Forum Activity for @robin-thompson
Since the Florida Old Time Championships are coming up on April 3rd, I thought I'd better dust off the tunes I picked to compete with. My first competition, even though I've been playing more than 30 years.The Cuckoo - The Clarence Ashley version, not the version Jean Ritchie singsTrials, Troubles, Tribulationsand my "go to" backup piece in case one of the other competitors plays one of those - The Riddle Song ("I gave my love a cherry that had no stone...)The good thing is the competition is about the music, and you don't have to sing if you don't want to. So it doesn't matter that I only know one verse of my competition songs. I do know and perform all the verses to The Riddle Song.
Will have to get together with another song sometime.For songs I'm working on this week, Over the Sea to Skye. Wi' A Hundred Pipers. Come By The Hill and since I love Mairi's Wedding, I'll add it to the pot.So who is doing what this week? Ken Hulme said:
Keigh - Sure does!!!
Today's tunes are brought to you by Frosty-Os Favorite breakfast food of anyone living north of Washington DC this week!
1. Bonnie George Campbell , performed by Steve Turner on Fellside Records Flash Company
2. A Chat With Your Mother , from Sweetwater's Sing No Evil
3. Maire's Wedding a pipe band version I've played for years
Keigh - Sure does!!!Today's tunes are brought to you by Frosty-Os Favorite breakfast food of anyone living north of Washington DC this week!1.Bonnie George Campbell, performed by Steve Turner on Fellside Records Flash Company2. A Chat With Your Mother, from Sweetwater's Sing No Evil3. Maire's Wedding a pipe band version I've played for years
Ken, If your having problems with Bonnie Dundee, just do a Killiecrankie on him. Of course, you might just get stuck on that one. ;-)Now I've got, "To the Lords of Convention, 'twas Claverhouse spoke..... running through my mind. EEK Ken Hulme said:
Today?
Cholera Camp a falsely cheery, jaunty English Raj tune based on the Kipling poem of the same name, by a group called Cockersdale.
Trials, Troubles, Tribulations , the spiritual I learned from Don Pedi
Bonnie Dundee , the Scottish tune, which seems to be permanently stuck in my head these days.
Today?Cholera Camp a falsely cheery, jaunty English Raj tune based on the Kipling poem of the same name, by a group called Cockersdale.Trials, Troubles, Tribulations, the spiritual I learned from Don PediBonnie Dundee, the Scottish tune, which seems to be permanently stuck in my head these days.FWIW:Cholera CampAuthor: Rudyard KiplingWe've got the cholerer in camp -- it's worse than forty fights;We're dyin' in the wilderness the same as Isrulites;It's before us, an' be'ind us, an' we cannot get away,An' the doctor's just reported we've ten more to-day!Oh, strike your camp an' go, the Bugle's callin',The Rains are fallin' --The dead are bushed an' stoned to keep 'em safe below;The Band's a-doin' all she knows to cheer us;The Chaplain's gone and prayed to Gawd to 'ear us --To 'ear us --O Lord, for it's a-killin' of us so!Since August, when it started, it's been stickin' to our tail,Though they've 'ad us out by marches an' they've 'ad us back by rail;But it runs as fast as troop-trains, and we cannot get away;An' the sick-list to the Colonel makes ten more to-day.There ain't no fun in women nor there ain't no bite to drink;It's much too wet for shootin', we can only march and think;An' at evenin', down the nullahs, we can 'ear the jackals say,"Get up, you rotten beggars, you've ten more to-day!"'Twould make a monkey cough to see our way o' doin' things --Lieutenants takin' companies an' captains takin' wings,An' Lances actin' Sergeants -- eight file to obey --For we've lots o' quick promotion on ten deaths a day!Our Colonel's white an' twitterly -- 'e gets no sleep nor food,But mucks about in 'orspital where nothing does no good.'E sends us 'eaps o' comforts, all bought from 'is pay --But there aren't much comfort 'andy on ten deaths a day.Our Chaplain's got a banjo, an' a skinny mule 'e rides,An' the stuff 'e says an' sings us, Lord, it makes us split our sides!With 'is black coat-tails a-bobbin' to Ta-ra-ra Boom-der-ay!'E's the proper kind o' padre for ten deaths a day.An' Father Victor 'elps 'im with our Roman Catholicks --He knows an 'eap of Irish songs an' rummy conjurin' tricks;An' the two they works together when it comes to play or pray;So we keep the ball a-rollin' on ten deaths a day.We've got the cholerer in camp -- we've got it 'ot an' sweet;It ain't no Christmas dinner, but it's 'elped an' we must eat.We've gone beyond the funkin', 'cause we've found it doesn't pay,An' we're rockin' round the Districk on ten deaths a day!Then strike your camp an' go, the Rains are fallin',The Bugle's callin'!The dead are bushed an' stoned to keep 'em safe below!An' them that do not like it they can lump it,An' them that cannot stand it they can jump it;We've got to die somewhere -- some way -- some'ow --We might as well begin to do it now!Then, Number One, let down the tent-pole slow,Knock out the pegs an' 'old the corners -- so!Fold in the flies, furl up the ropes, an' stow!Oh, strike -- oh, strike your camp an' go!(Gawd 'elp us!)
