Your favorite fiddle tune

**Steve Cantrell** · May-14-2008, 7:53pm

Squirrel Hunters or Red Wing.

**Ace** · May-14-2008, 9:09pm

I don't fiddle at all but my girlfriend does. I pick on the mandolin a little and we have both learned a great tune that hasn't been listed here yet that I know of. It's called
"Ashoken Fairwell"
Anyone else hear of it and do you like it? It's rather easy to learn and sounds ggod when we both play it together!

Ace

**John Gardinsky** · May-14-2008, 9:11pm

I like the Cherokee Shuffle. Really wish I could play Washington County and Dance Around Molly. Maybe someday.

**Dan Adams** · May-14-2008, 10:49pm

Two of my favorites just made the list. 'Kitchen Girl' and 'Cherokee Shuffle!' Both great tunes. My favorite for a long time has been 'Rights of Man' hornpipe. Maybe it's all in the name but it is a great tune. 'Off to California' is running neck-n-neck with 'Rights.' Now to confuse the issue, 'Temperence Reel' is in the mix. So many tunes, so little time. Dan

**maj34** · May-14-2008, 10:54pm

Two that I like that haven't been mentioned yet are Salty River Reel and Jimmy in the Swamp.

**downtowner** · May-14-2008, 11:20pm

Geez, what a question. #I can't commit to one.
I love to play New Camptown Races on the guitar. #I guess it's more of a mando tune rather than a fiddle tune.
Kitchen Girl is real fun on the mandolin as is Rights of Man. #Big Mon at warp speed always brings a smile to my face.(No avatar on purpose)
Cuckoo's Nest is one I am learning right now, kinda easy but fun melody to play. #No single favorite though, there is so much to love in the wide array of tunes out there.
Oh yeah, and Lonesome Fiddle Blues.

**Caleb** · May-15-2008, 2:43am

Heck, I have never been able to understand exactly *what* a fiddle tune is in the first place. I even asked here once and was more confused after folks tried to explain it to me than I was before.
I recognize many of the songs that have been listed, but have no idea what makes them fiddle tunes.

**Dan Krhla** · May-15-2008, 6:08am

Turkey in the Straw and Arkansas Traveler
Over the Waterfall

**Satchel** · May-15-2008, 9:21am

Salt Creek

**mandopete** · May-15-2008, 9:42am

The problem I have with this sort of question is that the answer changes depending upon my current state of jamming and which particular version I listen to.

So for right now here are the fav's...

High Heeled Shoe - The version by Bryan Sutton
Soldier's Joy - The version by Ashby Frank
Old Dangerfield - The version by Katsuyuki Miyazaki

**Alex Orr** · May-15-2008, 11:22am

Whiskey Before Breakfast and St. Annes Reel are so happy, catchy, and cheerful. I love those two. Bill Cheatham is also cool with that ascending run in the B-part.

Salt Creek and RHB because they have a driving, almost rock 'n roll like feel to them.

Least favorites are Gold Rush and Fischer's Hornpipe. They just seem to be a collection of licks. Actually, unless I'm hearing someone play it, I really can't ever recall how Gold Rush goes.

**Steve Perry** · May-15-2008, 12:18pm

Originally Posted by (man dough nollij @ May 14 2008, 17:25)

Originally Posted by (bgjunkie @ May 15 2008, 00:53)

Red Haired Boy is probably one of my favorites since I have a little red haired boy about to turn 6.

Me too. My red haired boy is about fifteen months old now.

Nice looking Corgi... Pembroke or Cardigan? #Hope yours is not as weird acting as mine.

**Marc Berman** · May-15-2008, 1:33pm

On Fiddle:
In Memory of Herbie MacLeod (Jerry Holland)
Boo Baby's Lullaby (Jerry Holland)
Dinkie Dorrian's (Brenda Stubbert)

On Mandolin:
Liza Jane/ Arkansas Traveler (as played by John Reischman at MCN 2008)

**manicmando** · May-15-2008, 5:10pm

for some reason i still love "Dusty Miller"

**mandomurph** · May-15-2008, 6:01pm

Several favs:

St Anne's Reel
WBB
Red Haired Boy
Over the Waterfall
Chrokee Shuffle
Sandy River Belle (my favorite warmup tune, adding hammer-ons, pulloffs and slides all over the place. Also sounds good in 3/4 time.)

**JeffD** · May-15-2008, 6:38pm

Originally Posted by (Caleb @ May 15 2008, 03:43)

Heck, I have never been able to understand exactly *what* a fiddle tune is in the first place. #I even asked here once and was more confused after folks tried to explain it to me than I was before.
I recognize many of the songs that have been listed, but have no idea what makes them fiddle tunes.

Don't get caught up on the adjective "fiddle". What is your favorite tune?

What ever it is, it is a simple matter to get it played on a fiddle.

**JeffD** · May-15-2008, 6:43pm

Originally Posted by (Ace @ May 14 2008, 22:09)

I don't fiddle at all but my girlfriend does. I pick on the mandolin a little and we have both learned a great tune that hasn't been listed here yet that I know of. It's called
"Ashoken Fairwell"
Anyone else hear of it and do you like it? It's rather easy to learn and sounds ggod when we both play it together!

Ace

Ashoken Farewell is a fantastic tune. A favorite of many years.

**Dena Haselwander** · May-15-2008, 6:50pm

I have four that will get me out of any bad mood:

Stone's Rag
Limerock
Redbird
Lazy Kate

Dena

**JeffD** · May-15-2008, 7:18pm

There are so many wonderful tunes. This is an impossible question. What ever tune I am obsessed about this week is my favorite. This week.

I am very (very) tune centric. When not playing the tune itself, everything I play is to enhance the tune, every harmony, every chord, every improvised break is in support of the tune.

My current obsessions would be "Trip to Durrow", "Julian Delaney", "Paterollers", "Cold Frosty Morning" played slowly, "Achibald MacDonald of Keppoch" played even slower, "Wild Rose of Mountain" played even slower, and "Limerick's Lament" played even slower than that.

Outside of the standard fiddle tune repertory, I have been really getting into some excerpts of Bach's Brandenburgs, and I am struggling with Astor Piazzola's Fracanapa, now there is a tune.

**cbogle** · May-15-2008, 9:16pm

Kenny Baker's "Bluegrass in the Backwoods"....for me it doesn't get much better than that.

**man dough nollij** · May-15-2008, 9:28pm

Originally Posted by (Steve Perry @ May 16 2008, 05:18)

Nice looking Corgi... Pembroke or Cardigan? #Hope yours is not as weird acting as mine.

He's Conan, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. He's staying with his parents in Helena, MT while I'm down here working in Antarctica. He's a great little guy-- really smart, with tons of personality.

**man dough nollij** · May-15-2008, 9:37pm

Weird acting? Here he is putting a wrestling move on my cat, Chuck, back in Livingston. (Mando content: there were two mandos in the livingroom at the time

)

**mdithk** · May-15-2008, 9:49pm

I like Ashokan Farewell also. Heard it first on Ken Burn's "The Civil War" on PBS back in the 90's and one of the first tunes I asked my instructor to help me with.