Three to Get Ready

 

Three to Get Ready (mp3) (pdf)

"Well, it's one for the money, two for the show ..."

Last week I had a dream and this verse from Carl Perkins' immortal "Blue Suede Shoes" popped up. There was no reference to the song in the dream, just the first three lines of the nursery rhyme with an emphasis on the "three to get ready." When I recalled the dream I figured I had a good title for a tune.

I wrote most of this tune the next morning, still without Blue Suede Shoes intruding, and did a little tinkering the next day or two. I had an unusual amount of trouble getting a recording I can live with but I like what I'm sharing here. I hope you enjoy it.

The photo comes from a walk near Decorah's Phelps Park taken earlier this week. There is a trail that runs above the Dug Road Trail which features several classic WPA style bridges, steps and markers. Many thanks to the young workers from so long ago who created this path and to the men and women who have maintained it all these years for our public use. Our tax dollars at work.

Safe Travels, Safe Return

 

Safe Travels, Safe Return (mp3) (pdf)

Today's tune began back in 2017 but was left unfinished. Last week I spent some more time with it and, now, here it is. I like the major to minor bit at the start and in general how the tune wanders around. I realize that a certain percentage of excellent musicians will be put off by the half-diminished (minor 7, flat 5) chord in the A section. If it helps, you can think about it as an A9 chord with a C# in the bass. I also know this is two waltzes in a row. I'll try and not make it three next time.

The photo comes from my window on the Capitol Limited while going through the mountains on my way to D.C. on Feb. 28 of this year. Contratopia was able to have one final weekend of fun playing for dancers just before we began to realize that we probably wouldn't be playing together again anytime soon. Our travels, and returns, were safe and I'm looking forward to another train ride in better times.

O'Loughlin's Waltz in G, no. 2

 

O'Loughlin's Waltz in G, no. 2 (mp3) (pdf)

Contratopia band mate and friend Patrick O'Loughlin has recently created a new dobro/slide guitar-style instrument. He posted some photos on Facebook. It was tuned to open G when I first saw it and Pat requested a waltz. Here's the second one I wrote, the first isn't quite right yet. (I guess that implies that this one is "right" but you'll have to decide for yourself.)

The photo above was taken a couple of weeks ago while climbing up the back side of the Ice Cave ridge. I don't go up there as much as I used to but it's worth the climb.

St. Feriole Island Jig

 

St. Feriole Island Jig (mp3) (pdf)

As threatened last time, here is a new tune named after lovely St. Feriole Island, part of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. This island on the Mississippi River has a rich history and is a great place to visit and stretch your legs. We stop there often.

The tune itself offers an opportunity to practice some arpeggios in the key of D minor and is fun to play. See what you think.

St. Francis Walks at Night

 

St. Francis Walks at Night (mp3) (pdf)

Another in a series of St. Francis tunes. This one is recently composed. The photo was taken a few days ago on St. Feriole Island, part of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, at the entrance to a garden. There's a St. Feriole Island Jig coming up before too long also.

Despite my usual careful planning (just kidding) today's tune is the second blog entry in a row that is in the key of B minor and whose title ends in the words "at night." Further proof of my creative genius (kdding again). I promise the next tune I post will not be in B minor. I hope you enjoy this one though.

Snow at Night

 

Snow at Night (mp3) (pdf)

"Snow's gonna come and the frost's gonna bite, my old car froze up last night."

A beautiful summer's day here in Decorah found me digging through old music notebooks. On the first page of the book marked "January 27, 2005-July 25, 2005" I found the original version of today's tune. Back in 2005 I created a lead sheet for the tune, titled January 27, 2005, and probably shared it with Contratopia. I don't recall ever playing that early version but it's possible that we did. I've now altered the C section of the tune, changed the form a bit and given it a proper title.

I'm thinking of those nights when the snow is coming down after dark and everything in our neighborhood is very quiet. I don't remember if I started writing this tune at night but I could have. In any event, here it is in August, 15 years later.

I didn't even bother with a harmony part for this one, just a simple melody with chords.

The photo is from January 2020, looking out on our back yard. Of course when January 2021 arrives I'll be wishing it were August again.

