The Fiddler’s
Companion
© 1996-2008 Andrew Kuntz
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Notation
Note: The tunes below are recorded in what
is called “abc notation.” They
can easily be converted to standard musical notation via highlighting with your
cursor starting at “X:1” through to the end of the abc’s, then
“cutting-and-pasting” the highlighted notation into one of the many abc
conversion programs available, or at concertina.net’s incredibly handy “ABC
Convert-A-Matic” at
http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html
**Please note that the abc’s in the Fiddler’s
Companion work fine in most abc conversion programs. For example, I use
abc2win and abcNavigator 2 with no problems whatsoever with direct
cut-and-pasting. However, due to an anomaly of the html, pasting the abc’s
into the concertina.net converter results in double-spacing. For
concertina.net’s conversion program to work you must remove the spaces
between all the lines of abc notation after pasting, so that they are
single-spaced, with no intervening blank lines. This being done, the F/C
abc’s will convert to standard notation nicely. Or, get a copy of
abcNavigator 2 – its well worth it.
[AK]
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HELAR'S YSGFARNOG. AKA and see "Hunting the
Hare [1]."
HELEN BLACK OF INVERAN. Scottish, Reel or March. A Major. Standard tuning. AABBCCDD'. Composed
by Jimmy Ritchie. Martin (Ceol na Fidhle),
vol. 1, 1991; pg. 43. Greentrax Trax 073, Hamish
Moore--"Stepping on the Bridge."
HELEN DOUGLAS. AKA and see "The
Lady of the Lake," "Eilidh Dhughlas." Scottish, Slow Air
(3/8 time). A Minor. Standard tuning. AABB. "This air is one of those
handed by the editor to the young ladies who presented him with Mr. Scott's
work of the Lady of the Lake, and a universal favourite" (Fraser). Fraser
(The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles),
1874; No. 134, pg. 54.
HELEN N. ROBERTSON. Scottish, Air (3/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning. AB. The first
composition of Scottish fiddler and composer Arthur S. Robertson (b. 1911),
living in Lerwick, Sheltand, named for his wife of over 40 years. Neil (1991) says:
"The composition was inspired to some extent by listening to evangelical
music and also by memories of his mother at the church organ. It is perhaps the
most celebrated of his compositions and is currently played throughout Scotland by many strathspey and reel
societies." The tune was meant by Robertson to be played mostly in the
third position. Neil (The Scots Fiddle),
1991; No. 169, pg. 219.
X:1
T:Helen N. Robertson
M:3/4
L:1/8
C:Arthur S. Robertson
R:Air
K:G
d2|(B3AG2)|(B4
AG)|(G2E2G2)|(E2D4)|(D2E2G2)|(B4 AB)|d2 (d2B2)|
A4d2|B2A2G2|B4 AG|G2E2G2|E2 D4|B,4
DB,|C4 B,A,|D2A2F2|G4||
(B,>A,)|G,4 (DC)|B,4
(CD)|(E2G2E2)|(E2D3D)|(D2E2G2)|B4 (AB)|
d2 (d2B2)|A4 d2|B3A G2|B4
AG|G2E2G2|E2D4|B,4 DB,|C4 B,A,|D2A2F2|G4||
HELEN SCOTT OF HUMBIE. Scottish, Slow Air (3/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning. One part.
Composed by Freeland Barbour. Martin (Ceol
na Fidhle, vol. 3), 1988; pg. 4.
HELENA POLKA. American, Polka. D Major ('A' and 'C' parts), A Major ('B' part) &
G Major ('D' part). Standard tuning. AA'BB'BB'CDD'. Source for notated version:
Vivian Williams (Washington) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 2, 1995; pg. 348. Voyager VRLP 328‑S, "Kenny Hall and the Long Haul
String Band."
HELEN’S WALTZ. Rounder 0436, Earl Ball –
“Traditional Fiddle Music of the Ozarks, vol. 2: On the Springfield Plain.”
HELL AGAINST THE BARN
DOOR. See entry under “Hell Agin’ the Barn Door [1].”
