Expanding the Repertoire

[Tim Twiss]

As I mentioned when I posted the tune "J.Mullen's Schottisch", it was from the back of the Buckley Book with no particular favor towards the banjo. It was likely from a score similar to what I am including here. This tune could just as well have been included in the Buckley Book. If anyone would care to join me, let's play this tune...as written ala "Briggs'" tuning. Perhaps there could be a more involved arangement, but it lays pretty good as is. It would be a similar study to "Mullen's"...just a different tune. Shorter form, so it is easier. The tune is called "Hattie Schottische". Nothing earth shaking...just a good tune.  

[Tim Twiss]

I put up "Hattie Schottische". I think of it as one of the hundreds that just did not make into a banjo book in the 19th Century. Things just came and went so fast I guess. I did not compromise anything in the music so far as notes go, but I pulled out various techniques to adapt it as best I could. I find myself thinking "oh yea, I did that kind of pull in Cane Brake, I bet it would fit here" or "there's a good spot alternate open and stopped strings, like in Old Joe" or "let's hold all these notes in one position". I don't tab very often, but if anybody wants one, I would be glad to do it and include my interpretation of fingerings.

[Tim Twiss]

Here is another one that "coulda been". I realized later it was by the same composer as "Hattie". His name is Jordan...I don't know anything about him. This tune "Isabella Doane Schottische" is another "perfect lay" on the fretless banjo. Once again, using the Briggs' Form with the thumb string as "D", it pulls right off the page, as did "Hattie".

[Ian Bell]

Howe's Complete Preceptor - This may be common knowledge already - I just discovered there's an easily downloadable pdf of Howe's Complete Preceptor For The Banjo - 1851 at The Internet Archive: http://www.archive.org/details/completeprecepto00howe
They have a pdf of his "Complete Preceptor For The Accordeon as well, (if you want to branch out into other stigmatized instruments) and as if this weren't enough, they also have mp3s of old radio shows, academic lectures and just about every concert the Grateful Dead ever played.

[Tim Twiss]

Thanks Ian. I had never actually seen this. (Howe's)

[Silas Tackitt]

I have been looking online for these Howe songbooks for quite a while. I had given up that they would ever be uploaded. I see they were uploaded this year. Also uploaded was his glee book which has the lyrics to match the music.

Mrs. Silas was saying over the weekend that it's time I start learning some new songs. She's going to be sorry she said that ...

[razyn]

We had a thread about it last year, and a photocopy was posted.

http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/1851-gumbo-chaff-tutor

Tim Twiss said:

Thanks Ian. I had never actually seen this. (Howe's)

[Tim Twiss]

You're right. I looked back and found I had indeed printed it out. For some reason it stuck in my mind that it was a Glee Book, and was something slightly different. Nope...right there it was.

razyn said:

We had a thread about it last year, and a photocopy was posted.

http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/1851-gumbo-chaff-tutor

Tim Twiss said:

Thanks Ian. I had never actually seen this. (Howe's)

[razyn]

There are several versions of Howe's Ethiopian Glee Book (vol. 3, vol.4, etc.), and the Boston Public Library provided more than one of them. They all seem to be 182 pages. I haven't checked my copy, but it's a big book -- if there are that many pages of new songs in every "edition" (and I don't know that), it would be an even greater resource for more (harmonized) tunes and words.

The thread last year that discussed these was headed "The Birth of the Banjo Tutor." I just mention it because this was a smaller group, a year ago.

Silas Tackitt said:

Also uploaded was his glee book which has the lyrics to match the music.

[Silas Tackitt]

I had forgotten that Gumbo Chaff and Howe were the same person. I had pulled down the Chaff tutor last year and drooled all over the copy I printed. After viewing Howe's Preceptor, it seemed a little too familiar...

On the archive.org cite I clicked on Howe's name to see if anything else had been scanned. The Ethiopian Glee book is great. Only a week ago there was a discussion on the authentic campaigner forum about Who Dat Knockin' on De Door and Stop Dat Knockin'. I had not seen the music and lyrics together for either song until seeing both songs in the Glee book. I hadn't seen music for De Skeeters Do Bite until finding them here. (I was tabbing it in court today while waiting for one of my cases to be called.)

The printed lyrics are not necessarily complete. A good example is Coal Black Rose where only the initial third is represented. Poor Sambo hasn't learned about Rose's unfaithfulness or the identity of the man. That's okay as the remaining lyrics are readily available elsewhere.

The Glee book is golden.

I also pulled down Howe's accordion and violin preceptors. I tabbed Auld Lang Syne from the accordion preceptor and it sounds great. It will be even better after I can play the song from memory and add some banjo embellishments where needed to the rather slow, but very popular song.

- Silas Tackitt