ZD - Posted - 08/25/2017:  07:06:09

I'm a first time TOTW poster so please be gentle.  For this weeks tune I have chosen Sal's Got Mud Between Her Toes, by Kentucky fiddler Pat Kingery.  Its a three part tune in the key of D.  The only recording of Pat Kingery playing the tune seems to be a field recording made in 1976 by Bruce Greene.

That recording can be heard here dla.acaweb.org/cdm/singleitem/...937/rec/2

Sal's Got Mud Between Her Toes was a TOTW over on the Fiddle Hangout back in 2010.  There is a very entertaining and informative write up about the tune.  Rather than copy from someone else's homework I encourage you to take a look.

fiddlehangout.com/archive/14913

I first came across the tune through the version by the sringband The Gilded Bats.

youtube.com/watch?v=H0tO1FXQ1Cc

There are many fine videos of Sal's Got Mud Between Her Toes on Youtube.  Here are a couple of examples.

The Paine Trio playing at the rim of the Grand Canyon youtube.com/watch?v=MrUk8tpL7tQ

David Bragger and Susan Platz youtube.com/watch?v=qKQs9wmGB9U

Tab Links

LYLEK's Tab lylek.vrteach.org/lylek/Sal%27...rToes.pdf

Tater Joes taterjoes.com/banjo/SalsGotMud...rToes.pdf

Jan-Olov hangoutstorage.com/banjohangou...32014.pdf

I hope you all enjoy playing this tune as much as I do.

Sal's Got Mud Between Her Toes

 

jack_beuthin - Posted - 08/25/2017:  07:29:27

Great pick, and thanks for volunteering Zak! Nicely done.

Sal is quite popular in jams here in the Colorado Front range.  I think Paul Muhlrad (Wormpicker on BHO, Fiddlepicker on FHO) is pretty much responsible for introducing it into our jam circles.  In fact, we just played it in our local jam recently, and I think Paul called it.  As a banjo player, I have learned to just go with whatever version the lead fiddler plays. They are all good.  This is definitely one of those groove tunes that is hard to stop playing.

Here is Nick Hornbuckle playing in his 2-finger style: youtube.com/watch?v=4OSJJqp3LuM

I'll try to contribute my own recording in the next few days.

Edited by - jack_beuthin on 08/25/2017 07:30:24

Cyndy - Posted - 08/25/2017:  18:51:26

Nice choice. I love this tune. But, you know what? I don't think I've ever listened to the Kingery recording. I will remedy that soon! Thanks!

R.D. Lunceford - Posted - 08/25/2017:  20:06:36

Here's my favorite banjo version of the tune:

youtube.com/watch?v=sABckxrBk9k

Don Borchelt - Posted - 08/26/2017:  07:05:54

A great chjoice for TOTW, Zack, and very fine picking, a great tune well rendered.   I always love Nick Hornbuckle's picking, and especially love the little bluesy thing he has going on this one.  years ago, I remember hearing an old time two finger picker say, "I can do everything with two fingers that earl can  do with three."  In Nick's case, it's true.  I love the "banjozane" version posted by J.D., and i must admit, I do love a lot of brush with my clawhammer!



I've posted two versions of Sal's.  The first is a campsite recording from Clifftop 2010,with my good friend Don Couchie on fiddle.  Don also plays both clawhammer and bluegrass banjo, bluegrass guitar and mandolin, and now pedal steel, also.  The  second attachment is a video I made about a year and a half ago, after I had finally figured out an up the neck break.



- Don Borchelt

Sal's Got Mud Between Her Toes from Clifftop, 2010

VIDEO: Sal's Got Mud Between Her Toes
(click to view)

JanetB - Posted - 08/26/2017:  13:11:22

Great first post, Zak, and playing, too.  Please volunteer again!

Listening to the source recording and arranging it was mega-challenging.  Pat Kingerly started off with an extra measure for his pick-up notes and then proceeded to play every part differently from the one before it.  He did three A parts the first time through, and once he finished midway I couldn't really tell where he went.  It may take me a month to unravel this.  Even Bruce Greene remarked that what he eventually played years later was different from the original.  In Claire Millner and Walt Koken's book of notated American fiddle tunes (which all appear on the Slippery Hill website) they indicate Kingerly played two and three variations for several phrases.  (By the way, Sallie's Got Mud Between Her Toes is here on Slippery Hill:  slippery-hill.com/recording/sa...-her-toes)

It may be what Ken Perlman wrote about in June's Banjo Newsletter.  He said that some source fiddlers aren't always playing it straight, the way they may have once upon a time.  Notes and timing may get mixed up and Ken concluded it's okay to artistically re-arrange a source recording to suit our tastes.  In his words: "...effective interpretation requires latitude to temper one's faithfulness to the source with perspectives gleaned both from one's familiarity with a musical tradition, and from one's own sense of musicality."

Via some supportive help from the tabs and Nick Hornbuckle's video (which he says was influenced by David Bragger and Katie Davis Henderson) I came up with a version I can say comes from Pat Kingerly's playing, which is actually a nice fiddling style.  On my A part I play down low, then up an octave.  I wouldn't call this a festival version, but it's always interesting to study the source recording.

Amusingly, I found a version on youtube called "Sow's Got Mud Between Her Toes."  Maybe it's a better title?  youtube.com/watch?v=rwe37G79deo

Sal's Got Mud Between Her Toes (TOTW)

Sal's Got Mud Between Her Toes (CH) tab

ZD - Posted - 08/31/2017:  06:17:36

Great playing Don and Janet.  Here is a link from an older post that Don had made about Sal's Got Mud.  It is for a short biography made by Bruce Greene about Pat Kingery.  It sounds like Pat maybe was not in the best of health by the time Bruce made his field recording.

oldtimemusic.com/FHOFKingery.html

Zischkale - Posted - 09/01/2017:  05:54:40

You stole mine!!! Nah it's totally fair game of course, and you picked a great one. That Nate Paine video is fantastic (love that backup guitar), and it's the way I learned it - which is interesting as it's a slightly skewed version from the original. Its "B" part is the original's "A" part. I hear the Nate Paine one as:

"AABCC" - with the two "A" parts being halfved; and using those labels the original would be "BBCCAA".

Regardless it's a great tune, climbing up to that triumphant 2nd string "D" on the fiddle. Thanks for posting, I'm glad we've got this one added to the list! Keep posting!

jonp - Posted - 09/04/2017:  15:03:16

Great job Zak on one of my favorite fiddle tunes. Did you work up your version by ear or did you use one of the tabs you gave links to?