It’s a great day for a new fiddle tune. With about 1 minute of learning/rehearsal time, I played Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further Into the Fire with Brittany Haas and Lauren Rioux. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to jam with those lovely ladies even for such a short time. Next time, we will have to jam for longer.
This might be a new record for me playing 2 old-time fiddle tunes in a row. 
By the way, Brittany and Lauren were headlining for the CROMA Oldtime Music Festival Fundraiser.
Shove that Pig’s Foot according to Fiddler’s Companion
SHOVE THAT PIG’S FOOT A LITTLE FARTHER IN THE FIRE. Old-Time, Breakdown. G Major. Standard tuning. AB (Silberberg): AABB (Phillips, Songer). A ‘pig’s foot’ is a blacksmith’s tool that somewhat resembles a crowbar or poker, used to manipulate pieces of pig iron in a forge. The tune was originally recorded by western North Carolina fiddler Martin Marcus on an LP where he played it as a duet with his son Wayne. Marcus also recorded for the Library of Congress in the 1940′s. Joel Shimberg (who says “Surely it’s a barbecue song”) learned the following verse to the (low part of the) tune from Mike Seegar:
***
Shove that pig’s foot into the fire,
Do it now, Miss Liza,
Shove that pig’s foot into the fire,
Do it now, Miss Liza.
***
The melody can be heard in the film Cold Mountain, albeit the producers saw fit to rename it “Ruby with Eyes that Sparkle.” Sources for notated versions: fiddler and violin maker Armin Barnett and Jere Canote (Seattle, Washington) [Phillips, Songer]; Tony Mates [Silberberg]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; pg. 222. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Taven), 2002; pg. 145. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 185. Rounder CD0421, Bruce Molsky – “Big Hoedown” (1997).
