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You are here: Home / Fiddling / Fiddle Tune a Day / Good for the Tongue – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 17

January 17, 2012

Good for the Tongue – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 17

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!

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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-19th 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).

 

Article by Vi Wickam / Fiddle Tune a Day, Fiddling, Videos / fiddle, fiddle tune a day, good for the tongue 5 Comments

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Comments

  1. Anders Schilling says

    August 2, 2013 at 10:21 pm

    Nice!

    Reply
  2. Deborah Dea Cushman-Johnson says

    August 20, 2013 at 2:18 pm

    Love that song. I've never heard it before and it has a little "classical" ring to it. Thanks

    Reply
  3. Vi Wickam says

    August 31, 2013 at 7:42 pm

    Thanks, Anders!

    Reply
  4. Vi Wickam says

    August 31, 2013 at 7:42 pm

    Thanks, Deborah! It's a fun hornpipe to play, and I see what you are saying with all of the trickiness to it. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Michael Friedman says

    March 12, 2016 at 11:51 pm

    Lovely musical performance !

    Reply

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