This week's tune is Old Dangerfield, which was submitted as a bluegrass tune. I found this notation and mandolin tab on traditionalmusic.co.uk Here is a YouTube video of Sierra Hull and Highway 101 doing it, they say it's an old Monroe tune. and here's a YouTube video of Bill Monroe doing it and here's one of Sierra Hull and Sarah Jarosz
This poor old tune of the week isn't getting much action so far, so I thought I'd better step up to the plate:
Just got back from a week in the back country of the high Sierras to find a great tune, Old Dangerfield, as Song of the Week. And that's a really great version Old Sausage. Thanks!
well played OS this is one of my favourite tunes, so i will have to have a go... i love playing it on the banjo.
OS, great job, as usual. Another BG tune I'll struggle with for a bit. I've always wondered, if this is combined with Rodney's hornpipe... (you can see where this is going)
Excellent version of OD by OS! I may have to try my hand at the tune this afternoon.
Excellent David! Your version may be a bit slower than Mr. Monroe's in the above video. HOWEVER - at the risk of being pilloried by Monroe aficionados - your picking sounds cleaner to me Not that I am qualified to judge Bluegrass performances... On a different note: I am gonna practice the version in the Todd Collins book. He says in his 'Monroe Instrumentals' that this is a medium-tempo piece. And Monroe plays it at about 140 bps (1 beat per half note) !!!! Well, medium-tempo will be out of reach for another while .....
Well, that is medium tempo for Bill, considering he played Rawhide at about 200bpm
Once again, nice work OS. I was really confused by tempos on a lot of these mandolin tunes when I first started. I was used to seeing BPM written for quarter notes, not half notes. I feel like I'm working hard just getting bluegrass tunes up to half the tempo they are supposed to be. Here's my version. I double tracked the mandolin, and there is some improv (O.K., a mistake) in one of the tracks, but I kind of liked it.
Nice job Laura, and I liked the improv bit too, I'm glad you left it in. I'm not sure accenting the 1 and 4 in the backing like that is really in the bluegrass lexicon, but it's interesting how it gives the tune a very different feel.
Yeah I thought that beat sounded really cool also! Nice picking Laura and a fun video to listen to.
OS and Laura, that sounded so good I just had to join in on the fun. Hope some others join in on this great Monroe tune. Here's one time through on Gilchrist Model 5. A marker, as Eddie would say. Gotta work on getting the camera level--I don't think I'm listing that far to one side.
That was excellent Don. You always do a particularly great job on Monroe tunes. Your right hand technique really drives the tune.
Yes, top notch playing there Don, you're making that Gilchrist sound pretty tasty.
Well played laura and don! 2 different takes, both sounding good
Here's my version - not perfect but then it is Wednesday and we have another song coming along in a couple of days!
Nice work Peter, sounding very fine. If you're still in the market for playing tips, one thing I could suggest to think about is making the upstrokes sound clearer and louder - if you listen closely, they tend to be very quiet and to get hidden under the strong loud downstrokes. That's something everyone has trouble with (and for years I didn't even notice it in my playing), but if you work on it early in your mando career as you are it may save you some trouble down the line. I've found that just being aware of it tends to make your picking sound cleaner and more even.
Thanks for that, that is definately worth knowing and I will see if I can do that for the next one...
Here is my attempt at this tune; i think its a little advanced for me! but i enjoyed playing it Spot the mistake in the A-part the second time round... i didnt like the tab that i found, so ended up working through the A part and then just working out something for the rest:
Good work there, Jonny, and I enjoyed hearing your own ideas in the other parts, you have some really good ones.
Thanks for the great demonstration, Don. Good efforts, Laura, Peter and Jonny. No own ideas here, just the Todd Collins transcription note for note, with a couple of duds:
Good solid toneful picking is always a pleasure to hear - thanks Manfred!
A very impressive collection of videos on Old Dangerfield (aka Old Daingerfield) -- all are great IMO -- and I learned something from each one of your - thank you!! When I noticed this was the tune of the week I thought it was a great reason to learn a WSM tune that I had never had. So I spent the last few days trying to nail down my version. I made a three attempts today and this is probably the best I can do for now, We've been without power for 21 hours and its 82 F in the house (97 F outside)! The din you hear in the background is the 11 hp motor on our generator that is keeping 2 refrigerators, 1 computer, 3 fans, and 2 humans alive! I did this at about 200 bpm -- Bill did more like 240 I think - - and in his 80's yet! It would not be me if I did not have a blooper in there like at the start of the 2nd time through. I reserve the right to improve on this!!
