Our featured tune here is Old Cottoneyed Joe. This a cover of the ‘local’ Norman Edmonds version with improved guitar back-up. Its played on fiddle in cross-tuned G (GDGD). Banjo is in standard gDGBD. Two guitars. No bass. The player is Harold Hausenfluck whose one man band rendition from the 1990’s is pretty killer in my opinion. This a good example of the back-up making or breaking the appeal of a tune.
Handmade Music School instructor Jesse Smathers has recently been in the studio recording the new Lonesome River Band album. They're a world-class group and we can't wait to hear the new album! We're proud to have Jesse on staff at the Handmade Music School teaching mandolin and guitar.
This week’s tune is from Ivan Weddle of Floyd, Virginia. He was the Old-Time fiddler who played at Mabry Mill along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the 1970's and 1980's. Every Sunday afternoon in season, the flatfoot dancers came mostly from the local area to dance to the music of Ivan’s string band known as the Korn Kutters. I got to play banjo with the band several times.
Here’s a curious tune in G called Western Union from the repertoire of Boone's Mill / Callaway area old-timer Sherman Wimmer. No kin to Dent Wimmer that I know of, but maybe somehow. Sherman was part of the Old Originals project that yielded two LP’s of samples collected from a couple dozen players from the local area who were still able to remember and play tunes in the early 1970’s.
The holiday season is upon us and Christmas is just around the corner! Give the gift of music this year with a Handmade Music School Lesson Bundle! This package is the perfect way to help a loved one begin their musical journey. Available in-store or online.
All of us at the Handmade Music School are excited to welcome our new instructors, Morgan Fichter (piano, fiddle, early childhood music) and Jesse Smathers (mandolin, guitar). Morgan brings a wealth of experience working with children and adds her abilities as a piano instructor to the offerings at the Handmade Music School. Jesse...
On August 27th, 2019, Abigail Washburn and Béla Fleck performed to a sold out crowd at the Floyd Country Store. As part of their mission to support local non-profit organizations in towns along their touring routes, Abigail and Béla generously donated the proceeds from merchandise sales at their Floyd concert to the Handmade Music School.
Here’s a tune from our local area that was played in the OT jam led by Jason Phillips at Floyd Country Store on Sunday 2/18/18. It sometimes causes a stir with seasoned jammers since its name is Rachel and it is played in D. However, as many of you know, there’s another tune in D by that same name that is also known as Texas Quickstep. Totally different melody but a great tune in itself.
I saw Clay Shelor at the ASU fiddlers convention in Boone on Saturday. He was a part of the Crooked Road Fiddle Army that marched in the inaugural parade in Richmond back in mid January. So for this week I thought of the Shelor-Blackard Family’s distinctive mountain music.
This week’s tune is Shootin Creek. I have a version of this Franklin/Floyd County tune that is played by Peg Hatcher of Franklin County. His great-grandson is Chris Prillaman of Dry Hill Dragger fame who played at the Floyd Country Store last Friday Nite (2/2/18) in a different group, the Still Hollow Ramblers. Chris and his wife traveled to Floyd by way of Shooting Creek road. He was actually playing the same fiddle for the flat footers as heard in this clip.
OK, it’s time to really open your mind and forgive the first 10 seconds of this clip from Sidna and Fulton Meyers of the Five Forks area north of Hillsville in Carroll County. The banjo-fiddle duet is such a strong tradition in this area. Sidna’s banjo tuning is one based on A or G modal with 5th string tuned down. It’s found in the playing of certain banjo players from this area sometimes with the 4th string tuned up for that lowest melody note.
This week I want to showcase a tune usually in G from the eastern part of my ‘local’ area. NH “Nick” Mills was from the Boones Mill area of Franklin County and was recorded playing this tune solo on fiddle along with several others. I chose it for its uniqueness. I know several on this list are already familiar with this recording.