HELL AGIN' THE BARN
DOOR [1]. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Missouri. D Major. Standard. AA'BB. Missouri fiddler Joe Politte recorded the
tune in the 1950’s on a 78 RPM produced for square dancing. Source for notated
version: Joe Politte (Mo.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol.
1, 1994; pg. 109.
HELL
AGIN'/AGAINST THE BARN DOOR [2]. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Missouri. G Major. Standard. AA'BB. This
particular tune is attributed to Missouri fiddler Lee Stoneking, although the
title is attached to several unrelated melodies. Source for notated version:
Geoff Seitz with the Ill-Mo Boys (Mo.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol.
1, 1994; pg. 109. Marimac 9054, The Ill-Mo Boys -
"Fine as Frog Hair" (1995).
HELL AGIN’ THE BARN
DOOR [3].
Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Iowa. A minor mode tune. This melody is
unrelated to “Hell Agin’ the Barn Door” [1] and [2]. Rounder
0529, Dwight Lamb – “Hell Agin the Barn Door” (2005. Perhaps learned from his
father, Clarence).
HELL AMONG THE INDIANS. AKA and see "Hell
Among(st) the Yearlings." Old-Time, Breakdown. Marimac AHS #3, Glen Smith – “Say Old Man” (1990. Learned from Arthur
Smith).
HELL AMONG THE
MOONSHINERS. AKA and see “(Big) Chief Sitting Bull,” "Indian on a See Saw." Old-Time,
Hornpipe. B Flat Major. Standard. AABB. Source for notated version: Gary Lee
Moore (Seattle, Washington) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol.
2, 1995; pg. 195.
HELL AMONGST THE
SLAVISH. AKA and see "Flop Eared Mule." A local southwestern Pa. title for the tune.
HELL AMONG(ST) THE YEARLINGS [1]. AKA ‑ "Trouble Among the Yearlings,"
"Hell After the Yearlings," "Devil Among the Yearlings,"
"Round Up the Yearlings," "Hell
Among the Indians." Old‑Time, Breakdowwn. USA; Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska. G Major (Ford, Thede): D Major
(Bayard, Brody, Christeson, Fiddler Magazine, John Hatcher, Phillips): C
Major (Christeson/1984, Songer). Standard. AB (Christeson, 1984): AA'B
(Bayard): AABB (Thede): AA'BB (Phillips): AA'BB' (Fiddler Magazine):
AABBCCDD (Songer). The title has aroused some speculation. It is thought by
some to mean ‘trouble with the cattle’—yearlings being young cattle that are
bred for the first time and quite rambunctious. Another interpretation hinges
on ‘hell’ as a term for dense underbrush and thicketed country, with the title
meaning that the yearlings are in the underbrush, thus making it quite a chore
to round them up. Chicago musician Paul Tyler made the
following comments (Fiddle-L, 5/10/04).
***
In 1939, Edgar Lee
Masters (of Spoon River fame) published in Esquire an
account of a visit he made with Theodore Dreiser to the home fiddler
John Armstrong in Oakford, Illinois. The account reappeared in Masters’
book The Sangamon in the Rivers
of America series. Masters grew in
Menard County where Armstrong lived. The visit was made in 1916, two
decades before the account was published, so you have to allow for the
author's creativity to have been at work on the memories. Here's
Masters' words of what John Armstrong had to say about Hell:
***
We asked for "Turkey in the Straw" again, and John played
it with
spirit. Then he played "Hell Amongst the Yearlings."
"This here is
called 'Hell Amongst the Yearlings.' I don't ricollect what it was
furst called; but they had a dance over at Ben Sutton's oncet, and while
they was a-dancin' the cattle broke into his corn. So ever since they
have called it 'Hell Amongst the Yearlings.'" John furnished us with
evidence of the manner in which tales and sayings grow up, and by that
token how myths originate and flourish.
