Single Jig Hag at the Churn on Baritone Ukulele

I hadn't played the Irish jig Hag At the Churn in quite some time, but it came back to me tonight. I did glance at the music to clear up some fuzzy parts. After playing it a few times on tenor banjo I got out the baritone uke to see if I could find those same notes on that rarely played instrument and there they were!

Hag At the Churn is one of the few tunes I've played so far that feels good under the fingers in the DGBE tuning.  Since I couldn't believe that I was playing it quite effortlessly on the baritone uke, I had to make a recording.  Here it is with the music below.

The music/tab comes from Don Julin's Mandolin for Dummies book.  I'm basically playing those exact notes on the baritone uke, as far as I can tell.  Very basic, but what a cool sounding single jig!

Baron Collins-Hill's MandoLessons site and Patreon page

Baron Collins-Hill

Have you checked out Baron Collins-Hill's MandoLessons site?  On it he's posted quite a few fiddle tunes, including Bill Cheatham, Cooley's Reel, Blackberry Blossom, Swinging on a Gate, Spotted Pony, Road to Lisdoonvarna and more.  Each tune has a video where he plays the tune and then breaks it down phrase by phrase.  Baron encourages you to learn simply by watching the video and using your ear, but he also provide pdf mandolin tabs for the tunes on the site.  The MandoLessons are absolutely free - at no cost to the end user.  However...

Associated with his MandoLessons site is a Patreon page where for as low as $1 a month you can become a Patron and help support his MandoLessons initiative.  Patreon is kind of like Kickstarter, but instead of helping fund a one-time project, Patreon allows you to help sustain an artist's ongoing work by contributing at a "name your price" level on a monthly basis.  On Baron's Patreon page he offers varying incentives to Patrons who donate $5, $10, $15 or $20 or more per month.  For example, Baron will give the next five donors at the $10 per month level a one on one lesson in person or via Skype or Google Hangout.  I took him up on this and really enjoyed the lesson and the generous amount of time Baron spent with me.

Baron's YouTube channel is even more extensive, with a wide selection of 150+ fiddle tunes in a variety of styles including Irish jigs and reels, oldtime, Quebecois and Cape Breton, Scandinavian, contradance tunes, original compositions and more.  I particularly like his videos of the tunes Road to Malvern and a special version of the Irish tune Morning Star in F (usually it's in G).

Baron is one half of the instrumental duo Velocipede (check out their album here) and is also a regular instructor at the esteemed Maine Fiddle Camp.  His partner in Velocipede, fiddler Julia Plumb, also has a pretty nifty YouTube profile with some fiddle instruction videos and she also teaches at Maine Fiddle Camp.  As a recent fan of their music and teaching style, I can tell you that Baron and Julia are two young traditional musicians to watch out for!

The fact that Baron's MandoLessons site is free is a great thing, for sure.  It provides a resource for those on a tight budget to learn more about playing music.  Although, if you can afford to make a contribution, you might consider becoming a patron to help support this great work he is doing.  Even at $1 or $5 a month you're helping make a difference without breaking the bank!

Mandolin Tab for Ten Early Caribbean Dance Tunes - Paseos, Meringues and more

In honor of an upcoming trip to the Spanish Virgin Island of Culebra in Puerto Rico, I've assembled ten Afro-Caribbean string band tunes from the recordings of the now defunct Etcetera String Band (Bonne Humeur) and Kansas City based The Rhythmia to work on while there.  Both bands have a knack for uncovering obscure tunes from Haiti, Trinidad, Louisiana, the Virgin Islands, Martinique and Venezuela.

Many of these tunes date back to the 1800's and share similarities to common fiddle tunes and rags, while still retaining a distinctly "island" feel that helps tag them as being from the Caribbean.  Guitarist Kevin Sanders - a member of both the Etcetera String Band and The Rhythmia - helped me obtain a copy of the out of print Bonne Humeur CD last year which is definitely worth seeking out if you're interested in this type of music.  All transcriptions shown below were done by Nick DiSebastian.  Here's a YouTube playlist where some of these tunes can be heard.

Aurore Bradaire is a Creole song named after a woman.  You can play it with a polka rhythm.  It comes from Slave Songs of the United States, the first authentic collection of slave songs ever published, where its transcription comes from a woman who heard it being sung in a time before the Civil War on the Good Hope Plantation, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana.

Aurore Bradaire – Coonjaille (Louisiana)

Bad Woman was written by Lionel Belasco, the pianist, composer and bandleader from Trinidad known as the Scott Joplin of calypso.  Belasco composed West Indian music from folk sources, which he found on his many travels throughout the islands, and was the first person to popularize calypso outside of Trinidad.

Bad Woman – Paseo

Blanche Toucatou/Can-Can (Creole Song) is medley of two Creole pieces from Louisiana originally recorded by the jazz trombonist Kid Ory. 

