Tonight, I attended the ISES vendor showcase in Denver. There were lots of wedding and event vendors to meet and schmooze with. And, the fancy desserts were awesome, especially the ‘smores in a cup with peanut butter and graham crackers covered in dark chocolate ganache, with a little dollup of toasted marshmallow cream mousse on top (courtesy of the Food Guy Catering). As I was eating this yumminess I was trying to pick a fiddle tune to record, and Good for the Tongue seemed like and obvious choice.

I first heard this song as part of a medley along with Bee’s Wings Hornpipe recorded by Danita Rast (now Gardner) back in the early 90′s. She’s a great fiddler and if you haven’t heard her play, you should. I have also heard it played as part of the College Hornpipe medley (Mark O’Connor’s version). I thought the tune was really cool, so I worked it up. Enjoy!

History of Good for the Tongue According to the Fiddler’s Companion

GOOD FOR THE TONGUE. AKA and see “Jenkin’s Hornpipe,” “The Stoney/Stony Steps,” “The Washington Hornpipe.” American, Breakdown or Hornpipe. USA; Nebraska, Missouri. B Flat Major (Christeson, Cole, Ford, Howe, Phillips, White): A Major (Silberberg, Songer). Standard tuning. AB (Silberberg): AABB (most versions). The melody’s presence in Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883) suggests this was once a brass band tune (as was, for example, “Ned Kendall’s Hornpipe”), a genre popular in the mid-19^th century, and originally meant to be played on an instrument that featured ‘tonguing’ articulation of notes, like a coronet. Missouri fiddler Cyril Stinnett (1912-1986) thought it one of the more difficult tunes in his repertoire. Northwest U.S. fiddlers have changed the original key to A major. See also the closely related tune “White Fish in the Rapids.” Sources for notated versions: Bob Walters (1889-1960, Burt County, Nebraska) [Christeson, Phillips]; Deborah and Creighton Lindsay (Portland, Oregon) [Songer]; Cathie Whitesides [Silberberg]. R.P. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory, Vol. 2), 1984; pg. 25. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 92. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 96. Howe (1000 Jigs and Reels), c. 1867; pg. 80.Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 2, 1995; pg. 195. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 85. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 54. White’s Unique Collection, 1896; No. 142, pg. 25. Great Meadow Music CD 2008, Bob McQuillen and Friends – “Old New England” (1996). Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers’ Association, Bob Walters – “Drunken Wagoneer.” Laurie Andres – “Fantastic Hornpipe” (1991. learned from Bob Childs and Greg Boardman, who had the tune from Maine dance musician Otto Sopher).