***
The 'A' part
generally has nine measures instead of the usual eight. What is the 'B' part
for most of the versions is usually quite a bit different than some other
versions, and is very seldom similar from region to region or collection to
collection. However, the title (or variations on it) is often a floater and
appears for totally unrelated tunes. The most influential version historically
was recorded by Kanawha County, West
Virginia, fiddler Clark Kessinger (1896-1975) who recorded it (backed with “Turkey in the Straw”) in 1928 for the Brunswick label (#235), his second recording
for the company. It was the first commercial recording of the tune and featured
Kessinger’s much imitated technique of brushing the stings of the fiddle with
his forefinger, creating a pizzicato effect (Mountains of Music, John Lilly ed., 1999, pg. 28. Alan Jabbour
(Fiddle-L, 5/08/04) says that most modern versions seem to stem
from the Kessinger recording, and that the extra beats in the fourth phrase of
the high part of the tune have become standard in many bluegrass and old-time
renditions. He interprets these extra beats as ‘dwelling’ notes, “that
tendency of Appalachian fiddlers, especially in WV and KY, to linger on a note
mid-phrase for a couple of beats before resuming the course of the tune.
The note is often the fifth of the tune's scale, and that's the case here,” he
says. The exceptions to the Kessinger variant group are a few Appalachian
fiddlers like Henry Reed and Doc White (who played an alternate low strain from
Reed) who played the tune in square, or regular, strains of 8 bars. White’s
playing of the tune can be heard on AFS 12,704 (June, 1967).
***
The title
is mentioned in reports (1926‑31) of the De Kalb County, Alabama, Annual
(Fiddlers') Convention, finds Cauthen (1990). The piece was recorded for the
Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph from Ozark Mountain fiddlers in the early 1940's, and,
by Herbert Halpert, in 1939 from the playing of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, fiddler Frank Kittrell. Today it
is especially common among Midwest fiddlers. It is on Missouri fiddler Charlie Walden’s list of
‘100 essential Missouri fiddle tunes’. Jabbour finds references (in
WPA interviews, for one) to at least the 1930’s in Texas fiddling, and suspects it may have
had older currency in the state. See also related “Streak of Fat, Steak of Lean.”
Sources for notated versions: Claude Keenan (Oklahoma County, Oklahoma)
[Thede]; Clark Kessinger (West Virginia) [Brody, Phillips]; Bob Walters (Burt
County, Nebraska) and George Helton (Maries County, Missouri) are referenced by
Christeson {1973}; Cyril Stinnett (Oregon, Missouri) [Christeson {1984}];
Laurie Lewis [Fiddler Magazine].
Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981;
No. 277, pgs. 232. Brody (Fiddler’s
Fakebook), 1983; pg. 133. Christeson (Old
Time Fiddlers Repertory, vol. 1), 1973; pg. 67. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory, vol. 2),
1984; pg. 44. Fiddler Magazine,
Spring 1994; pg. 31. Ford (Traditional
Music in America), 1940; pg. 101. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol.
1), 1994; pg. 109. Songer (Portland Collection),
1997; pg. 94. Thede (The Fiddle Book),
1967; pg. 130. Brunswick 235 (78 RPM), The
Kessinger Brothers (1928). County 202, Eck Robertson. County 733, "The
Legend of Clark Kessinger." Flying Fish 515, Laurie Lewis - "Singin'
My Troubles Away" (1990). Folkways FA2379,
Arthur Smith. Folkways
FA 2336, Clark Kessinger (W.Va.) ‑
"Fiddler." June Appal 0056, Ralph Blizard and the New Southern
Ramblers - "Blizard Train." Marimac 9110, Dilly and His Dill Pickles
(1930) ‑ "It'll Never Happen Again: Old Time String Bands, Vol.
1." MSOTFA 007, Charlie Walden - "Draggin' the Bow" (1985).
Northeastern Records 5011, American Cafe Orchestra - “Egyptian Dominoes”
(1991). Rounder 0006, Country Cooking‑ "Fourteen Bluegrass Instrumentals."
