New Concertina Mp3 And Vintage Photos

[Jody Kruskal]

I finally put up my Tune of the Month blog page for May on my web site www.jodykruskal.com and I wanted to let you all know. I’ve also added some new old photos to my concertina gallery. Here is the text for May.

 

Stump-Tail Dog...

the folk process revealed!

 

Stump-Tail Dog is a downstate Illinois tune collected by Garry Harrison in 1977 from the playing of Howard Sims, then 80 years old. Fiddler Lynn "Chirps" Smith was involved in the collecting project and in 1994 recorded the tune on his album Midwestern Harvest.

 

I heard it this march at a late night session at the Palestine Old-Time and Dulcimer Festival in Texas while playing with Mark Gilston and Stephen Seifert on dulcimers. It was clear at the time that Stump-Tail Dog would make a great Anglo concertina tune so I got together with fiddler Paul Friedman back home here in Brooklyn and we tried it out.

 

Here is an mp3 of back to back clips from Chirps’ CD, the Texas session and Paul’s living room.

[Mark Evans]

Well, that is indeed a fine tune. The title alone is worthy. My stump-tail dog grunting at my feet as I type did not object at all, so it is Obi approved.

 

I enjoyed the three evolutions together. Very nice indeed. I would have loved to have heard a little of the clawhammer banjo in your final version. It would have added just the right touch of hickory smoke around the edges. Your playing is as usual sparkling and your chums are flawless. Bravo!

 

Very nice site by the way.

Edited May 21, 2007 by Mark Evans

[spindizzy]

Hi Jody,

 

Nice tune, and inteersting evolution.

BTW I've only been able to see the link to the mp3 using Explorer. In Firefox, the last paragraph of the stump-tail dog page is missing, and other bits of text are hidden by the picture. Even reducing the test size doesn't help.

 

Chris

[Dan Worrall]

Jody,

 

Nice one...its now on my list! In fact, I've played the MP3 enough that it is already in the grey matter.

 

Dan

[John Sylte]

Hey, that pup looks like my Ruben! He's only got a nub to wag himself, but he wags it generously!

 

Nice tune in G too, kinda reminds me of Lost Girl, which also works well on Anglo...

[Jody Kruskal]

Thanks for your comments all.

 

John - Yep, it's in G all right and though I'm playing it on a G/D, it works pretty well on C/G too if you are willing to jump octaves a bit in the B section. How does Lost Girl go?

 

Chris - sorry about it not displaying well in Firefox. The developers of the software (Rapid Weaver) that made my site, claim that it works on everything, and I did check it out on a bunch of browsers without seeing any problem except for Explorer 5 which is pretty antique by now. I don't know what to say or do. My tech savvy is rudimentary. Any suggestions anyone?

 

Mark - you are right. Banjo would sound good with that tune. I've often thought that old-time concertina sounds more old-time if it keeps the right company. However, I wasn't really planning on doing a recording session, in fact, Paul had never played that tune before, but from the sound of it I guess Stump Tail Dog is just one of those tunes that plays itself, Hmmmmmm...

[stuart estell]

I can't listen while at work but I'm really excited about hearing the clip from the Texas session with Mark Gilston and Stephen Seifert! Will get and listen to that when I get home tonight...

[Jody Kruskal]

I can't listen while at work but I'm really excited about hearing the clip from the Texas session with Mark Gilston and Stephen Seifert! Will get and listen to that when I get home tonight...

 

Hi Stuart,

 

I’m sorry that you can’t listen to music during work. How cruel. I’m also sorry to say that the Texas session part that is posted on my blog is only one time through the B section of the tune. If you want to hear more just let me know.

[stuart estell]

I can't listen while at work but I'm really excited about hearing the clip from the Texas session with Mark Gilston and Stephen Seifert! Will get and listen to that when I get home tonight...

 

Hi Stuart,

 

I’m sorry that you can’t listen to music during work. How cruel. I’m also sorry to say that the Texas session part that is posted on my blog is only one time through the B section of the tune. If you want to hear more just let me know.

 

What a great tune - and yes, I'd love to hear more if possible, thanks Jody.

[Roger Gawley]

Hi Jody,

 

Nice tune, and inteersting evolution.

BTW I've only been able to see the link to the mp3 using Explorer. In Firefox, the last paragraph of the stump-tail dog page is missing, and other bits of text are hidden by the picture. Even reducing the test size doesn't help.

 

Chris

 

Now that's ineresting. I used Firefox (1.0 if it makes a difference) and got to the MP3 without trouble. There is something not quite right about the picture and the caption above it but the whole page seems to show up.

[Leonard]

No problems in Firefox 1.5 on my computer....

[spindizzy]

BTW I've only been able to see the link to the mp3 using Explorer. In Firefox, the last paragraph of the stump-tail dog page is missing, and other bits of text are hidden by the picture. Even reducing the test size doesn't help.

 

Chris

 

More on this ... it's OK in Firefox2 at home, so it's not entirely browser. I expect it's the screen res. that clicnhed it (my works screen is some wide format hi res thing that occasionally does strange things!

 

Don't worry about it anyway - the problems at this end - just keep playing the music!

 

Chris

[Animaterra]

If you want to hear more just let me know.

 

Yes! Yes! Please more! I love it!

[Jody Kruskal]

If you want to hear more just let me know.

 

Yes! Yes! Please more! I love it!

 

There you go Animterra and Stewart, I've sent you a link to that Stump Tail Dog session in it's entirety. If anyone else wants to hear it just let me know. I think I would rather keep unedited personal recordings on a need to know basis, rather than posting them up publicly in all of their raw splendor.

[Ironframe]

Is there any way for you to post this as a midi file (.mid) so I could print it to learn? Or even to be able to save the file..? It plays in Quick Time on my PC (I had no choice over that although I use a PC and QT is a Mac programme)

 

It's a great tune! Perhaps someone could suggest a way (if it's possible) to convert from mp3 to midi.. (I have looked for software now and it possible with some difficulty and/or expense)

 

Thanks for putting it up.

 

Foxy

Edited May 26, 2007 by Ironframe

[Jody Kruskal]

Is there any way for you to post this as a midi file (.mid) so I could print it to learn? Or even to be able to save the file..? It plays in Quick Time on my PC (I had no choice over that although I use a PC and QT is a Mac programme)

 

It's a great tune! Perhaps someone could suggest a way (if it's possible) to convert from mp3 to midi.. (I have looked for software now and it possible with some difficulty and/or expense)

 

Thanks for putting it up.

 

Foxy

 

Foxy,

 

There is no way to translate mp3 to midi at the push of a button that I know of, at least not for recordings where there are lots of notes going at once aside from the all important "tune". The data would have to be entered by hand. No thanks, sounds like work.

 

The file is an mp3 and should play on any mp3 player you have. On my computer I just drag the file to the player icon and bingo!

 

I believe the tune is published in THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION OF TRADITIONAL AMERICAN FIDDLE TUNES, VOL. 1 - HOEDOWNS, BREAKDOWNS, & REELS though I would bet that the version I play sounds different from the published one by a few notes and chords.