How Many Moons

 

How Many Moons (mp3) (pdf)

How many indeed? I found this title in an old notebook with a few notes below it and turned it into a finished tune recently.

The photo above was taken near St. Luke's Church on the edge of Eitzen, MN a few days ago. I nearly stumbled on it while admiring the little park next to the church parking lot. I think it is an NGS survey marker.

Also a few days ago our Contratopia buddies Pat O'Loughlin and Margie visited Decorah while on a short camping trip. Erik Sessions and I met up with them in nearby Palisades Park and we played some tunes. Here's a video of us playing my tune "Palisades" that appears on Contratopia's first recording, Hands Four. The groove wanders a bit (this is what happens when Patrice Pakiz is not keeping us in line) but you can see it was a nice day in a lovely place.

Wendy's Fancy

Wendy's Fancy (mp3) (pdf)

This tune goes back at least a couple of decades. It was likely first written in the late 20th century. A version for two mandolins appears in my Midwestern Mandolin Duos book. As far as I can tell it hasn't appeared in this blog and I can't remember ever actually recording it before.

To my mind Wendy's Fancy (named after a dear, departed feline companion) is an early example of my fascination with the work of James Oswald. In this case I probably was responding to some of his work in his 1742 publication "Collection of Curious Scots Tunes" which often features a basic tune followed by a variation or two and, occasionally, a transition into a jig version of the tune as well.

The photo is from this morning's walk, trying to capture some of the lovely wildflowers near our house before the mowers come to cut them all down.

Morning Shade

Morning Shade (mp3) (pdf)

We've had, as we should, some warm weather here the last couple of weeks. I find that when I walk in the morning I tend to move from one patch of shade to another. Every January I long for these days. Every July I wish for October.

Ruby and Gold

Ruby and Gold (mp3) (pdf)

Several months ago, before the plague, I received a commission from my good mandolin friend, Barbara Conrad. She was looking for a waltz to help celebrate two special anniversaries in her life, one a 40th and one a 50th. Today's tune was the eventual result.

I finished the tune in late March and sent Barbara a recording and the sheet music. Something about the original recording (I still can't put my finger on it) bothered me so I finally got around to re-recording it yesterday.

The "pdf" link above takes you to a package of three pages; one for the melody with chord symbols, one with a harmony part and the third with an "accompaniment" part that is meant to be a second part when played by two mandolins when no chordal instrument is involved. Of course you can feel free to use any part in any way you choose. In fact I chose to play the harmony part down an octave last night because I decided to play the melody on guitar the first time through, instead of on mandolin.

In any event I hope you enjoy listening and/or playing the tune. You don't need to wait for an anniversary.

Fine Times on Fess

Fine Times on Fess (mp3) (pdf)

In January of 1972 I moved for the first time to Bloomington, Indiana and took up residence in an apartment in a house in the 500 block of N. Fess Avenue, just a couple of blocks north of the IU student union and Dunn Meadow. I shared the space with Tony and Malcolm, one old friend and one more recent. We have remained great friends over the decades despite often being out of touch with each other for years at a time. Father's Day last weekend reminded me how strange it is that each of us have now become fathers ourselves.

Recently a couple of photos emerged from that time and place and I was delighted when those photos gave me the idea for the title for this tune. "Fine Times at Our House" is a classic old-time fiddle tune and this tune bears no resemblance to it but I love the title.

The photo above was taken a few days ago while walking in Decorah's Palisades Park. Just a painted rock and a stick on a picnic table but a beautiful reminder that it's never too late to be kind.

Saturday Social

Saturday Social (mp3) (pdf) (pdf harmony)

The enormous tragedy surrounding the COVID19 pandemic puts something like this blog into a new perspective. I haven't been sharing music online as often since March but I've been playing and writing quite of bit. Today's tune is one example.

I played my last public gig, with Erik Sessions, on March 11 at Toppling Goliath Brewery here in Decorah. We knew we were pushing the envelope and that we might not get to play in public again for a long time. We had a great turnout and, as far as we know, no one passed any virus on to anyone that night.