Blanche Toucatou/Can-Can (Creole Song)

Calinda is also known as Michie Preval.  A Calinda is a dance.  This tune is from Slave Songs of the United States.

Calinda – Louisiana

Carnaval En Margarita is a paseo by Lionel Belasco.  Margarita is an island off the Venezuelan coast which Belasco visited.  Belasco was classically trained, but preferred playing indigenous music.

Carnaval En Margarita – Paseo

Chai Bai comes from Cape Verde, an island group off the northwestern coast of Africa, with an African-Portuguese culture.  This tune was included in John Philip Sousa’s book National Patriotic and Typical Airs of All Lands (1890), published by H. Coleman in Philadelphia.

Chai Bai – Cape Verde

Dodo Li Pitite is a fun little Haitian folk tune, good for playing at a country ball.  It was found in Jean Price-Mars' book So Spoke the Uncle, a work on Haitian culture published in 1928.

Dodo Li Petite – Haiti

La Douceur is a hypnotic Meringue Hatienne written by Arthur L. Duroseau.  The music is featured in Tell My Horse by Zora Neale Hurston.  More recently, it was recorded by BeauSoleil on the album From Bamako to Carencro.

La Douceur – Meringue (Haiti)

Lisette was composed by Ludovic Lamothe, the "Black Chopin" of Haiti.  He composed several meringues and other dance and concert tunes based on local folklore.  He recorded 10 of his pieces on an album called Fleurs d'Haiti.

Lisette – Meringue (Haiti)

Souvenir d'Haiti was written by Othello Bayard and is considered to be his masterpiece.  It is one of the best known and loved meringues in Haiti.  Selden Rodman wrote about this tune in his book Haiti: The Black Republic.

Souvenir d’Haiti – Meringue Popular (Haiti)

Mandolin Tab for 250 To Vigo - Shooglenifty, Ceili Bandits

The last tune I'll post today is 250 To Vigo by the Scottish band Shooglenifty.  It was written by their fiddler Angus R. Grant and appears on the Shooglenifty album Venus In Tweeds.  However, this recording is taken from the album Hangin' at the Crossroads by The Ceili Bandits.  I came across The Ceili Bandits (Yvonne Casey, Eoin O'Neill and Quentin Cooper) during my first visit to Ireland in 2004 where I saw them play in Doolin.  They were also my first exposure to Irish trad music.

Shooglenifty can be a bit experimental, but The Ceili Bandits' take on this tune is fairly straightforward, which is why it's a great source to learn from.  At one point Shooglenifty shared the sheet music to 250 To Vigo on their website, which is where my mandolin tab arrangement comes from, but I can no longer find that original notation.  I did find some pdf notation here:  http://www.scottishfiddlers.com/Canberra/pdfs/250_to_Vigo.pdf

The Ceili Bandits don't play it real fast to begin with, but I've slowed down their version of 250 To Vigo to 80% of full speed, in case that helps with learning by ear.  250 To Vigo is not really a session tune- yet - but it would be a fun one to play with others.

Old Aunt Jenny with Her Nightcap On - Played Slow with Sheet Music Notation Transcription

An oldtime tune that I've been liking recently is called Old Aunt Jenny with Her Nightcap On.  It's in the key of G.  The tune is attributed to fiddler Estill Bingham, from Pineville, Bell County Kentucky.  It's a bit crooked and tricky.

A transcription of Estill Bingham's playing of Old Aunt Jenny is included in the book Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes by Jeff Todd Titon.  The band Notorious also recorded an uptempo version of this tune on their CD Elkins.  The transcription in the book is lacking suggested chords, but I found additional notation online that is based on Notorious' interpretation (essentially the same tune) with chords, which I have included here.

Using the Amazing Slow Downer app I slowed down the Notorious recording to 70% of full speed.  See below for audio.  Hopefully the combination of sheet music and a "play along" recording will help more people learn this great tune.

Belle Layotte by the Etcetera String Band - mandolin tab and transcription

Here’s another transcription and audio posting of a tune off of the Etcetera String Band’s out-of-print Bonne Humeur album, which contained arrangements of early Caribbean dance/string band tunes.  The tune is called Belle Layotte and it’s a coonjaille from the book Slave Songs of the United States by William Allen, Charles Pickard Ware and Lucy McKim Garrison.  Belle Layotte was among seven Creole songs collected by a lady who heard them being sung before the Civil War on the Good Hope Plantation, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana.  The coonjaille dance is described as a sort of minuet. 

transcription by Nick DiSebastian

Belle Layotte a cool little tune in the key of F.  Very addictive.  You have to listen to it to really get the feel.  Note the call and response nature of the melody.  The blind mandolinist Kenny Hall said different keys make him think of different climates and F makes him think of ocean climates with the sun shining.  After playing Belle Layotte I kind of see what he means.  At first I thought I might want to transcribe it from F to G, but it’s actually a lot of fun to play in F.  I don’t have many tunes in this key but this is one that I’ve enjoyed learning.  Take a listen to it below and try to play along with it.  I’ve included a mandolin tab and sheet music transcription by Nick DiSebastian.

