After a couple years focusing on the playing of Ward Jarvis and struggling with rhythm, this year's goals were aimed at righting the ship and learning some old chestnuts on fiddle. I also tried my hand at learning to sing while playing banjo, and enjoyed it so much that I decided to focus on songs for the entire year.
For the final quarter of 2019, I was working on "Old Joe Clark" on fiddle and "Down in the Willow Garden" on banjo.
As my main source for "Old Joe Clark," I used the playing of Brad Leftwich from his book, Old-Time Fiddle: Round Peak Style, which I got way back in 2014. What I discovered is that his syncopated bowing style is beyond me, at least for right now. I tried to keep some of the elements I enjoyed from his playing, including some of the slides, but I have been working on playing it perhaps a bit more straight ahead. It's still a work in progress.
Up until I found Iron Mountain String Band's Walkin' in the Parlor album, I didn't have a strong source for this song. I had learned the words from the Coen Brothers' Raising Arizona and the Forge Mountain Diggers CD I near wore out. I consulted an online source that showed the guitar chords in the key of G. I picked out the melody by ear on banjo and came up with something workable. Then I discovered that Wayne Erbsen included the song in his Clawhammer Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus, which I requested from the library and discovered that his arrangement is in the key of C. That kind of threw me off. Iron Mountain plays it A, according to the liner notes. I decided to go back to playing it in G, as it seems to better suit my voice.
Also during this quarter, I attended two jams and an old-time music house party. Playing more with others was a big goal this year, so I'm happy I finished strong in that department.
Here are my previous quarterly reports:
To achieve that, I focused on learning four "basic" fiddle tunes that allowed me to concentrate less on learning the melody and more on getting the beat right. I also sought to play with others more often than in previous years, as I think my bowing tends to get squirrelly when playing alone, holding notes too long and rushing or dropping others.
Judging by some feedback I received recently, it seems this strategy has helped. My rhythm has markedly improved, but I still have work to do. My initial thoughts for next year's plans are to continue on this path of learning chestnuts I skipped over when I started playing fiddle and making sure I get out to play with people more often.
My fiddle tune list included "Arkansas Traveler," "Turkey in the Straw," Mississippi Sawyer" and "Old Joe Clark." I also reworked "Possum on a Rail." I feel good about most of this year's tunes, with the exception of "Old Joe Clark," as I mentioned above. I think I need to play it in a jam to confirm whether or not I've got it right.
As for the tunes I originally targeted on banjo, I scrapped that plan after learning "Mole in the Ground." By the second quarter, I had decided to focus entirely on songs, learning "Hang Me," "Sloop John B" and "Down in the Willow Garden." This was a great experience, and I plan to continue focusing on songs next year, as it challenges me in new ways.
In addition to logging my time playing, I've also kept track of my playing streaks again this year. Between the end of 2018 and the beginning of this year, I set a new personal best with 100 days in a row. My best streak of this calendar year was 84 days. The goal in all this tracking is to try to play my instruments, at least a little bit, every day. All in all, I missed only 14 days this year.
One goal where I fell way short was recording myself. I hoped that analyzing my own playing would help improve my rhythm issues. I only did that once. It's not that I didn't see the value in recording my playing, but I found it difficult to find the time and place do it more often.
Thank you all for continuing to read this site. It's comforting to have such a supportive audience. Have a wonderful holiday season and a safe and happy New Year. Stay tuned for one final post for the year, and I'll see you all again in 2020.
As my main source for "Old Joe Clark," I used the playing of Brad Leftwich from his book, Old-Time Fiddle: Round Peak Style, which I got way back in 2014. What I discovered is that his syncopated bowing style is beyond me, at least for right now. I tried to keep some of the elements I enjoyed from his playing, including some of the slides, but I have been working on playing it perhaps a bit more straight ahead. It's still a work in progress.
Up until I found Iron Mountain String Band's Walkin' in the Parlor album, I didn't have a strong source for this song. I had learned the words from the Coen Brothers' Raising Arizona and the Forge Mountain Diggers CD I near wore out. I consulted an online source that showed the guitar chords in the key of G. I picked out the melody by ear on banjo and came up with something workable. Then I discovered that Wayne Erbsen included the song in his Clawhammer Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus, which I requested from the library and discovered that his arrangement is in the key of C. That kind of threw me off. Iron Mountain plays it A, according to the liner notes. I decided to go back to playing it in G, as it seems to better suit my voice.
Also during this quarter, I attended two jams and an old-time music house party. Playing more with others was a big goal this year, so I'm happy I finished strong in that department.
Here are my previous quarterly reports:
- First Quarter: Arkansas Traveler and Mole in the Ground
- Second Quarter: Turkey in the Straw and Hang Me
- Third Quarter: Mississippi Sawyer and Sloop John B
Looking Back on 2019
Learning "Old Joe Clark" and "Down in the Willow Garden" capped off a year that I feel was fairly successful. My biggest objective for the year was to fix the rhythm issues I discovered with my fiddling last year.To achieve that, I focused on learning four "basic" fiddle tunes that allowed me to concentrate less on learning the melody and more on getting the beat right. I also sought to play with others more often than in previous years, as I think my bowing tends to get squirrelly when playing alone, holding notes too long and rushing or dropping others.
Judging by some feedback I received recently, it seems this strategy has helped. My rhythm has markedly improved, but I still have work to do. My initial thoughts for next year's plans are to continue on this path of learning chestnuts I skipped over when I started playing fiddle and making sure I get out to play with people more often.
Goal: Tunes and Songs
As for the tunes I originally targeted on banjo, I scrapped that plan after learning "Mole in the Ground." By the second quarter, I had decided to focus entirely on songs, learning "Hang Me," "Sloop John B" and "Down in the Willow Garden." This was a great experience, and I plan to continue focusing on songs next year, as it challenges me in new ways.
Goal: Playing Time
The year isn't over yet, but I am on track to finish with 200 hours of fiddling and 50 hours on banjo. It might be a little bit of a challenge to get in all my playing with the holidays, but I feel confident I can do it.In addition to logging my time playing, I've also kept track of my playing streaks again this year. Between the end of 2018 and the beginning of this year, I set a new personal best with 100 days in a row. My best streak of this calendar year was 84 days. The goal in all this tracking is to try to play my instruments, at least a little bit, every day. All in all, I missed only 14 days this year.
Goal: Playing with Others
As mentioned above, I really wanted to get out more to play with others. Between local festivals, public old-time sessions and some one-on-one with a local master, I managed meet my goal of playing in group setting at least once a quarter. I attended three local festivals and five organized jam sessions.Goal: Record Myself
Goal: Blogging
Finally, I was hoping to match my prolific output last year, as well as writing more reviews for this blog and conducting more interviews. However, I only managed about half the number of posts as I wrote in 2018. I did write more reviews, but didn't do a single interview. I also continued to write reviews for The Old-Time Herald, the latest of which is set to appear in the upcoming issue expected to be released before the New Year.Thank you all for continuing to read this site. It's comforting to have such a supportive audience. Have a wonderful holiday season and a safe and happy New Year. Stay tuned for one final post for the year, and I'll see you all again in 2020.
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