Exactly two months later, on May 11, Erik and I played in our local bookstore (Dragonfly Books, a first rate shop) to an audience of two who were recording us for Bookstock 2020, a fund raising event to benefit small, local bookstores, and musicians, around the country. This time Erik and I stood 6 feet apart and wore masks. Playing six feet apart from someone who normally stands right next to you was harder than you might think. Further complicating that gig was the fact that I was suffering from a hearing issue that had only recently cropped up, I had been to local ENT that afternoon.

The Bookstock event  was streamed/broadcast the weekend of  May 15-17. You can view our set (warts and all), broadcast on Sunday morning, here. We had the unexpected honor of being grouped in the same "Act" with the phenomenal Rushad Eggleston. His one minute performance is not to be missed.

"Saturday Social" is the result of another online gig. Tapestry Folkdance Center is an amazing place for dancing in Minneapolis and I have played there regularly (most often with our band Contratopia) over the last 20 years. Dancing at Tapestry temporarily came to a halt in March but the resilient contra dance regulars at Tapestry have instituted a Saturday Social Hour using Zoom as a tool to allow people to get together and socialize on Saturday nights when they would normally be dancing together.

Each Saturday one (or more) of the many musicians who play for dances at Tapestry are invited to play a 15 minute live set as part of the fun. I was honored to be invited to add some music to the May 9th social and I wrote this tune to play in my set.

The vast majority of time I write a tune and then spend a long time trying to think of a title that fits. This was a rare case of me having the title first and writing the tune to fit the occasion. I finally got around to writing a harmony part and recording the tune yesterday. I hope you enjoy it.

The photo was taken near the end of May during a walk along the Upper Iowa River.

Birthday Bagatelle

Birthday Bagatelle (mp3) (pdf) (pdf harmony)

It's been several weeks and while Lord knows I've been at home most of the time I've been doing lots of other stuff. Plus I had an equipment failure in my little toy studio and things take longer to get through the post these days.

In any event here's what is intended to be a pleasant piece titled after some recent birthdays.

Rather than write a long essay about my musical life in time of plague (which has been surprisingly active) I'll just keep it short this time.

Stay safe and help others when possible. Find joy and hope where you can.

The photo above was taken about an hour ago on Ice Cave Road in Decorah. There are some pretty flowers up there.

Riverside Gardens

Riverside Gardens (mp3) (pdf) (pdf harmony)

The Riverside International Friendship Gardens are a small collection of beautiful and lovingly tended gardens located at the point where the La Crosse River empties into the Mississippi in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It doesn't take all day to see them all and it always adds a little beauty to my day when I visit. They are well worth a few minutes of your time.

This tune is another one expanded from a fragment in an old notebook and recently finished. A pretty melody with a simple accompaniment part seems to fit with the title.

This marks the first appearance in So Many Tunes of a recently acquired, century-old Gibson mandolin. It began life around 1912 or 1913 but has see many alterations since then. Often that makes an old Gibson less desirable but I like the sound of this one. Many thanks to Greg and the folks at Greg Boyd's House of Fine Instruments for working with me on this acquisition.

Try to stay safe, stay home if you can, wear your mask if you have one. I would especially appreciate it (if you are under 60 with no medical issues) if you can try and avoid picking up a piece of the virus and passing it on to someone else who might eventually pass it on to an old guy like me. (Insert your favorite John Prine quote here ...)

Road to Gnaw Bone and video experiments

Road to Gnaw Bone (mp3) (pdf)

Today's tune started back around 2004 but wasn't finished until a few weeks ago. The title is a nostalgic one for me. All through the 1970s and most of the 80s I drove back and forth between my home town, Clarksville, Indiana and Bloomington, Indiana hundreds of times. Sometimes I would drive north through Salem and sometimes through Paoli but most of the time I would take the slightly faster route up I65 to Columbus. At Columbus I'd take highway 46 west into Brown County, turn left at the "T" in Nashville and head on into Bloomington.

