|
Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/271217
J-Walk - Posted - 09/27/2013: 08:54:30
This week, it's Stump-Tailed Dog. I first heard this tune on Chirps' excellent Midwestern Harvest CD (which seems difficult to find these days).
Jody Kruskal writes:
Stump-Tail Dog is a downstate Illinois tune collected by Garry Harrison in 1977 from the playing of Howard Sims, then 80 years old. Fiddler Lynn "Chirps" Smith was involved in the collecting project and in 1994 recorded the tune on his album Midwestern Harvest.
A recording of this tune by Howard Sims appears on the Dear Old Illinois CD 1, which is out of print. You can listen to this track here.
There might be some connection with a tune called "Stump Tailed Dolly" (or just "Dolly"), but I can't hear much of a resemblance.
It's a catchy little tune, and is pretty easy to learn.
If you're not used to learning tunes without tab, this might be a good one to get you started. It has all of the notes you play every day, but just in a different order and with different timing.
In the key of G, the chords go like this (it's played AABB):
A Part:
G/// G/// G/// D/ G/
G/// G/// C/ G/ D/ G/
B Part:
G/// G/// D/// D///
G/// G/// C/ G/ D/ G/
Other online recordings:
I've been playing this tune for about two years, but (to the best of my recollection) I've played it in a jam exactly one time. That was last week at Steve's place. Nobody had heard it before, but just about everyone got it after 1-3 times through.
Give it a try and post your recording or video. I turned on the recorder while I played it in Double G tuning on my low-tuned Jason Mogi fretted 13" banjo. Here's an excerpt that has the fewest mistakes. With this tuning, I play the low part high and the high part low.
And finally, here's a random stump-tailed dog:
 Stump-Tailed Dog |
LyleK - Posted - 09/29/2013: 15:39:19
It's a catchy little tune, and is pretty easy to learn.
We play this one pretty frequently in "Chambana" though somehow it has fallen off the radar of late. I really liked what I heard here, so yesterday at the Farmer's Market we cranked-up this pup again. I was on fiddle so when I got home I went to the banjo and tried both gEADE tuning and gDGBD. My choice to tab the tune in gEADE is regrettable because you lose the low D that is so characteristic of the first measure of the A part. So I'm attaching a *.pdf copy of a tab in standard G tuning. Also did a youtube video starting in gEADE tuning and then going to gDGBD.
 VIDEO: Stump-Tailed Dog (click to view) |  Stump-Tailed Dog Tab |
JanetB - Posted - 09/29/2013: 16:24:29
Oh, I like these versions! Thanks, J-walk for posting one from the Dear Old Illinois set of recordings. I had a dog with a docked tail named Prince Ginger when I was very young. My sister and I would race from the car after being gone on vacation to see who could get to the backyard first and watch Prince's happy tail wagging at our homecoming.
Stump Tail Dog |
SCclawman - Posted - 09/30/2013: 11:33:33
That's a really fun sounding tune! Great job by all on the recordings posted.
J-Walk, I'll be looking forward to your 14th TOTW in the near future. 
vrteach - Posted - 10/06/2013: 13:59:19
Better late than never (or after the topic gets archived). I had some time to give it a try today.
 VIDEO: Stump-tailed Dog (click to view) |
