This punchy three-part tune is attributed to Tennessee fiddler John Sharp, via a field recording made by the famed WWI hero Sergeant Alvin York in 1949. The tune is in the key of A, and usually played in “sawmill” tuning—AEAE—with the G string tuned up to A and the D string tuned up to E. “Three-Way Hornpipe” has an AABBCC form, but it’s only 40 bars long because the C part comprises just four bars. Despite its name, the tune is anything but a hornpipe and is usually played as a driving hoedown or reel. In this video, Bruce introduces the tune structure, tuning, and the A part of the melody.