Gnaw Bone lies between Columbus and Nashville. I rarely, if ever, stopped there but I always smiled at the name. For me the town is best immortalized in a Bill Schwarz (now Willy Schwarz) song titled "Purdy Hoosier Girl." This charming number appears on the first Eclectricity (what a great band with Bob Lucas, Schwarz and Miriam Sturm) album. To hear Bob pronounce "Gnaw Bone" (where the purdy Hoosier girl is found) is worth the price of the record.

In my mind there is also a strong Bill Monroe connection to the town. I haven't done a thorough search but I believe that there are several Monroe instrumental tunes that have titles related to the area. I imagine Bill, on his own or with the Blue Grass Boys, driving up from Nashville, TN to his music park in Beanblossom, just north of Nashville, IN. He would have made this journey hundreds of times also.

Before I65 was built he could take US Highway 31 (which passes right through Clarksville) north, but either route is the "Road to Columbus" Indiana. Heading west on 46 he would pass through the town of Stony Lonesome (sometimes spelled "Stoney Lonesome"). A little further west he would pass through Gnaw Bone and, in the process, he would cross "Salt Creek." I imagine there are more Monroe titles from this area, not to mention tunes relating to Beanblossom itself.

While hunkering down here in Iowa this last couple of weeks I have messed around some with making short tune videos. I used "Road to Gnaw Bone" as my first experiment and I've done a few more since then. There's even a youtube channel now (https://www.youtube.com/user/goodinjo) where you can see a few more tunes.

I hope you enjoy the tune, in either version. Stay safe, wash your hands. If you have the means please consider supporting one or more of your now unemployed local musicians or artists.

South Bend

South Bend (mp3) (pdf)

Well, it's been a month since my last posting here, and what a month it's been.

A few days after my previous posting I boarded the Amtrak Empire Builder (two days out of Seattle (!), headed for Chicago) in order the catch the Capitol Limited into Union Station, Washington D.C. I met up there with my Contratopia friends and proceeded to have a wonderful, nearly carefree, weekend playing for dances at Glen Echo Park and the smaller Ballroom Blum in Adelphi, MD.

We all knew that COVID-19 was on it's way but we figured, correctly it turned out, that we were ahead of the curve. We had good crowds at Glen Echo for both the Friday Night Contra dance and the Sunday Waltz Time couples dance. We didn't, however, know how close we were cutting it and how rapidly things would change. Luckily none of us picked up any virus symptoms on our flights and train rides and, so far, all of our group have remained healthy here in Iowa and Minnesota.

Being an older guy I have been pretty darn careful these last few weeks and, again, so far, I am in excellent health. However, keeping up my self-imposed once a week tune schedule has taken a back seat to adapting to the new reality. Finally today I got around to recording a new tune for this blog.

I always write a few tunes when I have the chance to spend the night in an Amtrak sleeper car. Today's tune was written around the time we stopped in South Bend on the way to D.C. It was dark by that time but I always love looking out my little window and watching the people boarding and leaving the train at the station stops. This tune was written in D but, after returning home, it became a tune in C major. Finally, last week sometime it found its way down to G major and that's how you'll see and hear it today.

In any event, I hope you enjoy the tune. Most of the musicians I know are out of work these days. If you have any favorite musicians (or artists of any kind) and you can afford to help them out please consider purchasing something from them or sign up for an online lesson. Above all stay safe and help keep others safe by trying not to become a virus carrier.

The Edwardsville Tunnel

The Edwardsville Tunnel (mp3) (pdf)

This friendly jig came to me a few weeks ago and I thought of this title while looking at online maps of the area just to the west of New Albany, Indiana.

When I was a kid and into my early driving years, before the finish of I64, if you wanted to go to Corydon, IN you would drive out Main Street in New Albany and then up the Knobs on the Corydon Pike. When you got to the top of the hill you would be at Edwardsville. From there you could turn left and take Highway 62 on to Lanesville and then to Corydon. Or you could turn right on 62 and drive a short distance to Georgetown and have some good ice cream.

As the road heads up the Knobs out of New Albany, if you know just where to look, you can spot the opening of the Edwardsville Tunnel, much as it is pictured above. It's apparently also known as the Duncan Tunnel although I have never heard anyone call it that. I never stopped the car and approached the tunnel entrance, I imagine my parents cautioned me against such foolishness, but it was always a mysterious place to me. Once or twice I happened to see a train coming out of the tunnel and that was pretty exciting.

