Mtngoat - Posted - 01/09/2026:  03:47:52

 TOTW 01/09/2026 Growling Old Man and Cackling Old Woman

I’ve chosen Growling Old Man and Cackling Old Woman for this installment of TOTW. 

The liner notes for 'Thrufters & Throughstones: The Music of Vermont's First 400 years’ published by The Vermont Folklife Center says “ Growling Old Man and Cackling Old Woman is a traditional tune heard in many fiddling traditions from Ireland and Scotland to Cape Breton, Quebec, and Vermont. It is a popular tune for dances, fiddle contests and music sessions with a long history dating back to at least the 19th century.”

The Traditional Tune Archive says “ the tune belongs to a sub-genre of Quebec 'raised bass' fiddle tunes characterized by contrasting low and high strains, often meant to represent a couple having an argument.  The first half of the tune (played on the fiddle in the low register) sounds the man’s part and the second half (played in the high register) is the lady’s response.”

The Fiddler’s Companion says the tune was popularized by Québec fiddler Don Messer through his radio and TV broadcasts and 1950 recording.   Messer's version was taken up by "revival" fiddlers in the early 1970's, became a staple of New England contra dance bands, and has since become widely disseminated. "   I first heard the tune performed by the Reel World String band in the late 70’s.

The tune has a healthy internet presence and I’ve linked some favorites below.

Here’s a Traditional Québécois example:  youtube.com/watch?v=yZdPzcVQpls

Here’s a Vermont version:  slippery-hill.com/content/grow...-old-lady

Here’s fiddle with guitar accompaniment:  youtube.com/watch?v=gq-J9dhNb08

Here’s a nice trio: youtube.com/watch?v=yq-6-SWai0I

Here’s a bluegrass band: youtube.com/watch?v=tPHZSs1G4qU

And here’s an Old Time Band:  youtu.be/UM2Z-pSMDmQ?si=PwhqWrlgQ_eAKllh.

Here’s a solo clawhammer version:  youtube.com/watch?v=MKrv2pEFzss

I have attached a clawhammer tab below of what that I play for dances and I also uploaded it to the BHO Tab Library here:  hangoutstorage.com/banjohangou...12026.pdf

Those of you who prefer dots will find multiple transcriptions here:   thesession.org/tunes/1006

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

Growling Old Man and Cackling Old Woman

 

Andyrhydycreuau - Posted - 01/09/2026:  05:46:46

Nice tune @mtngoat!
We had a session on Canada Day last year and played as many Canadian or Québecois tunes as we could.
There was free Canadian Whisky as well, which means we probably didn't play our best but thought we were excellent.

Growling Old Man and the Grumbling Old Woman was included.
I learned it by playing along with Liz Faiella on YouTube. Her fiddling is great to play along with.

I remember thinking the A part is easier to play in Sawmill tuning, but the B part is easier in gDGBD. And as the A part is somewhat repetitive and B part is somewhat all over the place and more difficult to play, I went with gDGBD.

The Quebecois name is apparently La Chicaneuse which translates as something like "the quibbler".

Here's my short form clawhammer version:
youtube.com/shorts/BELMl0yCxQQ...wt24S_wH0

And here is a tenor banjo version:

youtu.be/KiY8gjjF7vE?si=NBsg3ih9cb6-a7xd

And here is the Liz Faiella version I learned from:

youtu.be/yZdPzcVQpls?si=KetWek6L3vhfFfRd

I did a tab last year and it's in the hangout storage here, but attached as well.

Growling and Grumbling

 

Mtngoat - Posted - 01/10/2026:  03:50:25

Andrew,

Thanks for the video and tab. You nailed it.

The low A part does seem to remain relatively stable across most versions while the high B part varies widely in melody and complexity. It is interesting to note how each performer treats the tune.

JanetB - Posted - 01/10/2026:  11:25:12

A familiar tune I've been avoiding learning until now, so thanks, Mtngoat.  Your tab looks well-suited for dances, keeping strong rhythm with melody, but not overly complex to slow you down.  With my solo banjo I end up with much of the fiddle's melody (and it's always a challenge to play).  I raised the first string to an E to make fingering easier on the B part and tuned the fifth string up to A to let it harmonize with the A minor chordal sound prominent in the A part and the end of the B part.

It's interesting, Andy and I used the same source, but played out of different chordal positions for A minor, so his version uses a capo and mine doesn't. I once had a valuable lesson with the great bluegrass player Craig Smith and he taught me an exercise to play the three main chord positions for the same chord up and down the neck.  That's how I figured out Andy's choice of fingering.

Growling Old Man and Grumbling Old Woman

Growling Old Man and Grumbling Old Woman (CH) tab

Bill Rogers - Posted - 01/10/2026:  14:39:23

Edden Hammons called it “Jake’s Got the Bellyache.” This is one of several so-named on YouTube  

youtube.com/watch?v=QQxcIrFwlU...t_radio=1

Mtngoat - Posted - 01/10/2026:  22:32:27

Janet,  Thanks for the recording and tab.  I utilize standard A modal tuning because it allows for easier transitions in a dance setting and I don't have to relearn noting patterns for tunes I already know.

Bill,



I wonder where Mr. Hammons picked up the tune. I suspect his source pre-dates the 1950 Don Messer recording referenced by the Fiddler's Companion. It is an interesting conundrum. Thanks for contributing.

Edited by - Mtngoat on 01/10/2026 22:47:13

snoot - Posted - 01/14/2026:  08:49:27

I took a stab at this one. I was taught it by my fiddle teacher as Growling Old Man and Grumbling Old Woman, and hadn't thought to learn it on banjo.



I've been moving away from clawhammer to try and find my own three-finger style, so I arranged it based on a fiddle recording from my teacher. Different again from the previous ones - similar to Janet's I suppose as it's has a lot of the melody.



On fiddle the first part is easy, the second less so. Found it the opposite on banjo. I couldn't decide on a satisfactory way to play the second phrase of the first part, so there's three variations, though listening back they don't sound that different!



The recording is a bit scrappy, arranged it at weekend and recorded it Monday, but hopefully good enough to hear another approach!



Never tried to upload music to the site before, so I added it in my media: banjohangout.org/myhangout/mus...id=103904

The growling old-man and grumbling old woman