I hope you enjoy this tune as much as I do!

Sheet Music, Chords, Audio and Mandolin Tab for Caribbean Tune "Bonne Humeur" by The Etcetera String Band

I've received permission from Kevin Sanders (formerly of The Etcetera String Band) and music transcriber Nick DiSebastian to upload some audio and sheet music notation/mandolin tab for the out of print Etcetera String Band album Bonne Humeur.  This tune is the first one on the album and is also called "Bonne Humeur" -- a Haitian Meringue written by Arthur Duroseau.  Below are images containing the sheet music and a YouTube video with the audio.

Music transcription by Nick DiSebastian

Music transcription by Nick DiSebastian

I hope you enjoy learning to play this tune.  Check back soon for more uploads of audio and mandolin tab for tracks off the Bonne Humeur album.

Ornamentation for the Irish Mandolin and Tenor Banjo

My big focus last year was on committing to memory as many basic versions of tunes as possible so I could fake my way through sessions and not have to rely on a tablature in a public setting.  In the process I got a little better at playing by ear and more comfortable with winging it in those situations.  I still have a long, long way to go with ear training and that remains my number one area of focus, but I feel like it's time to also start working on ornamentation and melodic variation.  In a way they go hand in hand, I suppose.  Rather than trying to personally write about a topic of which I have little experience, I thought it would be best to link to some other people's articles on Celtic ornamentation, articulation and phrasing.  See below.

Here's a piece entitled Ornamentation for the Irish Tenor Banjo by Chris Smith.  Smith is the author of Celtic Backup for All Instrumentalists, and has a great CD of Irish traditional music called Coyote Banjo that I've been listening to.

Chris Smith

Here's an article on Celtic Mandornaments by instructor and bouzouki master Roger Landes. 

Roger Landes

And here's a feature on Triplets from tenor banjo enthusiast and Banjo Sessions contributor Mike Keyes, where he uses an unusual song - Stephen Foster's Camptown Races - to demonstrate this technique.

Mike Keyes

In a future post I may write about a triplets and variation exercise from Enda Scahill's Banjo Tutor that I am finding to be very helpful.

Reels, Jigs and Waltzes Tune Book PDF

I'm about to embark on a trip to St. John's Newfoundland for the next week or so.  I've created a homemade tune book pdf of mandolin tab (AKA tenor banjo tab) to take along with me for playing while I'm there.  It contains a mixture of "reels" (4/4 or 2/4 time including hornpipes, polkas, schottisches, two-steps, rags, breakdowns), jigs (6/8 time) and waltzes (3/4 time including a mazurka). Basically these are my favorite tunes right now. I may do some busking in an area with a lot of foot traffic and see if I can make any drinking money!

Click on this link to download the tune book pdf.

My tenor banjo is tuned GDAE so my tab is the same as standard mandolin tablature.

The following tunes are included:

Reels

Farewell to Whiskey

Staten Island

Rakes of Mallow

Whalen’s Breakdown

Swamplake Breakdown

Sackett’s Harbor

Arkansas Traveler

Soldier’s Joy

Whiskey Before Breakfast

Temperance Reel

Eli Green’s Cakewalk

Kitchen Girl

Sligo Creek

Nail that Catfish to a Tree

Tralee Jail

Flop Eared Mule

Scotland the Brave

Golden Slippers

Johnny Mickey’s Polka

Road to Boston

Over the Waterfall

Horace Hanesworth

Big Scioty

Jump in the Well

Johnny Johnny Don’t Get Drunk

Locust Tree

Quince Dillon’s High D

Old Grey Cat

Keel Row

Glenburnie Rant

Cripple Creek

Cluck Old Hen

Frosty Battle of Aughrim

Almando’s Polka

Stone’s Rag

Walking Uptown Foxtrot

Jigs

Banks of Lough Gowna

Lilting Banshee

Geese in the Bog

Pipe in the Hob

Star Above the Garter

Road to Lisdoonvarna

Fair Jenny’s Jig

Garry Owen

Andy’s Jig

Old Red Barn

Little Burnt Potato

Joys of Wedlock

Dancing Susan

The Butterfly

Kesh Jig

Swallowtail Jig

Clouds Thicken

Minnesota 6/8 Two Step

Camp Pleasant Jig

Sonny Brogan’s Jig

Waltzes

Black Velvet Waltz

Valse Clog

Cajun Walt

Uff Da! Waltz

Madame Sosthene

Ryerson’s Waltz

Grandpa’s Mazurka

Grandpa’s Waltz

Abner Juve’s Waltz

Johnny Homme’s Waltz

Valse Quadrille

Birch Hills Waltz

I noticed a type-O in Road to Lisdoonvarna - it should be an E in a couple places where I have a B shown, and a couple other tunes have some notes out of place I'm sure but for the most part this is fairly accurate.  Cheers.