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Originally posted by farmerjones

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Originally posted by Strabo

This week it’s Peacock Rag by Fiddlin Arthur Smith -- a fine tune with lots of room to make it even finer!

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What key? If I may ask?

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Key of G. I'm learning it from a video so I had to pick up my fiddle to verify that it's in G. Nice tune -- quite swingy.

I was wrong -- actually I play Peacock Rag in D. A few go-rounds on my fiddle made that clear to me. I haven’t seen any sheet music so I don’t know how Arthur wrote it.

Strabo, haha yes, the tunes can get complicated with setling on the format!

I am in a "battle" with our brilliant whistle player over a tune...he says it's played as a Single reel (A B) but I play it as Double (A A B B) which I learned from a Sligo fiddling video from a living Sligo-area fiddler. I'm pretty much clinging stubbornly to his version, but whistle guy always plays it Single and I mess him up inadvertently...sigh. Then when I lead it, he forgets that I play it Double...

So I guess we have to duke it out...settle this once and for all...pistols at sunrise...or something...

Attempt to make Drunken Hiccups sound the way I want it to sound (difficult, very difficult!). https://youtu.be/1_Sbgxlg0CM?si=BYIrQ9g7bJSu8Bfm

And we had another incident. Ziva jumped on the bed and my wooden bow is in the garbage bin now. She broke it into two pieces.

I'll have to be satisfioed with this, my temu bow or my codabow.

 

Oh no! Sorry about your bow!!

I was playing this infectious chord progression:
Am, E, G, D, F, C, D, E, and back or
Am, E, G, D, F, C, Dm, Em, ret.
Try it if you dare. Lol

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Originally posted by Quincy

Attempt to make Drunken Hiccups sound the way I want it to sound (difficult, very difficult!). https://youtu.be/1_Sbgxlg0CM?si=BYIrQ9g7bJSu8Bfm

And we had another incident. Ziva jumped on the bed and my wooden bow is in the garbage bin now. She broke it into two pieces.

I'll have to be satisfioed with this, my temu bow or my codabow.

 

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Condolences for the loss of your bow! We value our music tools so much that it is very sad when something gets damaged or lost. 

I know that some people are very careful, always putting their instruments back in the case, closing the lid, etc., etc. But I'm more cavalier about that sort of thing, maybe less anal. My instruments hang on hooks on the walls and I often leave a fiddle on the table. I like seeing it there, ready for use at any moment.

Maybe one day I'll pay the price for my loose attitude -- but in the meantime I enjoy having my music close at hand.

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Originally posted by Strabo

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Originally posted by Quincy

Attempt to make Drunken Hiccups sound the way I want it to sound (difficult, very difficult!). https://youtu.be/1_Sbgxlg0CM?si=BYIrQ9g7bJSu8Bfm

And we had another incident. Ziva jumped on the bed and my wooden bow is in the garbage bin now. She broke it into two pieces.

I'll have to be satisfioed with this, my temu bow or my codabow.

 

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Condolences for the loss of your bow! We value our music tools so much that it is very sad when something gets damaged or lost. 

I know that some people are very careful, always putting their instruments back in the case, closing the lid, etc., etc. But I'm more cavalier about that sort of thing, maybe less anal. My instruments hang on hooks on the walls and I often leave a fiddle on the table. I like seeing it there, ready for use at any moment.

Maybe one day I'll pay the price for my loose attitude -- but in the meantime I enjoy having my music close at hand.

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Thanks Strabo, I miss the feeling of wood in my hand. I consider the carbon bow also the codabow as good for practising but nothing beats the sound of a wooden bow. I can relate to what you wrote, in my case I'm just very chaotic by moments,  which often causes me to rush things more (and then accidents happen).

I have seen a very light weighted pernambuco bow revised at a luthier's online shop where I sometimes place an order, excellent service. It's tempting, it seems reasonably priced and I trust this luthier as no other although I have not met him irl, he is a regular poster at another forum. 

Don't ask me why, but this specific bow weighs only 52.4 gram which is far below the average of 60 gram making this bow sound very unique - to me at least.  If I do some research the low weight could be because it's an older bow. My guess would be that a bow this light could be a good choice for a strong hand player like me, maybe it can add some feeling for keeping tone while speeding up and maybe it will be just a lot more fun to handle. I can test this bow out if I want too. I just wonder how much loudness I will loose. Another one to consider I play too loud. Maybe a very light bow can solve that. If I test it out and send it back the return shopping costs a&re on me.

