TOTW 07/26/2024 - Morning Flower - Discussion Forums

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Playing the Banjo
Playing Advice: Clawhammer and Old-Time Styles
ARCHIVED TOPIC: TOTW 07/26/2024 - Morning Flower

Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/398571

Mtngoat - Posted - 07/26/2024: 03:01:17

TOTW 07/26/2024 - Morning Flower

I’ve chosen Morning Flower from West Virginia fiddler Wilson Douglas (1922-1999) for this installment of TOTW. Douglas attributed the tune to Ed Haley, a revered fiddler from the tri-state area of Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio. Here is a link to a Douglas biography wherein he describes his early fiddle career: tunearch.org/wiki/Biography:Wilson_Douglas

The tune has a minor internet presence and the normally very thorough Traditional Tune Archive notes only that “Morning Flower AKA Flower of the Morning is an American, Reel (cut time). USA; W.Va./Ky. A Major.”

A recording of Douglas can be found here: slippery-hill.com/content/morning-flower

Here’s Haley’s version: youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&...O4hPuSEmA

Here’s a duet with Brendon Doyle on banjo: fiddlehangout.com/myhangout/me...;archived

Here’s a version with Stephen Rapp on banjo. Scroll down the web page for a biography of Haley: youtube.com/watch?v=WiWxDzns3KI

Here’s Janet Burton’s version: banjohangout.org/myhangout/med...ived=true

And here’s her tab: hangoutstorage.com/banjohangou...72015.pdf

Josh Turknett has a banjo solo and tab here: youtube.com/watch?v=7Ubtj_vy7xw

A transcription in standard notation can be found here: tunearch.org/wiki/Morning_Flower

I learned the tune at a recent West Virginia Fiddle Tunes workshop where I was surrounded by 25 fiddlers. It was scary at first but I stayed calm and didn’t make any sudden movements. The troop eventually became habituated to my presence and resumed their normal activities and I was able to add a couple of new tunes to my notebook.

Readers are encouraged to post observations, opinions, performances, and tabs contributing to this thread.

trapdoor2 - Posted - 07/26/2024: 11:00:55

Douglas' A part sounds very familiar...like one of the "Ur" trad fiddle melodies one hears.

Cool tune, nice and easy on the banjo.

JanetB - Posted - 07/31/2024: 22:53:49

Thanks for including my arrangement, Mangoat. The links you gave of several familiar players are particularly nice and anything learned from Wilson Douglas is valuable.

I remember looking for Ed Haley tunes and this one caught my ear. There's an Ed Haley series of downloadable recordings on my laptop. The quality of the recordings and tempo of his fiddling sometimes make it hard to discern the melody well. Flowers in the Morning is one of the better recordings. Ed Haley played it fast, as was his usual style. I slowed it down, as is mine, and aimed to enjoy the flavor of the melody, as well as study Haley's intricate fiddling. The 10 year-old tab is the result of an Adam Hurt lesson encouraging me to listen and arrange Ed Haley tunes

Edited by - JanetB on 07/31/2024 22:54:46