Clarke Buehling will guest at Fiddle Club on Sunday, July 8 at 6:30 pm in the backroom of the Atlantic Bar & Grill (5062 Lincoln). Click here to register for a single meeting ($15 ), or click here for a year-long subscription ($60) to all Fiddle Club events..
Clarke sent us written music for two tunes.
Here’s how they sound . . .
Peaceful Henry
Peaceful Henry slow
Spanish Galopade
Spanish Galopade slow
As played by . . .
Paul Tyler, convener
For Sunday, July 8 – 6:30p
Atlantic Bar & Grill (5062 Lincoln)
Banjo King (and Man of Many Costumes), Clarke Buehling, visits the Old Town School on his summer tour for an afternoon workshop in the 19th century styles of class (3-finger picking) and stroke (clawhammer) banjo. Workshop info can be found here (scroll down) here (scroll down). In the evening, he will present a short concert for Fiddle Club of the World, and then work us through a couple of vintage fiddle rags and other Gilded Age tunes. The notes can be found below. Recordings to be posted soon.
 Peaceful Henry |
 Spanish Galopade |
(click each thumbnail for a downloadable full size score)
++
You can register for the Fiddle Club meeting for $15 by clicking here, or click this link for the $60 yearly subscription that gives you entrance to all Fiddle Club events.
Note: Recordings of the tunes can be found here.
It’s Battle Ground week! That is, time for the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering in lovely Battle Ground, Indiana, just a couple hours out of Chicago, just off interstate 65. This years festival will be the 40th. I missed the first four, but have only missed two since. Lots of folks look forward to reuniting for a weekend of tunes and friendship. Plus there are concerts on the stage, workshops under the trees and an old-time square dance on Saturday with music by the Bum Ditty Barn Dance Band.
I think the year was 1979 when the Gathering was treated to the music of the Roan Mountain Hilltoppers, a family band from Tennessee. Their tunes were great. Their spirit infectious. And they hawked their most recent album in LP and 8-track tape formats! (Now available on the CD Down Home.) Banjoists take note of the distinctive left-hand style in the picture below. The Easy Street String Band, an outfit from Bloomington, was inspired by a Hilltoppers original, and included it on their LP Money in Both Pockets. (Originally released on the Prairie Schooner label out of St. Louis, it is now available as a CD from Yodel A-Hee.)
 Bill & Joe Birchfield of the Roan Mountain Hilltoppers Photo by Al Smitley (click photo to enlarge) |
 Easy Street String Band On the right is Frank Hall, who was the source for an earlier Tune of the Week. |
Rattletrap by the Roan Mountain Hilltoppers
Rattletrap by the Easy Street String Band
X:1
T:Rattletrap
M:C|
L:1/8
S:Joe Birchfield & the Roan Mountain Hilltoppers
K:G
Bc | d2c2 BcdB | e2c4 Bc | d2c2 B2G2 | ABA2 G2Bc |
d2c2 BcdB | e2c6 | g2=f2 d3B | ABA2 G2 ::
(3DEF | G2GD B,2B,D | +C2E2++CE++CE+ +^C2^E2++^C^E++^C^E+ | +C2E2++CE++CE+ D3D | +CE+D+C2E2+ D2EF |
G2GD B,2D2 | +C2E2++CE++CE+ +^C2^E2++^C^E++^C^E+ | +C2E2++CE++CE+ D3D | +CE+D+C2E2+ D2 :|
Paul Tyler, convener
We all need a hero like John Henry.
Howard Armstrong
(click here for another view)
Recorded at a Lark Productions concert in Bears Back Room in Bloomington, Indiana in the Spring of 1982. The concert was a double bill of Bogan & Armstrong along with Yank Rachell. Howard took the lead on this number and Ted Bogan played guitar. Yank Rachell may be playing along on mandolin. Yanks accompanist, Peter Roller, was on dobro.
X:24
T:John Henry
M:C|
L:1/8
S:Howard Armstrong with Ted Bogan
K:A
ef | “verse”aa2a- a2f2 | e2=c^c A4 |aa3 =gfec | e6 ef | aa2a- a2f2 | e2=c^c A4 |
“refrain”fe=c^c A2FA | c2c2 A4 | fe=c^c A2FA | A3A- A4 |
fe=c^c A2FA | fe=c^c A2FA |fe=c^c E2F2 | A3A- A2ef |
“verse”aa2a- a2=c’a | c’a2a- a3=c’ | c’=c’^c’a =c’a=f^f | e2e4 =c’2 |
(3c’2=c’2a2 (3f2e2=f2 | (3^f2=c2B2 A4 |
“refrain”fe=c^c A2FA | c2c2 A4 | fe=c^c A2FA | A3A- A2FA |
f8 | f2{=c}^c2 A4 | f2e2 c2d=c | A6 ||
Note: the triplets in the third line from the bottom should be quarter note triplets. Some Abc readers render them as eighth note triplets.
