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sugarinthegourd - Posted - 10/23/2015: 13:47:47
This week's tune is one of those that I'm surprised hasn't been posted previously. Not that it's an old classic that's been widely played for decades -- it's a tune that's become popular more recently, but has been so popular that if you haven't played it in a jam in the past few years, well, we must move in very different circles.
"Indian Corn" was, to the best of my knowledge, collected first from an Illinois fiddler named W.O. "Willie" Ault. It is apparently in the book "Dear Old Illinois" which I am not lucky enough to own (who wants to sell me a copy?!) and from that I believe that it may have been Garry Harrison, our modern day John James Audubon of fiddle tunes, who collected it from Mr. Ault.
"Indian Corn" became really widely played, to the best of my knowledge, after it was recorded ca. 2012 on the wonderful "I Got a Bulldog" CD from the band Bigfoot. I think I first heard "Indian Corn" at Clifftop about a year earlier. I was watching John Herrmann (trying to figure out how he did it) play with Rhys Jones and some other folks (this was before the Bigfoot CD came out and as far as I knew it was just a jam session, not a band that would go on to record such a fine album). They played this tune and I thought it was just great and said as much. Rhys explained that a lot of people in the Midwest had played that tune under a different name due to a transcription error on a cassette that Lynn "Chirps" Smith had -- he later recorded the tune under the other name. I couldn't remember this name but looking online I find the same story told by Chirps -- "Ol' Woodard's Tune" was the name -- so the tune we call "Indian Corn" was known to some as "Ol' Woodard's" and the title "Indian Corn" was assigned to a very different tune. To make matters more confusing, the Bigfoot CD closes with another Midwestern tune, "The Wedding of Nancy Ann," whose A part is virtually identical to "Indian Corn."
A number of videos, audio recordings, and tabs are online.
Here is the Bigfoot recording (audio with a montage of related photos).
Our own Don Borchelt has a banjo tab on his site as well as some nice recordings and fiddle transcriptions -- is the fiddler in the "Garry Harrison field recording" W.O. Ault? The tune is quite different in that recording!
Here are a banjo tab and a fiddle transcription from the "Tater Joes" site.
There are several nice fiddle recordings at various speeds here -- good learning tools!
The Canotes have a recording (with A and B parts reversed) on their site.
And here is a recording of Chirps Smith playing it (recorded as "Ol' Woodard's Tune" as mentioned above). And cdbaby.com/cd/folksongsofillinois2">another one (track 20).
Please post more versions or videos, including your take on this fun tune.
I am going to take a shot at transcribing John Herrmann's playing and comparing to the tabs linked above. If I think I have anything new to offer, I will post what I come up with here.
In closing, what more perfect tune and title for this time of year? Hope you all enjoy playing it!
John
Edited by - sugarinthegourd on 10/23/2015 13:48:50
JanetB - Posted - 10/24/2015: 10:07:17
A fine TOTW addition, John! This tune reaches out and grabs you, doesn't it. For a clawhammer arrangement I used the 1982 recording on Don Borchelt's link above (also found here: "Indian Corn" as played by Garry Harrison). Don included fiddle notation which helped me with tabbing and I'm grateful for his talent and generosity. I really like Rhys Jones' fiddling and would be interested to see a tab of John Herrmann's accompaniment. Here's another recording of Bigfoot at Clifftop in 2011.
Edited by - JanetB on 10/24/2015 10:11:24
 Indian Corn |  Indian Corn (CH) tab |
Don Borchelt - Posted - 10/24/2015: 18:09:51
A great pick for the TOTW, John. I really enjoyed the versions by Pat (banjukebox) and Janet. I first learned this tune from my Boston area fiddling friend Mike Roguska, some years back when we used to jam on Monday nights at the old Sandy's Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I've been trying to get Ed Britt to learn this for ages now! Maybe he'll read this. 
I've attached a video of my three finger version; I am playing my 1964 Ode Model 42, in open G tuning.
Edited by - Don Borchelt on 10/24/2015 18:11:38
 VIDEO: Indian Corn (click to view) |
vrteach - Posted - 10/27/2015: 10:36:54
quote:
Originally posted by cornfed
What a great tune! Chirps plays it significantly differently than the version in "Dear Old Illinois". It's still recognizable, though. We played it at a jam on Thursday ( Urbana, IL) the tune was called by vrteach from this Hangout. He'll probably be along later with his take on the tune.
To be honest, I have not yet played Indian Corn on the banjo, other than following fiddles in jams. But last Saturday (2 days after I called the tune in Urbana) I joined two fiddlers for a day playing at New Salem for their "Fall Festival." We were in the Rutledge Tavern from 10 to 4, with time out for ham & beans and raspberry pie cooked at the tavern hearth. Anyway, during that time I taught Indian Corn to the other two, and we did three fiddle versions at least 5 times during our stint. Ditto for Maggots in the Sheep's Hide!
Here is a picture of the Rutledge Tavern
jack_beuthin - Posted - 10/28/2015: 06:44:28
Indian Corn is popular in jams here in the Colorado Front Range. I have faked through it several times in jams, but the TOTW really motivated to learn this fine (and seasonally appropriate) tine. Simple on the surface, but full on intricacies when you really listen, especially to the several renditions posted here.
I tried something a little different. Rather than using standard G tuning, I gave the tune a go in gDADE ("Sandy River Belle tuning" in some circles). Indian Corn is not the ideal tune for gDADE because of all the notes below low D, but I thought it might be a fun challenge to at least attempt to work out something reasonable. What I came up with is maybe more of a banjo accompaniment than a stand alone banjo piece. My rendition is derived from listening to all the versions posted here--Bigfoot, Garry Harrison, Chirps Smith, JanetB, Pat (banjojukebox), and Don. Thanks all for your fine playing and inspiration! Hope I didn't mash it up too much.
Indian Corn |
sugarinthegourd - Posted - 11/01/2015: 10:20:31
A little late, but I am attaching 2 files here. One (the pdf) shows roughly how I play the tune on banjo.
The other (the mp3) shows how the version in Dear Old Illinois sounds -- this is a computer synthesis based on the sheet music. Not the most natural timbre but the notes should be right on.
Still hoping to get a video of my own up, and perhaps also an up-the-neck arrangement.
John
Indian Corn | Indian Corn |
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