“Yell in the Shoats” and Singing and Fiddling (“The Bird’s Song”)

from: Old-Time Fiddle Styles with Bruce Molsky

This lesson is part of the course Old-Time Fiddle Styles with Bruce Molsky.

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Learn a variety of old-time fiddle tunes in different regional styles from great players of the past. Bruce teaches a variety of classic tunes, with advice about bowing, double stops, ornamentation, and ideas for more listening and learning.

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Session 2: “Hop Up Ladies” and “Grub Springs”

Bruce warms up by playing through last week’s tunes, “Damon’s Winder” and “Jane Wallace.” Then he shows you “Hop Up Ladies,” which is also known as “Did You Ever See the Devil Uncle Joe?” and other titles. It probably started out in Ireland or Scotland as “Miss McLeod’s Reel.” You’ll also learn a lesser-known one tune Mississippi fiddler John Hatcher. Titled “Grub Springs,” it’s a completely different melody than the “Grub Springs” you’ll hear in jam sessions. It’s a crooked tune in A-modal (Mixolydian), with the fiddle also tuned in standard GDAE. Bruce walks you through John Hatcher’s “Grub Springs” in this video.

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The Old-Time Fiddle Styles Subscription Includes:

A survey of old-time fiddle techniques and fiddle styles for those new to old-time fiddling as well as experienced fiddlers
A detailed and in-depth look at regional styles, including Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, and more
Notation for each tune Bruce teaches, with Bruce’s bowing included
High-quality video recordings of each session
Downloadable MP3s of each tune

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Session 3: “Yell in the Shoats” and Singing and Fiddling (“The Bird’s Song”)

“Yell in the Shoats” and Singing and Fiddling (“The Bird’s Song”)

Session 3 Q&A

“Yell in the Shoats” and Singing and Fiddling (“The Bird’s Song”)

For the third session, Bruce moves on to a couple of new things: playing in a cross-tuning (DDAD) and singing and fiddling.

Bruce starts by demonstrating a few cross tunings and ends with DDAD, commonly called “Bonaparte’s Retreat” tuning. “Yell in the Shoats” is from fiddler Cecil Seeley of Toledo, Illinois, and was collected by the great fiddler Garry Harrison.

“The Bird’s Song” is the workshop’s first foray into singing and fiddling (yes, at the same time!). Bruce takes you through some simple exercises to get your hands and voice working together, and then suggests a couple of ways of accompanying “The Bird’s Song,” a straightforward and pretty little song from Virgil Sandage of southern Indiana, recorded by Art Rosenbaum in 1963. Art’s collection “The Art of Field Recording” is one of Bruce’s go-to’s for some really soulful and unusual fiddle tunes, gospel, ballads, and blues recordings.

“The Bird’s Song” Lyrics (Available to subscribers)

“The Bird’s Song” MP3 Download (Available to subscribers)

“Yell in the Shoats” MP3 Download (Available to subscribers)

“The Bird’s Song” Melody (Available to subscribers)

“Yell in the Shoats” Notation (Available to subscribers)

“Yell in the Shoats” MP3 Download: At Tempo (Available to subscribers)