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Stephen Rapp - Posted - 07/16/2020: 21:55:18
This unique version of Apple Blossom comes from the playing of fiddler John Lusk along with Murphy Gibble on banjo and Albert York on guitar. The recording can be found in the album Altamont_Black Stringband Music published by the Library of Congress. There are many other tunes which share this title, mostly from either Texas or Kentucky.
On banjo I often tend to sound a low D note in the A part of the tune if there is no guitar or bass playing. That is optional and not part of the melody. I’ve included that in the tablature on Banjo Hangout. Also worth noting is the syncopation in the first several bars, I’ve tried to notate that as best I can in the tablature, though it might not be perfect. Also, I’m actually just tuned in Double C for my recording. You can capo to D if you choose. I think the actual Lusk recording was a bit lower as well.
On a previous video I played this with my fiddler friend Paul Kirk Jr. of Cleveland and it is included in his Tune of the Week Series on YouTube. Here is a link to that:
Apple Blossom with Paul Kirk Jr.
Here is a link to the source recording on Slippery Hill:
slippery-hill.com/recording/apple-blossom
Bill Rogers - Posted - 07/16/2020: 22:20:16
Great choice and fine rendition!
Hay-on-Wye - Posted - 07/17/2020: 00:11:49
Good old foot tapping tune.
Stephen Rapp - Posted - 07/17/2020: 01:53:38
I mistakenly posted the duo version with Paul twice and lost the link to the solo video I uploaded. This one was not as good in quality and quickly put together, but gives a clearer idea of how I play it.
ndlxs - Posted - 07/17/2020: 08:52:29
I tried working out the three finger version Mr. Gribble (right guy?) some years ago, I haven't tried actually playing it for a while. Here is my tab, perhaps I'll try doing this on video later today.
atleson - Posted - 07/17/2020: 13:19:53
good tune, Steve. Thanks for posting.
RG - Posted - 07/17/2020: 17:30:28
GREAT tune and well done Stephen!
Stephen Rapp - Posted - 07/17/2020: 17:34:49
Thanks for all the kind words everybody. I was hesitant to post this and did it at the last moment feeling my playing and recording were not as good as I'd like. I usually prefer to play behind a fiddles so have only a small handful of banjo only videos on my own YouTube channel. Hoping to do better with that in the coming year. Either way, I think it's a fantastic tune to learn and play.
Hay-on-Wye - Posted - 07/18/2020: 00:27:49
Hey Stephen you did a great job of the tune. Us mortals play the banjo for pleasure and if it makes you happy that’s what it’s about. I know I’m not as skilful as the many hundreds of members on here and I defiantly can’t sing with the banjo but that dosnt stop me. I do hope one day I’ll get better but if not, I’ll carry on annoying the neighbours in the garden.
Edited by - Hay-on-Wye on 07/18/2020 00:28:16
JanetB - Posted - 07/18/2020: 21:55:22
You and Paul Kirk come up with unique tunes, Stephen, and I'm grateful. Anything on Slippery Hill, especially from the Milliner and Koken book is worthwhile to study.
I can imagine the caller of a square dance calling steps while the 3-man string band (John, his half-brother and his brother-in-law) played this rhythmic tune. John Lusk's grandfather, a slave sent to New Orleans to learn fiddle, must have been especially trained for dancing and entertainment. It would be interesting to know more about these musicians' lives and how much John may have learned from his grandfather.
I hope the tab doesn't confuse you with its da capo al coda and da capo al fine symbols. My tab has symbols put in by the TablEdit software (when I entered the "reading list") to indicate that the last measure goes back to the beginning and on to the next symbol. You then skip the first ending and finish on the second ending with that same symbol. It's one of those tunes that doesn't end on the B part.
Hay-on-Wye - Posted - 07/19/2020: 20:14:43
Ahh that Sweet mellow cello banjo was made for this tune. I could listen to that all day!
JanetB - Posted - 07/20/2020: 15:10:18
quote:
Originally posted by Hay-on-Wye
Ahh that Sweet mellow cello banjo was made for this tune. I could listen to that all day!
That's a 12" short-neck banjo, regular tuning, Neill! My small size fooled you.
I simplified the B part to make it easier to memorize. It still goes back to the A part to end. John Lusk's recording faded out rather than ended, so I don't what the band did, but the B part ended both times in the recording with a phrase that led back to the A part. At the end of the A part, first time through, I tie the very last note with the first note of the repeated measure 1.
Stephen Rapp - Posted - 07/20/2020: 15:27:11
Thanks for the kind words Janet.
