1995 CD, The Good Old Days Are Here.

Louisiana Hornpipe

Learned from the great French fiddler, Joe Politte, of Old Mines, Missouri. The Louisiana of the title refers to a town in the Show Me State.

Chicago Fiddlin’

A tune made up by Geoff and named after his music buddies from the Windy City, especially Chirps Smith, who was featured at a Fiddle Club meeting April 2008.

It would be a good thing if Geoff could come to Chicago someday and be a featured guest artist at a meeting of the Fiddle Club of the World. I’ll work on it.

Paul Tyler, convener

Lotus Dickey, Paul Tyler, John Bealle, Teri Klassen
(click to enlarge)

Lotus’ tunes are always good to play. Here’s a couple.

or
White River Bottoms

Missouri Waltz

Back Side of Albany

Besides Lotus, the only Sugar Hill Serenader heard on these recordings is your humble correspondent, who is trying to follow on guitar on the first two. On the third piece, Lotus is accompanied by Linda Handelsman and Dillon Buston at the 1981 Indiana Fiddlers Gathering in Battle Ground. This trio appeared on an earlier post to this blog with a rendition of Oyster River Hornpipe.

If you want to know more about Lotus, check out the Lotus Dickey Music website maintained by Grey Larson. Lotus was a very fine fiddler. But he also made his mark as a songwriter. I remember him mostly as a sage elder, a keen eye on the world, and a good friend.

Enjoy.

Paul Tyler, convener

The 2008 Gathering boasted a stellar lineup of fiddlers, banjoists and other old-time musicianers. Because I canoed the Root River from Lanesboro to Whalan with my kids and our friend, bowmaker Lee Guthrie, I missed a highlight of this years gathering. Fortunately, Lynn Garren had a recorder going for the fiddle showcase on Saturday afternoon. It featured six of the finest exponents of traditional American fiddling from my generation and the next. Tom Sauber, Brad Leftwich and Alice Gerrard (of Tom, Brad & Alice), Mac Traynham, Chirps Smith and Stephanie Coleman. All have respectfully studied with elder (more or less) masters, and all have found their own comfortable places within the deep streams of tradition.

Tom, Brad & Alice (six tunes)

Mac, Chirps & Stephanie (six more tunes to be posted soon)

Lynn generously shared sound files of the showcase with the Fiddle Club (read Lynn’s take), recorded on a Zoom H2 from the audience in the rustic Sons of Norway Lodge on May 17, 2008.

All the tunes posted here are used with the gracious permission of the artists. Please download responsibly.

The artists have CDs and other product available. Follow the links on the tune pages for more information.

Paul Tyler, convener