Yes, this is an odd one. You will be one of the few old-time banjo players who plays this tune. It is tough to play, and you definitely need a accompanist; I have written out the suggested chords in the banjo tab. My banjo tab is right here.
This tune was popularized by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra; they recorded it on their album Broadcasting from Home in 1984. The author, Simon Jeffes, wrote it after finding a harmonium in a dumpster in Kyoto. It was later recorded by by the Irish super-group Patrick Street in 1990 and has become a bit of a standard in Irish music. It has been featured in several movies: Malcolm (1986) and Napoleon Dynamite (2004).
As far as I know, I am one of the few old time banjo players who does this tune. The band I play with (current in deep hibernation), the Piney Creek Weasels, used to perform this often. Here is a video of our most recent performance, at the California Bluegrass Association Father's Day Festival in 2016. I am the one who (unintentionally) dressed like a clown. Our bass player, Rocky Rioux, supplies a very satisfying yodel which adds to the tune considerably.
Like I said, this is a tough one to play; most of us clawhammer banjo players are not used to playing in B flat while tuned to double-D tuning, but you do that here, and the fifth string is out of action for a while. That is why you need a guitar player. The last chord fingering is awkward: first string, LH 3rd, second string, LH 1st, third string, LH 4th. If you can figure out a better way to do that, go for it!
There is a cracked good version right here on Banjo Hangout by @John D (hoist up his sails, people) here: John D's recording.
Tom Hanway and others have posted multiple non-clawhammer versions under the name "Music for a Found Harmonium" as well: here is one of them: Tom Hanway Tab
Good luck. Let me know the reaction you get to this tune when you start trying to get them to play this at Clifftop. [evil grin emoji here]
Yes, this is a bit of an esoteric tune! I was a big fan when PCO originally recorded and released it, so I'm familiar with the tune. I used to send a bit of time working it out on guitar but I've never tried it on banjo. I'm curious if another tuning outside of double D might lay better under the fingers. It's a tremendously good exercise in tune structure and the interplay between the parts is particularly beautiful.
Andy--Andy--Andy--this is wonderful ! Would you believe that about 5 years ago -I had a guitar teacher teach me this tune on flatpick guitar & I spent about a year learning it & when I finally got where I could play it through at a moderate speed --I just gave up because I could find no one else who wanted to play it with me.
but hey--now we could play it together :0
But guess what! I'm coming to Belden to play at the Priceless Festival July 4th weekend & I see you are in Sacramento--please email me and lets get together. This is my first time in the area & its been over 10 years since I was in California . :) You probably thought I kicked the bucket--but no--got a brand new CD and tab book out--Carolina Banjo & its probably the best one yet! Can you believe its 20 years since Vintage Banjo 1999 now ?
Is Andy Rubin still around ? I want to see him too! Do you have contact info for him ? I will be camping there for 4 or 5 days--but I am not playing every day and could definitely slip off for picking in Sacramento. Who else is in the Sacramento area ?
ps. Cameron Freer is flying in from Boston to play with me at Priceless & I bet he would be glad to slip away to Sacramento with me to meet all of you and pick some tunes :)
Yes, Andy R and I play together every week! It would be fun to get together. Andy R can come too as long as it is not on a Friday sunset to Sat sunset...
I'm very happy to see this as a TOTW. Really enjoyed the Piney Wood Weasel version! Yodeling is great and also like the little dance move during the third part of the tune. MFNFH is by far my favorite tune to claw. Thanks for the comments on my take.
I should write a tune called "The Lead Balloon" to go with MFNFH and as a go-with for this lead balloon of a TOTW. (note that I posted this TOTW)...it is right up there with Kuppari Eeva, my finnish polka I posted a few years back.
When I saw this tune I figured it night have been Andy @ndlxs posting it. I remember it from the old Banjo-L days, where many of the hanger-outers there collaborated to submit their favortes for a compendium of banjo tunes. Andy's New Found Harmonium was on Disc 2 of the first Banjo Addiction effort. I'm attaching it below.
Here's a quick video I did. I took liberties with the B section so it felt better for me... It's certainly not verbatim melody, but it feels good to play it this way.
Your tab is ingenious, Andy. I actually understand what it's doing because you included chords. But it's a tough one to play. I'm giving it my best effort for less than a minute with one Ah-eee thrown in for good measure. It wore me out! When I first heard it on the Piney Creek Weasel's CD Off to California it was enticing to follow where the melody was going -- it's a quirky tune -- and when your group performs in the video it's a show stopper and much fun.