Quincy - Sorry to hear about your bow. Depending on where it broke, wooden bows can sometimes be repaired, but its expensive so the bow has to be worth something to make it worthwhile, and even then it will lose much of its value.
As far as weight, 52 grams seems very light to me. I have a couple Pernambuco bows, one 58 grams and one 62 grams, and the difference is noticeable. The heavier one is a better bow, but I sometimes wish they were both closer to 60 grams.
Leaving instruments out has advantages, but its not so practical if you have children or pets.

Haven't been playing much lately, but today I tried (from sheet music) "Campbell's Barndance," which is the tune the Flanagan Brothers played at the beginning and end of their record "The Flanagans Chase the Banshee," and is now sometimes called (imaginatively) "Chase the Banshee."
I also tried "By Heck," which the Flanagans recorded late in their career as the "Irish Big Four."
I'd like to learn these on the button accordion, but I don't have the right instrument, but I think it could be done with what I have.
The originals:
wardirishmusicarchives.com/Exh...-reel.htm
itma.ie/playlists/barndance-se.../?track=9 "By Heck"

My saved playlist on YouTube with favorite tune tuorials and fiddling examples and heroes shows better on my smartp?one. I just found back groundhogpeggy playing Jack of Diamonds on the viola, again, I always overlook some videos on my laptop but today I tried my phone and there it was again <3

Incredible playing <3 I love the sound of a viola!

Like the crazy fiddle fan I am I posted another 'yay I found it back comment' aha :-D

Love violas too!

Playing update: Huh well, my flute friend brought to me to another "invite only" jam and the other fiddler was Clay (Red Clay Ramblers). Gulp, I told her that I was very nervous! Well, he ambled in, unpacked, sat down and launched into one of my favorite reels, Devanney's Goat! Once we started playing, all my nerves went away. Awesomely awesome to get to play along with him! I think my playing of that reel improved 50% just from playing it through with him..the groove, the beat, the feeling. He is such an incredibly talented musician and I'll never be able to do the stuff he does...when he thinks you've got the tune covered, he'll start weaving around you and adding licks, doublestops and making the music sound amazing. Hearty applause and I think the pub people had no idea who the casual free "session fiddler" in the corner was...trust me, all session fiddlers do not play like Clay, hahaha! Anyway I've been listening to the Red Clay Ramblers albums all day while working :-)

Tunes I am learning:
LOL I have a bunch of murky recordings from the session and I have no idea what they are called, but cool tunes. The only one I do know the name of (thanks to flute friend's ID) is "Fly Fishing" reel (jackie daly)...so I'm gonna TACKLE that one this week (pun intended) :-D

Love to hear you so ethusiast NCNotes :-D It sounds like these are exciting times for you on a musical level, I am happy for you! I was going through my long list of collected fiddle instructionals and interesting takes on certain tunes  again this morning , I found one for you in my list:
https://youtu.be/SYIrCNH1BTs?si=CNWcwFUO9TbYB15q

Today I am relistening to an old recording of a young John Specker playing Hawks and Eagles, these chords he throws in, it gives me the thrills and all in such a steady rhythm. 

I should make that playlist of me public hehe. Working on it, there is much more that need sto be added.

@NCNotes that sounds amazing. There is a great interview with Clay Buckner on Joe McHugh's "Rosin the Bow" podcast.
rosinthebow.podbean.com/e/clay...ramblers/

yea I listened to that interview! Clay is quite a cool dude :-)

Thanks Anja, wow, I am amazed by how he plays, and he's tuned to DDAD?! Great set and I don't know a single one of those tunes...story of my life, hahaha.

And I remember when you were learning Hawks and Eagles, that was awhile ago! Funny how we never feel "done" with a tune. :-)

One more tune to add: slipjig "Liam Childs"

Humor: At sesh, flute friend plays a beautiful slipjig. When I ask what it is, she says "Liam Childs." Another time, she leans over and asks, "Do you play Liam Childs?" When I say no, she plays it. Then a few more times she does this, ditto, repeat... Finally stupid me got the HINT! I just listened to Liz Carroll's CD with Liam Childs on it, and I was like, "How did I miss this tune?!" So I'm learning: Liam Childs slipjig. 