Vetco 506, Fiddlin' Van Kidwell‑ "Midnight Ride." Vocalion
5446 (78 RPM), 1930, Dilly and His Dill Pickles (AKA John Dilleshaw, No. Ga.). Voyager 301, Bill
Mitchell‑ "Fiddle Jam Session." Voyager VRCD 344, Howard
Marshall & John Williams – “Fiddling Missouri” (1999. Learned from
Pete McMahon & Charlie Walden).
HELL AMONG THE
YEARLINGS [2]. Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, Texas. A Minor/Mixolydian. Standard. AAB.
Not related to version #1, but a variation of "Cattle in the Cane [1]."
Source for notated version: Eck Robertson (Texas) [Old Time Herald]. Old Time
Herald, Vol. 3, No. 5, Fall 1992, pg. 32. County
202, "Eck Robertson: Famous Cowboy Fiddler."
HELL AND SCISSORS. Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA; Arkansas, Kentucky. A Major. ADae. A
‘hell’ is a leather holster used by tailors to hold a pair of scissors. The
tune is in the repertoire of fiddler Bruce Greene, who learned it from Day’s 78
RPM recording. The title appears in a
list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled
by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. Library of Congress
1010B2, Jilson Setters {Kentucky fiddler J.W. “Blind
Bill” Day} (recorded 1934 for John Lomax in Ashland Ky).
HE'LL AYE BE WELCOME
BACK AGAIN. AKA and see "Ye'll Aye (always) be Welcome
Back/Home Again." Scottish. The figures for the dance to this tune,
but not the tune, appear in the Menzies manuscript (1749) contained in the
Atholl Collection of the Sandeman Library, Perth.
HELL BOUND FOR ALABAMA. AKA and see "Hell Broke
Loose in Georgia." Old-Time, Breakdown. Some of the rhymes Carson used for the tune were taken from
the song “I’d
Rather Be a N....r than a Poor White Man” (See Talley {Ed. Wolfe}, 1991,
pgs. 36-37).
***
My name’s Ran, I wuks in de san’,
But I’d druther be a Nigger dan a po’ white man.
(Talley)
***
Okeh 45159 (78 RPM),
Fiddlin’ John Carson (1927).
HELL BROKE LOOSE IN GEORGIA. AKA and see "There's
No Hell in Georgia," "Hell
Bound for Alabama," "Been to the East, Been to
the West," "Great
Big Yam Potatoes." Old‑Time, Breakdown. C Major ('A', 'B' and
'D' parts) & A Minor ('C' part). Standard. AABCC'DD'. The title perhaps
dates to the gold rush in Georgia before the settlement of Gordon County in 1850 (approx. c. 1830). There
are three distinct fiddle tunes that have been identified with this title. The
tune was used in 1899 in a Gallatin Tenn. fiddle contest as a category tune ‑
each fiddler played a version, with the best version winning a prize (all
fiddlers playing a rendition of the same commonly known tune was formerly a
common way of structuring fiddle contests) [C.Wolfe, The Devil's Box,
Vol. 14, No.4, 12/1/80]. Cauthen (1990) finds reference to a Georgia fiddler, Ben Smith, who served with
the 12th Alabama Infantry in the Civil War, and was known to have played the
tune in that conflict. She also cites A.B. Moore in his History of Alabama
(1934) who said it was one of the standard tunes in the square dance fiddler's
repertoire. The melody "Streak
O' Lean, Streak O' Fat" is related to Phillips' version of the tune,
as is “Big Footed N....r [2]”
and “Possum Up a Gum Stump [2].”
This was the four-part version recorded by the Skillet Lickers. The title
appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by
musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. Source for notated
version: Ruthie Dornfeld (Seattle) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; pg. 110. Songer (Portland Collection). County
526, "The Skillet Lickers, vol. 2" (1975). Heritage 048, Lowe Stokes ‑
"Georgia Fiddle Bands" (Brandywine, 1982). Oken 45018 (78
RPM), Fiddlin' John Carson (Atlanta, Ga.). Ruthie Dornfeld and
the American Café Orchestra – “Egyptian Dominoes.” Jim Taylor – “The Civil War Album” (1996. The Skillet
Lickers’ version).
