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Thread: McMitchen's Reel

  1. #1
    Registered User PaulD's Avatar
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    I took a couple mando lessons years ago and the teacher taught me Dixie Hoedown and McMitchen's Reel (don't know if that's spelled right). I haven't found anyone that knows the tune, and I haven't been able to find it online. It's a fun tune... I'd like to know if I'm remembering it correctly.

    Paul Doubek
    "... beauty is not found in the excessive but what is lean and spare and subtle" - Terry Tempest Williams

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    It was probably McMichen, named after (maybe composed by) a famous Georgia fiddler, Clayton McMichen, one-time fiddler for the Skillet Lickers. You can find a version in Stacy Phillips' "Traditional American Fiddle Tunes".
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  3. #3
    o2b.pickin
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    Amazon has a few samples of this tune on CDs Canyoneers & Fiddler's Hall of Fame

    Keepin' tuned ...
    Wendy Anthony



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  4. #4
    Registered User PaulD's Avatar
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    Yeah... that's it! I've mentioned it and played it at jams around here and got nothing but blank looks... must not be too popular out here in the Rocky Mts.

    It's a slow day at work, after being here 'til 1:00 AM fixing network disastrophies on Monday and 9:00 PM doing server updates last night; I've almost finished writing out the melody line in TablEdit as I remember it.

    Thanks for the references... the Fiddler's Hall of Fame CD looks like one I need to add to my collection! Awesome set of tunes and some great fiddlers.

    Paul Doubek



    "... beauty is not found in the excessive but what is lean and spare and subtle" - Terry Tempest Williams

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    Registered User PaulD's Avatar
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    Here's what I came up with. I can't quite figure out what's going on in the 14th measure.... I'll need to play with it when I've got a mando in hand. I can add chord changes then as well.

    pd



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    "... beauty is not found in the excessive but what is lean and spare and subtle" - Terry Tempest Williams

  6. #6
    Mark Jones Flowerpot's Avatar
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    Nice tune. I learned the version from the Fiddler's Fakebook. But you don't hear it very often.

  7. #7
    Registered User PaulD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by (Flowerpot @ Feb. 03 2006, 13:16)
    Nice tune. I learned the version from the Fiddler's Fakebook. But you don't hear it very often.
    It's in the Fiddler's Fakebook? I could have sworn I looked there... maybe I just looked in the Guitar or Mando fakebooks (unless it's there too!).

    pd
    "... beauty is not found in the excessive but what is lean and spare and subtle" - Terry Tempest Williams

  8. #8
    Registered User PaulD's Avatar
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    Okay... I checked again... this tune is not in my Fiddler's Fakebook (or the Mandolin Player's Fakebook, Guitar Player's Fakebook) or any of my other Celtic, Irish, or Bluegrass books. I guess I wasn't "asleep at the wheel" as I implied with the emoticon in my previous post. It looks like it's also known as the Hog Trough Reel from some of the Web searches I've done.

    My Fiddler's Fakebook (by David Brody) appears to be a 1983 first edition. Could it be that it was added later? Would any of you that have a copy be so kind as to scan it and either post it or p-mail me (I'm not sure you could size a post that would be readable). Or, again, if someone knows where I can find a complete .TEF, ABC, or text file of the tune it would be great. I'd be happy to clean up my .TEF an make it available if someone provides some other format.

    Thanks,
    Paul Doubek
    "... beauty is not found in the excessive but what is lean and spare and subtle" - Terry Tempest Williams

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    Hi PaulD, Clayton McMichen was my cousin a few generations back. My Dad knew him but I never got to meet him. My Dad has an old family fiddle that we suspect was his but can't prove it. I don't think the song was ever called anything other than McMichen's Reel that I know of.

    I have a recording of it on a CD called "The Worlds Greatest Bluegrass Pickers" from CMH Records, Inc. out of Los Angeles, CA. On this CD it's played by Fiddlin' Red Herron. It also has 29 other good tunes on it.

    Just thought I'd throw that out there.

    See ya,

    Russell McMichen
    Always remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

  10. #10
    Registered User PaulD's Avatar
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    Thanks for the information... That's interesting. I assume that the Fiddlin' Red Herron version is the same or similar to the one on Fiddler's Hall Of Fame CD that Wendy posted above. I have found several references that call the tune Hog Trough Reel... maybe he wrote it and named it, but it took his name anyway? Jim M. was kind enough to forward a scan of his copy (which also has the Hog Trough Reel name referenced). When I get a few minutes... maybe this weekend... I intend to put it in TablEdit and submit it to the MandoCafe Tab library. It's a little different than the way I remember being taught, but it's basically the same. Hopefully others will find it worth working on.

    Paul Doubek
    "... beauty is not found in the excessive but what is lean and spare and subtle" - Terry Tempest Williams

  11. #11
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    Paul, #that Fiddler's Hall of Fame CD has the same McMichen's Reel as the CD I have. #At least it sounds like it. #They don't give details of the artists on the site. #Maybe it's with the documentation that comes with the CD.

    I'd love to have a TabEdit file of that song sense it was written by a relative of mine.

    My Dad also found CDs of the Skillet Lickers and of Riley Puckett with Clayton McMichen on them. #He found them online somewhere. #That's some realy old stuff and it's interesting to listen to.

    See ya,

    Russell
    Always remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

  12. #12
    Registered User PaulD's Avatar
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    Russell,

    Farther up in this thread is a TablEdit I created based on the way I've been playing it. It doesn't really take a long time to plug in the notes, and I've already got the scanned copy Jim sent me started, so I'll make it available as soon as it's done. I have the name of the book in this thread that the tune was copied from, but I should also get the author to properly credit the transcription.

    Paul Doubek
    "... beauty is not found in the excessive but what is lean and spare and subtle" - Terry Tempest Williams

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    Thanks, Paul.
    Always remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

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