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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 240
Size: 1,220kb, uploaded 4/8/2017 7:46:03 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
For the old-time Tune of the Week from WV Burl Hammonds' banjo. The tuning is "Little Birdie" tuning, f#DABE, so I combined the two similar tunes.
5 commentsPosted by JanetB, written by Chris Coole
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- Play count: 1274
Size: 1,255kb, uploaded 12/7/2012 5:32:55 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
For the TOTW, Dec. 7, 2012
3 commentsPosted by JanetB
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- Play count: 218
Size: 1,161kb, uploaded 5/21/2017 2:17:34 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
For the old-time Tune of the Week, 5/17/18, here's a couple of lyrics to go with Skillet Good and Greasy. The banjo solo comes from the 60's recording on the Electra Old Time Banjo Project with Bob Siggins on banjo.
2 commentsPosted by JanetB, written by Byss-Kalle
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- Play count: 271
Size: 2,154kb, uploaded 5/29/2016 7:17:29 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
For the old-time Tune of the Week, 5/27/16, this dance tune comes from Sweden in the early 1800's. The composer was well-known for playing the nyckelharpa, which slightly resembles a violin, but is more complex in structure. (Check out the TOTW to learn more.) The structure of the tune itself is foreign to my ears, but sounds typical of other European tunes I've heard. They're not "square," as so many of our fiddle tunes, thought the AABB parts are repeated in a similar way. The tune is fun to play and fits in well with clawhammer, thanks to the arrangement that helped me learn it by Jan-Olov Sundqvist, a Swedish BHO member who posted this week for TOTW.
3 commentsPosted by JanetB
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- Play count: 1169
Size: 1,268kb, uploaded 6/30/2013 6:11:28 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
For the Tune of the Week, 6/28/13. Recorded by Burnett and Rutherford in 1930, it's also known as L & N Rag. Played on my Mac Traynham Whyte Laydie in open G tuning.
6 commentsPosted by JanetB, written by Kit and Janet Burton
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- Play count: 182
Size: 1,976kb, uploaded 7/2/2011 11:24:27 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
We heard the old bell ring in the historic Smartsville Church on Christmas Eve and wrote this song another day.
1 commentPosted by JanetB
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- Play count: 707
Size: 1,303kb, uploaded 8/13/2016 9:22:26 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Here's an arrangement for the old-time Tune of the Week, 8-12-16, based on John Herrmann, Dirk Powell and Tom Sauber. I like learning the repertoire from Snake Chapman and remember BHO member Jim Reed of Pike County, KY reminiscing about him. Snake and Paul David Smith visited the Reed household often when Jim was very young and encouraged him in his music until Snake passed away. This is a tune that Snake probably heard and learned without knowing its actual name. See the TOTW and learn a lot more!
5 commentsPosted by JanetB, written by Peter Lippincott
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- Play count: 1195
Size: 1,291kb, uploaded 8/25/2012 7:55:34 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Played on a fretless gourd banjo, this song reminds me of Lewis and Clark, whose expedition Kit and I are learning more about. The Corp of Discovery canoed up the Snake River till it joined with the Columbia River, where they finally came out on the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to Dan Levenson in his Buzzard Banjo book for tabbing this.
2 commentsPosted by JanetB, written by Percy Wenrich & Jack Mahoney
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- Play count: 601
Size: 2,310kb, uploaded 12/10/2016 9:22:01 AM
Genre: Other / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
For the old-time Tune of the Week, 12/9/16, Snow Deer was a popular song written in 1913 by the same composer of Moonlight Bay, and inspired by the success of Redwing in 1907. The Stanley Brothers did an instrumental of it in 1963 and Bob Wills' band performed it, amongst many others. I added a Native American bridge to it to go along with the lyric's theme of a cowboy and Indian maiden's romance. Played on a Gold Tone cello banjo and learned from Ken Torke's tab. See the current TOTW for more info. I'll be surprised if people have heard of this song before -- I hadn't.
