Otis Burris’s “Fortune”

from: Flatpicking Old-Time Fiddle Tunes with Scott Nygaard

This lesson is part of the course Flatpicking Old-Time Fiddle Tunes with Scott Nygaard.

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Explore playing traditional American fiddle tunes on the guitar from the perspective of an old-time square dance fiddler, with an emphasis on phrasing, rhythm, and melodic improvisation that is constant but never extreme. You’ll learn 14 tunes in four keys and get examples and ideas for melodic variations for each tune.

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Burl Hammons’s “Big Scioty”

West Virginia fiddler Burl Hammons is the source for the fiddle tune “Big Sciota” that has become a jam session favorite in bluegrass circles. His version of “Big Scioty”, however, is much more syncopated and illustrates the constant improvising that most old-time fiddlers engage in. Each A part is different from every other A part and the same is true of his B parts.

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The Flatpicking Old-Time Fiddle Tunes Subscription Includes:

14 great old-time tunes to play in the keys of A, D, G, and C
Instruction on articulations and fingering designed to create powerful phrasing and rhythm
Variations on the melody for each tune and advice on creating short melodic variations that maintain the integrity of the melody
Notation and tab in downloadable PDF form provided for all tunes

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Otis Burris’s “Fortune”

Grayson County, Virginia, fiddler Otis Burris’s version of “Fortune,” has more of a bluegrass feel, but it has a lot of the syncopated anticipations that characterize old-time fiddling as well as a lot of improvisation. Scott has boiled down those variations and improvisations to two A parts and two B parts.

Otis Burris’s “Fortune” Notation/Tab (Available to subscribers)

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