Old-Time and Celtic March: Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine/Sherman’s March to the Sea/ Braes of Dunvegan/Caledonian March

One type of tune that I haven’t covered in this column before are marches. Marches are often overlooked in favor of hoedowns/reels or jigs, but they do exist in all traditions. Since marches are not very fast, they are excellent for intermediate level sessions and yet are fun to play.

One march that got around a lot is Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine or Sherman’s March to Sea. In Europe, it seems to be known as Caledonian March. At the moment, here in Los Angeles, a variation of the tune is making the rounds as Braes of Dunvegan.  There are at least 3 different sessions in town that play it regularly and it has become core repertoire of the Scottish Fiddlers of Los Angeles.

I have known the tune for many years as Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine and may have first heard it on the 1971 recording by the Fuzzy Mountain String Band. The Fuzzy Mountain String Band, together with the Hollow Rock String Band, was one of the seminal old-time string bands  during what may have been the first old-time music revival (and we are currently in the second or third). The Fiddler’s fakebook has a transcription of the tune.

But I want to focus on the variation of the tune that is known as Braes of Dunvegan, which has a little twist in the B-part (a C-natural) that makes it interesting and I think also more appealing. The setting I transcribe below is how I learned it from Cape Breton fiddler Kimberley Fraser.

Not quite a session, a little more organized than that, but here are about 200 fiddlers playing Braes of Dunvegan, led by Kimberley Fraser http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay4FfB_r35g

You won’t be able to recognize the faces in the video, but that group includes some of my favorite artists in the traditional music genre. I don’t know how often you would get such a group together and this list is far from complete (just can’t remember who else was there): In the cello group, there are Natalie Haas (duo with Alasdair Fraser), Tristan Clarridge (Crooked Still, and 5-times Grand Champion of the Weiser Old-Time Fiddle Contest), Mike Block (Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, Republic of Strings); in the fiddle section are Britanny Haas (Crooked Still), Hanneke Cassel (solo artist), Ryan McKasson (Syncopaths, McKassons), Lauren Rioux (Republic of Strings), and Weiser Grand Champions Kimber Ludiker and Tashina Clarridge. 

Learning Session Tunes – Hanneke Cassel teaches Jenny Dang the Weaver

My Folkworks Column from Nov 2011

Let’s continue the “classic session tunes” quest started in the last column. There are so many tunes that if you start learning tunes from recordings (or tune collections), chances are slim that you build up a repertoire that lets you play with other people. There are some obvious first choices for beginners, such as Drowsy Maggie, Harvest Home, and maybe one or two dozen that are could be considered universally known. But where do you go next?

So I started asking professional traditional musicians for their suggestion: “Among your favorite tunes to play, which ones are session standards and/or commonly played by other people?” This month, my guest is Boston-based fiddler, composer, producer, and teacher Hanneke Cassel.

Hanneke pursues a solo career and her latest CD, For Reasons Unseen (November 2009) features an all-star cast of musicians - including Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas, Rushad Eggleston, Casey Driessen, Brittany Haas, Keith Murphy, and Aoife O'Donovan.  She also tours regularly with Baroque/Celtic group Ensemble Galilei, and is a co-founder of Celtic chick band Halali.  She teaches at the Boston Harbor Fiddle Camp, Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp, and the Sierra Fiddle Camp and produced recordings by Crooked Still and Scott Alarik. While certainly in the traditional music camp, Hanneke’s playing has its unique edge with a wide range of tones (no doubt reflecting her degree in violin performance). On a recording of her composition Waiting for the Dawn  (on the CD Silver), she suddenly shifts to a tone that sounds like a heavily distorted guitar at the edge of feedback and for a long time I assumed it was electronic processing. But, no, this is all in her right hand.

 Hanneke’s suggestion for a “must know” session tune is Jenny Dang the Weaver, a reel in D of Scottish origin. The melody was already played in the American colonies in the 1700s where it appeared in manuscripts of fiddlers in New England. It also is include in many of the major tune collections of the 19^th century. One of the first recordings of the tune was by uillean piper Patsy Touhey probably around the turn of the century, but I don’t have it. The earliest recording I could find is also an Irish bagpipe solo, but from 1924: http://www.archive.org/details/JimmieMcLaughlinTheRoadtoGalwayJennyBangtheWeaver

These days, the tune is more likely to be associated with Cape Breton repertoire.

Here is Hanneke playing the tune very slowly (the version I transcribe below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI0Cv7f-9gs

and here is a faster version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYU22NKsp2M

You can see how important it is to listen to how the tune is played because the transcription doesn’t capture important pieces (e.g. the triplets are not really played like triplets). Once in a while, you might also want to add a little variation, one that I use occasionally is to add a note in the B-part and make it an even 8^th note run (see alternative B-part).

And since it is more fun to play a set, I added another great reel , the Ale is Dear, which makes a nice tonal transition from D to B-minor. Here in Los Angeles, the Scottish Fiddlers of LA tend to put both of those tunes together and they are also played together at the CTMS celtic session. 

