What's your new fiddle tune?

[Jim Garber]

I play most of my old time tunes in A cross-tuned on the fiddle (AEAE) but a working on a few tunes on the mandolin in standard tuning. My favorites at the moment are Salty River Reel and Kansas City Reel. Playing in cross tuning (esp in A) makes it much easier to play the same part in two octaves but the retuning is a pain.

[Gary S]

Thanks Jim for reminding of that great old tune Kansas City Reel. I'm going to dust that one off this weekend.

[terzinator]

I think sometimes that jam speeds are ridiculously high sometimes, and when folks are panting after some ripsnorting tunes, I will often start a slow waltz or an aire, just to balance it out.

This is a great point. Sometimes it gets to be a race, and I'm not a big fan of that. I like it when a majority of the folks in the circle can actually contribute, rather than just shake their heads and pass their turn. (Please, have some empathy for the guitar player; fiddle tunes are much more difficult on the six string!)

[Mark Wilson]

If you can get ahold of Bob Grant's "Fiddle Tunes for Flatpickers: Mandolin" book and CD, it has a really good, clear, easy-to-follow version of OD.

Ordered this book recently and can give it a thumbs-up. Interesting intermediate(?) versions of 27 popular fiddle tunes - similar to Monroe style imo. Even on the songs I knew I found a few measures from the book that were useful.

Notation and tab is laid out in 16th notes measures which I find harder to follow than 8th note measures. Saving printing space maybe

"Old Dangerfield" caught my ear on CD. Working on C part now. cool tune

[terzinator]

Ok, this is awesome, and the one I'm currently working on. Great technique by Randy Jones and wonderful tone from that Sprite.

Bill Monroe's Southern Flavor.

[Jim Garber]

Thanks Jim for reminding of that great old tune Kansas City Reel. I'm going to dust that one off this weekend.

For all I know, Gary (in my very foggy memory) I may have learned that one from you originally.

[woodwizard]

practicing a few new ones for me...

Muddy Weather
One Legged Man
Grasshopper Sittin on a Sweet Potato Vine
Dance Around Molly
and dusting off... Dry & Dusty and Callahan

[woodwizard]

Today I'm practicing Huckleberry Hornpipe a cool Byron Berline tune. Moderate speed on my A4

[yankees1]

Liberty

[Mark Wilson]

Kentucky Mandolin

[dusty miller]

Kentucky Mandolin

I've been working on this one too. Didn't really know it was classified as a fiddle tune but I'm enjoying it. The G minor gives it a neat sound even if you can't play it at two hundred million beats a minute.

Old Molly Hare is the other one I'm currently learning.

[Mark Wilson]

Well...I found it in a 'Fiddle tunes' book I recently bought. Not usual FT stuff but fun to play. It has a neat groove that gets lost at the higher speeds imo. There's a group on YT that plays it slower and jazzes it up some but the fiddle part sounds great slowed down. Probably not called at jams to often.

[dusty miller]

Well...I found it in a 'Fiddle tunes' book I recently bought.

It just never occurred to me it was a fiddle tune but I'm really just scratching the surface. So many out there and so many good ones to learn.

[terzinator]

We occasionally play Kentucky Mandolin to start our sets, and go into The Cuckoo (same key).

We don't play it as fast as Bill did.

But then, we don't play ANYTHING as fast as Bill did.

[Mike Black]

A Place In The Heart by Bill Crahan.

[Mandocarver]

Thanks for posting the music Mike at a very appropriate time. I've played and loved the version on Mandozine for years but this one looks to have some interesting differences which I look forward to playing later.
Cheers,
Dean

[cmateer]

I LOVE this thread! What a brilliant idea! I am having a blast rolling through everyone's suggestions.

While now studying mandolin with a truly remarkable teacher, I have just begun the challenge/ "adventure" of shelving TAB and learning to read notation. The world of music seems to be busting open (of fiddle tunes)! I have been feeling good about reading & playing tunes in the key of C, G, and D so far...

Here are the tunes that I have been enjoying playing up to this point: Whiskey Before Breakfast, Red-Haired Boy, Oyster River, Beautiful Swanee River (Ryan's Mammoth), Soldier's Joy (Ryan's). I am working through Corn Field (Kerr's Merry Melodies) with my teacher.

Anybody up for suggesting some "essentials" for a blossoming notation-reader?

[Jim Garber]

Here are the tunes that I have been enjoying playing up to this point: Whiskey Before Breakfast, Red-Haired Boy, Oyster River, Beautiful Swanee River (Ryan's Mammoth), Soldier's Joy (Ryan's). I am working through Corn Field (Kerr's Merry Melodies) with my teacher.

Nice bunch of tunes. I just checked out Oyster River and Beautiful Swanee River -- two nice quirky 19th century-sounding hornpipes. I love those kind of tunes.

Anybody up for suggesting some "essentials" for a blossoming notation-reader?

Just keep at it... it gets easier and, as you mention, you are opening up a whole world of non-tabbed music and even non-mandolin music. I have played flute and oboe music and even trumpet music. Fun stuff...

[walt33]

Reel de la Guimauve:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wige2tdGfQ

A bar or two is missing at the beginning, but there are plenty of repeats!

Walt

[woodwizard]

Norman Blake tune ~ Fields of November

[rubydubyr]

If you can get ahold of Bob Grant's "Fiddle Tunes for Flatpickers: Mandolin" book and CD, it has a really good, clear, easy-to-follow version of OD. (As well as about 15 other tunes.)

That's the book I started with, and I still refer to it when I need to.

http://www.amazon.com/Fiddle-Tunes-F.../dp/0825687535

Thanks for sharing this, just ordered it from amazon

[rubydubyr]

Yay, good news: Fiddle tunes book shipped. Bad news: not expected to be here till the 8th

[C. Welter]

Methodist Preacher

[Franc Homier Lieu]

Yay, good news: Fiddle tunes book shipped. Bad news: not expected to be here till the 8th

Your book of fiddle tunes is to arrive on the Eighth of January? Now that is auspicious.

[rubydubyr]

Your book of fiddle tunes is to arrive on the Eighth of January? Now that is auspicious.

why is that auspicious?