Does anyone have chords for The Squirrel Hunters?    Thanks:)

It seems to depend on who you ask.  I have seen transcriptions with Em D and a A and then I know folks who play the whole thing with an A and G chord.  This will be fun to watch it play out (no pun intended).

http://www.thursdaycontra.com/~spuds/tunes/reels/SquirrelHunter.png 

Carl,  this is exactly what I mean, then why do so many folks play it with just an A major and G major chord?

Thank you both so much!   I've seen it with Em and Bm  - some very complicated versions & I couldn't make it  sound right. - at least to my ears:)    We just  need a simple version for now. This is a wonderful tune....  my new favorite! 

Barb

irfiddler - Have you seen this YouTube vid of Mike Compton and Joe Newberry?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPndOWoSwII  I believe its all A and G, with a couple E or E7.

Better yet, here's John Hartford and his band:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV98pfwsM3k  Same chords - can't get much simpler than that (although I don't think its a Kentucky tune, is it)?

Carl - I think that transcription misses the modal sound of that tune (which I don't really know that well). I don't think its actually even in the right key.

Edited by - DougD on 07/15/2012 11:05:12

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Originally posted by DougD

irfiddler - Have you seen this YouTube vid of Mike Compton and Joe Newberry?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPndOWoSwII  I believe its all A and G, with a couple E or E7.

Better yet, here's John Hartford and his band:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV98pfwsM3k  Same chords - can't get much simpler than that (although I don't think its a Kentucky tune, is it)?

Carl - I think that transcription misses the modal sound of that tune (which I don't really know that well). I don't think its actually even in the right key.

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From what I've heard the tune comes from western Pennsylvania, collected by Samuel Bayard of Penn State University in the 30's-40's.

Yep... also collected in WV as "Dan Friend's Piece."

Shawn, do you have Bayard's book? Are there any suggestions at all of chords in the transcriptions, or what key its notated in?

Here's another good version, a little more "modren" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSsBe3zcL3g

Same chords, but I paid a little better attention this time - that's a D at the end - no E or E7.

Edited by - DougD on 07/15/2012 13:34:13

Bayard's transcriptions are melody, no chords as often the fiddler played the tune unaccompanied.

Yes, I know that. I meant if any chords were "suggested" by the melodic contours, or whether the key was stated - like "A mixolydian." I don't think he did that in Hill Country Tunes though.

Edited by - DougD on 07/15/2012 14:09:45

I think it is E dorian actually and some folks play it more mixolydian.  But then I may be wrong about that.

Thanks All!

I'm going to get with  the band and try this out.  Have most of the chords.   When we get it down I'll post the tune and the chords too.

Just don't hold your breath - it might take a while to get everyone up to speed:))

Bayard notated several versions of the tune from fiddlers and fifers. All of them but one were noted with 2 sharps. The other... one sharp.
He makes comments about dorian and mixylodian, but there are so many versions that he (as usual) he talks more about relativity between them.

Thanks Shawn. I've been fooling with this tune a little and I'm not sure it has chords! Here's what I've been hearing. Each letter or slash is one beat (two beats per measure).

A part: Em / / / G / / / Em / / / G / A /  (Repeat)   B part: A / / G / / / / A / / G / / A /  (Repeat)     This is from a transcription of John Hartford's playing, but I have another version from somewhere and it would work too. Anybody else hear it this way?

I'm also surprised that in the Fiddler's Companion it says that Bayard "identified it as 'one of the most ramifying and widespread of our British Isles melodic families'" yet none of the related tunes mentioned seem very common, and this melody isn't familiar to me either.

I still hope to go to an auction or the flea market and find a copy of this book. I think as part of their penance Penn State should be required to republish it as part of the Joe Paterno series.

Edited by - DougD on 07/18/2012 09:59:45

quote:

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Originally posted by DougD

. Anybody else hear it this way?

That's the way I've always heard it.

I always thought the A part was in one mode (maybe E-Dorian) and the B part was in another (Probably A-Mixolydian).

Anyhow, I really like how landing on the A major chord when entering the B-part brightens everything up.

--OTJ

Ive had the book for years. I am still interested in getting the recordings behind the transcriptions. Ive written to Penn State a couple times, even called... with no word back. .