Next Friday's tune.

[Carl Anderton]

How about "Temperance Reel," page 32, in Ryans.

[John Masciale]

You sure can pick 'em. My fingers are tied up in knots. I have to admire you and Tim, you learn these so quickly. I'm still at a stage where I have to work at them.

[Tim Twiss]

I hope that even just a few participate that it is entertaining an beneficial to everyone, as we try out new repertoire. We can certainly choose some tunes to try a few weeks out. This might get more folks to play by giving them additional time to work on it. The fun of all this is to try new material and compare interpretations. There is much to be learned from trying it yourself, and then observing others. I think it helps the historical perspective of how the early repertoire came into existence. The addition of fiddle tunes can go on into infinity. I would like to see us try more arranging, as we did with "The Raging Canal" and "The Banjo"; trying to choose tunes relevant to the era we are studying and then creating an arrangement that stylistically fits. We have enough models from Briggs and Rice to see how they extract the melody and fit it to the banjo in a way that utilizes the thumb string rhythmically within the structure of the song. All this challenges us to really thing about style, sound, and most importantly tempos. I suggest examing more of the early playbills for song choices.

John Masciale said:

You sure can pick 'em. My fingers are tied up in knots. I have to admire you and Tim, you learn these so quickly. I'm still at a stage where I have to work at them.

[John Masciale]

Outstanding both of you. Tim, that was a really breakneck speed. Carl, I really liked the flourishes you added.

[Tim Twiss]

John Masciale said:

Outstanding both of you. Tim, that was a really breakneck speed. Carl, I really liked the flourishes you added.

Thanks John. We had a different feel going there. I would change mine as a result of this.

Do you want to pick for next week?

[Carl Anderton]

Thanks, gentlemen, I dropped a few of the (banjoistically) inconventient notes which makes a little speed much easier. I used to play this tune in my bluegrass days. I was taught it by an awesome picker named Dave Keenan in Seattle some 20+ years ago. He played with a group called "Ranch Romance"...but I digress.

It's great having this weekly workout...John, what's the next tune going to be??

[John Masciale]

How about Haste to the Wedding (appropriate - it was one of Lincoln's favorites)?

[Tim Twiss]

What is it....and where?

[John Masciale]

It's a jig. Ryan's, page 83

[Carl Anderton]

Good choice, John.

John Masciale said:

It's a jig. Ryan's, page 83

[Carl Anderton]

John Masciale said:

How about Haste to the Wedding (appropriate - it was one of Lincoln's favorites)?

This tune is a great repertiore addition.

[Trapdoor2]

I guess I need to get a copy of "Ryans"! I can't keep up with y'all...as much as I'd like to.

[razyn]

"Haste to the Wedding" is often done by hammered dulcimer players, maybe also fiddlers, as a medley with "Off she goes." (Both have triplet figures, and they can be played at the same tempo, in the same key.) That's in the 1843 Elias Howe [later calling himself Gumbo Chaff] Accordeon Preceptor I mentioned a day or two ago. I'll try to post it, I think Tim had asked for a sample anyhow. This preceptor is for a diatonic button "accordeon" (and an early version that is not standard;i.e. it doesn't work like a modern harmonica, but with a bellows and buttons). Every tune in it is in C, although if you had the same type accordeon in any other pitch, the same fingerings and bellows movement would work. Players of other instruments, e.g. banjo, need to ignore the button numbers (below the note), and the P or D (above the note) that tells whether to press or draw the bellows.

I usually have a problem uploading photos -- I think my Safari browser doesn't like to interface with Microsoft products, or something -- anyway, if the music for "Off she goes" doesn't magically appear here, pretty soon, I can email a .jpg of it to somebody else who can upload it.

Dick Hulan