Briarpicker Brown, (was trying for Belles of Lexington, which I found), Ducks on the Millpond ("Ducks on the millpond, geese in the ocean, devil's in the women when they take a notion"). Been singing "Saturday Night Up the Gatineau," buts its not really a fiddle tune, although Reg Hill played a couple breaks on the recordings.

So 10-28, I made the 1st of some 'spacey tracks.'
10-29, I reviewed and posted the tolerable few.
10-30, I made over 15 project tracks: That good tune in A, Beaumont Rag, CBD, Zydeco stuff, Cajun stuff, more spacey stuff. . . . Mostly enjoying what different accompaniment sounds like. I've always looked up to them that could comp with a piano. I learned piano from a beer joint player. Stuff like Frankie & Johnny. But that another story. Here's a couple that stuck:

Returning to an old favorite that i haven't played in years: Dog Treed A Possum Up A White Oak Tree.

Wandering around downtown, we saw an old time group playing outside yesterday! They had a tight little circle of folding chairs, everybody all bundled up with hats and woolly shirts…sounded great and they looked like they were having a great time!

I envied their setup. We get the same amount of people at sessions, but spread out on a long wood table with our drinks, and with the “punters” chatting, I can barely hear the players at the other end of the table! I feel like the OT setup is way better musically…and maybe you don’t have to scream HUP when you change tunes hahaha…

Playing: Mooncoin jig

I've only participated in 2 OT jams. The first I played bass and everyone was KILLER but, we were spread way out!
My 2nd was 3 chairs facing each other. Tighter is better. It would help me not only hear the changes but you can actually feel them.
Our BG band practices in a circle. I wish we could perform on stage like that lol.

me and my buddy just played fiddle and accordion either side of a table acoustically.... Pint and ashtray always at hand..

The only difference for a gig, was that we where both mic'ed up into combo's, and for slightly larger gigs had a double base and a guitar behind us into combo's also.....(probably taking the micky out of us behind our backs while we where playing).

If the venue needed it louder than that, (This is usually where it went pear shaped), we would each (all of us) send a lead from the combo's into a mixer desk and let them sort it out from there, or provide our own "out front" PA system..

But tight around 1 or 2 mics would have been nice also.

Small and simple is always best for sound imo. But not necessarily in a gig situation, where folk want to be "entertained".

I've got no new songs that I've added but each morning now, I pick one song as opposed to flipping through as many as I can in 45 minutes. This morning was WHITEFACE. Found a few notes I was playing that fit but weren't right. Coffee and some minor chords on the fiddle at 5:30am...can't beat it.

Yeah "White Face", i play that (but not for a while now), Em tune by Joe Thrift, he learned to make fiddles just down the road from me in Newark. I'm going to have to brush up on that one now. Cheers Eric

Re “Whiteface” - that's heckuva cool tune!
I Listened to this version by two Guys sitting in boat

Over here: Prepping for O'Carolan house session next week, so going through bunch of O'Carolan tunes. ..will still probably have to cheat and peek at my iPad though. And there is a big HARP coming (and its player too, of course :-)

Those "Two guys on a boat" play the best version of "Whiteface" i know of..... "Chris Coole" and "John Showman".....Say no more....

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Originally posted by pete_fiddle

Those "Two guys on a boat" play the best version of "Whiteface" i know of..... "Chris Coole" and "John Showman".....Say no more....

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Love those 2 and their trio Lonesome Ace String band!!

If you fancy getting a bit "maudlin" Have a listen to Chris Coole's "Old Dog"....Heart braking in a good way.

Two things I'm working on now are the C tunes Cherry River Rag and Old Mother McCarthy. Cherry River Rag had been on my list of tunes to learn, so I finally started working on it a few weeks ago. Old Mother McCarthy is something I learned quite a few years ago, but never got it beyond a certain point.

On one hand, they both sound pretty good. But I beat myself up over the little bowing and intonation issues.

Haven't been playing since last time I posted here.
Today however I'll record a very fierce version of The Battle Cry of Freedom.

I now have at Least 5 full hours of playing the Stepp version of Bonapart's Retreat....drones included. I've discovered that the reason for so many variations is because it is a simple tune that is Hard to play..I may need another 5 hours to get smooth...er........

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Originally posted by TuneWeaver

I now have at Least 5 full hours of playing the Stepp version of Bonapart's Retreat....drones included. I've discovered that the reason for so many variations is because it is a simple tune that is Hard to play..I may need another 5 hours to get smooth...er........

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If you do not mind I'm going to use your explanation , just recorded a very fiddley version of In de stille Kempen and I could not explain it any better! There can be so much in something seemingly so simple :-) But very happy with my take of today !

John Specker has another version of Bonaparte’s retreat — not as speedy as Stepp’s but very, very droney.

Today I have been working on a worldwide known melody of the nearest former mine city next to our town.

Need some more experimentation moments on this one so that I can use the highest strings together also.

Three fiddled up versions of the main theme of a 1959 tune

No fear , it's just a link to my dogs 'n bows YouTube channel!

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Originally posted by Scotty road

Shetland fiddlers and black velvet band, new ones

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Excellent!! What I just looked up was Luke and the Dubliners bringing this song. Feel like singing now :-D Hurray for the lyrics hurray!

Jay Unger's 'Wizards Walk". A different sounding, challenging tune!

Today I'm playing along with Rob Fong on the tune California Blues (phillips, vol. 2 for sheet music) and I've finally 'nailed' it.. Now, I'll busk with it (should the weather ever warm up again)... until I'm a bit smoother...
I have a fiddle friend who never could play very fast tunes and he play the tune at about 1/2 or less the speed that Rob plays it...
To hear rob, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72qlosLJNU0

"Bud's Bounce" is my current obsession.

Looper play. In the past I've played with adding guitar layers. (Let's say all you had was a looper and a guiter) Today it's fiddle. First thing to come to mind was Little Liza Jane. Added layer(s) Make another. Etc. Some tunes the A part is a register above or below the B part. This is pretty straightforward. Then there's harmonizing. Then there's organ-like chords beneath the melody. Soon four hours pass and it's time for chores.

Must be nice! for me it’s 30 sweet minutes and then the work email dings…
Hmm, playing update…
still playing “College Groves” reel, I got it humming along now and will try leading it at session (gulp). And trying to make more varied spontaneous sets out of my tunes - I’m taking a zoom workshop with Matt Cranitch on Sunday entitled: “How to make sets”....I shall be enlightened! Sets/medleys are hard for me, but I think for some players it comes easy.

Sets are like 15 or 20 minutes long? Like for Dancing? Oof! Makes me tired just thinking about it.

I always picture everything Scott's or I.T. or Cape Breton, played like Natalie McMaster. I love Uptempo, but I don't bow like that. When I visited Cape Breton I didn't let on I could play. Compared to even the old men, I could no way keep up.