Week #482 ~ Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss / Susannah Gal

  1. Barbara Shultz
    Barbara Shultz
    This week’s winner is Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss, also known as Susannah Gal. I’m traveling and posting from my phone, so I’m hoping one of our helpful members can link to notation, videos, etc!!
  2. Manfred Hacker
    Manfred Hacker
    Can't believe that I am first !

  3. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    Hi Manfred, that sounds great and very fluent.
  4. Jess L.
    Jess L.
    Sounds good Manfred!
  5. gortnamona
    gortnamona
    lovely Manfred, well played
  6. Jess L.
    Jess L.
    I originally learned this tune as "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss", but then later on, the people I was playing with called it "Western Country", which is easier to say (fewer syllables) so I started calling it that too.

    I wrote this arrangement (video below) in MuseScore as a sort of thought/visualization exercise just to see what might be possible, without picking up any actual instruments to try things on. NOT TESTED yet on real instruments - might need modifications.

    The oddball chords are my own notion. I like them, but YMMV. IMO my 'unusual' chords fit in ok with the strange harmonies I'd always heard played on banjo anyway.


    (or direct link to video)

    The clawhammer banjo part was written from memory of how I used to play it as a kid. Yeah I actually did use a ton of pull-offs (marked by a "P"), mostly as just little rhythmic accents, I got that idea from my dad although he didn't use quite as many of them on this tune. Of course as usual in fiddle tunes, I mix-and-match my measures, it doesn't 'have' to be played the same way each time, as long as the notes and the chords still match up ok (that goes for both the 'banjo' part and the 'mandolin' part).

    Eventually, I will get around to recording this on actual instruments, as much as anything to see how close I got with my written notes. If anyone else wants to try playing it first, that'd be cool too.
  7. Don Grieser
    Don Grieser
    Manfred, that's some fine picking. I really enjoyed that--really nice tone, too. JL277z, looking forward to an acoustic version of that.

    This is such a catchy little tune I had to give it a go this morning. Should have had some more coffee. Fingers are not quite working yet.



    https://youtu.be/U0gVq5xEHBg
  8. Barbara Shultz
    Barbara Shultz
    I discovered I'd made a video of this tune along with Angeline the Baker, a while back! Here it is, with my friends, Scott Ross and Donna Ritchie.

  9. gortnamona
    gortnamona
    love it Barbara
  10. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    I agree with you, gortnamona.

    Additionally I like how Don slides into the double stops where ever possible. BTW - if it depends on the amount of coffee I consume during the day I should play like a master but unfortunately there comes seldom a mandolin with the coffee.
  11. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Fine efforts from all. It is a catchy wee tune and one I had not heard before.
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