My progress video this week is Whiskey Before Breakfast. The fiddle tune, "Whiskey Before Breakfast", is a traditional reel with its roots firmly planted in the British Isles. It is also known as "Spirits in the Morning" and as "The Scotsman". I had trouble finding much history on this tune, but then I didn't invest a great deal of time at it. When making a cursory search, I found that the English wikipedia doesn't have an article on the tune itself, but it did have an article on the Norman Blake album titled, "Whiskey Before Breakfast." Among old-time and Bluegrass players, the tune is very well known and often played. Here, I am learning the basic melody notes of it as part of my beginner series as I learn to play mandolin. Most of what I learned of this tune came from the free lesson found here: http://www.mandolessons.com/lessons/...eakfast-part-1
Great job Mark!
Sounds great. I admire your courage to record new tunes. I will have to work up to that. Here is a link of a talented young gal playing a medley with her teacher. Whiskey Before Breakfast is part of the medley. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zv9de5qg1E BJ
Thanks Randy and BJO. Yes, indeed, I watched that video by Alexandra Smith and Vince Crofts as well as the actual graded performance just a couple weeks ago, it's really nice. Both teacher and student do a great job there!
Whiskey Before Breakfast was written by Andy De Jarlis, a Metis fiddler from Manitoba in Canada. It was made popular on the Don Messer Television show in the 1950s. It has been adopted by Old Time, Bluegrass, and Celtic music even though the song is fairly modern.
JH Murray, thank you for that information. My opening comments were based on what I'd read on the web, as I'm a novice and not at all an expert on any of this music, but I like to learn. Your comment sent me searching more earnestly for info. It seems that this tune is often attributed to the British Isles in error. Also, it is often attributed to Andy De Jarlis, which is a better history it seems, as you have pointed out. This is the most complete and reasonable account I was able to find thus far: History Information found in Fiddlers Companion (Quote) WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST. AKA and see "Spirits of the Morning." Canadian (originally), Old-Time; Breakdown. D Major. Standard. AABB. A widely known tune, often mistaken for an old traditional old-time tune (it was even listed on one album as "an Irish tune which has been popular in America for a number of years"). It has generally been credited to the mid-twentieth century by Manitoba, Canada, fiddler and composer Andy de Jarlis (known for his fine waltzes) probably on the strength of his copyrighted arrangement (it is a common practice among music publishers to copyright arrangements of traditional tunes). " "Whiskey Before Breakfast" was included in de Jarlis' book Canadian Fiddle Tunes from Red River Valley (1957), where he is credited for the arrangement only. It is often used as musical accompaniment for the quadrille 'Reel of Eight' in Canada. Gibbons (1982) notes that "Whiskey" is a favorite of Metis (native American) dance troupes in Western Canada, and in this connection Paul Gifford suggests that de Jarlis learned the tune from Metis fiddler Teddy Boy Houle's father (de Jarlis himself had Metis blood). It seems that de Jarlis and the elder Houle were up playing till dawn with the aid of libation before finally passing out. On finally awaking, de Jarlis remembered the last tune they played and perhaps gave it the "Whiskey" name. Perlman (1979) identifies it as coming from Canada's Maritime provinces where it is called "Spirits of the Morning." It has been pointed out by several sources that the 'A' section is similar to the older melodies "Liverpool Hornpipe," "Great Eastern," "Bennett's Favorite" and the Irish reels "Silver Spire" and "Greenfields of America," however, the original source for all these tunes may be "Speed the Plow." Folksinger/multiinstrumentalist Mike Cross wrote words to the melody which have become popular in Bluegrass circles " (End quote) It's probably because of "many sources" pointing out the similarities between this tune and the English and Irish tunes mentioned above that one of the first sites I saw had written that it's roots are firmly planted in the British Isles . . . but you can write or read all sorts of assumptions. I enjoy learning the history of these tunes, but have to take much of it with a grain of salt as they say.
It is amazing how fiddle tunes do travel. I enjoyed your video of it. It is one of the first tunes I learned. I once played my mandolin at church, and before the service I was warming up. I noticed an elderly gentleman started giggling. Afterwards he said "I'm a fiddle player and I never thought I would hear that tune played in church." I had been warming up to Whiskey before breakfast!
Great story! I have a picture of my dad in his Navy uniform, hat cocked to the side, eyes lidded, sitting on a barstool in the photog studio with a faux bar scene in the background. On the back of the picture my mother wrote, "He sent me this picture to show him off to my Sunday School class!" Your story made me think of that photo.
I posted the video above two years ago (23 months), and figured it's time to post a progress update. My very first in the newbies group was about a month or so before posting this tune the first time, and I had been learning mandolessons tunes for many months prior to joining newbies. A few months ago I had the fun of playing this along with one of the good mandolin players round here, and was at least able to do it through many times.
I had forgotten the beard! You were pretty darn good 2 years ago, but you're sounding much more relaxed and into the swing of the tune now.
I hear a lot of weak upstrokes in this new one, Hank, but it's good to do this so you can hear yourself. The way I'm practicing and playing now is an improvement over the past two years, and that's good to see too. I already know that it really takes a lifetime to make it sound good, but the fun is in the journey as much as in eventually playing well.
The quality of the tone you are producing is rich and warm. A great progress video.
Nice job Mark. Some day I might get up enough courage to post something. Someday.
Thanks for the kind words. mandoweather, I'd encourage you to start doing it. The people in here will encourage you, and it can help a great deal to hear yourself and to start making a record of your progress. Strangely, you may sound terrible to yourself at first, and sometimes re-visiting your video after the new wears off you'll realize you're really not that bad. But the most important thing is to keep improving. That helps to keep you motivated and moving forward musically. Nobody starts out at the top of their game - nobody.
the first tune I learned was Grandfathers clock, I try to record it every year in march and compare to the previous years.
As far as Mark's rendition of WBB. Smooth and effortless as usual. The B part you play is different than the one I learned, Mark. Can you point me to tabledit for your version?
I got it from mandolessons in PDF form (see link, top post) - but I might have changed slightly from listening to someone on YouTube. Hard to remember, check mandolessons version and see.
Here is a direct link, Kevin: http://www.mandolessons.com/wp-conte...Breakfast1.pdf I just looked at it and there is one phrase I play differently. I'll put it in a tabledit.
interesting here is the one I learned for reference http://www.hughcan.com/music/whiskey...tation_tab.pdf
Here is my version: http://www.markgunter.net/lyrics/Whi..._Breakfast.tef
That's an interesting version, Kevin. While writing out the one I play, I find that there are now several distinct differences to Baron's version. I heard you play it in your last year's progress videos and really liked the sound of it, especially the B part, I remember that.
Not sure where or how to start in this group, but I’m here.
Hey welcome, Soupy. If your post appears here, you are joined up. Plenty of room in the pool. Jump in.
Welcome to the group, Soupy!