1 commentPosted by JanetB
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- Play count: 192
Size: 1,256kb, uploaded 9/22/2012 5:15:10 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Based on the playing of Missouri fiddler Earl Collins. He moved to Southern California and I got to meet and jam with him at my guitar teacher's house in the 70's.
1 commentPosted by JanetB, written by Kirk McGee
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- Play count: 450
Size: 997kb, uploaded 10/16/2011 7:48:30 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
First recorded in Sam and Kirk McGee's home by Mike Seeger in the early 60's and by Bob Flesher in 1992. It's written that the McGee brothers played it in the Grand Old Opry in the 30's and Kirk is generally given credit for writing it.
Add CommentPosted by JanetB
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- Play count: 65
Size: 3,910kb, uploaded 6/8/2024 3:44:16 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
From the fiddling of Alabama fiddler James Bryan in 1983, he learned from Mack Blalock, a Georgia fiddler, and the tune is older yet. I tuned to an open C tuning, something only done occasionally, so it changed the fingering from the better-known ways.
Add CommentPosted by JanetB
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- Play count: 154
Size: 1,172kb, uploaded 10/2/2012 6:12:50 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
For Don Borchelt's joy-a-thon.
3 commentsWritten/Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 897
Size: 1,675kb, uploaded 8/5/2013 9:43:58 AM
Genre: Unknown/None Chosen / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
I wrote this song, calling it Journey's End, but then realized it was a perfect song for a friend who had passed on, Leon Uris. The rhythm is a mystery to me, but Leon had this unique rhythm and he was always an audience favorite.
2 commentsPosted by JanetB
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- Play count: 242
Size: 1,765kb, uploaded 8/4/2011 8:14:34 AM
Genre: Traditional / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Five songs: Buffalo Gals, Froggie Went A-Courting, Groundhog, The Fox, Alvin & the Chipmunks Christmas
2 commentsPosted by JanetB
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- Play count: 145
Size: 1,289kb, uploaded 5/1/2023 9:37:44 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
It's always a good challenge to learn from a Clark Kessinger recording. The tune reminds me of Soldier's Joy and The Year of Jubilo.
2 commentsPosted by JanetB
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- Play count: 279
Size: 957kb, uploaded 5/21/2016 12:20:55 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
This Tune of the Week, 5/19/20, is from the fiddling of West Virginian's Scott Prouty via Harvey Sampson's earlier recording with the Big Possum String Band. My playing's probably not too sour and it's actually a rather pretty tune if played slowly. It has a tense driving rhythm which I think comes from its syncopation.
Add CommentPosted by JanetB, written by Bill Monroe
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- Play count: 322
Size: 807kb, uploaded 7/5/2011 8:16:23 AM
Genre: Bluegrass / Playing Style: Bluegrass (Scruggs)
Bill Monroe said he wrote tunes out of the air because he heard them first! He was an incredible composer. I've come to appreciate the South more lately and this tune brings it to my mind.
4 commentsPosted by JanetB
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- Play count: 1411
Size: 1,998kb, uploaded 1/1/2013 2:59:56 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
A title with a good wish for the new year, also known as God Speed the Plough.
10 commentsPosted by JanetB, written by Kenny Baker
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- Play count: 123
Size: 1,436kb, uploaded 4/8/2017 9:31:23 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Favorite fiddler of mine from Kentucky (and of course Bill Monroe's best fiddling Blue Grass Boy ever), Kenny Baker, wrote this tune but stated that the title was just a title and didn't have meaning. The CD cover of Kenny's fiddling, however, called Spider Bit the Baby, sure showed a scary painting! A shout-out to Don Huber for introducing me to the song and to Linda Gunderson who -- quite coincidentally -- loaned me that very CD at the same time. It's the first tune I've learned from it and continue to joyfully pursue Kenny Baker's many musical offerings.
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