Yesterday I played 'Blackberry Blossom' and since I've been practicing 'melodic pattern exercises' I decided to try this on aforementioned tune. This simply entails staying with the original 'fingered melodic patterns', as much as possible, but changing the key. E major was the first key I tried, but I didn't like much the B section. However, in A major the B section sounds exciting. 

Anyhow, I heard this on youtube recently, and having fun learning it. It appears to be an original cos I can't find any reference.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zInMx_bhvM

My fingers are playing their usual suspects.
Tim the Turncoat
Tchaikovsky Sixth, First Movement Theme
Twelve Bar Blues in D, A and C.
Soldiers Joy -- the B section played slowly, like a love song.

Mineola Rag... great busking tune.

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Originally posted by buckhenry

 

Anyhow, I heard this on youtube recently, and having fun learning it. It appears to be an original cos I can't find any reference.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zInMx_bhvM

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From the description: 

Song Name "Before The Sun" By Elissa Jones

Then it lists a Spotify and YouTube channel.

Still playing "Jump Reggie Jump" at a relaxed tempo. Have also been playing "Hickman's Rag" mostly in second position and have greatly improved my intonation in that closed position, as well as my accuracy when shifting back and forth.

The Ciul Aodh, which I learned is pronounced Coool-ayy !
A really ‘cool’ jig, done in G D or A but I like it in A

Oo I love that one! (Cuil Aodha?)
Big jumps…I always thought maybe written by flute player…
I had to look up how to pronounce it, too! I was saying kweel a-odd-a.
( My flute friend is hardcore…she is studying Gaelic now…! I think she is going move to Ireland...:-D

i ran into people who called soldier's joy "king's head" when i was hanging around old fiddlers in the 90s. i like the simple versions of the tune and the complex ones, as well. Henry Reed did some nice things with it...
loc.gov/item/afcreed000175/

Shawn - That's nice. Don't hink I'd heard that one before - Henry Reed knew so many unusual tunes the focus was sort of on them. He reverses the arpeggio in the A part D-F#-A - up instead of down. Plus some other nice twists. Thanks for posting.

Yeah that was great, made me pick up my fiddle and work out the turnaround.

I better go back and give Mr Reed some quality time. It was early in my fiddle journey when I was introduced to him and my focus was not really on the details, something that is on the forefront of my listening these days.

Just saw a video/film of Dwight Lamb and then found out he passed away recently so I ran through The Opposite Polka, Schottische #1, Polka #1, A two part waltz, Quadrille #1(Trekant), and Tomorrow I Wed but Who Shall I Marry. Great tunes and glad to know about them and get the chance to play them.

Wee Michael's March, a Scottish bagpipe tune (what else!).

So far I have been trying Angelina baker , have been testing out Boil 'm cabbage down, have been using Rubber Dolly and each time afterwards I told myself : no, I still don't have what it takes. Then today I remembered a tune I found fascinating from the beginning on: Hawks and Eagles. How could I have forgotten about that tune? So I tried to play along with several versions on YouTube and also quickly went through several instructional videos, but I consider all of my my attempts useless.

UNTIL!!!!!!!

And this is the best part of all , until I suddenly found this one on YouTube - it appeared in my suggestions list:

https://youtu.be/i9T5cvQGytQ

I simply LOVE John Specker !!! His feet tapping and the way he varies on the rhythm/melody and his tempo are showing me the way today with this tune, now how good is that? It actually starts to sound very fiddley what I am doing and I am going to finish this tune till I am satisfied, that is for sure :-)

About to order all of Speckers' digital albums. MUST have them <3

Anja, "Hawks. And Eagles" comes from Norman Edmonds of Hillsville, VA . You can hear him playing it here: youtu.be/ZkRG6oOJHK4?feature=shared
There are also two volumes of his music at the Field Recorders Collective. These are from radio shows on the Galax station from the 1950's and 60's and really put the music into a context. "Hawks and Eages" is on Volume 2.
fieldrecorder.org/product/norm...volume-1/
fieldrecorder.org/product/norm...volume-2/
His grandson Jimmy Edmonds is respected fidder and luthier today.
There's really not too much to this tune melodically, but its possible to vary the dynamics. and "feel" to keep it interesting. Our band recorded it 50 years ago this past summer. Its funny that now that is further back in time than Norman Edmonds recordings for Ralph Peer were then!
youtu.be/0Td1wWaSEd8?feature=shared

