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.)

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.

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

Leadway Bar and Gallery 5233 N. Damen, Chicago

or
And

DOUBLE NEWS FLASH!!! We’ll begin with a special showing of or

or

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

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

or
Click on thumbnail to enlarge.

or
Click on thumbnail to enlarge.

Click here for tips and troubleshooting on how to get at these .mp3s.

Note on the recordings: Following customary practice, the tunes are played on two fiddles tuned a full step lower (F-C-G-D). One fiddle plays the melody, and the second fiddle plays chords with some harmony and counterpoint. The slow versions are played on a single fiddle in standard tuning (G-D-A-E), to make it easier to learn the tunes without having to retune. For the jam session with the Whedbees, we’ll all tune down a step.

Choupique Two-step
A tune recorded by Nathan Abshire, played in the style of the Balfa Brothers.
slow version of Choupique Two-step

Kathleens Waltz
From Dennis McGee (1893-1989), who recorded in the 1920s and ’30s with Sady Courville and Ernest Fruge on second fiddle, and with Creole accordionist, Amédé Ardoin. He recorded again in the 1970s with Sady Courville.
slow version of Kathleens Waltz

Lake Charles Two-step
A tune by this name was recorded by Creole musicians Bois Sec Ardoin, an accordionist, and fiddler Canray Fontenot. Will & Holly’s version, learned from the Balfa Brothers, is also known as “Texas Two-Step.”
slow version of the Lake Charles Two-step

All tunes recorded by P. Tyler at Whedbee home in Chicago on April 21, 2008

Will & Holly Whedbee are the featured guests for the Fiddle Club of the World’s meeting on Saturday, May 10 at the Leadway Bar & Gallery.

Click here for tips and troubleshooting on how to get at these .mp3s.

Ten Cents
From Jim Reed of Benton, Illinois.
slow version of Ten Cents

Bob Walter’s Hornpipe
From Bob Walter (1889-1960), who played on the radio in Shenandoah, Iowa and for many dances on the Central Plains.
slow version of Bob Walter’s Hornpipe

Leonard Finseth’s Polka in G
A Norwegian-American fiddler from Mondovi, Wisconsin.
slow version of the Polka in G

All tunes recorded by P. Tyler at Chirps’ new country home in LaGrange, Wisconsin on March 30, 2008

Go to Paul Tyler’s transcriptions of these Chirps Smiths tunes.

To hear the first batch of Chirps Smith tunes.

Chirps Smith is the featured guest for the Fiddle Club of the World’s meeting on Sunday, April 20 at the Leadway Bar & Gallery.

Click here for tips and troubleshooting on how to get at these .mp3s.

Stella’s Jig
From Stella Elam (1902-83) of Brownstown, Illinois.
slow version of Stella’s Jig

Rocky Road to Jordan
From Casey Jones (1910-87), who played on the radio in Shenandoah, Iowa.
slow version of Rocky Road to Jordan

Mississippi Palisades
An original by Lynn “Chirps” Smith.
slow version of Mississippi Palisades
From Chirps’s home recordings. Watch this space for more.

Go to Paul Tyler’s transcriptions of these Chirps Smiths tunes.

To hear more Chirps Smith tunes.

Chirps Smith will be performing at the Fiddle Club of the World’s meeting on Sunday, April 20 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. ]]> http://oldtownschool.org/connect/fiddleclub/2008/04/11/some-tunes-from-chirps-smith/feed/ http://oldtownschool.org/connect/fiddleclub/2008/03/17/report-on-paddy-jones-visit-to-the-fiddle-club/ http://oldtownschool.org/connect/fiddleclub/2008/03/17/report-on-paddy-jones-visit-to-the-fiddle-club/#comments Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:55:51 +0000 Paul http://oldtownschool.org/connect/fiddleclub/2008/03/17/report-on-paddy-jones-visit-to-the-fiddle-club/ The Leadway Bar & Gallery was full of fiddlers last Friday night, for the first meeting of the Fiddle Club of the World. About 30 musicians showed up. Most had a fiddle and a bow. I counted one guitar and one banjo. And a handful of folks showed up just to listen.

I got there right at 7:30, and several Fiddle Club members pitched in right away to help set up our small p.a. and arrange the Leadway’s long, narrow party room for listening and playing. (Some eating was going on as well. The Leadway has a kitchen, and Frank, the owner–he’s also a fine sculptor–had set out several trays of veggies and dip for us.)

The music started about 8 pm, as we all played a few tunes together. Since the Fiddle Club members come from various musical walks of life, I thought it valuable to talk about what people expect from a session. Old-time players jump on a tune and ride it till it finds its groove and finishes the course. You might play one tune through a dozen times. At Irish sessions, a tune is usually played two or three times through, and strung together with several others in a medley. Someone or most everyone knows what tune comes next. Bluegrass sessions start by establishing a rotation of lead breaks, and pass the tune around from one player to the next. The Fiddle Club of the World has no established set of rules, but seeks to allow players to stretch boundaries and extend horizons to experience more of what fiddling can do for the world.

Paddy Jones, a truly delightful man and musician, got started about 8:30. He was artfully accompanied by Jesse Langen, who arrived just in time after a gig with the proprietor of Chief O’Neill’s pub. Paddy’s playing was strong, sensitive and rhythmic. He enthralled the room.

(I was very pleased with the acoustics and atmosphere of the Leadway. Paddy could be easily and clearly heard. We used just a bit of p.a. reinforcement, but it may not have been necessary. The front bar room filled up as Paddy played, but the noise from that side never caused a problem. It’s a good room. It would work better if we could move the tables out of the way.)

After close to an hour of concertizing, Paddy was ready for a break. He said he was used to having a singer step up with an occasional song, so he could rest his bow arm for a few moments. We’ll keep that in mind for future meetings.

Then it was time for everyone to play a session with Paddy and each other. A few young players could hardly wait to play through the tunes we’ve had posted on this website. Paddy asked if anybody had any questions. There was a suggestion that he demonstrate how to ornament. Paddy put on his teacher’s hat and led everybody through a demonstration of grace notes, bowing rhythms, and the essentials of playing for dancers. (We’ll post some samples of his “lessons” in a few days.)

Everybody got to play. We went through the tunes posted ahead of Paddy’s visit–the Kerry Polkas, the Kerry Slides, and the unnamed reel that is, in fact, The Galtee Rangers. Jessica Zeigler and her students from Old Town School Irish fiddle classes led us through some standard Irish session tunes. We ended sometime after 11 pm.

Thanks to all who attended, participated, and helped. A special thanks to Tim Joyce and Colby Maddox from the Old Town School, and to Frank and the Leadway Bar & Gallery,

See you April 20.

Paul Tyler, Convener

At the Leadway Bar and Gallery 5233 N. Damen, Chicago

or
Please note a slight change in the schedule for the evening.

In the interests of Paddy’s accompanist being able to show up on time, we’ll start about 8ish. And we will begin with a bit of a session, to try to find some common ground between the enthusiasts for Irish trad and the old-time crowd.

Paddy’s concert set will start at about 8:30. Around 9:30 we’ll have a big session and play the tunes that are posted here for you to learn.

And then we’ll have some more tunes.

Also note. Space is limited.
We have room for only twenty members. As I write this, there are just two slots still available. If you want to bring a guest, you’ll have to sign them up for the Club. Hurry. It’s first come, first served.

I might have to look for a bigger space for the next meeting.

Paul Tyler, Convener