What is a "fiddle" tune?

Fiddle tunes are so called because they are, or were originally, written or arranged to be played on the fiddle, although of course they can be adapted or arranged to be played on other instruments as well. Most fiddle tunes are, or were originally, meant to be played for dancing (ie: square dancing, clogging, contra dancing, waltzes). In traditional Southern rural communities, and in the Irish, Scots-Irish, and English traditional music that Southern rural music is descended from, the fiddle was the primary instrument for dance music. In the mid 1800's the banjo (played in clawhammer style) found its way into the Southern mountains and became the most common accompaniment for the fiddle to play for dancing, (The guitar found its way into traditional Southern rural dance music as a rhythm accompaniment instrument sometime after the turn of the 20th Century.)

In traditional old-time music contexts, the "dance" aspect of the music is much more highly emphasized, with moderate-tempo danceable grooves and a more ensemble-oriented "no solo breaks -- everybody all play the melody together" sound, while in bluegrass contexts, the "dance music" aspect of fiddle tunes tends to get overlooked in favor of blazingly fast tempos and improvised "hot" solo breaks designed to show off the players' virtuosity and impress listeners.

Classic fiddle tunes -- Soldiers Joy, Cripple Creek, Boil 'Em Cabbage Down, Arkansas Traveler, Turkey in the Straw, Blackberry Blossom, Sally Goodin,....... there are probably thousands of them...........

Keep on Pickin'
Angie
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Banjo Frequently Asked Questions

Taking Care of your Banjo

No matter how much money you have spent on your banjo, you want to take care of it so that it lasts as long as possible. Though wear and tear will happen over time, especially with active playing, there are many steps that you can take to make sure your instrument has a long and good life. The first step to taking care of your banjo is preventative care by simply washing your hands. Washing your hands clears away acids that may cause wear and tear for the base, neck, and strings. Also, wipe down your banjo after each use. This will save string time and also remove any harmful substances that may have been wiped onto your banjo during play.

There are also many different guitar and stringed-instrument cleaners out there. Be careful, because some cleaners that are good for the body of a guitar may not be good for the base of a banjo if it is made of calf or goat skin. Also some cleaners may strip away some metal off of the frets because they are extremely sensitive to cleaners.

Another way to take care of your banjo is to buy a good case. While it looks nice to keep your banjo lying around the house, a case will keep damaging dust off of your banjo and will lessen the chance for a possible accident that may damage the entire instrument. Also you should keep your banjo away from the heater and the window during the winter. Wood is extremely pliable when it is around wet air, and extremely fragile when it is really dry. So during the winter keep it in the case away from both of these conditions so that the fragile neck will last a long time.

Keep on Pickin'

Angie

Banjo FAQs and more!