One other old time version I had forgotten about: Doo Doo Wah, who came from the Gold Country around Columbia. I never knew these guys, but the Piney Creek Weasels founder Rick Abrams did. (he knew everyone). I think we played at Bowers Mansion BG Festival with them once. One of the founders of this group passed on a number of years ago; I've always admired their clever songs. I don't know who the banjo player is.
You got it, JanetB! I like your vocal too. One thing I haven't tried...I bought a shruti box...an Indian harmonium with no keys and pre-set drones...that might work as an accompaniment. My footpedal broke though...
@Rudy: Fantastic! I love what you have done with this. New depths!
Thanks, Andy.
I went back and viewed a very early BBC performance from PCO and it seemed to me to be simpler than later versions.
PCO is ultra-cool with the harmonium and was how I heard the tune originally, although seeing Sharron Shannon do it live was also great.
I may have taken a different route with this had I been able to check out your tab. I don't have the ability to open the Tab Edit file. Perhaps someone could take a screenshot of the opened tab file and post it as a jpg image?
Your recording is excellent and DooDoo Wah's version is quite spirited! Interesting they re-titled it as "Yeow (Music For A Found Harmonium)".
Thank you, Janet! That's very helpful. I guess most people use TabEdit, but only in rare cases do I look at tab. This would be one of those rare cases, though!
My video was a bit rough around the edges... Why is it that I spend just enough time to play something smoothly and then it's not so fluid when the video recorder is turned on?
MFAFH is one of those tunes that is ripe for slight timing shifts in the tune structure and especially to work chords into the piece to flush it out a bit beyond concentrating on the melody.
This is cool! I’m playing around with replacing some of these pull offs with drop thumbs. I don’t know how far I’ll get though.
I just replaced the two pull-offs in the 7th measure and one in the 8th measure to make it easier for me.
I notice that the double D tuning is missing from the tab, though Andy states that above.
The title doesn't do the tune justice. Titles usually mean something, but this one just tells the story of finding an instrument in a dumpster. Perhaps there's a metaphor here...
Unless I'm overlooking it I don't think anyone posted the original done by Penguin Cafe Orchestra. The nice thing about Youtube clips is that by clicking the little settings icon (the "gear" to the left of Youtube at the lower right of the frame...) you can slow down the tempo without changing the pitch... a very useful feature indeed!
Haha Andy--no wonder I had so much trouble with this tune--Todd Hollowell has it on one of his recordings on line with a multitude of wonderful instruments--but I bought my copy from itunes & can't post it here--but here are two of my favorite guitarists playing it live :) Love your banjo verson--its playable and fun :)
What a great arrangement. Guitars capo'ed only because of the finger stretches, I guess.
Todd & Robin don't seem to have any trouble with finger stretches--but that may actually be a baritone guitar that Todd is playing & it puts tunes in some pretty funky keys. Also--I've seen quite a few duet guitarists lately where only one capoes and the other in an open key--so they can get more contrasting tones and different fingering ??
This is cool! I’m playing around with replacing some of these pull offs with drop thumbs. I don’t know how far I’ll get though.
I just replaced the two pull-offs in the 7th measure and one in the 8th measure to make it easier for me.
I notice that the double D tuning is missing from the tab, though Andy states that above.
The title doesn't do the tune justice. Titles usually mean something, but this one just tells the story of finding an instrument in a dumpster. Perhaps there's a metaphor here...
It may lose some of the original character since the piece in general is quite legato, but you can replace the 4th and 5th fret pull offs from the second string in the first few bars with strikes on the first string and drop-thumbs to the open second. You can keep a finger on that 4th fret of the 3rd string much of the time, too, so your left hand barely moves.
Andy--having a lot of fun with this one. I'm leaving your pull offs there because I like the way it gives it a more percussive jump right off the batt. Still training my fingers to go right to the easiest fingering on the up the neck parts. :)
Such a fun tune--thanks Andy--this tune just added about 5 years to the life span of every banjoist stretching and having fun with it. :)
And thanks to all the wonderful banjoists who just jumped in with their own versions & enthusiasm to be playing this tune on the banjo--maybe it will become a jam tune afterall. I think the founders of the TOTW originally hoped this thread would take this direction--a fun lab session for banjoists to share knowledge of new fun tunes and spread them & experiment--not just a tutorial of easy jam tunes for only the beginners :)
This definitely falls into a minimalist or tone row category. Not quite but almost. I still remember John Cage's romp at Carnegie Hall with his new bare musical bones ideas...I still need a melody. I'm old fashioned that way. NYU student are forced to learn this music period for a degree and it's like pulling teeth with some students I've taught there over the years....have fun with this little romp into the cosmos....Jack p.s. fun tab by the way....
