Congo Jig

Comment by Rob MacKillop on March 10, 2009 at 5:06pm

The inconsistencies in notation are quite interesting, such as beat two of the first bar (f# a e a) being in one 'voice' - in contrast to the same notes in bar 5. Either just bad , sloppy printing, or he was trying to indicate something to do with articulation. Likewise the grace notes on Bar 1 beat 1 and Bar 3 beat one. I imagine these are just the result of sloppy writing, but trying to notate a semi-improvised tradition is never straight forward.
Rob

Comment by Trapdoor2 on March 11, 2009 at 10:21am

I think the multiple voicing is indeed a point of articulation. I can't recall exactly...but I remember discussing something about notes with flags both up and down being a fingering indicator or something like that. It is mentioned in at least one of the early tutors...somewhere.

Some of the grace notes in this stuff seem completely crazy on the banjo (well, at least to me). I think they were fiddle players trying to drive banjoists looney.

Comment