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Originally posted by TuneWeaver

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Originally posted by Quincy

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Originally posted by NCnotes

Hmm, I like them both, Anja! I think I personally like it a little higher (as in #1) but it's your personal choice...
 

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Thanks, I like the ideas in 1 a bit better  but I fall for tuning as low as possible.I'll try to work on 1 but tuned as in 2 :-D

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Anja, do you have jams/peers that you play with?

 

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Hehe no, obviously.  but the question is will they add to my progress if I had them? II'm afraid I  am the 'does not play well with others' type ;-)

I am wondering now why you asked this Lee :))

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Originally posted by NCnotes

Hmm, I like them both, Anja! I think I personally like it a little higher (as in #1) but it's your personal choice...

 

 I was curious  because I was staying  very low during the last days.  Why would NCnotes prefer a little higher? Had to test it.   So today  playing Midnight On The Water in DDAE.  I have to admit it sounds way better to me also this way! 

I found a  very nice written tune version that I will use  to work with;  it gave me an instant Eureka feeling  when I used this version, and now the final goal is DDAD.  I  noticed in DDAD my old fiddle sounds most attractive for this tune,  but it takes me some time for the second part to put my fingers right in DDAD ,  DDAE is just easier to do. 

Midnight On The Water has become my main theme of the week :-p Now everything is Midnight On The Water.   

Coming along nicely Anja. The advantage to tuning the first string to D is that you have a unison D drone when you play the note on the second string. This might really be more useful than tuning the G string way down unless you can figure out a way to sound it the way Benny Thomasson did. Catchy tune, isn't it?

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Originally posted by Quincy

I am relearning Midnight On The Water, this one I never really got right, because it was aimed too high as a beginner . Now I can try to make it shine:-D Playing also with different moods and different intentions ... My fierced energy was not a good match at all for this specific tune , but I can do lightly and soft also, especially listening to different versions on YouTube. It gets me in the right atmosphere

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I'm actually trying the same thing! I'm a little more prepared these days for it. I'm needing work on the B part. That Low D is fun to play with...

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Originally posted by Erockin

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Originally posted by Quincy

I am relearning Midnight On The Water, this one I never really got right, because it was aimed too high as a beginner . Now I can try to make it shine:-D Playing also with different moods and different intentions ... My fierced energy was not a good match at all for this specific tune , but I can do lightly and soft also, especially listening to different versions on YouTube. It gets me in the right atmosphere

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I'm actually trying the same thing! I'm a little more prepared these days for it. I'm needing work on the B part. That Low D is fun to play with...

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There are 47 different tune versions on abcnotation.com! Made me realize I do not need to reinvent the wheel, there is enough inspiration in all these different versions to find out how exactly I am going to blend the parts that I like most in each version and figure out the way I want to bow  them. 

I used to only focus on / notice the Marc O'Connor version , but realize now that this tune is perfect for variation and can go a lot of different ways.

Today playing: Bonaparte's retreat (the easiest one of the two main versions I know) and Year Of Jubilo. Trying to play Year Of Jubilo a lot faster than I did before, concentrating on a very loose and relaxed grip and short bow strokes, it thelps.

Today I have been working on Coleman's March, I found the most beautiful version (imho) - again with abcnotation.... Recorded my first attempt, which I am including here, and I know I am making something up in the beginning (because it is always hard for me to play from sheet music) but then I seem to get into the right direction. I love the way the tune is brought in this written version. Wish I could find out who actually plays it like this! The sheet music only says : Trad (American old-time). I would add the sheet music to this post also, but it's not in jpeg format :-/

Anyway, planning to put some more work into the details tomorrow. But this is for sure my favorite written out version. I used to play a more basic version, and never really put a lot of effort in it, but now I just MUST learn how to master this one, it is beautiful!!!

Currently listening to Edden Hammons' version of Queen of the Earth and Child of the Skies ... my god what is this beautiful and fascinating. I'm totally in love with this recording <3

I wonder if I am able to learn this tune... I guess I first need to learn a more clean version and later on try to experience myself what he is doing with the rhythm. Going to give the basic melody a try today!

Anja, Jake Krack played that tune at the Appalachian String Band Festival a few years back.. He may have Won with that but I don't remember.. Anywayz..You have inspired me to learn it. TheSession.com has sheet music which will be very helpful... I've been needing a challenge. Thanks..

I just watched the Jake Krack performance, interesting, he keeps bow hand and elbow low yet takes very long bow strokes for this tune. A nice performance!
There are many good versions of this tune online, like the one from Erynn Marshall (followed a live workshop with her on FHO!) but not all of them are video recordings unfortunately. It would have rocked if there had been an Edden Hammons video <3

There is something with these older old time fiddlers, something not too clean and clear, not too polished up in their sound that just gives me a thrill , certainly when I am discovering new things like the Edden Hammons recording did to me. This old guard however seems not easy to decypher I must say.... It's not like 'Oh I am going to play this one like the Edden Hammons version LOL. It's rather this 'WTF is he doing and how is he doing that ?!' Maybe it will stay an eternal mystery to folks like me.

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Originally posted by Quincy

There is something with these older old time fiddlers, something not too clean and clear, not too polished up in their sound that just gives me a thrill , certainly when I am discovering new things like the Edden Hammons recording did to me. This old guard however seems not easy to decypher I must say.... It's not like 'Oh I am going to play this one like the Edden Hammons version LOL. It's rather this 'WTF is he doing and how is he doing that ?!' Maybe it will stay an eternal mystery to folks like me.