Hey Doug, I feel ready to invest in some music now, thank you for the wonderful links!! Love these radio show recordings! I see a lot of tunes I have been trying out it in the past on these two volumes.
Now that I managed to figure out the melody of Hawks and Eagles (if it goes too fast I cannot) I see what you mean saying that there isn't much to it, but indeed I feel now how one can vary the dynamics.
I ofcourse already found the version of the Highwood Strings band, but to be honest in learning stage I just listened a while to decide no this is way too fast for me to figure it out on normal speed. You guys were very precise and fast the same time!!!
I wish my old car had a decent audio player with usb. That would make it possible to listen to the digital albums I want to collect. But can't have it all lol.
It's already fantastic that I have a 100% top dog and a fiddle that I can play a little bit <3

Funny thing about tempo. Its hard for me to tell exactly, but I think the Highwoods recording is about the same speed as Norman Edmonds played it, maybe even a bit slower. We could play fast if needed, but we tried to keep the spirit of the tunes intact.
I was going to mention that those radio shows are a really good representation of the tunes of that area. There are a few surprises, but most are real "standards" for that time and place, and will be great for you to learn Even though those recordings are from the late 1950's and 60's, they were not widely known until much later, so "Hawks and Eagles" was a new one to us in 1974. There was no point in recording tunes everyone else was playing, so we were always on the lookout for good "new" material.

Ever since I read the book 'Simon the Fiddler', now every time I play 'The Blarney Pilgrim' I'm reminded of how he played this jig as a waltz at one particular gig.

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Originally posted by Shawn Craver Fiddler

i ran into people who called soldier's joy "king's head" when i was hanging around old fiddlers in the 90s. i like the simple versions of the tune and the complex ones, as well. Henry Reed did some nice things with it...
loc.gov/item/afcreed000175/

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I grew up, simple melody popularly called it  "Love Somebody" and often sang words.

Also heard with words of Rock the Cradle Lucy/Lucy Long.

I don't love nobody
Panhandle Rag
Bully of the Town
Down Yonder
I build some jangly backing loop, and whatever it reminds me of is what I play. It sounds so good until I hear the playback.

On this record Flatt and Scruggs called it "Old Folks" youtu.be/QUkADuEFmqc?feature=shared
I've heard the words (which they didn't sing) "Old folks, old folks, better go to bed. Me and your daughter got a notion in our heads."

Quincy, IMHO, you could do a lot worse then trying to play along with the Highwoods on this and many other of their renditions of Old Time tunes. Aside from giving you a solid 2:50 min of the same tune (unlike the 'sets' of doing a tune 2X and moving on) and impeccable, rock-solid timing example of playing with drive, their rich twin fiddle sound is hard to beat for driving home the melodies. I done wore my LP's to paper-like thinness, back when I first started learning to play fiddle. Yaa, you can tell I was/am a huge fan; trying to emulate the best out there is a good way to get there!

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Originally posted by DougD

On this record Flatt and Scruggs called it "Old Folks" youtu.be/QUkADuEFmqc?feature=shared
I've heard the words (which they didn't sing) "Old folks, old folks, better go to bed. Me and your daughter got a notion in our heads."

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I'm pretty sure renaming the tune earned them more money than trad. would have 

Chickenman - That's certainly possible. I didn't hear those words from Flatt and Scruggs though. I think I heard them around here, although they could have been a modern creation - its still an ongoing tradition here.
wrench13 - Thanks for the kind words - "'Tis Sweet to be Remembered!"
Don't want to get too far off topic, but I recently came across this footage of us playing, which may be the only footage of us outside of a stage performance. For some reason it was in 30 second pieces, which almost fit together, but not quite. Its pretty lively, but still relaxed.
dropbox.com/scl/fi/fjfltaa90cx...y1dw&dl=0
Its slightly on topic because we're standing in front of the converted barn where we'd recorded the "Dance All Night" LP, including "Hawks and Eagles," about a month earlier. All the Highwoods records were recorded within a few feet of this spot.

Whoa that is awesome!!

Like Billy, I was inspired by Shawn's link to get out my fiddle and play some Henry Reed tunes: Clog in D, Schottische in G, Red Fox, Sally Ann Johnson (in D), and Quince Dillon's High D Tune. I looked in the archive here for versions of "Avalon Quickstep" and found one from our old friend Bosco, but it turned out to be "Sullivan's Hollow," so I played that one. Then some G/D tunes - "Flying Clouds" and "Muddy Roads," and finally "Whistling Rufus."
I haven't played much in a long time, and I'm trying to get my intonation and finger flexibility back. Making progress.