HELL BROKE LOOSE IN GEORGIA [2?]. American, Reel. USA, southwestern Pa. G Major.
Standard. AB. Bayard (1981) identifies this tune as a composite with an 'A'
part from British
Isles
tradition, attached to a 'B' part newly composed. The 'A' part appears to be
the Scottish "My Ain Kind
Deary O," which can be traced to the 1760's; the tune is also known as
"Christmas Eve [1],"
and the march sets "Our President,"
"Here's a Health unto Our Leader,"
and "The Fearless Boys" {Bayard
also links these tunes to "Oh! Lassie, Art Thou Sleeping
Yet," and suggests they are all part of a "moderate sized tune
family of perhaps some respectable antiquity" i.e. they are descended from
some unknown original single air}. Source for notated version: Abraham Gray
(Westmoreland County, Pa., 1930's) [Bayard]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 106, pg. 61.
HE'LL
NEVER BE LIKE MY OTHER GOODMAN. Northumbrian. Title appears in
Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes ("The
Northern Minstrel's Budget"), which he published c. 1800.
HELL IN TEXAS. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Missouri. Missouri
Sate Old Time Fiddlers' Association, Bill Driver (a black fiddler from Iberia, Mo.) - "Old Time
Fiddler's Repertory" (1976).
HELL IN THE MUD. AKA and see “Missouri Mud.”
Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Missouri. D Major. Standard tuning. AABB.
Source for notated version: Cyril Stinnett (Mo.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1),
1994; pg. 110.
HELL ON THE NINE MILE. Old-Time. Marimac 9038, Dan Gellert & Brad Leftwich - "A
Moment in Time" (From Oklahoma fiddler John Kennedy).
HELL ON THE POTOMAC [1]. AKA and see "Hell on the Wabash
[1],” "Wake Up Susan [1],"
"Hell on the Rappahannock,"
"The Night We Paid the Rent,"
"Picnic Romp," "Jack of Diamonds [1]"
(Thede), "The Cottage By the Sea,"
"The Red‑Headed Girl."
American, Reel. USA, southwestern Pa. G Major. Standard
tuning. AB. Bayard (1981) identifies this as "one of the three or
four" tunes universally known by Pennsylvania folk musicians. The melody is
usually known as "Wake Up Susan" or "Hell on the Wabash" and it is sometimes found
with other parts; Bayard is not sure if this means the tunes with different
titles are "divergently evolving cognate tunes" or the result of
trading strains or "otherwise infecting one another." Sources for
notated versions: 17 southwestern Pa. fifers and fiddlers [Bayard].
Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981;
No. 352A‑Q, pgs. 346‑353.
HELL ON THE POTOMAC [2]. American, Reel. USA, southwestern Pa. G Major. Standard
tuning. AB. Unrelated to versions #1 and #3. Source for notated version: Boden
(fiddler from Pa., 1957) [Bayard]. Bayard (Dance to
the Fiddle), 1981; No. 353, pg. 353.
HELL ON THE POTOMAC [3]. AKA and see "The
Bridge of Lodi," "The
Huntsman's Hornpipe," "Nelson's
(Hornpipe) [2]," "Murray's
Hornpipe." American, March (2/4 time). USA, southwestern Pa. D Major. Standard
tuning. AB. The tune is a well‑known hornpipe in the British Isles converted in America to a march and attracting a
floating title. It is elswhere known as "The Bridge of Lodi" and
"The Huntsman's (Hunter's) Hornpipe". Source for notated version:
Hiram Horner (fifer from Westmoreland and Fayette Counties, Pa., 1944) [Bayard]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 354, pg.
353.