You might try going to your local public library and seeing about borrowing some songbooks. I know John Denver published a number. It's fairly easy to take the melody line and make up a tab from SMN (standard musical notation). I play a melody/drone style by finger dancing only on the melody string and can usually managed to get a melody line tab if I can find the sheet music. My library has used inter-library loans to get me some of the songbooks and anthologies that I've asked for. JACK MAGUIRE said:
John Denver, Ronnie Milsap, The Judds stuff like that. I like more contemperary stuff as I'm in New England and I may be the only one here who knows Flies in the Butter. Kinda sad when you think about it.
Everything Dulcimer has a lot of tabs but I have never heard the songs.
folkfan said:Jack, What types of popular songs are you looking for tab to? Perhaps we can direct you in the right direction for tab.
JACK MAGUIRE said:Morning has broken
Amazing Grace
Wild Rover or Danny Boy
These are song everyone knows and likes. It is hard to find tabs to alot of popular songs.
Very difficult to answer. I'm working on reconstructing the ballad Leezie Lindsay so that would be tops on my list.Corrie Doon as I'm forever singing that to my cat, Tigger.Come Owre the Stream, Charlie.Of course, there are a couple dozen others that fit in the top three on any given day. Like Erev Shel Shoshanim, Dancing at Whitsun, Jock O'Hazeldean, and Sound the Pibroch.
updated by @folkfan: 02/14/16 12:03:16AM
I'd like to mention that fotmd member CarolLynn Langley and her wonderful husband Gene do some marvelous call and response songs- usually with mtn dulcimer and autoharp. They do some of the wonderful old-timey ballad duets where the man and woman ask/answer questions back and forth- some are romantic old fashioned courting ballads, some are just plain funny songs with what I like to think of as cacklin' old woman vs.growlin' old man themes. lol!
Since you have the book, you might try teaching the kids just the chorus to Funiculi, Funicula. It's a long chorus full of tra la la's that can act as a song almost by itself. Suzanne Dennis said:
Folkfan, I cannot thank you enough for this response! I inherited so much music from my mother 22 years ago: scores of old hymnals of different faiths, stacks of sheet music from World War II, books and books of piano solos, etc. Among the books was Fireside Book of Songs for Children which I have often used at school.
Still, after searching online, the cover of the book you mentioned was so familiar...This morning, before getting dressed for school, I just had to look through my bookcase of her music, and there it was, on the bottom - Fireside Book of Folk Songs ! What a find, and here it was all the time! I had not thought of that book since I began to play the dulcimer three years ago. If you had not mentioned the song "One More RIver to Cross" and the book, it might have stayed on the bookcase, and look what I would have missed! Thank you again.
folkfan said:It's in the Fireside Book of Folk Songs called "One More River" published by Simon and Schuster. If you can't find it locally, let me know. It is a great book. I've had mine since I was a teenager. I've been collecting songbooks for years especially since I learned that I'd have to stay on the melody line and wouldn't need to learn chords. After that I simply never bought books of TAB.
I just got in Lyric Gems of Scotland which has no publication date on it, but probably was in the late 1800's.
It's in the Fireside Book of Folk Songs called "One More River" published by Simon and Schuster. If you can't find it locally, let me know. It is a great book. I've had mine since I was a teenager. I've been collecting songbooks for years especially since I learned that I'd have to stay on the melody line and wouldn't need to learn chords. After that I simply never bought books of TAB.I just got in Lyric Gems of Scotland which has no publication date on it, but probably was in the late 1800's.
