I don’t remember where I learned Kansas City Kitty, or where I first heard it, but I have known it for a long time, and it’s one of my favorite swing tunes to play. One of my favorite memories of this tune was learning from Matt Wyatt that this tune has words, and hearing him […]
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, […]
Rosebud of Avenmore – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 94
Rosebud of Avenmore is a really pretty waltz that I have heard people play in fiddle contests since I was a kid. I have to be honest and say that I have heard it many times, but I may not have played it all the way through before tonight. It was listed as someone’s favorite […]
Flatbush Waltz – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 78
Flatbush Waltz is a soulful waltz by Andy Statman, and refers to the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. I learned it from Tony Ludiker, but I remember Eric LeVine telling me a story about playing it in a fiddle contest and calling it something like Black Piney Waltz because it made it sound more old-timey. […]
Great Western Clog – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 65
I learned the Great Western Clog when I was 15 from Dale Morris. I had traveled to Shamrock, Texas before my first trip to the National Fiddle Contest in Weiser, Idaho. Dale taught me a bunch of hornpipes and reels, and this clog during the week I stayed with him. Click on his name to […]
Gypsy Waltz – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 64
The first person I heard play this Gypsy Waltz was Mark Ralph. I don’t know who wrote this tune, or if Gypsy Waltz is its proper name. I learned this tune from Tony Ludiker when I studied with him in high school. Fiddler’s Companion doesn’t have any record of the tune, although there are a […]
Sheebeg and Sheemore – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 43
This is one of those Irish melodies that I have long recognized, but didn’t really know the origins of it. It’s a beautiful tune, and from what I have been told, it tells a story of the big people (us), and the little people (leprechauns, fairies, and hobgoblins.) As it turns out, it was written […]
Leather Britches – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 39
Leather Britches is another tune that I learned when I stayed with Dick and Lisa Barrett as a teen. I remember Dick telling me to leave it exactly how I learned it for now, and that if I play it like that for a year or so that I could change it then. (I had […]
Wilson’s Hornipipe – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 38
Wilson’s Hornpipe is a fun Old-Timey tune that I learned from Bob Zuellig at the Wednesday Night Avo’s Jam a while back. I really enjoy playing the high harmony to it, which you will hear me play in this recording. It looks like the oldest known recording of this was made by Clark Kessinger, who […]
Still Waters – with Adam Donmoyer
Still Waters is a really sweet song, that Adam wrote about his wife, although he tells me it’s not all true. This is one of the few original songs that I have heard Adam play that wouldn’t have to be censored to play on the radio. Adam says he has a case of lyrical tourette’s […]