wesm - Posted - 12/30/2007:  02:29:33

Does anyone have a clip they'd care to upload? I'd like to learn it, preferably by ear. Not having much luck with Bruce Molsky's version.

What key/tuning would you play it in?

Thanks,
//w

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//w

snowgood - Posted - 12/30/2007:  14:22:12

I have a copy of Black Jack Grove in the Portland Collection Vol. II. It's in A mixo (two sharps) with a lot of accidentals (or 'misfortunes' as my daughter calls them in the B part. I might try to put it on a clip for you, but things are busy now and I'm not that strong on it.

Mike

live music, deep snow, fast water, big fish

Tobias - Posted - 12/30/2007:  14:36:22

Here is a version Alan Lomax recorded in the '39 from L.N. Porter

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query...~ammem_DQ9g::

/Tobias

Beginnig fiddler
Banjoplayer in Oldtime band "Big Hungry Joe" www.bighungryjoe.com

Tobias - Posted - 12/30/2007:  14:50:14

...and another, different, version by Walter McNew:

http://www.aca-dla.org/cdm4/item_vi...TR=186&REC=2

And this is what the Fiddlers Companion ( http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/FCfiles.html ) says of the McNew version (tuning etc.)

---
BLACK JACK GROVE. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Kentucky. A Mixolydian ('A' part) & A Dorian ('B' part). Standard tuning. AABB. Phillips notes that his source, Walter McNew, tended to blur the 'C' notes in the 'B' part of his unaccompanied version, resulting in a tonality somewhere between minor and major. Jeff Titon (2001) finds the title in tune lists from Berea College in 1915 and in the 1919 Berea fiddle contest list. Source for notated version: Walter McNew (Mt. Vernon, Rockcastle County, Ky.) [Phillips, Titon]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 2, 1995; pg. 21. Titon (Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes), 2001; No. 13, pg. 47. Berea College Appalachian Center AC005, Walter McNew – “Black Jack Grove” (1993). Yodel-Ay-Hee 003, “Dirk Powell and John Hermann” (1992).
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/Tobias

Beginnig fiddler
Banjoplayer in Oldtime band "Big Hungry Joe" www.bighungryjoe.com

bosco - Posted - 12/30/2007:  17:59:55

I'm pretty sure the one wesm asks is the version of Walter McNew's not Porter's. It's in the key of A and the tuning is AEAE.
Bosco

Konnichiwa, arigato, sayonara

bsed - Posted - 12/30/2007:  21:34:28

Ladymuse sent me an email about this thread, I think, because of my 'I Take Requests' thread in the Soundoff section. So I'll paste my reply to her here:

Hi Jen,
Yeah, I read the thread. And I listened to the tune (Black Jack Grove) once through. My first thought is that I could probably learn the tune, but I’m not sure if it’ll take 15 minutes, a day, a week, or longer. So I thought it might be prudent not to say I could learn it in any given time period (in case it turns out to be a bear of a tune).
Bruce

That being said, I'll iterate that I might be able to learn it (eventually) and post a slowed down version for folks to study.

"I can, and do, cut my own hair."
-Dwight Shrute

"I convinced my boss of my acumen in sales, and he rewarded me with these two plaques of recognition in lieu of a pay increase."
-Dwight Shrute

bosco - Posted - 12/30/2007:  22:12:52

OK, since bsed is not ready yet, and I already know the tune. Here is my version of Walter McNew's Black Jack Grove played slowly. I tend to play both C# and E# flatter on B part on purpose.
Hope it will help you to learn the tune, wesm!
Bosco


Konnichiwa, arigato, sayonara

bsed - Posted - 12/31/2007:  12:35:41

I have recorded Black Jack Grove from the playing of Mr. McNew. Turned out it wasn't real hard to learn it. Be sure to play C# in the A part (I slide up to them) and Cb in the B part. You'll also hear that I was a little sharp (unintentionally) on the E string.
Bosco plays the tune with drones. I was tempted to do that, but Mr. McNew played single notes, so I just stuck as close to what he did as I could.



"I can, and do, cut my own hair."
-Dwight Shrute

"I convinced my boss of my acumen in sales, and he rewarded me with these two plaques of recognition in lieu of a pay increase."
-Dwight Shrute

Edited by - bsed on 12/31/2007 12:39:09

ladymuse - Posted - 12/31/2007:  19:48:46

Also - I googled it mp3 wise - (sine the links didn't work for me)
But what came up was the sheet music!!! (Walter NcNew)

Very cool tune! You can view whole notated tune!!!! -

http://books.google.com/books?id=mm...AoRSKXIh-O64

Edited by - ladymuse on 01/01/2008 05:41:49

wesm - Posted - 01/01/2008:  02:24:10

Thanks all for the interest, and to bosco and bsed for posting clips. I think I can hear them well enough to learn the tune. Also, thanks to ladymuse for the tilton book tip.

Happy fiddlin new year to all.

Wes

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//w