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Theme Of The Month, June, 2014: Let's Polka!


Jim Besser

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Can't say I'm a sucker for a good, fast polka, like Jim, but I do like polkas and playing them. My earliest memory of hearing a polka, was in my teens, when I heard the late, great, Scottish button accordeonist, Jimmy Shand playing The Bluebell Polka. I subsequently discovered that he had composed the tune, as well as the lesser known Primrose Polka. Here's my version of this lovely tune.

 

https://soundcloud.com/aeolaman/the-bluebell-polka

 

Chris

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What a delight these are! Guaranteed to brighten the dullest day. Thanks Chris, Graham, Jim and everyone.

 

Here's my contribution, not so fast, bloopers and all.

https://soundcloud.com/mildredestelle/norwegian-polka

 

It came from a book called "Traditional Scottish Fiddling" I once borrowed from the library.

 

Sarah

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Here's my contribution, not so fast, bloopers and all.

https://soundcloud.com/mildredestelle/norwegian-polka

That second part is familiar, but as part of "another" tune. Now I have to see if I can remember which one.

 

It came from a book called "Traditional Scottish Fiddling" I once borrowed from the library.

"Obviously", I'll have to learn this one to play for my Norwegian friends... making a point of the fact that it came to me via Scotland and Idaho (and not from either Minnesota or the Ballard district of Seattle ;)).

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What a delight these are! Guaranteed to brighten the dullest day. Thanks Chris, Graham, Jim and everyone.

 

Here's my contribution, not so fast, bloopers and all.

https://soundcloud.com/mildredestelle/norwegian-polka

 

It came from a book called "Traditional Scottish Fiddling" I once borrowed from the library.

 

Sarah

 

This is a really cool tune, and well played.

 

Is that what it's called - "Norwegian polka?"

 

Never mind; I found it on THe Session. For anybody interested, here are some ABCs:

 

X: 1

T: Norwegian

R: polka

M: 2/4

L: 1/8

K: Dmaj

|:DF/4E/4D/ AA|D/F/A/d/ ff|g/2>f/2e/2>d/2 c/2<B/2A|c/2>B/2 A/2<F/2 G/2>F/2E/2>F/2|

DF/4E/4D/ AA|D/F/A/d/ ff|g/2>f/2e/2>d/2 c/2>A/2B/2>c/2|[1 dd d2:|[2dd d/2e/2=f/2g/2||

K: Dmin^c

|:a2 g2|fe/d/ cA|f/g/a/g/ fe/d/|c/d/e/d/ c/A/f/g/|

a2 g2|fe/d/ cA|f/g/a/g/ fe/d/|[1c/d/e/c/ d/e/f/g/:|[2c/d/e/c/ d/e/2>^f/2||

K: Dmaj

|:gB B/2>g/2f/2>e/2|fA A/2>f/2e/2>d/2|cE/2>F/2 G/2>AB/2>c/2|dD/2>F/2 A/2>d/2e/2>f/2|

gB B/2>g/2f/2>e/2|fA A/2>f/2e/2>d/2|cE/2>F/2 G/2>A/2B/2>c/2|[1dd d/e/2>f/2:|[2dd d2||

Edited by Jim Besser
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Sad to say, this tune is defeating me. I'm not sure why, but even after a lot of practice it's not ready for prime time.

 

I'm finding it very difficult to give it a real polka feel. The staccato parts that give it that real Mexican flavor especially on the a and b parts, aren't working for me.

 

And the D part, with the fast runs...first it took forever to get them playable. But I'm still uneven and choppy on the timing, despite the metronome ticking in my ear.

 

And I'm not satisfied with the chording.

 

Other than that, it's a great tune.

 

Suggestions welcome. I'd love to hear how other Anglo players approach this tune.

 

https://soundcloud.com/concertinist/jesusito-en-chihuahuamp3

 

Played in G on a C/G Lachenal/Dipper 31 button Anglo

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Crazy-making to play perhaps, but such fun to listen to. Thanks Jim!

I love these polkas with key/tempo/ mood shifts in the middle. Well, tempo shift isn't the right word, as the metronome keeps ticking away just as the dancers feet would be. maybe structure shift is better? Anyway, interesting all around.

 

Good thing the Norwegian Polka is available on The Session (and in the University of Idaho library), since when I looked up the book itself

http://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Scottish-Fiddling-Christine-Martin/dp/187193138X

it appears to be a bit scarce on the ground. Perhaps I better to check it out again before it vanishes.

 

And as for Idaho as a vehicle for tunes -- it IS a cutting edge place. Indeed, it was the home of my dear friend Warren, the recently deceased writer of the USDA cross cut saw filing manual, http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf77712508/pdf77712508dpi72.pdf

which is still in print.

 

Are there concertina players in the Ballard district of Seattle --or people who polka?