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I'm the same way Anja!
In Irish Trad, I think it's called "the pure drop" sound...when you love the magic of the past players even with their scratchiness. There is a soulfulness in there that is missing from some of the modern polished playing done by players who have music degrees ...

I aspire to a "pure drop" sound ... but yep, it's a mystery! people say the best way it to just listen to your favorite fiddlers on Repeat, and hope that some of it seeps in... :-)

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Originally posted by Quincy

Currently listening to Edden Hammons' version of Queen of the Earth and Child of the Skies ... my god what is this beautiful and fascinating. I'm totally in love with this recording <3

I wonder if I am able to learn this tune... I guess I first need to learn a more clean version and later on try to experience myself what he is doing with the rhythm. Going to give the basic melody a try today!

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Will you be playing the tune  with the fiddle tuned DDAD?

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Originally posted by TuneWeaver

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Originally posted by Quincy

Currently listening to Edden Hammons' version of Queen of the Earth and Child of the Skies ... my god what is this beautiful and fascinating. I'm totally in love with this recording <3

I wonder if I am able to learn this tune... I guess I first need to learn a more clean version and later on try to experience myself what he is doing with the rhythm. Going to give the basic melody a try today!

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Will you be playing the tune  with the fiddle tuned DDAD?

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Yes, my first attempts were not that bad even, once I got the highest notes right :-) I'ts a lot of fun this tune!!

By pure coincidence (some YouTube video) I just discovered that Queen of the Earth, Child of the Stars (title slightly different) is actually the last tune in the book American Old Time Fiddle Tunes by Pete Cooper, which was a christmas gift for me a couple of years ago. I knew I had seen this tune name before!

Now I have to find out on which usb stick I saved the music :D

edit: not that I am this skilled I can just read the sheet music - I will be happy enough to find some inspiration for ornamentation  and ways of bowing certain parts

After last week, I told the gang I was going home and work on F. Which brought me to Bb in passing. But Bb has never been a problem but I just neglect the key. So Mabel's Boogie, Carrol County, and Frankie & Johnny in F and Bb, just cuz. Then he picks up the DGCF fiddle and plays them again. (Talk about cheating)

Today I tried to pick up certain parts of the Edden Hammons version and found out how to bow them so that it sounds very Edden inspired. On the other hand today I felt scared. If I think about my wish to learn more about modal tunes and stuff like round peak fiddling my courage melts like snow under the sun. What if I will never ....reach what I would like to? Inherent to the learning process to feel like this I guess but still ... Not how I like to feel about it all. But I'm getting closer to the Edden Hammons version , that's also worth a lot to me :-) I'll just hold on to this idea 

hey it’s been a week!
What’s everybody working on?

here, Set of jigs: “Tell Her I Am / Gallagher’s Frolics (which I already knew)”
learning from Martin Hayes Lonesome Touch album

Reason why:
Guitar player looked around and said longingly, “Does anybody play Tell Her I Am?” and was met with silence and puzzled looks…
so right at that sec, I decided I was gonna learn it for him by the next session!

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Originally posted by NCnotes

hey it’s been a week!
What’s everybody working on?

here, Set of jigs: “Tell Her I Am / Gallagher’s Frolics (which I already knew)”
learning from Martin Hayes Lonesome Touch album

Reason why:
Guitar player looked around and said longingly, “Does anybody play Tell Her I Am?” and was met with silence and puzzled looks…
so right at that sec, I decided I was gonna learn it for him by the next session!

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I'm working on this one because a band mate wants to play it. I can't get the second half of the B part to stick in my head. It rambles on just a little too much and like many waltzes, loses my interest before it resolves.
Eileen's Waltz

I JUST noticed it is on The Session, so I'll go look at that, see if it helps.

That’s a pretty one!
Yea I see what you mean about part b...a bit formless, with some unusual melodic jumps..
might be easier if played a bit faster! It’s so slow that it’s hard for my ears to hang onto … :-)

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Originally posted by NCnotes

hey it’s been a week!
What’s everybody working on?

here, Set of jigs: “Tell Her I Am / Gallagher’s Frolics (which I already knew)”
learning from Martin Hayes Lonesome Touch album

Reason why:
Guitar player looked around and said longingly, “Does anybody play Tell Her I Am?” and was met with silence and puzzled looks…
so right at that sec, I decided I was gonna learn it for him by the next session!

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Now that is going to be a nice surprise for the guitar player!!

I switched to something new, Clyde Davenport's recording of Black snake bit me on the toe ( or something like that) Started yesterday, it is very catchy, had no problems or difficulties to catch it up very fast. It helps that there was someone who created the sheet music of Clyde Davenport's recording... Very helpful it was.... I find that + meanwhile-  I can totally permit to cheat a bit with the sheet music if it exists and if it really ressembles the tune version iwell, then it just speeds up the learning curve.   I was suprised by myself  this morning, rhythm sounded correct and very old timey and the sound was good when handling my wooden bow very very light and loose. I dare to say it even had some flair of  'pure drop' in it hehe :-p 

I mean: today it felt like my bow can dance! So strange, because I sometimes also have days on which it feels like I lost all skills and / or my both fiddles are broken.

Cool Anja, I came across this short recording clip of Clyde himself playing it! Have you heard it?
I just wish it wasn't so short and we could hear him go into all the variations and really get into it....:-)

Clyde Davenport - Black Snake Bit Me on the Toe

And yea, I think all players have up/down days...! I feel like that too.

Sounds like DDAd tuning. Is that how you're playing it, Anja?