This may be the Noah's Ark one that Strumelia mentioned: It has so many "One more river to cross in it. I learned the chorus as "There's one more river, and that wide river is Jordan, One more river, There's one more river to cross. I'll see if I can find the melody for it.ONE MORE RIVER ~~ Traditional Folk SongOld Noah, he did build an Ark, there's one more river to cross,He patched it up with hickory bark, there's one more river to cross.Chorus: One more river, and that's the river Jordan,One more river, there's one more river to cross.He anchored the Ark to a great big rock, there's one more river to cross,Then he began to load his stock, there's one more river to cross.ChorusThe animals came in one by one, there's one more river to cross,The elephant chewing a caraway bun, there's one more river to cross.ChorusThe animals came in two by two, there's one more river to cross,The crocodile and the kangaroo, there's one more river to cross.ChorusThe animals came in three by three, there's one more river to cross,The tall giraffe and the tiny flea, there's one more river to cross.ChorusThe animals came in four by four, there's one more river to cross,The hippos, they got stuck in the door, there's one more river to cross.ChorusThe animals came in five by five, there's one more river to cross,The honey bees looking to build a hive, there's one more river to cross.ChorusThe animals came in six by six, there's one more river to cross.The monkey was up to his usual tricks, there's one more river to cross.ChorusThe animals came in seven by seven, there's one more river to cross,Said the bear to the elephant "Who are you shovin'?", there's one more river to cross.ChorusThe animals came in eight by eight, there's one more river to cross,Some were early and some were late, there's one more river to cross.ChorusThe animals came in nine by nine, there's one more river to cross,They all joined up and marched in a line, there's one more river to cross.ChorusThe animals came in ten by ten, there's one more river to cross,If you want any more then I'll sing it again, there's one more river to cross.Chorus
The first song that popped into my head was Mary Had a Baby (of course, it is more a Christmas song). http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/mary_had_a_baby.htm It has the response of "aye, Lord" or "yes, Lord" that is easy to learn and remember.I'm looking forward to other responses!
I remember as a child in public grade school in NYC, they taught us all kinds of folk songs, music, and dances from various cultures. What a culturally rich curriculum it was!I remember Mrs. Mintz taught us to sing Silent Night in German. Mr. Shapiro taught us how to dance the Jewish Hora and also Polish polkas and American square dances. And Mr. Brown (a stocky man) and Mr. Smith (tall and thin), both black teachers, taught us to sing spirituals. Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith had us 6 year olds all singing with great enthusiasm and waving our hands in the air and stomping our feet....singing "Rock-a my soul in the bosom of Abraham!", "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"....and also "He's got the little bitty baby, in His hand!..." I also vaguely remember a song about Noah and the Flood.Oh we had a great time belting out the old gospel songs they taught us, and it didn't seem to matter whether we kids were atheists, Chinese Buddhists, Catholics, Jews, or whatever (and we kids were all those things and more, there in the melting pot of NYC)....So I will suggest those gospel songs which I particularly remember so fondly. But to do it right, they must be accompanied by much waving of arms and clapping of hands! ;D
Susan a few that come to mind... are Swing Low Sweet Chariot, I have decided to follow Jesus.. any of the old spirituals will work.. I've heard Amazing Grace done this way as well... I'll keep thinking and looking for more..
updated by @rod-westerfield: 01/20/16 11:08:47PM
How many dulcimers do you own... lets see the lists..
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Wall space is something I've never used for storing instruments I play as I don't have much clear interior wall space due to the design of my house. I have only one dulcimer hanging on a wall, my very first that has too long a VSL.
Have you seen pictures of my quilt stand turned dulcimer stand?? It holds eight instruments easily in a relatively small foot print. I also have several individual stands that hold one or more instruments. Those are scattered all over the place. But I really think I don't have any more floor space for individual stands.
Dana R. McCall said:
I always look at it As long as I got a blank space on the wall there is room for another dulcimer. My husbands just glad he doesn't have to pick one up to sit down anymore. LOL
How many dulcimers do you own... lets see the lists..
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I always look at it As long as I got a blank space on the wall there is room for another dulcimer. My husbands just glad he doesn't have to pick one up to sit down anymore. LOL
How many dulcimers do you own... lets see the lists..
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Heeehehee, Yeah, right Dana, that's just what I was thinking last August when I got a student dulcimer from Harpmaker for traveling.
Well, he had the sweetest cherry teardrop at the Heartland Festival in Elizabethtown in November. Yep, she came home with me. I love the different sounds you can get using the same woods and shape and cherry is my favorite. So I have enough dulcimers at 14, but does that mean I'll never get another?????? Hmmm?