I'm always puzzled about beginnings and endings with repeats in Tabledit. I used a Coda thing originally which seemed kind weird. I was also getting thin doubled bar measures at the end of the 7th measure. So I cheated. I grabbed the original PDF and dropped it into Adobe Illustrator which created outlines from the original music font. Then I cut some bits and and added numbers and lines showing the sequence.
quote:
Originally posted by JanetB
You and Paul Kirk come up with unique tunes, Stephen, and I'm grateful. Anything on Slippery Hill, especially from the Milliner and Koken book is worthwhile to study.
I can imagine the caller of a square dance calling steps while the 3-man string band (John, his half-brother and his brother-in-law) played this rhythmic tune. John Lusk's grandfather, a slave sent to New Orleans to learn fiddle, must have been especially trained for dancing and entertainment. It would be interesting to know more about these musicians' lives and how much John may have learned from his grandfather.
I hope the tab doesn't confuse you with its da capo al coda and da capo al fine symbols. My tab has symbols put in by the TablEdit software (when I entered the "reading list") to indicate that the last measure goes back to the beginning and on to the next symbol. You then skip the first ending and finish on the second ending with that same symbol. It's one of those tunes that doesn't end on the B part.
ndlxs - Posted - 07/20/2020: 16:26:18
I finally went back to the source recording of Gribble, Lusk and York, and did my best to reproduce what I heard. According to old, old emails I have somewhere from Stu Jamieson (who was there in 1946), Gribble played in a 3 finger style, with all forward rolls. At one point, I had worked out Altamont, mostly; he insisted it was all forward rolls, until he tried to play it himself, and he back off of that statement. This was perhaps 20 years ago; he is long gone, bless his soul.
However, if you listen carefully to the recording, it is not possible to play this tune with all forward rolls, you have to adapt it somewhat to make the notes he plays.
I have updated my tab of this here: there is no fingering on it, but when you see a 1-2-1-2-3-1-2-3 roll, play it bluegrass style: T-I-T-I-M-T-I-M.
banjohangout.org/tab/browse.as...p;v=24456
About the tuning: he used two tunings, regular open G, and his "high" tuning, gCGCD. However, on the recording, it is pitched at D flat; on their tune Altamont, he is clearly in the same tuning but tuned way down to A.
You can hear him talking about his tunings here:
gribbleluskandyork.org/
Here is me playing it. Sorry about the sound, and I can not play it at his speed at this point.
youtu.be/bAAHNgFUFNU
Edited by - ndlxs on 07/20/2020 16:28:26
Stephen Rapp - Posted - 07/20/2020: 16:45:39
Thanks for the Lusk, Murphy, and Gibble link. That is fabulous.
Stephen Rapp - Posted - 07/20/2020: 16:49:23
Gribble, Lusk, and York. I should read more careful before hitting the Post button. ;)
JanetB - Posted - 07/21/2020: 17:05:27
I admire Andy’s accomplishment in figuring out what the banjo player was doing. That’s harder for me than arranging the fiddler’s playing. And thanks for the valuable links, Andy!!
Here is my recording from the second tab I’d posted above.
Edited by - JanetB on 07/21/2020 17:15:19
WVDreamin - Posted - 07/23/2020: 04:15:51
quote:
Originally posted by JanetB
I admire Andy’s accomplishment in figuring out what the banjo player was doing. That’s harder for me than arranging the fiddler’s playing. And thanks for the valuable links, Andy!!
Here is my recording from the second tab I’d posted above.
Where are you recording with all that moisture in the air flying around?
JanetB - Posted - 07/23/2020: 06:11:20
quote:
Originally posted by WVDreamin
quote:
Originally posted by JanetB
Here is my recording from the second tab I’d posted above.
Where are you recording with all that moisture in the air flying around?
That moisture is my husband's version of a swamp cooler, Billy. When the misters cool the back porch enough in the afternoon/evening we open the sliding doors and turn on the whole house fan. It's nice to record by the misters because it's the coolest spot around. If I have a fan going during recording it picks up unwanted noise.
My understanding of the eastern part of the US is that it's very humid -- not great for hide heads. We're very dry in the California foothills, and using the misters is comfortable, not overly moist unless you stay right under them. My husband learned the trick from storefronts, who sometimes have misters at their entries.
WVDreamin - Posted - 07/23/2020: 08:03:09
Looks positively lovely. We get a good amount of humidity here in Iowa too, but that style of cooler are still used, especially in an outdoor setting, like a porch or indoor/outdoor store front.
