Minstrel Banjo

For enthusiasts of early banjo

Anyone want to read through the Gumbo Chaff with me? It would be so awesome. Go straight  through it. Mark....do I hear a nibble of interest? We can do "as is" versions, then interpretations.

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One thing that I was noticing, and Tim's reference to the Glee Book reminded me of this, is that these seem to be mainly songs. The only one that seems to be a strictly a dance tune is the Jim Crow Polka. Now that's not to say that they couldn't have been played as instrumentals, but I think it does differentiate it from the later tutors that include jigs, jigs reels and hornpipes that would be used for social dancing.

And so I look it up and Jim Crow Polka is a song too.

Wes--Many years ago I played with a string band at a care home where many residents were in their 80's and 90's.  I was amazed to find that people were singing along to the tunes we were playing.  It seems that many of the old fiddle tunes had words.  An obvious example is "Arkansas Traveler."

OMG I can't stop laughing.  Who's cat is this? Is this your Tim or is this your cat Strumelia

Just an internet Kool Kat.    ;D

ah! ok...pretty funny!

What I am saying here is that most of these tunes were songs published just a few years before Howe put this book as Tim says the hot songs of the day. (see Below) The later tutors incorporate things like Fishers Hornpipe, Money Musk, the Grapevine Twist, the Camptown Hornpipe etc, which are more strictly instrumental pieces.

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mussm:@FIELD(SUBJ+@band...

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mussm:@FIELD(SUBJ+@band...

If there's a cat in question, I can guarantee it's not Tims.

Ha ha...good one Al.
 
Al Smitley said:

If there's a cat in question, I can guarantee it's not Tims.

Similar to how there was no "mountain dulcimer music" before the 1950-60s 'revival'.  People just played music they liked.  On instruments.

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