Category: Music

Here’s a bluesy tune from a year-long collaboration with fiddler, Esther Morgan-Ellis. This is a performance from our concert at the University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, of my tune “Onoma River.”

And here’s the banjo tablature:

Notes About This Tune

• “Onoma River” is in G, played in open G tuning (gDGBD) using the clawhammer style.
• The A part begins with a straightforward 4-bar phrase. But the second phrase has a repeated tag that comes back one beat earlier than expected. I use this kind of gesture often in my tunes.
• The melody has lots of slips and slides between b-flat and b-natural giving the tune a bluesy feel. The raised 4th and lowered 7th fit this blues pattern, too.

Here’s the next in the series of tunes that resulted from a year-long collaboration with fiddler, Esther Morgan-Ellis. We’ve performed them in a series of concerts beginning in Spring 2024. We plan to release a recording of them soon. Here’s a performance of my tune “Red Coreopsis” from our concert at the University of North Georgia, Dahlonega.

And here’s the banjo tablature:

Notes About This Tune

• “Red Coreopsis” is in A, played in open A tuning (aEAC#E – open G, capo 2) using the clawhammer style.
• OK, I lied. It’s not really in straightforward A major. It’s actually in a mixed mode that goes by various names: mixolydian over lydian, lydian dominant, mixolydian #11, etc. The mode includes a raised fourth scale degree and a lowered seventh. It’s popular among bebop jazz musicians.
• The B part of this tune is so crooked that it’s bent almost completely out of shape. It starts with a lovely hemiola and then leans into the raised fourth scale degree. It’s a bit of a wild ride–lots of fun when played fast!
• The title comes from the Dwarf Red Coreopsis plant, a member of the tickseed family. I love growing these native perennials and reliably have a few varieties that reseed themselves in my garden every year.

I’ve been collaborating with fiddler, Esther Morgan-Ellis, for the last year on a group of new old-time tunes. We’ve performed them in a series of concerts beginning in Spring 2024. We plan to release a recording of them soon. Here’s a performance of my tune “Tidal Pull” from our concert at the University of North Georgia, Dahlonega.

And here’s tablature for the banjo part and a representative melody line.

Notes About This Tune

• “Tidal Pull” is in D, played in Double D tuning (aDADE) using the clawhammer style.
• This is one of the few tunes we play that is not crooked, which makes this one great for contra dances
• The syncopation of the a note in the B part is an important detail that’s easy to miss.
• For variety, I sometimes play the beginning of the second ending down an octave.
• I wrote this tune at a beach with a very strong undertow–practically a rip current! That explains the title and the motion of the melody.

Give the tune a try, and let me know how you like it!