HELL ON THE WABASH [1]. AKA and see "Lady on
the Green," "Hell on the
Potomac [1],” "Picnic Romp,"
"The Night We Paid the Rent,"
"The Cottage by the Sea,"
"The Red‑Headed Girl,” “Wake Up Susan [1].” Old-Time,
Breakdown. The “Hell on the Wabash” title for this tune is a floater. Supposedly
this was a popular fife tune among the inhabitants of the Wabash environs (the Wabash is a river in central and western Indiana). See note to "Hell on the Potomac [1]” for more on this tune family.
HELL ON THE WABASH [2]. American, Breakdown. A Minor (Cole, Kerr): A Major (Sweet). Standard
tuning. AABB. Listed as a 'jig' in Ryan’s
Mammoth/Cole’s 1000, referring
not to the Irish 6/8 jig but to a type of old-time syncopated banjo tune known
as a “straight” or “sand” jig. The minstrel origins for this syncopated tune
are quite evident and the genre was popular on the early variety stage in the
1870’s and 1880’s. Cole (1000 fiddle
Tunes), 1940; pg. 81 (appears as "H_' on the Wabash"). Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 2; No. 423, pg. 48. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 114. Sweet (Fifer’s Delight), 1964/1981; pg. 55.
X:1
T:Hell on the Wabash [2]
M:2/4
L:1.8
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:A
(3e/f/g/ | aa Az/B/ | c/d/e/c/ Az/f/
| =gg Gz/A/ | B/=c/d/B/ =Gz/^g/ | aa Az/B/ | c/d/e/c/ A (3B/A/G/ |
A/c/(3e/f/g/ a/e/f/d/ | c/A/B/G/ A
:: A | c/e/ z/e/ e/e/c/A/ | c/e/ z/e/ e/e/c/A/ | B/d/ z/d/ d/d/B/=G/ |
B/d/ z/d/ d/d/B/=G/ | c/e/ z/e/ e/e/c/A/
| c/e/ z/e/ e/e/c/A/ | A/c/(3e/f/g/ a/e/f/d/ | c/A/B/G/ A :|
HELL ON THE WABASH [3]. Old‑Time, Breakdown. G Major (Ford): D Major (McMahon). Standard.
AABB. It is on Missouri fiddler Charlie Walden’s list of ‘100
essential Missouri fiddle tunes’. Missouri fiddler Pete McMahan incorporates
the high strain of “Rocky Mountain Goat” in his version of “Hell on the Wabash.” Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 65. Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers
Association 001, Pete McMahan ‑ "Ozark Mountain Waltz." Art
Rosenbaum – “The Art of the Mountain Banjo.”
X:1
T:Hell On the Wabash
S:John Greig, Edinburgh (probably
from Art Rosenbaum)
Z:Nigel Gatherer
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:G
z2|g2 dB GBGB|D2 G2 G2 B2|cBAG F2
A2|BAGF G3 z|g2 dB GBGB|
D2 G2 G2 B2|cBAGFGAF|G3 G G2::Bc|d2
d2 dBdB|e2 e2 e2 eg|\
f2 d2 f2 d2| BAGF G2 Bc|d2 d2
dBdB|e2 e2 e2 eg|f2 d2 f2 d2|BAGF G2:|]
HELL ON THE WABASH [4]. AKA and see “Pussy and the
Baby,” “She Oughta Been a
Lady,” “Silver Lake [4].”
Old-Time, Breakdown. The “Hell on the Wabash” title for this tune is a floater. It is
related to the Irish hornpipe “Boys of
Blue Hill” or “Beaux of Oak
Hill [1].”
HELL OVER THE MOUNTAIN. AKA and see "Flop
Eared Mule." A local southwestern Pa. title for the well‑known tune
"Flop Eared Mule."
HELL TO PAY IN TULSA. Old‑Time, Fiddle Tune. The title appears in a list of traditional
Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by
musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954.
HELL UP COAL HOLLER
[1]. AKA –
“Hell Up Coal Creek Holler.” Old-Time, Breakdown. C Major. Standard tuning.
AA'BB'. A different tune by this name is said to have been in eastern Kentucky fiddler Ed Haley’s repertoire.
Source for notated version: Armin Barnett [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol.
