Grandfather's Clock -- Anyone play it?

[Eddie Sheehy]

I play at an Exile's party once a year and one of the older guys always sings this one...along with "The Little Shirt Me Mother Made For Me".

[Mike Bunting]

a standard around here. People play it so much nobody wants to play it anymore.

I didn't know that Yogi Berra was a member of the Cafe society!

[ApK]

I just learned this song from American Fiddle Method Vol 1 a couple years ago when I took up fiddle. Love the song, and now, I realize I've heard it for years and never noticed it (it was on and old Twilight Zone, for example).

[Barb Friedland]

I play it in G as well but as an instrumental. Warning: guitar content- this makes a great fingerpicking instrumental on guitar.

[mrbook]

I first started playing it while in a band with an autoharp player, and worked out what I thought was a nice version on mandolin. When he left, we stopped playing it, and I later had to play it on the banjo in a couple other bands. Just recently I've been called back to playing it on mandolin again, and I'm reminded how much fun it is to play.

[Phillip Tigue]

John Hartford has a great version...a little less old time and with lyrics. Classic John nonetheless.

[Ken Olmstead]

Here is my wack at it. The best part for me is my father-in-law is accompanying me on the autoharp that he made!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACmsCwY-LkU

[JeffD]

I don't really remember not knowing the tune - its one of those things we sang in grade school, maybe even earlier. Like "Tinsie Weensie Spider".

[Bruce Evans]

I didn't know that Yogi Berra was a member of the Cafe society!

Thank you. I hate being ignored.

[Phillip Tigue]

John Hartford has a great version...a little less old time and with lyrics. Classic John nonetheless.

Okay...sooooooo. Apparently, I must have an early onset off Old Timers or something. I was thinking of Cuckoo's Nest, not Grandfather Clock.

I do remember playing it at one time...but I can't remember the song now!

Raise your hand if you're like me and wish you could remember all the songs you've forgotten!

Especially these old time tunes, change one note and it's a new song.

[sgarrity]

My iMac is finally working again. So here is my attempt.

[Bernie Daniel]

Tony Williamson has a very nice version of GFC played on a Gibson K-5 mandocello -- it is on the video (also CD now?) entitled "Sound of the American Mandolin".

Sound of the Am. Mandolin is a great song project that is worth having to hear all the various vintage mandolins, mandolas and mandocellos -- including direct comparisions of virizi and no virzi F-5's and F-4's.

[John Hill]

This tune popped into my head the other day after years of not playing it. I learned it when Tone Poems came out but never heard it played in jams. I really like Grisman's version and I play something close to that. Whe else plays this one?

Tone Poems is where I learned it as well. I enjoy playing Grisman's version because of the tremolo workout. A smooth, controlled & emotive tremolo can be very tough...ok, it is very tough.

[Michael Wolf]

I like this version a lot:

[AlanN]

Wonderful crosspicking there, bud.

[Jack Roberts]

This is one of the first songs I taught myself to play. I heard my mother in law singing it to herself and thought "that could sound great on mandolin."

I play it in G with a G string drone played once a measure to sound like the clock striking.

[Jordan Ramsey]

Very weird. I have never heard of the guy playing the crosspicking arrangement above, but we have the same first name, the same mandolin, and we're playing a very similar arrangement.

[Michael Wolf]

Marvelous, I like this a lot, too. It's really very similar. Very nice versions both of these and very good players both of you.

[Tracy Ballinger]

Very weird. I have never heard of the guy playing the crosspicking arrangement above, but we have the same first name, the same mandolin, and we're playing a very similar arrangement.

Another of those fascinating stories of twins separated at birth??

You're both fabulous!

[Mike Bromley]

Wonderful crosspicking there, bud.

Indeed! Nice Hosses as well.

[Roland Sturm]

It's a bit too popular a song/tune, so I wouldn't suggest it for a jam (just like twinkle, twinkle, little star or Irish washerwoman at a fast ITM session). GFC is THE bass solo, the equivalent of Rachmaninov's piano concerto for a bluegrass slapper. So after that, who needs to hear more.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk4CzOfMJVs

[Jordan Ramsey]

Another of those fascinating stories of twins separated at birth??

You're both fabulous!

Thank you Michael, Tracy, and Mike for the kind comments! I really enjoy my twin's () arrangement, a little bit faster than mine with a free right hand to boot. Both arrangements come from Jack Tottle's book Bluegrass Mandolin on Oak Publications, although the other version is quite different from Jack's original in regards to pick direction, right and left hand technique, and overall sound, I'm almost positive it has been adapted from Tottle. The breaks that I play are copied from Jack's Backroad Mandolin album, which has an accompanying tab booklet that lays out melodies and solos from the recording. If you can find it (vinyl only), buy it, it's a wonderful collection, and a great representation of Tottle in his prime. I really appreciate the album; what other mandolin player do you know today that would take the time to write out, print, and include transcriptions to all the melodies and solos on their album? A true educator! I was lucky enough to take lessons from Jack while at ETSU. He's still there part time for a few years, so if you have the opportunity, go get some lessons before he retires.

[Dan Cole]

Ditto on the Jack Tottle version in his book "Bluegrass Mandolin". If you can find his album called "Backroad Mandolin" he has a full version complete with the break tabbed out in the book. That album also came with tab for all the songs, so you end up with at least 2 nice breaks.

I have the book, album, tab, and a copy on CD.