PS My tunes never get picked up by any other players. Apparently persistence, repeating and extreme hinting, that is the key...!   :-D

I know everybody must be playing lots of stuff, so I'll shut up now! 

Yesterday "Galway Hornpipe" and "Dance All Night." Today trying to get back in the groove on "Train 45."

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Originally posted by DougD

Yesterday "Galway Hornpipe" and "Dance All Night." Today trying to get back in the groove on "Train 45."

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Train 45 in B????

Dance all night is one I'm sure I've heard you play before! I'm still working on Sal's Got Mud. This one is taking a little longer. For some reason, I can't recall it when I sit down. I have to pull up a version to play along with. It's not a hard tune. I just can't lock it in yet. I need to listen to it more when I don't have a fiddle in my hand!

GB Grayson recorded "Train 45" cross tuned (like AEae) but tuned down to F# (F#, C#, F#, C#). That gives it the sound of the train whistle, so I have a fiddle tuned like that.
I don't play many of the popular "modern" jam tunes, but I recently listened to "Sal's Got Mud," and, like a lot of those tunes I didn't find the melody very memorable, so I wouldn'tbe able to learn it either.

I love F#C#F#C#! For some reason i always pick this kind of tuning with # when crosstuned. I'm still unsure if it's my ear or my fiddle that prefers this.

I'm in GDAEand ADAE today ... Durang's Hornpipe, very nice tune. And others but I have jus tstarted. Still in love with my new very light bow.

I hope to get better in GDAE. I saw some interesting bowing videos on facebook and one that Steve made. So much I keep aside but then when you need it it's a whole quest.

My fiddle/violin sounds so wonderful when it's tuned down a half-step ...I just love the softer huskier deeper sound! Anyway I think that tuning would have F# C# for the two lower strings, ike yours, Anja. LIstening to recordings of some of the older Irish fiddlers (like Julia Clifford, John Kelly) they had the same preference...

I grudgingly tune up to standard pitch a couple days before I go to a session, sigh!

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Originally posted by NCnotes

My fiddle/violin sounds so wonderful when it's tuned down a half-step ...I just love the softer huskier deeper sound! Anyway I think that tuning would have F# C# for the two lower strings, ike yours, Anja. LIstening to recordings of some of the older Irish fiddlers (like Julia Clifford, John Kelly) they had the same preference...

I grudgingly tune up to standard pitch a couple days before I go to a session, sigh!

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i think the baroque pitch or there abouts is the fiddle's favorite also

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Originally posted by DougD

GB Grayson recorded "Train 45" cross tuned (like AEae) but tuned down to F# (F#, C#, F#, C#). That gives it the sound of the train whistle, so I have a fiddle tuned like that.
 

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Our Cajun band plays "Reuben", and use the train effect sounds; the whistle (after "hear that whistle blow a hundred miles", as well as doppler sound, and wheel chug, and the brakes. I'm tuned down a step FCGD, so in G (A fingering) do the whistle as F/B tritone (G/C# fingering). I would use same tritone equiv. in cross tuning. Just curious if you use something else that makes good train whistle?

I hardly ever think of tuning to F#C#F#C#... but often at home don't tune to A440... just pick up fiddle and tune to itself, or other instrument sitting near (also no longer necessarily in A440), probably drifted off, and so ends up close to that sometimes.

Lost Indian, as taught by Chance McCoy on YouTube, it's the Mose Coffman version says the description. I love it together with the plucking. This one is by far the most easy one to start off with in AEAC#. I can play it through with double stops but now the finishing touch. What was once not within my reach has become possible :-)))

We'll be playing G tunes tomorrow night, So, I'll be working on a few that I would like to bring to the session. But - still rough on a few...

Sugar Tree Stomp; New Broom; Indian Corn; Old Time Billy in the Low Ground; Paddy on the Railroad

Probably won't get to all of them - too many new tunes in one night, but I'm working on them. I'd like to do them justice in hopes they like them well enough for a repeat later.