1, 1994; pg. 110. “Old
Tyme Fiddling/Old Time Way.” Jim Martin Productions JMP201, Gerry Milnes (et
al) – “Gandydancer.” Shanachie Records, Gerry Milnes & Lorraine Lee – “Hell
Up Coal Holler” (1999).
X:1
T:Hell Up Coal Holler
M:2/4
L:1/8
S:Gerry Milnes
Z:AK/Fiddler’s
Companion
K:C
(3G,A,B,|Cc/c/ A/G/E/D/|Cc/c/ A/G/E/G/|D/E/G B>A|B/A/G/B/
A/G/E/D/|!
Cc/c/ A/G/E/D/|Cc/c/ A/G/E/G/|D/E/G/A/ B/A/B|[G>c>]B
[Gc]:|!
|:([de]|[ee])e/g/|e/d/c/d/|e/d/c/e/ d/c/A/G/|D/_E/=E/G/
B/A/B/d/|!
e/d/e/g/ b/g/e/g/|ee/g/ e/d/c/d/|e/d/c/e/ d/c/A/G/|D/E/G/A/
B/A/B|!
[G>c>]B [Gc]:|
HELL UP COAL HOLLER
[2].
Old-Time, Breakdown. A member of a large tune family that includes “Dubuque,” “Old
Dubuque,” “Nancy Dawson [2],” “Nancy Dalton,” “Duck
River” and “Ma Ferguson,” among
others.
HELL UP HICKORY
HOLLER. Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, West Virginia. The source, Oscar Wright, could recall nothing of the tune's
background. Rounder 0089, Oscar & Eugene Wright ‑
"Old Time Fiddle and Guitar Music from West Virginia."
HELLBOUND FOR ALABAMA. Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, north Georgia. Originally recorded by north Georgia fiddler and showman John Carson and
his Virginia Reelers in the 1920's. A similar tune called "Ride Old Buck to Water" was
recorded by another north Georgia band, the Skillet Lickers, about
the same time. Folkways
FTS 31062, "Ship in the Clouds: Old Time Instrumental Music" (1978).
HELLO, GOODBYE. American, Reel. A Major.
Standard. AABB. Composed by Ralph Miller. Miller (Fiddler’s Throne), 2004; No. 168, pg. 106.
HELLO QUEBEC GIRLS. AKA and see "Allo,
Quebecoises."
HEL’N GEORGIA. AKA and see “Eileen Curran [1]."
HELSTON
FURRY DANCE. English, Morris Dance Tune (4/4
time). F Major (Karpeles, Raven): G Major (Carlin): D Major (Barnes). Standard
tuning. AABB. The tune and its variants are widespread over England and Wales. The name Helston, referring to a
town in Cornwall, comes from a Celtic root, henlis, meaning ‘old court’, coupled
with and Old English ending, ‘ton’ (tun),
meaning an enclosure, farm or village. It is an ancient market town and was
first granted its charter in the year 1201. Helston was one of the ancient
coinage towns where ingots of Welsh tine were assayed and stamped to assess the
duty to be paid to the Duke of Cornwall (during the process a corner, or coign, was cut off to be tested for
quality). In early times Helston was a port town at the head of the Cober
estuary, but around the 13th century it began to silt up until
nowadays a great shingle bank has formed across the estuary making the largest
freshwater lake in Cornwall. The Furry Dance takes place on the
8th of May, when the first greenery of spring appears and the town
is decorated with bluebells and hazel, among others. It takes the form of a
dignified procession with separate dances for adults and children. The dancers
dress in top hats and tails and their finest dresses, and the procession
follows a traditional route, even passing through people’s homes, shops and
gardens. As with many morris dances, pagan origins are ascribed to the
ritual that “welcomes in the spring.” See "Processional Morris Dance" [2], and a variant of the
Helston tune, “Nobody’s Jig.” Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes, vol. 2),
2005; pg. 57. Carlin (Master Collection),
1984; No. 55, pg. 40. Karpeles & Schofield (A Selection of 100 English Folk Dance Airs), 1951; pg. 39. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg.
