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Thread: Old time fiddle tunes.

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    Alaska, The Madness! 1stimestar's Avatar
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    Default Old time fiddle tunes.

    In order to stay within my new house budget, I cut my fiddle lessons back to twice a month instead of every week. In order to compensate for that, I joined a Sunday night jam session which I love. It is teaching me a whole other skill set that I was not learning in lessons anyways. Learning how to play by ear and how to play with other people is really important to me. So I would love to have a go to list of songs that I can explore when I am looking for new music to learn. Some of the ones we play at the jam is, Ripple, Tennessee Stud, Ashokan Farewell, Sweet Betsy From Pike, Wabash Cannonball, Aragon Mill, Fallen Leaves, Wagon Wheel, Last Thing on My Mind, etc. I don't know all of these yet but I am working on all of the ones I don't know yet. Have any suggestions on any other songs?
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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    OK 1TS being a resident of Nashville for 50 years I can help some.

    first of all, many of those songs are not "old time fiddle tunes", Wabash Canonball and Sweet Bessy from Pike are about all you have that were not written in the 1960-1990s. Sorry bout that.

    Check out a song called Shady Grove. Doc Watson did the best version of it I know of. The song dates back to the middle ages. It is on You-tube, along with almost everything he ever recorded. He specialized om playing fiddle tunes on the guitar.

    Old Joe Clark is a good one.

    Soldier's Joy is another ancient one.

    A good new one is The Lovers' Waltz by Jay Unger that did Ashokans' Farewell.

    You should also check out Muleskinner's Blues by Bill Monroe. It is an old time fiddle standard.

    Check out the Orange Blossom Special, done by Vassar Clemens?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f_QySKfsgI

    Black Mountain Rag is one of my favorites, Bonaparte's Retreat is also good.

    For a pattern, or just for enjoyment, I would recommend any old time music player buy the Circle Be Unbroken DVD that was done back in the 1970s by the Nitty Gritty Dirt band and almost every old time preformer still alive at that time. It is a 2 DVD set. I am sure it can now be downloaded. I am still stuck in the past on my recording technology. I still own a cassette player w/duplicator.

    I play mostly old Carter Family songs for my own enjoyment but I play guitar and only wish I could play fiddle. I love that instrument. Bad mandolin is as close as I can get to it.
    Last edited by kyratshooter; 02-22-2017 at 10:52 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1stimestar View Post
    Have any suggestions on any other songs?
    Ruben's Train (in Dm tuning)

    Uncle Pen

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    Senior Member WolfVanZandt's Avatar
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    I was very surprised when I found out how modern blue grass was!
    True enough, my final home is still out there, but this is most certainly my home range and I love it. I love every rock I fall off and tree I trip over. Even when I am close to dying from exhaustion, a beautiful sunset doesn't lose it's power to refresh and inspire me and that, in itself, is enough to save me sometimes.

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    Alaska, The Madness! 1stimestar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kyratshooter View Post
    OK 1TS being a resident of Nashville for 50 years I can help some.

    first of all, many of those songs are not "old time fiddle tunes", Wabash Canonball and Sweet Bessy from Pike are about all you have that were not written in the 1960-1990s. Sorry bout that.

    Check out a song called Shady Grove. Doc Watson did the best version of it I know of. The song dates back to the middle ages. It is on You-tube, along with almost everything he ever recorded. He specialized om playing fiddle tunes on the guitar.

    Old Joe Clark is a good one.

    Soldier's Joy is another ancient one.

    A good new one is The Lovers' Waltz by Jay Unger that did Ashokans' Farewell.

    You should also check out Muleskinner's Blues by Bill Monroe. It is an old time fiddle standard.

    Check out the Orange Blossom Special, done by Vassar Clemens?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f_QySKfsgI

    Black Mountain Rag is one of my favorites, Bonaparte's Retreat is also good.

    For a pattern, or just for enjoyment, I would recommend any old time music player buy the Circle Be Unbroken DVD that was done back in the 1970s by the Nitty Gritty Dirt band and almost every old time preformer still alive at that time. It is a 2 DVD set. I am sure it can now be downloaded. I am still stuck in the past on my recording technology. I still own a cassette player w/duplicator.

    I play mostly old Carter Family songs for my own enjoyment but I play guitar and only wish I could play fiddle. I love that instrument. Bad mandolin is as close as I can get to it.
    Yes I know most of those are not old time but they are the ones that I can remember lol I play Lover's Waltz, actually have a signed copy of the music. I'll have to look up Muleskinner's and Black Mountain Rag. Cool. Thanks. Oh yea, I also play Old Joe Clark and Wildwood Flower (June Carter Cash). They play Shady Grove and Soldier's Joy but I don't know them yet and had forgotten them until you mentioned them.
    Why do I live in Alaska? Because I can.

    Alaska, the Madness! Bloggity Stories of the North Country

    "Building Codes, Alaskans don't need no stinking Building Codes." Sourdough

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    Alaska, The Madness! 1stimestar's Avatar
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    Oh Bill Monroe also does Blue Moon of Kentucky which I love.
    Why do I live in Alaska? Because I can.

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    "Building Codes, Alaskans don't need no stinking Building Codes." Sourdough

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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    When you click on that link to Vassar Clemens take a close look at the fiddle he is playing.

    That is a real Stradivarius and it is insured for about $5 million!

    Bluegrass has become a high speed sport. I can not play fast enough to keep up with the tempo of that any more. When I was a kid, learning, they did not play as fast as they do today.