In any event, this week's tune now has that title and I like the nostalgia it conjures up.

Speaking of trains, I'm looking forward to boarding Amtrak's Empire Builder on Thursday morning (hopefully in the morning and not mid-afternoon) and riding into Chicago. From there I will catch the Capitol Limited into Union Station D.C., arriving Friday afternoon. I'll meet up with my Contratopia bandmates and Ted and Lynn and we will have a wonderful weekend playing dances at Glen Echo park and a dance/house concert on Sat. night in Adelphi, Maryland. You can find more details about our gigs on our website. Just click here.

If anyone reading this comes to any of these events please say hello.

Winter Done Gone

Winter Done Gone (mp3) (pdf)

Of course winter is not really gone, that just happens to be the title of this week's tune. The photo was taken yesterday while walking along the Upper Iowa River near our house. You can see that some ice is breaking up and flowing towards the Mississippi after our cold snap a few days ago.

In any event, today's tune is another example of me finding an unfinished piece in an old notebook (this one from 2004) and tinkering with it until I feel like it's ready to share. I actually finished the tinkering sometime before Christmas but I didn't sketch out the harmony line until yesterday. Once again, because of the time that has passed, I have no idea what I was thinking when I applied the title to this one.

Another photo from yesterday. This time walking with Suzy our dog, trying to hold still long enough to push the button while she was tugging to keep going.

Last Thursday night Erik Sessions and I played for the first time at Impact Coffee here in town. Check their website to see some photos of the impressive work they've done re-purposing the old JC Penney's store on Water Street. It was around 5 below when we started our gig that night and around -10 when we finished but a good number of folks still turned out. We had a great time and the music sounded pretty good in the big old building. I'm hoping we'll play there again sometime when the weather won't be such a factor.

Our next gig in town will be at the world famous Toppling Goliath Brewery on March 11. Come check the place, and us, out if you are in town that night.

Between now and then Erik and I will travel out to D.C. with our Contratopia band for a fun weekend of dances at the end of the month. You can find details at the link above. Be sure to say hello if you come to one of those dances.

Bonnycastle

Bonnycastle (mp3) (pdf)

Here's a recently composed tune named for one of my favorite streets in the Highlands neighborhood of Louisville, KY. Back in the 1970s I got to know this street pretty well but the part of the street that I knew the best was the intersection where it crosses Bardstown Road. There was a Karma Records store on one corner and, just across the street was the Doo-Wop Shop music store. A couple of blocks north, at the busy intersection of Bardstown and Eastern Parkway, was one the best of the many White Castle restaurants in the Louisville area. Almost an ideal combination; records, guitars and sliders (back when that was a word that no one would dream of putting on a menu).

The photo above was taken sometime this winter while walking around Palisades Park here in Decorah. More snow today but kind of cloudy and dull.

I'm looking forward to playing some tunes with Erik Sessions this Thursday evening (7:00-8:30) at Impact Coffee on Water St. Stop by if you are in Decorah, no cover charge.

The Old Clark Cabin

The Old Clark Cabin (mp3) (pdf)

The photo above is of an old 1830s cabin that was moved a few years ago to what was likely the site of a cabin inhabited by the Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark in the early 1800s. The cabin sits on what is known as "Clark's Point", a bluff overlooking the Falls of the Ohio in Clarksville, Indiana (named after General Clark), just across the river from Louisville, Kentucky.

Here is where Meriwether Lewis met William Clark (George's younger brother) in 1803 to begin their partnership and start the journey of the Corps of Discovery, or the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

When I was growing up in Clarksville this spot, and the memory of George Rogers Clark, was neglected but in recent years much has been done to remedy that situation. In his later years my father used to enjoy visiting this cabin. He especially liked to sit on the front porch and enjoy the view of the Ohio River far below.

This week's actual tune is not particularly suited to the title but maybe it will be a better fit over time. It's a four part tune and was composed in the last few weeks. I hope you enjoy it.