75. Topic TSCD607,
Billy Cooper, Walter & Daisy Bulwer – “English Country Music” (2000.
Originally recorded 1962).
X:1
T:Helston Furry Dance
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:B Flat Major
F3F A3A|c2c2c2de|f2c2 cdcB|1 A4F4:|2 A4F2||
|:GA|B2d2d2
cB|AB c2c2 de|f2c2 cdcB|1 ABAG F2:|2 A4F4||
X:2
T:Helston
Furry Dance
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:D
D2D2D2
FG|A2A2A2 Bc|d2A2 ABAG|F4 D4:|
|:B2B2BB2AG|FEFG
A2 Bc|d2A2 ABAG|F4 D4:|
HELTER SKELTER. AKA and see “Dance Terpsichore,”
"Sticks and Stones." Old‑Time.
USA, Arkansas. In the repertoire of Lon Jordan of Farmingham, Arkansas.
HELVETIA POLKA. AKA and see "Poor Uncle
Davy," "Rochester
Schottische [2]." American, Polka. D Major ('A' part) & A Major
('B' part). Standard. AA'B. Stacy
Phillips says this is a polka version of the "Military Schottische,"
although it does not appear to be the “Military Schottische” that Ford prints.
Source for notated version: Argel Kaufman [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol.
2, 1995; pg. 349.
HELVIC
HEAD. AKA and see “Melvin
Head.” Irish, Jig. G Major. Standard tuning. AABBCCDD. Helvic Head (Ceann
Heilbhic) is a promontory stretching out from the coastline of County Waterford. O’Neill prints the tune as “Melvin Head.” Some
similarities to the slip jig “Yellow
Stockings.” O’Farrell (Pocket
Companion for the Irish or Union
Pipes, vol. 1), c. 1805; pgs.
28-29. Mulligan Records, Fisherstreet – “Out in the
Night.” Todd Denman & Bill Dennehy – “Like Magic.”
X: 1
T: Helvic Head
S: Treoir
N: from "O'Farrell's Pocket Companion for
the Irish Union Pipes"
Z: Transcribed by Bill Black
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
Q: 325
R: jig
K: G
D/E/ |: G3 AGE | A2 A AGE | G3 AGE | GAB GED |
G3 AGE | ABA
ABc | BAG AGE | GAB GED :|
BGG AGG | BGG AGE | BGG AGE | G3 GED |
BGG cAA | dBB cAA | BGG AGE | G3 GED :|
egf/g/ dBG | ABA A2 d | egf/g/ dBG | Dgf g2 a |
bag agf | gfe dBG | BAG AGE | G3 GED :|
G2 c BGd | BGd AGE | G2 c BGd | AFd GED |
G2 c BGd | BGd ABc | BAG AGE G3 GED :|
DFD DED | A3 AGE | DFD DED | G3 GED |
DFD
DED | ABA ABc | BAG AGE | G3 GED :|
HEMAN DUBH. Scottish, Air. This worksong is from the Hebrides Islands in northern Scotland. Rounder 3067, Alan
Stivell ‑ "Renaissance of the Celtic Harp" (1982). Rounder 3038, Pierre Bensusan ‑
"Musiques" (1979).
HEMP DRESSERS, THE. AKA and see “Flaunting Two,” "The London Gentlewoman," "London Maid," "The Sun Has Loos'd His Weary
Teams," "The
Winchester Christening," "The Deil's awa’ wi’ the
exciseman." English, Country Dance Tune (6/8 time). G Major. Standard
tuning. AABB. The air appears in John Gay's Begger's
Opera (1728) under the title "The first time at the looking
glass." It was printed earlier in Playford's English Dancing Master, 1650‑1725 and takes its name from a
song beginning:
***
There was a London gentlewoman,
that loved a country man‑a:
And she did desire his company,
a little now and then‑a
This man he was a hemp‑dresser, (etc.)
***
A Welsh version of the tune appears
under the name “Flaunting Two,” printed in 1794, although Kidson (Groves) says claims of a