 

Sarah

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And as for Idaho as a vehicle for tunes -- it IS a cutting edge place. Indeed, it was the home of my dear friend Warren, the recently deceased writer of the USDA cross cut saw filing manual, http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf77712508/pdf77712508dpi72.pdf which is still in print.

Is that about how to tune a Sandviken Stradivarius? ;)

 

Are there concertina players in the Ballard district of Seattle --or people who polka?

Concertinas are scarce in traditional Scandinavian music, though I do know a few players in Sweden. Not sure about Ballard itself, but there are certainly some non-Scandi concertina players in the Seattle area.

 

Scandinavians do polka, even if not as much as they polska. Let me know if you're planning a visit (to either Seattle or Scandinavia) and want contact info.

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And as for Idaho as a vehicle for tunes -- it IS a cutting edge place. Indeed, it was the home of my dear friend Warren, the recently deceased writer of the USDA cross cut saw filing manual, http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf77712508/pdf77712508dpi72.pdf which is still in print.

Is that about how to tune a Sandviken Stradivarius? ;)

 

Are there concertina players in the Ballard district of Seattle --or people who polka?

Concertinas are scarce in traditional Scandinavian music, though I do know a few players in Sweden. Not sure about Ballard itself, but there are certainly some non-Scandi concertina players in the Seattle area.

 

Scandinavians do polka, even if not as much as they polska. Let me know if you're planning a visit (to either Seattle or Scandinavia) and want contact info.

 

 

We played at a Scandinavian wedding a few years ago and they asked us to do some kind of traditional Swedish wedding polka that was super fast. A lot of fun - glad we had a Scandi fiddler sitting in with us for that set! (It was a mixed marriage, so to speak; we went from that polka into a hora.) Do you know what that kind of polka is called, Jim?

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We played at a Scandinavian wedding a few years ago and they asked us to do some kind of traditional Swedish wedding polka that was super fast. A lot of fun - glad we had a Scandi fiddler sitting in with us for that set! (It was a mixed marriage, so to speak; we went from that polka into a hora.) Do you know what that kind of polka is called, Jim?

Not having seen it, I haven't a clue. Besides, I know there are regional and even individual variants of many Scandinavian dances, but I'm far from an expert.

 

Maybe Julia knows?

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We played at a Scandinavian wedding a few years ago and they asked us to do some kind of traditional Swedish wedding polka that was super fast. A lot of fun - glad we had a Scandi fiddler sitting in with us for that set! (It was a mixed marriage, so to speak; we went from that polka into a hora.) Do you know what that kind of polka is called, Jim?

Not having seen it, I haven't a clue. Besides, I know there are regional and even individual variants of many Scandinavian dances, but I'm far from an expert.

 

Maybe Julia knows?

 

 

I answered my own question - actually, gmail search answered it. What we played was a wedding hopsa - described by the bride as a "top speed Danish polka." So Danish, not Swedish. My bad. I was confused because the fiddler who sat in with us described himself as a Swedish fiddler.

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And as for Idaho as a vehicle for tunes -- it IS a cutting edge place. Indeed, it was the home of my dear friend Warren, the recently deceased writer of the USDA cross cut saw filing manual, http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf77712508/pdf77712508dpi72.pdf which is still in print.

Is that about how to tune a Sandviken Stradivarius? ;)

 

Are there concertina players in the Ballard district of Seattle --or people who polka?

Concertinas are scarce in traditional Scandinavian music, though I do know a few players in Sweden. Not sure about Ballard itself, but there are certainly some non-Scandi concertina players in the Seattle area.

 

Scandinavians do polka, even if not as much as they polska. Let me know if you're planning a visit (to either Seattle or Scandinavia) and want contact info.

 

What a fun ride off into internet-land to try to get an inkling of the differences between polkas and polskas (differences other than that my spell checker believes in the former and not the latter).

 

Ended up running across a title-less Polska I once heard played by Darol Anger that I'd tried and failed to learn by ear, this time played by Väsen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE6j-Zp323w.

Having a title at last, I ended up here: http://www.folkwiki.se/Musik/96

so now I've got some notes -- not only for the tune but also for what seems like a nice accompaniment. Perhaps if I understood what

"Vanligt är också att harmoniken i andra reprisen varieras mellan G- och Em-tonalitet, typiskt så att första vändan spelas G, andra Em."

 

meant I'd know for sure.

 

or this: Med "lyft"

or this: Jämnt

 

At any rate, I've got the pdfs tucked into forScore and I"m going to be messing around with those fun 1/16th notes later today after I've done some of the work I thought I'd be doing this afternoon.

 

And I didn't even get started on musical saws, thank goodness.

 

Thanks much

Sarah

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Here's what I got from Google Translate:

 

Vanligt är också att harmoniken i andra reprisen varieras mellan G- och Em-tonalitet, typiskt så att första vändan spelas G, andra Em.
It is also common that harmony in other replay varied between G and Em-tonality, typically so that the first round is played G, the second Em.
lyft = lift, lifting
Jämnt = evenly
Edited by sqzbxr
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