The Rest of Buckley 1860

[Tim Twiss]

Thanks for bearing with the flurry of tunes I have been posting. This is without a doubt, the greatest collection of tunes from this time, including from the traditional Stroke Style (some of the strongest tunes ever are in here) and venturing further into the fiddle repertoire, as well as fingerstyle. This is obviously the Minstrel Banjo stretching its wings. What surprises I find as I play them. There are about 14 instrumental tunes left. I am no longer just picking favorites, but just trying to play them as true to the spirit of the page as I can.

[Greg Adams]

Keep it up Tim! You are creating an important aural record for us all!

[Tim Twiss]

Here is a file for "Varsovienne" from Buckley 1860. If there are others you would like to see, let me know.

[Ian Bell]

Thanks Tim,

[Tim Twiss]

This one, New York Reel, sounded delightfully bizzarre on the playback, due to the pickup notes and syncopation that follows, so I thought I'd post the music so you can follow it. It sounds different when I follow the score and see the notes. I think this one needs rhythm to establish the groove. I just can't NOT hear the first notes as pickup notes without an effort.

[Ian Bell]

New York Reel - This tune is generally known these days as "Maid Behind the Bar", or somewhat less commonly as "Judy's Reel". It's still a real standard Irish session tune. "D" is it's usual fiddle key. It's in 1000 Fiddle Tunes under one of those titles.


Tim Twiss said:

This one, New York Reel, sounded delightfully bizzarre on the playback, due to the pickup notes and syncopation that follows, so I thought I'd post the music so you can follow it. It sounds different when I follow the score and see the notes. I think this one needs rhythm to establish the groove. I just can't NOT hear the first notes as pickup notes without an effort.

[Tim Twiss]

Wow, thanks Ian. You have a lot of good information and insight. I appreciated the short video of the dance...helps with tempo ideas. Here's one...in Buckley, page 67 "Dutchman's Corner Jig"...would you know source material for this one? I think M1 is a misprint...it would be good to reference it. Let me know what you think.

[razyn]

Tim Twiss said:

I appreciated the short video of the dance...helps with tempo ideas.

Whoa, flashback time. When I was about Junior High age (say, 1952-54) there was a youth minister at my dad's church who was a freak for folk dancing, and we did a lot of these things to a set of 12" 78 rpm records he had. We knew this one as "Put your Little Foot;" I don't recall its having been called "Varsovienne." On the cited YouTube clip, you can hear the slightly tentative caller, about 40 seconds in, saying "put your little foot." There's a lot of toe-pointing -- and in the A section, you change the leading foot every fourth measure. And, if bold enough, smile at your partner. I much prefer this video; you can see what's going on with their little feet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp-hDkNcLl4&NR=1

[Tim Twiss]

With the addition of my last posted tune, I am now just one tune away from finishing all the instrumental tunes from Buckley's New Banjo Method of 1860. I'll savor this last bite (Japanese Tommy's Reel) before posting this week. Eventually, I hope to organize them really well in the Clubhouse. (whew!)

[Ian Bell]

Japanese Tommy? And he had his own reel? Sounds more than promising, and worth waiting for.

[Ian Bell]

Japanese Tommy? And he had his own reel? Sounds more than promising, and worth waiting for.

[Greg Adams]

While we wait for Tim's masterful interpretation, perhaps you might consider my performance of this piece as a teaser foreshadowing Tim's completion of the Buckley milestone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEFMfbALDIU

[Tim Twiss]

Okay, well that's it folks-all the instrumental tunes from Buckley's New Banjo Method of 1860. Hardly masterful, but still fairly solid. They are all on YouTube, but not all here. I hope to put them all in the Clubhouse for easy browsing. Those tunes at the end are bitchin' hard. Personally, I would choose others from Ryan's Mammoth Collection to include in a concert, as there are LOTS of tunes in there that are a better fit for the banjo. It's good to experience these in Buckley's however. It gives us some sort of window into the capabilities of the 19th Century player. SOME of the banjo players must have played these. Perhaps the fiddle crossover was just totally mainstream. Every era has its magic...figured bass improvisers in the Baroque era, Bebop players of the 20th Century. Why not expect this skill level as commonplace? Maybe...maybe not.