wormbower - Posted - 08/29/2010:  14:14:48

We seem to be lacking for TOTW volunteers again, so here’s another emergency submission from yours truly.:

Willow Waltz, by Michigan fiddler Les Raber (1911-1999 or 2001?).

I just happened to be working on Willow Waltz, spurred by Banjo Brad’s recent excellent recent topic on Les Raber. It’s in the key of G, but has some interesting accidentals. It’s a fun tune to learn and play, and gives your fingers a nice workout up and down all four strings. I play it in standard (GDAE) tuning.

I was first introduced to the fiddling of Les Raber through Dan Levenson (fiddledan), who recorded Willow Waltz on his excellent 1997 album, Light of the Moon. You can listen to a sample of Dan’s recording on the CD Baby site in that last link. This weekend I’ve been “jamming” with Dan’s version. Here’s a recording of one of those sessions (ARGHHHH--I totally blew the last two double-stop notes).

According to Judy Raber Burns, Mr. Raber’s daughter. Les wrote Willow Waltz when he was 18 years old, which would have been ca. 1929.

Here are some web sites where you can learn about Les Raber:

museum.msu.edu/nff2000/activit.../les.html

museum.msu.edu/s-program/mh_aw...91lr.html

dulcimers.com/lesraber/index.html

goldengriffonstringtet.com/raber.htm (where you can sample his tunes and order recordings of his fiddling)

I’m hoping some people here knew and played with Les Raber and can tell us more about him. In the mean time, I’d better keep working on Willow Waltz…

Paul

Edited by - wormbower on 08/29/2010 14:21:05

Willow Waltz

hendrid - Posted - 08/29/2010:  15:23:58

Thanks Paul, you are a good man

The sheet music

dulcimers.com/tunes/Willow.html

Think this is the tribute one you posted

youtube.com/watch?v=EcyFHQhBz8...e=related

Edited by - hendrid on 08/29/2010 15:25:14

wormbower - Posted - 08/29/2010:  15:37:16

Thanks, Don! Though I think I learned this one by ear straight from Dan's recording (which has just a few extra notes), I remembered seeing the sheet music for it somewhere on the web. I'm glad you found it and gave us the link.

I should point out that, although the sheet music says AAB, on the two recordings I have of Les Raber playing Willow Waltz (and on Dan's recording), it's played AABB.

Paul

Edited by - wormbower on 08/29/2010 15:48:15

tiquose - Posted - 08/29/2010:  16:45:36

Paul, you're a dear. You've picked an outstanding tune that deserves to be better known.

fiddledan - Posted - 08/29/2010:  17:48:09

Yep, a great one which I had the pleasure of learning from Les himself. I remember that he was quite particular about how he bowed the beginning of the second part and even can retell of a time at the Midland festival where he sat with me and asked me what I thought about how he should bow it! WHAT? yep, I don't think I could ever do it any better than Les did himself and miss hearing him play it. He was one of the best fiddlers I have ever met.

The transcriptions that do exist were done after he had passed but I think he might have had a correction or two to make if he got to see them first. None the less, the versions that were written can get you started. There are also several recordings including some festival ones that might be nice to hear also. I'll see if I can find and post one of us playing (Les on fiddle, would/should be me on guitar and hopefully "baby brother" Merle on tuba) when I get back from Colorado later this week.

Thanks for putting up music from this great man.

hendrid - Posted - 08/29/2010:  18:47:16

If you look at the sheet music above it looks like AABB, as the A part is 8 bars repeated and the B part shown is 16 bars without showing a repeat but the first 8 bars of the B part then the last 8 bars could be considered BB with the last few ending bars sliding back to the 2. ending of the A part? Don