Jan Sundqvist once again has thoroughly researched a song, this one from the early 1900's. It reaches back to one song -- a murder ballad -- and transformed to become a popular song describing a presidential assassination. The melody is familiar in a Carter Family lost love song learned from a Black songster, Leslie Riddle.  Jan provides a clawhammer tab and you can listen to several classic recordings of familiar musicians. This is our TOTW, 3/15/24, White House Blues.

When Andy Taylor posts from across the pond we know we'll always get something authentic and traditional.  This week he's chosen a jig and offers his instructional video and a tab as well.  Clawhammer and jigs often throw some of us off, if clawing is our style of playing. Hopefully you'll give it a go, as they say.  This jig has a real Irish flavor and we're still humming such tunes after St. Patrick's Day.   TOTW, 3/22/24, The Swallow Tail Jig.

Thanks to presenter Porter Branch we have an obscure tune with "ancient tones" from an Alabama fiddler to be enjoyed this week. Even the title speaks of an appealing theme. The Slippery Hill website houses a recording and the Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes contains a page with notation and an artist's profile. Let's enjoy TOTW, 3/29/24, Old Abbott.

My turn today and I chose a tune coming from Hiram Stamper, father of Art Stamper, both great Kentucky fiddlers.  This one was fairly crooked and I took the liberty of playing it a bit more regular.  If you've heard the title before, this may not be the same melody.  In fact, there are four different tunes with this title and the different stories behind them go back to Civil War times.  We need some more banjo representation playing the TOTW, 4/5/24, Last of Sizemore (Hiram Stamper)!

This week's tune for exploration is one that John D calls ragtime or Tin Pan Alley. It has a date of composition before 1900 and a known composer, also credited with having written Redwing.  John offers a broad representation of the tune by several renowned musicians, including his own clawhammer version. Take a step back in time with this TOTW, 4/12/24, Whistling Rufus.

We have another fine tune from Ohio presented by Zach W, who also plays a snappy version of it.  There's a town on the Ohio River which is its namesake and the composer's home.  Zach offers a short bio and comments about the man, Jimmy Wheeler, spoken of as an "odd" person, perhaps someone we would currently label as being "on the spectrum", and also as a nice person and accomplished fiddler.  Jimmy had a distinctive regional style of fiddling we can begin to explore here.  Tune in to TOTW, 4/19/24, Portsmouth Airs.

It's always an edifying treat to get a new old tune from Carl Baron who has been in the old time music scene for a long time.  Extra special is the time he spent in West Virginia.  Today's sweet little tune comes from Henry Reed, and appears to be unique to him.  Carl also shares some musical tech talk, so get ready to learn with our newest  TOTW, 4/26/24, Red Fox.

Jim G of Virginia offers a hoedown reel from a 1930 recording by a band led by a tall fellow, Seven Foot Dilly and His Dill Pickles.  Jim includes his own recording and a tab from Jan Lundqvist, plus the source recording and one other with nice fiddling.  The tune was played in both C, as in the original recording, and in A, as it is more commonly played now.  Jim offers some history of the tune's namesake, a man who eventually became governor of Alabama.  Join us on this week's TOTW, 5/3/24, Bibb County Hoedown.

Via this week's presenter, Adam Schweigert, we're able to listen and learn from an excellent source, Mark Tamsula.  Adam teaches at the same music school as Mark and has privy to learn some rare fiddle tunes.  This week's tune may be a modern one, with a funny name.  Mark really knows how to pick good ones, as when he has delved into the Pennsylvania sources from the old collections of Samuel Bayard.  This tune, however, needs more investigation as to its source.  See the TOTW, 5/10/24, Grey Haired Dancing Girl.

Our prolific jam player Mtngoat shares a jam tune that has been carried over from Ireland.  As he writes, "The tune is attributed to Lucy Farr (1911-2003), an Irish fiddler from Galway who lived in England for most of her adult life.  She began playing dances at age 12 and recorded an album in 1992 to celebrate her 80th birthday.   A visitor introduced the tune to our weekly jam group a while back and it has become popular with our fiddlers who play it in the Key of G."  Lucy Farr plays it nice and easy, so join in with our TOTW, 5/24/24, Lucy Farr's Barn Dance.

When Andy Taylor posts, you know you'll get lots of genuine background and insights into the tune.  This week's tune goes by several names -- "the most common seem to be The Merry Blacksmith, An Gabha Meadrac in Irish (translates as just The Blacksmith), The Boys of the Lough, and Paddy on the Railway, but there are lots more."  It's a catchy melody and Andy provides more than one tuning, plus videos and instruction to learn.  See it all on the TOTW, 5/31/24, The Merry Blacksmith.

Get ready for another gem presented by Pat Lyons -- banjukebox, a veritable juke box of great old-time fiddle tunes on banjo.  This week he has chosen a tune by Alabama fiddler James Bryan, an excellent tune source.  James got it from Georgian fiddler Mack Blaylock, who taught James Farewell Trion, a tune that has become an old-time classic. Let's get to work and find out what's to be learned on this week's tune with a funny name, TOTW, 6/7/24, Soapsuds Over the Fence.