Polish for Tune of the Week for June 4, 2012
(click to see Brian Marshall’s solo CD)
Brian Marshall is a fiddler and band leader from the Polonia (Polish colony) of East Texas, between Houston and Dallas. He was raised with old village dance music played by local fiddlers like John Meleski, Raymond Zievert, and–most influential of all–Steve Oksonski. While Brian leads a full-on polka band, The Tex-Slavic Playboys, the following tune from his solo CD features and old country sound.
Brian Marshall & Ron Kasowski on fiddles, Mark Rubin on bowed bass
Krakowiak
X:23
T:Krakowiak
M:C|
L:1/8
S:Brian Marshall of Bremond, Texas
K:C
BA | G2B2 d3a | g2e4 ef | gega gfed | c2e4 dB |
G2B2 d3a | g2e4 ef | g2f2 dcBd | c2c2 c2 ::
dc | Bcde f3c’ | b2a4 g2 | a2ab c’3a | a2g4 ga |
c’2g2 e2c2 | d2b4 ef | gega gfed | c2c2 c2 :|
This notation is just a skeleton. Get Brian’s CD from CDBaby and hear his exciting variations every time through.
Clarke Buehling – vintage banjoist
Sunday, July 8 – 6:30pm
Atlantic Bar & Grill (5062 Lincoln)
“Clarke Buehling is both a banjo master and a devoted clear channel to America’s musical heritage dating back as far as 200 years. Most important of all: He sounds really good!” So says Pete Wernick, “Dr. Banjo,” founding member of the bluegrass band, Hot Rize, and a pretty good picker, himself.
Leader of The Skirtlifters Old-Time Band, Clarke Buehling specializes in the 19th century banjo styles that pre-figured both clawhammer and Scruggs picking. Clarke can play breakdowns and jig using the minstrel stroke, followed by virtuosic finger-picking on banjo rags and classical pieces. He’s a powerful player and a dynamic performer. A fiddle tune jam will follow a presentation not to be missed!
Green Corn-Essence of Old Virginny from the album Out of His Gourd.
St. Louis Tickle (Rag Time Two-Step) from the Skirtlifters album Wait for the Wagon.
(Both albums available here.)
Clarke Buehling will guest at Fiddle Club on Sunday, July 8 at 6:30 pm in the backroom of the Atlantic Bar & Grill (5062 Lincoln). Click here to register for a single meeting ($15 ), or click here for a year-long subscription ($60) to all Fiddle Club events..
Låt i veckan för maj 28, 2012
Anders & Maria Larsson of the Swedish band Svanevit will be guests at Fiddle Club on Monday, June 4 at 7 pm in Room E124 — Old Town School East (4545 Lincoln). Click here to register ($15 for a single meeting).
Anders & Maria Larson with Svanevit
Åleätarns vals (The Eel-Eaters Waltz)
This tune, from their album Rikedom och gåvor (Wealth and Gifts), is actually two waltzes. The first is played on bagpipes. The second waltz starts when the fiddle joins and is played in D, then raised an octave, and finally changed to the key of G. Both the album and the tune honor John Enninger, from Skåne in southern Sweden. A fiddler, writer and tune collector, Enninger (who died in 1908) played his best after “partaking of some schnapps and about half a yard of boiled eel!”