    That is one reason I enjoy playing the old Carter Family stuff. That and I grew up on that stuff. I went to school with June, Helen and Anita Carter's kids, Maybelle's grandkids. The Carter Family home was just down the street from us. Lester Flatt lived about 1/4 mile the other direction.

    When the other kids were playing the Beatles and Stones I was getting down and dirty on You Are My Flower and The Newsboy Jimmy Brown, making my grandma cry a little bit. She would make me toll house cookies for playing the old songs.

    Neither of those are fiddle songs but they are good old tunes. Come to think of it, I bet You Are My Flower would sound good on fiddle.
    Last edited by kyratshooter; 02-23-2017 at 04:10 AM.
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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    I don't know much about fiddle music other than I enjoy it sometimes. Here is a youtube search that you might like. https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...e+fiddle+music
    Can't Means Won't

    My Youtube Channel

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    Are you looking for tunes from more than one genre?

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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1stimestar View Post
    Yes I know most of those are not old time but they are the ones that I can remember lol I play Lover's Waltz, actually have a signed copy of the music. I'll have to look up Muleskinner's and Black Mountain Rag. Cool. Thanks. Oh yea, I also play Old Joe Clark and Wildwood Flower (June Carter Cash). They play Shady Grove and Soldier's Joy but I don't know them yet and had forgotten them until you mentioned them.
    I guess that is one difference between the guitar and fiddle. With the fiddle you have to learn some kind of melody line to join in a song. With guitar you can find what key the group is using and jump in on any 4 cord progression.

    I once ran into a bluegrass band that was winning contest after contest and they only knew three songs. The contests always consisted of two songs in the open competition and one song to be performed if you won. A group could win the championship and never learn more than 3-4 songs and play them over and over.
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

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    Senior Member WolfVanZandt's Avatar
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    I used to buck dance (if I tried now, I'd have a heart attack) and my favorite bucking song was "The Johnson Boys". One thing I miss about the South is Horsepens 40.
    True enough, my final home is still out there, but this is most certainly my home range and I love it. I love every rock I fall off and tree I trip over. Even when I am close to dying from exhaustion, a beautiful sunset doesn't lose it's power to refresh and inspire me and that, in itself, is enough to save me sometimes.

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    Alaska, The Madness! 1stimestar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tundrabadger View Post
    Are you looking for tunes from more than one genre?
    Mostly bluegrass. I mostly played Celtic music before this.
    Why do I live in Alaska? Because I can.

    Alaska, the Madness! Bloggity Stories of the North Country

    "Building Codes, Alaskans don't need no stinking Building Codes." Sourdough

    Yes, I have wifi in my outhouse!

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    Alaska, The Madness! 1stimestar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kyratshooter View Post
    I guess that is one difference between the guitar and fiddle. With the fiddle you have to learn some kind of melody line to join in a song. With guitar you can find what key the group is using and jump in on any 4 cord progression.

    I once ran into a bluegrass band that was winning contest after contest and they only knew three songs. The contests always consisted of two songs in the open competition and one song to be performed if you won. A group could win the championship and never learn more than 3-4 songs and play them over and over.
    Lol isn't that something. I can play probably two hours straight without looking at a piece of music but probably none of it is contest winning quality.
    Why do I live in Alaska? Because I can.

    Alaska, the Madness! Bloggity Stories of the North Country

    "Building Codes, Alaskans don't need no stinking Building Codes." Sourdough

    Yes, I have wifi in my outhouse!

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    Quote Originally Posted by 1stimestar View Post
    Mostly bluegrass. I mostly played Celtic music before this.

    OOH, do you know the King of the Fairies? I tried to learn that on my flute in high school but I could never nail it. Should have tried for the penny whistle, but I actually never learned to read music for the penny whistle, I just played by ear, and I didn't have a recording that i liked to work from.

    I should take that up again. I was actually pretty good.

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    Alaska, The Madness! 1stimestar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tundrabadger View Post
    OOH, do you know the King of the Fairies? I tried to learn that on my flute in high school but I could never nail it. Should have tried for the penny whistle, but I actually never learned to read music for the penny whistle, I just played by ear, and I didn't have a recording that i liked to work from.

    I should take that up again. I was actually pretty good.
    You SHOULD. i love the penny whislte. There is a girl that comes to the jam sometimes that plays really well. I had to look up King of Fairies. Now I have to learn that one to go along with the Fairies Hornpipe that I play.

    Why do I live in Alaska? Because I can.

    Alaska, the Madness! Bloggity Stories of the North Country

    "Building Codes, Alaskans don't need no stinking Building Codes." Sourdough

    Yes, I have wifi in my outhouse!

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    I was stuck in a hotel with a barbershop quartet competition. They were all over the place. Elevators, stairwells, lobby ...
    Lol. The other day I was stuck behind a car that had a barbershop quartet bumper sticker. Mmmm. Ain't right.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 1stimestar View Post
    You SHOULD. i love the penny whislte. There is a girl that comes to the jam sometimes that plays really well. I had to look up King of Fairies. Now I have to learn that one to go along with the Fairies Hornpipe that I play.
    Okay, now I have to start playing again, because I think I could make that work on the whistle....I'll have to ease myself back in to it and try in a few different keys, but that sounded doable.




    That'd be a cool one for a jam session, if you're ever in one with people who enjoy that sort of thing.

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