Very impressive, Bernie. That's the pulse I have problems to achieve. But now I know: I will have to progress in age a bit until I can play real fast
Rockin' OUT there Bernie!
Thanks guys! Yeah, the older it get the fast I play -- NOT. Actually it probably just proves relativity theory -- my brain is going slower so my playing only seems faster!
Great playing everybody. Here's my go at it:
Some really good versions of Old Dangerfield this time around. You've got to check out how sgarrity just nails it the last time through when he plays it up to speed! Doesn't get any better than that!
WOW, sgarrity. That's arguably the best performance I have heard of you on the SAW. Could you please provide an affidavit that you didn't speed up the last part using the AMAZING ACCELERATOR?
Shaun, that last time through rocked. Thanks for the tip, Michael. I don't have good internet access so I didn't watch the whole video at first. Manfred and Bernie--you did a great job on it too.
Thank you gentlemen!! After watching some of my past videos I decided that I was playing too fast in a number of them and my upstrokes suffer. So I wanted to try and slow it down a bit to start. But this tune just begs for a little speed!
Haven't got it quite where I want it, but as it's a work in progress I'll put up what I've got so far... needs to be a little cleaner and a littler faster.
Some great picking Shaun and Michael - what I find so interesting is everyone's version of the tune sounds so different -- of course no one is playing it exactly the same --- but still it is a testimony to what an amazing tune it is -- Monroe really was genius at work when he wrote all those tunes. The timing is everything.
Very nice Michael. It may not be as fast as you like, but I actually like it better at this speed. A nice melodic ring to it. It allowed me to hear all the various tones and under tones.
Great work, Michael and Shaun, we have a fine collection for this tune now!
Nicely played SG and Michael. Michael i liked the higher A part that you played as it added a nice variation - food for thought for me...
Nice playing Michael. I like all the slides
Wow. Everyone has this one down. Like nanaimo I like Michaels speed for just kicking back and enjoying the tune. And like Shaun, the slides sound grreat. [Michael and O.S.] Don's right hand drive would make Bill smile. That all said. Geeez Shaun. Has that thing cooled off yet. Gary
Great playing Michael. Gary, thanks. That's the best compliment you could have given me!
So many great versionsof this tune- especially Shaun's blistering speed finale. This is an arrangement by Chris Thile from mandozine.
I've been in and out of town as of late and haven't been visiting our group for a while and stumbled on this. If I'm not mistaken I believe this tune "Old Dangerfield" was submitted a couple years ago by OS and I gave it a go back then. Anyway I've really enjoyed checking out all the submissions by everyone. There are some really great ones. As usual OS I enjoyed yours. Your mandolin is sounding better and better. Don, your right hand is impressive and has Monroe written all over it. That's where I strive to get at some point. Michael, really great version there. You make it look so easy. Such a talent! Shaun, all I can say is WOW! That was incredible. You nailed it! Here's another quick go at it in my usual way.
Sounding great as ever, John. Plus in that video, your mandolin seems to have acquired the spooky powers of a shape-shifter
And the hits keep on coming! There's nothing that can beat cutting it up with the boys in the band. Excellent job guys!
I'm glad I checked back in on this thread! There are some great late entries. Sgarrity, your last time through was amazing. Michael, it seems like a very listenable tempo to me(faster than I can play for sure), and you always get bonus points for style and variation. Maudlin, I wasn't able to get your video to work. It says something about it being a duplicate video. Jamann, that had a nice bluesy feel to it. What type of mandolin are you playing? Mike, I really enjoyed that. Give thanks to the rest of the band. It was a lot of fun to see a full arrangement.
Laura, thanks! I'm playing my Silverangel (Gloria) made by Ken Ratcliff that I bought a few years ago. Really love this mandolin. OS just bought one recently and sure seems to like his. OS, thanks! I didn't notice that shape-shifter effect on my mandolin. Kind of adds to the video. I'll take all the help I can get.
Nice one Mike - but who is this Rodney creepinginto the title? http://youtu.be/-iAZ4RJJGZA This is the URL from my youtube video if anyone knows how to embed it please let me know.
Let me see...... Posted for Maudlin Madolin
Nice job MM.
This actually DID have a run as an "other tune" a couple of years ago. Here's the link.