Tunes in Disguise: Old-time hoedown or Irish Air?

In the last column, I covered what may be the best known jam or session tune – Soldier’s Joy - but this column will dive into more obscure territory, although with a tune played by two masters of their respective musical styles: Bruce Molsky (Old-time) and Martin Hayes (Irish).

Before learning obscure tunes, it is always good to refresh your memory of the classics. I recently jammed with some high schoolers. Sure enough, Soldier’s Joy was a tune that worked really well (as did Old Joe Clark, Angeline the Baker, etc.). That actually was one of my first jams this summer because my main activity this summer has been riding my mountain bike from Mexico to Canada along the Continental Divide. That ride was a little over 2700 miles and took a few hundred hours of pedaling time. No music content, but here are my pictures from the ride:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103806633563601589251/TourDivideJune102011July52011

On to today’s topic – how the same melody can sound totally different in two different settings.

My first transcription is based on a track by Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill on their CD Welcome Back Again, a slow Irish Air entitled Coleman’s March. Martin Hayes epitomizes the fiddle music of County Clare for many people, although has his own unique style and his playing is immediately recognizable. As far regional styles are concerned, the Clare style could be characterized by a slower pace and a more wistful or even eerie feel. A contributing factor may be the use of flat keys, F, Gm, Bb, or even Eb. Coleman’s March (which sounds nothing like a march) certainly fills that description.

A few years ago, I learned a very different tune called Acorn Stomp from Bruce Molsky. It was originally recorded by the East Texas Serenaders in 1928, so one of the very early commercial recordings of old-time music. Stylistically a bit between hoedown and ragtime, it leaves not doubt that this must be original American material. The East Texas Serenaders start with a 40 second Beaumont Rag-type introduction (not transcribed) before they get to the actual tune, which they then play 4 times through. I tried to transcribe the version I learned from Bruce Molsky, but he does not seem to have recorded it. So when I could not remember how Bruce played it, I went back to the East Texas Serenader version. The complete recordings of the East Texas Serenaders were recently re-issued on CD, available from all the usual mail order places, and their version of Acorn Stomp is also on a compilation CD called Old-Time Texas String Bands, Vol. 1. Bit ff you need free immediate gratification, try this link:

http://www.archive.org/details/EastTexasSerenaders-AcornStomp

So, what could these two tunes possible have in common? Seems like nothing and I actually did not notice a relationship for a while. But look at the transcription: The A part is identical almost note-for-note. It will be a mystery how this melody made it into such completely different settings, but that is one of the fascinating things about living traditions.

I don’t know how useful these tunes are for playing at sessions. I would have put them into the “obscure” category, but I did hear Acorn Stomp being played in a jam at the Goleta Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention last year.

But there was a much more important lesson for me here than learning one (or two) tunes: It is not about the notes, it is how you play them.

Tour Divide: Last Two Days in Canada

Later in the evening I crossed the border and went up Galton Pass. Going north is a lot harder on that pass than the standard southbound route! But it wasn't too bad and I felt fine and made camp just before the connector trail, which I wouldn't have been able to find at night.

First thing in the morning was the connector trail. It  is steep and slippery, but at least I was sliding down rather than pushing up. Then some very pretty single track, but eventually there were a lot of very icy creeks and rivers to cross. One of my favorite sections of the whole trip, the other Grand Depart racers this year missed it because they took the Fernie road shortcut. But this is so much better than the highway!

Bear tracks! Flat toe circle and toe prints seem to be touching, so this looks like a Grizzly rather than a black bear. Unless it is a very wide and flat footed guy wearing toe shoes, but similar length to my foot.

Moose on the trail and he blocked a perfectly nice downhill. He didn't know what to do and it was hard to convince him to turn around and move out of the way. Moose bulls get confused and don't know what to do: charge, run away, or start eating grass? A decision that very much stressed him out, so he tried all options.Eventually I got him to turn around, but he missed all the turnouts. The bears are a lot easier to deal with.

I grabbed Dinner in Sparwood at an A&W, menus were labeled and I ordered twice the biggest calorie meal. Sparwood is mainly known for the size of this truck, which is the tourist attraction there.

 Finally, I was on my last day of the trip and getting a bit sad about it. Very spectacular riding at the end and I was still very much enjoying the trip. Probably different if I had been southbound and were going through the desert, but I'm glad I went the other way and got the worst part out of the way in the first week.

About the last break on this trip. Nice spot for it. A little bit later came a very dusty road again (Smith-Dorrien-Spray Rd), but going north ends with a nice 12 mile trail through the a National Park.

End of the trail in Banff, after 2740 miles (4439 km) according to my odometer. So just 5 miles less than the regular no-detour route. 25 days, 12 hours, 28 minutes. The Tour de France this year is 3471 km, 1000 km less (and a lot less climbing as well, no snow, desert, bears, or moose either). I had the better ride.