X:22
T:Aleätarns vals (Eel Eater’s Waltz)
M:3/4
L:1/8
S:Svanevit
K:D
“bagpipes-3 times through”DE{F}D2 F2 | E2 {FED}EF E2 | EFFG GE | A2AF D2 ::
B2GF GB | A2FD FA | B2GF GB | A2FD FA | GA/G/ EF GB |1 AC D4 :|2 AC D2 |:
“fiddle and bagpipes”
DF | A4 FA | G4 EG | F2A2 E2 | DCDE FG |
A4 FA | G4 EG | FGAG FE | D4 ::
{E}D2 | D2F2 D2 | AGAB A2 | D2F2 D2 | EDEF E2 |
D2F2 D2 | AGAB A2 | D2FA GE | D4 ::
df | a4 fa | g4 eg | f2a2 e2 | dcde fg |
a4 fa | g4 eg | fgag fe | d4 ::
{e}d2 | d2f2 d2 | agab a2 | d2f2 d2 | edef e2 |
d2f2 d2 | agab a2 | d2fa ge | d4 ::
K:G
“3 times through”GB | d4 Bd | c4 Ac | B2d2 A2 | GFGA Bc |
d4 Bd | c4Ac | Bcdc BA | G4 ::
{A}G2 | G2B2 G2 | dcde d2 | G2B2 G2 | AGAB A2 |
G2B2 G2 | dcde d2 | G2Bd cA | G4 :|
Presented by the Fiddle Club of the World (Chicago Chapter)
Rules and online registration available at squareroots.org/fiddle
Sunday, July 15, 11am
Youth Division – 1st Round
Szold Hall (Old Town School East)
Thursday, July 19, 6:30-9pm
Youth Division – Finals
Open Division – 1st Round
Solo & Fiddle Team Categories
Giddings Plaza (with the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce)
Saturday, July 21, 1:45-2:45pm
Youth Division – winners
Open Division – Finals
Maurer Hall (Old Town School West)
Saturday, July 21, 7-8pm
Battle of the Bands
Tarima Son, Brown’s Dream & a 3rd band tba
Szold Hall (Old Town School East)
The Saturday events are part of our brand new Square Roots Festival, pairing music and dance with a craft-brewing fest. This is a partnership with the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce. (Square Roots. Get it?)
Here’s how the contest looked in 2011, with the finals on the main stage at Chicago Folk & Roots Festival. Photos by Paul Doughty.
 John Lane & Danny Gillespie of Can I Get an Amen |
 Debi Lewis of The Lopsiders |
And here’s a medley of tunes from the 2011 Winner, Los Pichardo featuring Gabriela Pichardo on fiddle. Recorded at the Open Division 1st Round on Thursday, July 7, 2011.*
Suite of Mexican tunes
* The Fiddle Club does not have a complete set of recordings from Thursday, July7 2011. If anybody in the audience recorded any of the music from that night, would you be willing to share it with Fiddle Club? Thanks.
Paul Tyler, convener
Anders & Maria Larsson
Monday, June 4 – 7p
Room E124 — Old Town School East (4545 Lincoln)
This duo, veterans of the thriving Swedish folk music scene, is making their first visit to Chicago. In their few days here, they will give a workshop at the Old Town School on Sunday, June 3, followed by an evening concert at the Swedish-American Museum. Then on Monday evening, they will gather with Old Town fiddle alums, students and fans for an evening of traditional Swedish tunes. Come just to listen, or to play along. Not just for fiddlers.
Anders & Maria Larson of Svanevit
(click here for info on June 3 concert at the Swedish-American Museum)
You can register for the Fiddle Club meeting for $15 by clicking here, or click this link for the $60 yearly subscription that gives you entrance to all Fiddle Club events.
Once again, here’s a couple of tunes of their beauteous music, as given on an earlier post, from the album Rikedom och gåvor with their quartet Svanevit.
Kardborren
Tranan
Swedish for Tune of the Week for May 21, 2012
Edwin Johnson was born in 1905 in Rättvik, Sweden in the province of Dalarna. That’s almost like being born in Galax, Virginia or Mamou, Louisiana, the heart if a vibrant regional folk music tradition. At the age of 19, he joined the stream of Swedes emigrating to the United States, and made a new home for himself in the twin cities Minneapolis and St. Paul. As he helped raise a family, the old Dalarna fiddle tradition was passed on–as heard on this 1977 recording–to his son and grandson.
Lead fiddle by Edwin Johnson, seconding by Bruce Johnson & Paul Dahlin
Vals fran Ore
X:21
T:Vals fran Ore
M:3/4
L:1/8
S:Edwin Johnson
K:G
B,A, | G,2B,2 C2 | D3E DC | B,2D2 G2 | B4 dB |
c2E2 G2 | F3A BA | G2F2 E2 | DE DC B,A, |
G,2B,2 C2 | D3E DC | B,2D2 G2 | B4 dB |
c2E2 G2 | F3D EF | G3A G2 | G4 ::
cd | e2c2 e2 | g3f e2 | d2B2 G2 | DEDC B,2 |
ABc2 A2 | F4 A2 | Bcd2 c2 | Bc BAG2 |
e2c2 e2 | g3f e2 | d2B2 G2 | DEDC B,2 |
ABc2 A | F3D EF | G3A G2 | G4 :|
Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear some masterful Swedish musicians at Fiddle Club.
Anders & Maria Larsson of Svanevit
Monday, June 4 – 7p
Room E124 — Old Town School East (4545 Lincoln)
Single meeting dues is $15: register here
Nota Bene: The Old Town School website has been migrating to new servers, and access to the Fiddle Club blog has been a bit spotty over the past week. All problems should now be solved.
Paul Tyler, convener
