Bards Old Time Fiddle Tunebook Supplement/Blackberry Blossom

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The flower of a Blackberry plant.

The fiddle tune "Blackberry Blossom", a fiddle tune in the key of G Major, [1] is classified as a "breakdown" and is popular in old time, bluegrass [2]and Celtic traditional circles.[3] It is considered one of the best known fiddle tune of the twentieth century.

History

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The tune [4] has been added to many tune books - as many as 277, according to The Session, an online resource for traditional musicians. [3] The tune became popular as a tune recorded by "Fiddlin'" Arthur Smith and that version, according to Alan Jabbour, supplanted an earlier tune played by Sanford Kelly from Morgan County,[5] which is now represented by the tune "Yew Piney Mountain". [6] [7] It is also called Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom, perhaps to distinguish it from the earlier version.[8] Contradicting Jabbour, who clearly distinguishes the earlier version, is the account of Andrew Kuntz to the effect that "Betty Vornbrock and others have noted a similarity between 'Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom' and the West Virginia tune 'Yew Piney Mountain', a variant...also played by Kentucky fiddlers J.P. Fraley and and Santford Kelly". [8]

Culture: use in different genres

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Although the tune is closely associated with the old time/ bluegrass traditions of the United States,[9] it enjoys the distinction of often being frequently played by traditional Irish musicians.[3]


In Irish music

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This is a partial list of covers by Irish musicians and bands.

  • An Fhidil, Sraith 2 by Sean Keane, Kevin Burke, Paddy Glackin And Seamus Creagh
  • Ireland's Best Session Tunes CD 1 by Waltons Recording
  • Irish Dances by Various Artists
  • Top Of Coom by Conal Ó'Gráda
  • Traditional Irish Dance Music by All Star Ceilidhe Band
  • Traditional Irish Dance Music: All Star Ceili Band by Joe Derrane
  • Traditional Irish Music by William Sullivan
  • Traditional Irish Tunes Played On The Tin Whistle (1/2) by Geraldine Cotter
  • Traditional Music Of Ireland by Various Artists

[3]

In Bluegrass

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According to Devon Wells, Blackberry Blossom, as a banjo tune, was brought to the public's attention as one of the earliest arrangements of Bill Keith. [10] Wells, a bluegrass teacher, asserts that the tune is a standard in the bluegrass banjo repertoire.[10] Some of the older recordings archived at the Digital Library of Appalachia include:

  • Davenport, Clyde
    • Fiddle tune played by Clyde Davenport at the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music on 11-03-84
  • Rawlings, Carlton
    • Fiddle tune played by Carlton Rawlings and recorded by John Harrod in Bath County, Kentucky [1970s].
  • Higgins, Charlie
    • Smithsonian Folkways [1]

Structure

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Like most traditional fiddle tunes, Blackberry Blossom has an A part and a B part; the former is in the key of G Major but the latter switches explicitly to the key of E minor. E minor is the relative minor of the key of G Major - it uses the same sharps and flats but its' modal center is E rather than G. This provides the tune with an unusual mood shift which adds complexity. [2] According to Anthony, "The note played on the 1st & 3rd beat of the first 2 measures are the first 4 notes of the descending scale of G. Each of these notes is the beginning of a 3-note run, returning to to this base note, before moving on to the next note in the G scale. "[2]

Videographic documentation (various instrumentation)

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Fiddle and Guitar [11]

Fiddle Guitar and Banjo [12]

Mandolin [Mark O'Connor)[13]

Fiddle & percussion- interpretive - (Carrie Rodriguez) [14]

Twin fiddlin' [15]

Electric violin/ rock band [2]

Collection of video links at World News website

Instructional resources

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Played slow.

References

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  1. "Blackberry Blossom". Sean Ray Studios. 2010-08-15.
  2. a b c Wendy Anthony. "Building a Traditional Tune Repertoire". Archived from the original on 2010-01-16.
  3. a b c d "The Blackberry Blossom". thesession.org. ISSN 2633-9285.
  4. played by Emma Lee Dickerson and recorded by Barbara Kunkle. (1974-02-09). Blackberry Blossom. [Reel-To-Reel Audio Tape]. Greenup County, Kentucky. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20110929134537/http://www.aca-dla.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/Berea43&CISOPTR=571&CISOBOX=1&REC=2. 
  5. Note: As an E minor tune. He ends the tune "that's the way that God made peace".|http://www.aca-dla.org/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/Berea43&CISOPTR=3533&filename=3534.mp3
  6. ref name=Jabbour BBB Transcript|cited=Wikiversity Ethnography of Fiddle|Fiddle tune played by Alan Jabbour at Berea College on 5-28-08, while participating in Berea's Appalachian Music Fellowship Program.c; Jabbour, Alan; Blackberry Blossom;
  7. Blackberry Blossom|Lecture and performance by Alan Jabbour|Madison County, Kentucky|Audio Compact Disc|On web Digital Library of Appallachia| Archives, Hutchins Library, Department of Special Collections & Archives.
  8. a b Andrew Kuntz (1996). "Black". The Fiddler’s Companion. BLACKBERRY BLOSSOM [2].
  9. Note: The Digital Library of Appallachia has recordings primarily from Kentucky. http://www.aca-dla.org/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=exact&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=all&CISOBOX1=%20Blackberry%20Blossom
  10. a b "Exploring Blackberry Blossom - Part I: Simple Backup". Devon's Banjo Homeplace. 2011-04-02.
  11. Doc and the Lady (Fiddle and Flatpick Guitar)Operation Smile ocncert|instumentation=(fiddle and guitar)|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqtqdQBaYjA%7C11/16/2007%7Chttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXdhej_q7sg&feature=related
  12. Inland Northwest Bluegrass Association in Spokane Washington. Every month the INBA has what they call a Bluegrass Thang
  13. album =Markology|label= Rounder| Released: 24 Jul 2007| url=|http://www.last.fm/music/Mark+O%27Connor/Markology
  14. Carrie Rodriguez performing live at the Rosendale Cafe in Rosendale, NY on January 3, 2008. Playing with Carrie are her band members Hans Holzen and Javier Vercher.|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifAlMxMsckE&feature=related
  15. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fse3uUd_EfY&NR=1