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EggerRidgeBoy - Posted - 12/08/2017: 17:29:19
Today's (quick) Tune of the Week is Whistlebee, which comes to us from Alabama old-time fiddler D. Dix Hollis.
DANIEL DIX HOLLIS (1861-1927)
Hollis was born into a prosperous family of West Alabama planters on the cusp of the Civil War. He chose to study medicine and as an adult became a physician and "Pillar of the Community" in the town of Sulligent, in the northwest corner of the state. It is said that he was taught to play the fiddle at age ten by Ben Guyton, a black musician who had been an enslaved worker on the Hollis plantation before the war. He went on to learn many tunes from older fiddlers in the region, and even studied classical violin briefly while at medical school in Baltimore in 1884.
In 1924, at age 63, Hollis recorded twelve sides for Paramount in New York City, eight of which survive (four were released, and an additional four test pressings were preserved by the Hollis family). He was one of the first Alabama musicians - and indeed one of the first fiddlers - to record professionally. All eight Paramount tracks can be heard on Document's "Alabama String Bands 1924-1937".
AUDIO & TAB
Hollis' original recording can be heard here: youtube.com/watch?v=B6WSR4_AthQ
John Fabke has his version on Fiddlehangout: fiddlehangout.com/song/2024
Ken Torke's tablature is on his TaterJoe's website: taterjoes.com/banjo/Whistlebee.pdf
I chose the tune in part simply because "Whistlebee" is a fun word; I have yet to discover what (if anything) it means.
Edited by - EggerRidgeBoy on 12/08/2017 17:37:28
Beardog - Posted - 12/09/2017: 16:29:18
This is a tough one to decipher for me, because the original 1920's recording is so difficult for me to hear clearly. It's a cool little tune, though! At 55 years old, with noise induced hearing loss, almost all that I can hear is static!
I am trying to learn from this version, which is fairly close, although it isn't exactly like Dr. Hollis' version:
Edited by - Beardog on 12/09/2017 16:37:32
JanetB - Posted - 12/09/2017: 19:56:13
Another interesting post by Bret. Thanks for the history and samples. Thanks also, Sam, for finding a modern recording. When I listened to a slowed-down version by Dr. Hollis the arrangement has differences from the other versions here. It's oddly crooked as well. He recorded it in C#, so it may have been a D tune.
It will be interesting to listen carefully to the other versions here and compare them, but for now here is an offering in double C tuning for TOTW.
Beardog - Posted - 12/10/2017: 07:27:56
Nice, Janet! Great job!
Kernel - Posted - 12/10/2017: 13:51:07
When Mark wanted to play this tune I was a little hesitant. It's a bit corny. If your fiddler won't stop what can you do? They get a little fussy if you don't pretend they are in charge and it ends up that it's a lot of fun to play.
We listened to Mr. Hollis' version but both my tab and Mark's fiddle transcription are based on the fine Flying Jenny CD and so we play it out of G.
Here's my banjo tab (as linked above) and a transcription for your fiddle friends.
taterjoes.com/banjo/Whistlebee.pdf
taterjoes.com/fiddle/Whistlebee.pdf
Kernel - Posted - 12/10/2017: 15:33:52
BTW, the Dr. D. D. Hollis recording I got from Document Records is also in G. It’s just about a half step flat.
Tamarack - Posted - 12/12/2017: 21:23:58
Another fine tune I had never heard of. Upbeat but with a touch of melancholy.
Beardog - Posted - 12/16/2017: 13:47:02
I worked this tune out on the fiddle before picking it out on the banjo. Here is my first try at an arrangement, warts and all.
Kernel - Posted - 12/28/2017: 17:36:29
I just noticed that I had erroneously labeled my tab as being in the key of D and gave the D tuning. It's in G and the fingerings were correct for G. Sorry about any confusion that may have caused anybody.
The correctly labeled tab is here...
taterjoes.com/banjo/Whistlebee.pdf
janolov - Posted - 12/29/2017: 02:48:37
quote:
Originally posted by Kernel
I just noticed that I had erroneously labeled my tab as being in the key of D and gave the D tuning. It's in G and the fingerings were correct for G. Sorry about any confusion that may have caused anybody.
The correctly labeled tab is here...
taterjoes.com/banjo/Whistlebee.pdf
It is only in the headline it is wrong. I just looked in the tablature where it is right: G tuning without capo, and on the fiddle transcriptions and on my ears. I never bothered about reading the headlines.
And, by the way, your tabs are a real treasure!
Kernel - Posted - 12/29/2017: 08:57:41
Thanks Jan.
I uploaded a modified file yesterday. My browser kept downloading a cached (wrong) version. I had to empty my browser cache in order to get it to download the new file. It took me a bit to figure that out.
If you're trying to download the updated file and still getting the old one with the D heading and tuning try deleting your cache and trying again. Or, you can shoot me a message and I'll send it to you. Or, just print it out and cross it out with a pencil, the old fashioned way.
