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BANJOJUDY - Posted - 03/28/2019: 16:44:19
It has been a long time since I have presented a Tune of the Week, so I hope I'm up for the task.
For the March 29, 2019, I have chosen “Peek-A-Boo” waltz, a lovely waltz easily playable on clawhammer banjo in double-D tuning.
Why I Chose This Tune:
In October, 2014, I was fortunate to play this waltz with Alan Jabbour in a concert. When we rehearsed, Alan commented that he was almost embarrassed by the speed on the version that appears on the Hollow Rock Stringband recording. He slowed the timing down, and we played what you will find online.
Here’s the link to the video (the waltz begins at the 5:12 mark.) . youtube.com/watch?v=GHi_BCKaJO0
I transcribed his commentary from that performance below:
Here’s a waltz called, “Peek-a-Boo Waltz.” I love this waltz. It’s a great American waltz. People know it all over the country. North, south, west. You know I was teaching in the Montana Fiddle Camp, and I was teaching this waltz in the cafeteria, and the lady in the cafeteria came out and was standing in the doorway, listening.
So, I went over afterwards, and I said, “Oh, do you know that tune?” And she said, “Yes, there’s words to it.” And, before the week was out, our little group that I taught the tune to was playing it in a concert at the end of the week, and the lady from the cafeteria, was coming and singing it for us. But, every time I play it in the audience, this hasn’t happened yet here, it’ll happen if there is someone from Sweden in the audience, will come up and say to me, “You know, that tune is a Swedish tune.”
“I know, I know!” But the fellow you, shall I say purloined it, was an American music master who composed American words to it. And the words were very interesting. He named it “Peek-a-Boo” waltz, and the words were very modern sounding. This was the 1870’s, but it was like in the voice of a father who was coming home after working all day and playing peek a boo with his little boy.
And so, it’s a very sweet song. And it’s, “Peek-a-boo, peek-a- boo, you rascal you, I see you hiding there.” You don’t want to hear me sing it.
And, it’s a great dance tune. It kind of has a lilt to it.
Lyrics:
The melody, with lyrics, was recorded by Uncle Dave Macon, and by fiddler J.C. Glasscock of Steppvile, Alabama, for Gennett Records in 1927, and I’ve written the lyrics from that recording below:
On a cold winter's eve when business is done
And to your home you return,
What a pleasure it is to have a bright, bouncing boy,
One that you love to admire
You'll hug him, you'll kiss him, you'll press him to your heart,
what joy to the bosom it will bring,
Then you'll place him on the carpet and hide behind the chair,
And to please him you'll commence to sing.
Chorus:
Oh, peek-a-boo, coochee coochee coo
Come from behind the chair,
Oh, peek-a-boo, you rascal you,
I see you hiding there.
Oh, peek-a-boo, coochee coochee coo
Come from behind the chair,
Oh, peek-a-boo, you rascal you,
I see you hiding there.
Verse 2:
When I am away from my home and at work,
He's at home with his mama's care so dear,
All the whole day long, you can hear his little song,
Echoing so calm and so clear,
His playthings on the floor, he's happy evermore,
What joy to his mama's heart he brings,
Then you'll find him on the carpet and watching at the door,
For me when I come home to sing
Chorus 2:
Oh, peek-a-boo, you rascal you
Come from behind the chair,
Oh, peek-a-boo, I see you,
I see you hiding there
Oh, peek-a-boo, coochee coochee coo
Come from behind the chair,
Oh, peek-a-boo, you rascal you,
I see you hiding there.
Banjo Tablature:
I don’t write tablature, but I uploaded a video of myself playing this with closeups of my hands so anyone who wants to learn by watching what I did can do so. Here’s that link:youtube.com/watch?v=Y81nGCdSo8w.
However, my good, very kind friend, Yigal Zal, was kind enough to tab out what I played in the video. You can locate the tablature here:banjohangout.org/tab/browse.as...p;v=23641
David Brooks tabbed this out. hangoutstorage.com/banjohangou...22011.pdf It is very similar to the Perlman version I located in a February, 2001 Banjo Newsletter.
There are tabs also in the May, 1986 and November, 1980 Banjo Newsletters, but I don’t know who wrote them or how easy or complex they might be. If anyone has access to those tab files, it would be interesting to learn who tabbed them and perhaps we could see what was written in those issues.
Additional Youtube Links:
Ward Allen on Fiddle - youtube.com/watch?v=TIp7MB5VIhY
Ned Landry on Fiddle - youtube.com/watch?v=u64HBc1ppkQ
JanetB - Posted - 03/30/2019: 09:50:08
A treat to have you once again present a TOTW, Judy. You were certainly blessed to record this with Alan Jabbour himself and your playing portrays the melody beautifully.
To add a little variety and challenge to myself I attempted to arrange an Art Galbraith fiddled version which is in my iTunes. He uses triplets in different places than Alan and did some syncopation I copy. I didn't repeat the A and B parts in this recording, though Art did.
Thanks also to Joel, Don, and Jan for adding to the rich history of Peek-a-Boo Waltz. From Alan's story about a Swedish tune I understand Jan's comment. I've heard the tune on my Hollow Rock String Band CD, but never would have suspected all that's behind the song.
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