A great deal of phrases used in Old Time tunes are very similar to the phrases of other tunes, the accents might be different, but the notes and the arrangement make it easy to understand / especially the "notey" ones.
Yes / No
The fun stuff is finding where they are different.
...and i bet it is true in other genres too.
Edited by - tonyelder on 08/09/2026 18:44:59
An older fiddler I knew, whom had played with Bill Monroe and others in his lifetime, made the most profound statement to me once. "All of these fiddle tunes are exactly a like, except each one is a little different." - Bobby Diamond. He was a heck of a character and a mind boggling good fiddler.
As Lon Jordan said, before playing "Natchez Under the Hill" for the Library of Congress, "It sounds like 'Turkey in the Straw,' but STILL there's a difference!"
While I kind of agree with the 'there is nothing new under the Sun' with fiddle tunes, keep in mind that even using whole notes, there are 20,736 possible 4 notes in 1 measure in 4/4 time. FInding the unique parts that make a tune standout is useful and memorable. Books are filled with 1000's of fiddle tunes and maybe 3 dozen of them are really good ones.
Divide and conquer Tony!
A lot of Old Time tunes got new names by being misremembered as they were passed around. Sometimes they sound so alike because they came from the same root but got mixed up. A and B parts might have been forgotten or improvised.
I would agree that there are a lot of common phrases in the repertoire, and it’s pretty easy to just improvise a tune on the spot if you’re familiar with some of them. The differences—usually an unexpected note, rhythm, or interval-- can at times make them more interesting and memorable.
Edited by - The Violin Beautiful on 08/10/2026 14:20:15
....seems that every good tune has at least ONE phrase that sets it apart from other similar tunes.. Getting that phrase right makes all the difference .....
quote:
Originally posted by TuneWeaver....seems that every good tune has at least ONE phrase that sets it apart from other similar tunes.. Getting that phrase right makes all the difference .....
Yeap, the hook usually defines it. And its not always a phrase that was played that way on the source recordings. Doesn't bother me when a clever / creative / skilled phiddler adds some magic to a good tune and makes it more memorable.
And of course - everyone else plays it that way too. 
"And of course - everyone else plays it that way too. laugh"
Now you're just throwing gas on the fire Tony! 
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