narrative designer, goofball


natescape
@natescape
(unknown artist) - happy_hollow.mp3
happy_hollow.mp3
(unknown artist)
00:00

This is a Northfield A5 Special. You can see some of the blemishes in the front finish - I'm grateful for these, because they're the only reason I was able to afford it. Also: the case had a strong smoke smell, and if you look carefully on the back, there's marks from someone's Texas-sized belt buckle. This instrument having come most recently from Missouri, I'm forced to conclude one thing: I am its afterlife after a good long run as a Honky Tonk performer. I'm grateful, too, for the story.

The tune is "Happy Hollow," an American reel which comes to us by way of North Carolinian fiddler Marcus Martin, recorded in 1941. You can hear that recording here. Its ultimate origins, of course, are in the folkloric fog. It came to me most directly from mandolinist John Reischman.

What you're hearing in my recording is an improvisational game, somewhat more associated with bluegrass than earlier mountain music styles, but present throughout American vernacular music (honed especially in jazz, which intensified it throughout folk styles along with the rise of mass communication - your daily reminder that all American music owes a profound debt to Black musical histories). Traditional fiddle tunes are structured in a question-answer style:

  1. First, the melody is established in a way that doesn't totally resolve - a question
  2. The melody is embellished in a way that at least partially resolves - an answer
  3. The melody is repeated or countered, often in a stronger or contrapunctal way (the melody has same or similar harmonic bones, but descends rather than ascends, for example) - more urgent question
  4. A musical statement is made which resolves the melody - a stronger answer

The game is to improvise variations of these question-answer musical ideas. This is ultimately practice for playing with other folks, where the melody is passed around in a circle, with each player exploring the musical idea showcasing their own skill and style. And while the music is mostly about the music now, many of these melodies were once used in the context of social dances - which I sometimes like to imagine when I play, that mind-body-social body connection πŸ’ƒ

I hope you enjoy, I figured I'd provide some context here - maybe that's useful and entertaining for you. :)


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