It's a treat having Zach W. presenting once again as he fills in our Tune of the Week repertoire with Ohio tunes, something we were missing.  Today's tune comes from Jimmy Wheeler and has a good-sized internet presence, though it's apparently native to Portsmouth, Ohio.  Join us to hear and play TOTW, 6/14/24, Cauliflower.

Here's a Tune of the Week about corn bread, also called johnnycake and several others names, offered by Mtngoat, who attends jams and gatherings and passes on to us what's currently going around.  Owen "Snake" Chapman, the composer, was a Kentucky fiddler who both played and wrote many a good tune.  See if you can pick up this relatively easy tune and learn something about the history and nomenclature of  corn bread from the link provided. TOTW, 6/21/24, Hodi Cake.

Porter Branch from Alabama has shared a tune this week from Alabama fiddler James Bryan.  Porter offers several samples to hear and a couple of tabs. If you haven't listened to James Bryan, this is a good tune to start with. The title refers to a young, weaned pig.  Enjoy TOTW, 6/28/24, Wild Shoat.

This week's tune, introduced by Jim G of Virginia, will be one of our oldest yet, with publishing as early as the 1700's.  Beginning as a fife and drum march for the Continental Army, then later given lyrics, it was recorded by the Sacred Harp Singers.  Jim presents it in a timely way as related to our recent July 4th holiday.  The tune has title variations and was played in the South by fiddlers. In the key of G, with simple little arpeggios,  try playing this TOTM, 7/5/24, Murillo's Lesson.

Mark Gentry offers us his beautiful playing and the background of its source, Kentucky fiddler John Salyer.  The tune is one not as familiar as some of Salyer's other tunes commonly passed around.  It has a real interesting B part.  Let's learn a new one this week and expand our Kentucky tune repertoire!  TOTW, 7/12/24, Sallie Cooper.

The forum used by Tune of the Week is called Playing Advice: Clawhammer and Old-Time Playing Styles.  If you're one who studies styles, today's tune takes you into the playing method. The source player of the tune, Billy Faier, learned to play banjo via Pete Seeger's style and Jan Sundqvist has broken the tune down into detailed steps, also tabbed.  Take a look at the TOTW, 7/19/24, Green Corn (Billy Faier).

This week's tune has the richness associated with West Virginia fiddle music.  The oldest source is Ed Haley, and fellow West Virginian William Douglas learned it from him.  You can hear banjo BHO members Brendan Doyle playing along with Rich Hartness, Stephen Rapp with Paul Kirk, Jr. , Josh Turknett, and myself.  It's a sweet, pretty tune played quickly or slowly.  Let's look at the TOTW, 7/26/24, Morning Flower.

While "rambling" through the magnificent site called "The Session", John D came across a tune whose title enticed him.  It is claimed to be a traditional Irish slide with 12/8 time signature.  I'll be curious to try it in 6/8 jig timing and see if it comes out correctly.  The tune is as delightful as its title, TOTW, 8/2/24, The Cat Rambles to the Child's Saucepan. 

I chose two related tunes. One was covered 15 years ago, but not the other. They're both emotive, especially considering the titles, and fun to play.  Hope you'll take a look and contribute to this week's TOTW, 8/9/24, Lost Boy/Lost Girl.

Long-time player Lyle K has done a thorough job of presenting a rather obscure tune.  He offers interesting history of the source fiddler, "Gusty" Wallace, and two original recordings of the tune, as well as his 2-finger arrangement.  Lyle also gives a possible genealogy connection to the famed William Wallace of Scotland, to whom there may be a distant kinship.  He includes highlights of Gusty Bruce Greene's interview with Gusty Wallace. Tune in to the delightful discussion thread for today's TOTW, 8/16/24, Gusty Wallace's Old Bob.

It's always a treat to get a West Virginia tune.  Zach W has posted one from the playing of Wade Jarvis and includes 11 recordings, as well as crediting Hilarie Burham for teaching him the tune.  Zach writes: "The A-part has a tricky syncopated/crooked section that makes it so fun to play."  If you like crooked West Virginia tunes with rustic titles, try TOTW, 8/23/24, Head of the Creek.

It's a genuine treat when talented West Virginian Noah Cline plays, researches and posts a Tune of the Week.  His roots go back many generations to fine fiddlers and Noah traces the lineage of this tune for us.  He includes quotes from narrative articles, liner notes, and his own grandmother who passed away in 2023. She said the  waltz tune is described as "sounding like the way a waltz should sound."  So join us this week for a wonderful TOTW, 8/30/24, Price Bane Waltz.

Good old Mtngoat has uncovered another Melvin Wine tune learned at a West Virginia fiddle tunes workshop, where the "instructor kindly let a banjo sit in." Several links are included, such as from Noah Cline, Mike Worden, Luke Giles, Pat Lyon, and Dean Marshall.  A video with Melvin Wine by Erynn Marshall is included, too, and there are tabs as well.  You can't lose with another West Virginia tunes, this one with an odd title: TOTW, 9/6/24, Eadle Alley.