fiddlerjoebob - Posted - 09/06/2022:  08:33:14

It is often said that someone "Can't carry a tune in a bucket." I have never seen this done, or tried it myself, but I am fairly certain that I couldn't do it. Carrying a tune, in such a manor, seems to have wide and common acceptance as an obvious indicator of ones complete inability to sing or learn an instrument. Just wondering here, can you carry a tune in a bucket? Do you know someone who can? What kind of bucket do they use? How far do they carry the tune, and are some tunes easier to carry that way than others? Are there videos of people doing this? Sorry if this has been discussed on the Hangout before.

Asking for a friend.

Swing - Posted - 09/06/2022:  10:36:58

Yes, I tried to carry a tune in a bucket but it was a total failure....I tripped and spilled the tune all over the place....I don't know if I was going too fast or just tripped....now I carry all my tunes in a closed container and scoop them out as needed. There is a hazard in carrying tunes in a closed container as they sometimes get mixed up and Bb doesn't like being near E...

Play Happy

Swing

TuneWeaver - Posted - 09/06/2022:  10:56:32

Randy, you truly bring up something that requires a lot of thought and introspection..This top HAD to be brought up.. Thanks....I'm just a little confused.. Are you referring to a 'tune' in a bucket? or to a TUNA in a bucket?  Just one letter can make a big difference.    Every serious discussion needs a to offer thinkers a clear description of what the topic is and a definition of terms.  I'm really looking forward to responses. Hope 'your friend' gets what they are looking for.

Edited by - TuneWeaver on 09/06/2022 10:57:48

DougD - Posted - 09/06/2022:  11:22:50

All too often, people get in a hurry or lose their footing and the tune sloshes over the rim of the bucket and some beats or measures are lost. This is how "ccrooked" tunes come about.

BanjoBrad - Posted - 09/06/2022:  11:46:38

Never in a bucket (so far), but plenty of tunes in a briefcase and a tote bag (particularly the one that came with my copy of the Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes).

(grin)

TuneWeaver - Posted - 09/06/2022:  13:03:16

Could it then be said that a Real Gentleman is someone who can carry a tune in a bucket,....but doesn't?

TuneWeaver - Posted - 09/06/2022:  13:25:27

This is such an exciting topic. I did a little Google research and found that worldwide, Many people carry tunes in buckets.. Check this out... Photographic PROOF!!google.com/search?q=carrying+w...amp;dpr=2

Brian Wood - Posted - 09/06/2022:  13:31:57

My bucket's got a hole in it.

TuneWeaver - Posted - 09/06/2022:  13:36:15

quote:

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Originally posted by Brian Wood

My bucket's got a hole in it.

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Where is a Laughter Emoji when we need one!!!

TuneWeaver - Posted - 09/06/2022:  13:54:43

Now can you understand my confusion?scidev.net/global/news/decisio...cised-1x/

doryman - Posted - 09/06/2022:  14:04:40

quote:

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Originally posted by Brian Wood

My bucket's got a hole in it.

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My bucket is full of rain. 

Lonesome Fiddler - Posted - 09/06/2022:  14:45:35

I tried to play Mary Had a Little Lamb, yesterday. My bucket evidently broke. The tune came out sounding like something written by Bartok.

Brian Wood - Posted - 09/06/2022:  15:58:52

They said that my grandfather on my mother's side couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

But he loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and loved to sing tunelessly to them. It was very warm and heartfelt. It surprised me how effective lousy singing could be if it was calm and loving.



Now I'm that age, and I can carry a tune, but my bucket is old, bent and rusty. Not so pretty. But I don't see that music, its skill or lack thereof, is a linear talent, from bad to good. It pervades our lives serving different purposes in different ways. My grandpa showed me that even tuneless melodies are still melodies.

fiddlerjoebob - Posted - 09/06/2022:  16:12:38

Yes fiddlers, on a serious note...whenever someone has told me that they, or someone else, "can't carry a tune in a bucket" I always tell them that is not how you carry a tune anyway. I liked what Humbled once said, here , many years ago, that if you can muster the tones of sarcasm in your speech, you can sing. Ha! We don't need no stinking bucket.

ChickenMan - Posted - 09/06/2022:  17:51:45

I carry my tunes in my pocket, but usually only one or two, and in my front right pocket so as not to lose them when I get my keys or cash out of my front left. Never in my back pockets unless they are Bb tunes. More than two in a pocket results in a mixing up of parts, which rarely results in an improvement.

groundhogpeggy - Posted - 09/06/2022:  18:29:41

Here's the problem, guys... youtu.be/zYY6Q4nRTS4

NCnotes - Posted - 09/06/2022:  19:55:29

quote:

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Originally posted by groundhogpeggy

Here's the problem, guys... youtu.be/zYY6Q4nRTS4

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LOL! 

Our troubles are neverending...

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 09/07/2022:  05:48:09

Well ... I put a cassette and a couple of CD's in a bucket and carried them..... no problemo. R/

BanjoBrad - Posted - 09/07/2022:  09:50:38

quote:

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Originally posted by groundhogpeggy

Here's the problem, guys... youtu.be/zYY6Q4nRTS4

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I do that tune!  Acapella, though. I got it from a Mike & Pegy Seeger CD several years ago.

DougD - Posted - 09/07/2022:  10:03:35

I hate to tell you this, Peggy, but the problem is a lot bigger than just your bucket. youtu.be/AR5qA-7QTiw
And who says roastin' ears ain't corn!

hokelore - Posted - 09/07/2022:  10:08:06

But what if there's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza?

ChickenMan - Posted - 09/07/2022:  10:26:15

quote:

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Originally posted by hokelore

But what if there's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza?

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See Peggy's post above for the answer 

groundhogpeggy - Posted - 09/07/2022:  11:51:20

Well I guess it's a lot worse than previously thought...if you can't carry a tune in a bucket...forget it...there's that big ol' hole in the bottom of the sea and that's one heavy tune load to deal with.

Flat_the_3rd_n7th - Posted - 09/08/2022:  20:40:42

quote:

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Originally posted by hokelore

But what if there's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza?

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I always thought the answer in that case was, "I cain't get no beer"?

But, I'm dogged if I missed the time where you could go buy beer by the bucket, from which, I assume, you downed it.  Those were the days, I suppose.  Woowee

Lonesome Fiddler - Posted - 09/09/2022:  12:14:02

I find it to be a delightful expression. I'm going to keep saying it.

flagle - Posted - 07/27/2023:  00:17:35

I find it to be a delightful expression. I'm going to keep saying it.
flaglegame.net

Old Scratch - Posted - 07/27/2023:  07:43:02

It's a clear indication of how far we've descended from the glory days of the art of fiddling: there was once a time when the ability to carry a tune in a bucket was the most basic, entry-level accomplishment for anyone who wanted to play the fiddle; now, as we see in this discussion, life-long fiddlers can't figure out how it was done ... !

OregonJim - Posted - 10/02/2023:  11:22:16

I always thought "you can't carry a tune in a bucket" meant that you don't play washtub bass.



That's okay. I'll let myself out...

Edited by - OregonJim on 10/02/2023 11:23:39