The first time I heard Topeka Polka was at Weiser, and it was Carol Ann Wheeler playing it. I thought it was dumb, and annoying, and repetitive. At some point, I realized that it was in Bb and I tried to play it, and my perception shifted. It’s really a fun tune to play. So, […]
Allentown Polka – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 115
I don’t remember where I first heard Allentown Polka, but I do remember that it was being played by someone who was competing against me in a fiddle contest. And, that’s why I learned the tune. I can’t say that I ever played it in a fiddle contest, or that I have played it with […]
Draggin’ The Bow – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 110
WOW! Another crazy time trying to find out the history of a tune. Who would have thought that a tune like Draggin’ the Bow was so poorly documented online. Just finding the author was a crazy chore. As it turns out Curt Massey wrote the tune, but I couldn’t find the exact date. I did […]
Rickett’s Hornpipe – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 108
The first memory I have of hearing Rickett’s hornpipe was Ricky Selman playing it at the Colorado State Fiddle Contest, back when it was held at Keystone. I was probably 17 or so at the time. I’m pretty sure I learned it out of Cole’s 1000 fiddle tunes. I don’t really have any cool story […]
Brilliancy – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 107
I learned Brilliancy originally from Dale Morris about 3 weeks before I went to Weiser for the first time. And, I played it at Weiser in my first (and only) round that year. I have more about my first year at Weiser in my post about the Great Western Clog, and more about my week […]
Forester’s Hornpipe – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 100
It’s day 100 and the Fiddle Tune for today is Forester’s Hornpipe. I don’t have any fancy story for it. It’s just the tune I felt like playing to day. Forester’s is a tune out of Cole’s 1000 fiddle tunes, and I think it has a nice melody. Enjoy. Get Sheet Music Learn to […]
Redneck Mother – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 99
Ah, the mysteries of finding the origin of a cool fiddle tune. Here is the story of Redneck Mother – the best I can remember it: Tony Ludiker and Megan Lynch, around the same time, heard an old recording of Terry Morris playing this tune. There was no name of the tune on the cassette, […]
Uncle Herman’s Hornpipe
I learned this tune from Eric Levine when I was just a kid. He called it Herman’s Hornpipe. And it looks like there are a couple of other names for it too. I can see how Herman could become Hiram or vice versa, but how do you get Herman out of Miss Supertest’s Victory? That’s […]
Virginia Moonlight – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 83
Today, I tried to record the tune myself without any assistance. I was in Denver on business, and after my meeting, I found a nice place on the South Platte River Greenway, and rigged up a makeshift stand on a picnic table, and went to work. I have done this a couple of times before, […]
Irish American Reel – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 76
I saw this tune, and I thought that Irish American Reel would be a great tune to play as part of my Saint Patrick’s Day collection of Fiddle Tune a Day. I sight read the tune 2 days ago when I decided to read the first page of Cole’s 1000 fiddle tunes. I figured that […]