Dana R. McCall said:
I just added number 9 to the list. Got me a Clemmer Ban-jammer on ebay last night can't wait to get it home. I've been wanting on for a while. Still looking for a Homer Ledford to add to the list and then maybeeee I'll stop. LOL
How many dulcimers do you own... lets see the lists..
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I just added number 9 to the list. Got me a Clemmer Ban-jammer on ebay last night can't wait to get it home. I've been wanting on for a while. Still looking for a Homer Ledford to add to the list and then maybeeee I'll stop. LOL
How many dulcimers do you own... lets see the lists..
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
1Cherry hour/drop (Warren May)1walnut hour/drop baritone (Warren May)1 dark walnut hour glass (Warren May)1 Cherry hour glass (Durbin)1 Cedar top hour glass (Durbin)1 6 string hour glass (unknown)1 Cherry hour glass (Hensley)1 Walnut oblong (Mark Ubank)1 Ambrosia Maple and purple heart hour glass (Jared Weaver)Next I want a Clemmer Banjammer and a Homer Ledford on my wish list.
How many dulcimers do you own... lets see the lists..
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I have mostly McSpaddens, mostly Maple. Love the Sustain in the maple and the mellow,gentle voice of the Mc. But really only play one that has that special voice that speaks to me and a sustain that lasts foreverrrrrrrrrrr. LBMcSpadden Maple CustomMcSpadden Maple Custom with inlayMcSpadden Koa CustomMcSpadden Cherry CustomMcSpadden BaritoneMcSpadden GingerMcSpadden Walnut standard-for saleBob Magowan Maple CustomJerry Cripe Electric MapleJohn Maxwell 1973 Traditional DulcimerAntique 1850-75 Dulcimer with 61/5 not a 6Cripple Creek1975 Hughs Dulcimer Co2 from ebay no name
How many dulcimers do you own... lets see the lists..
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I )Sassafras teardrop, made from a Dulcimer Factory Kit. Usually tuned DAdd or DGdd
2) Spruce top,Walnut back & sides, Bass model built from a Randy Rich Kit. Currently tuned Daadd in 3 courses,with the bass string 2 octaves below the dd strings. Still trying different stringings/tunings. My younger daughter calls this one Chupacabra, because of it's size.I never name my instruments, cars, fishing tackle,etc. I did allow my wife to name our daughters and all the pets we've had over the years.Paul
How many dulcimers do you own... lets see the lists..
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Had some changes in my list. The Berg is hung on a wall as the VSL was just a tad too long and I wasn't playing it. But it was my first instrument and I'm not going to give her up.The Folkroots didn't repair well, so is basically being used as a decoration, so I consider that I'm two down on my list.But this August I got a Sweet Woods student dulcimer for travel from Dave so I'm back to 13. I think, as sometimes I feel that late at night they are multiplying like coat hangers or rabbits.
How many dulcimers do you own... lets see the lists..
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I think that Afromosia would give M...... a run for its money in the splinter stakes LOLJohnH
john p said:
I know it's Utile for sure, I carved it myself
The more unusual wood there is the steamed beech. We used to use it for high quality storage cases as it's pollutant free. Ideal for fretboaards though because of it's resistence to abrasion.
Don't ever mention the word Meranti again. I've taken more splinters off of that damn stuff than all the other woods put together.
john p
How many dulcimers do you own... lets see the lists..
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I know it's Utile for sure, I carved it myself
The more unusual wood there is the steamed beech. We used to use it for high quality storage cases as it's pollutant free. Ideal for fretboaards though because of it's resistence to abrasion.Don't ever mention the word Meranti again. I've taken more splinters off of that damn stuff than all the other woods put together.john p
How many dulcimers do you own... lets see the lists..
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
jon !! you continue to impress. Utile ! You sure its not Sapele, Meranti or even Lauan, (very tongue in cheek)best wishesJohnH
john p said:
Spruce and African mahog.
Bob Christian
North Devon
December 75
New head in utile, new fretboard in steamed beech, various splits mended etc.
By far my favourite.
Big old curly maple and spruce 6 1/2 fret.
#8 February 1975
Aberdeen
Michael MacGowan
(Label not too clear).
John Pearse model, out on loan
Cheap Romanian teardrop, out on loan
Spruce and walnut, pin tuners
circa 1980-90 bought in York
Recently aquired and in need of a set up.
Another John Pearse.
Couple of newly mades, neither set up to my liking yet.
john p