Lonesome Road teach

Lonesome Road teach by efilsitra

Union Maid and Lonesome Road

Union Maid by efilsitra

David Wong

Check this guy out David Wong. I met David at the Christian Howe's Creative Strings Workshop in Columbus Ohio that puts a tooon of violin students together and madness occurs. It's a really awesome workshop you should check out if you are into alternative strings classes. Young and old fiddlers, cellists, bassists, and other string players (mainly of the f hole variety) come and play I think it's 25 gigs in a week around Columbus. I was fortunate enough to help out and met a ton of great players. David is one I admire a lot, he puts together these Youtube videos and just finds popular (or not so popular) songs to cover on the fiddle. He finds interesting arrangements and gets a ton of hits. I really like his ideas. Check his youtube page out here and find a cover you like.

http://www.youtube.com/user/dieselchew137

Red Wing/Union Maid

Here is the tune "Red Wing" I found this version on Youtube. After the fiddler plays through the tune a few times he then improvises over the same chords using the tune as a reference. Notice the little ornament notes the fiddler adds to embellish or make the song more interesting. The tune is pretty simple but with all the little flourishes he adds, it really sings. I think it's safe to say that these boys would be really interested in some Bob Wills as I see this style as more Texas swing than anything else. What do you think?

The tune "Union Maid" is a bit of a hybrid song. The words are written by Woody Guthrie but he 'borrows' the verse melody from a piece by Robert Schumann called "The Merry Farmer" from the 1800s. He then takes the chorus from the melody of "Red Wing" (above). My favorite is a version by Old Crow Medicine Show. Read more about the song on Wikipedia here.

Another Resource for Fiddlin'

My fiddle teacher back in the day Carolyn Osbourne (formerly Carolyn Cutler) has set this site up. Some of these songs, a bunch actually I have also included my own versions so you can listen to hers as well. I know some students were asking about this site. Check it out.

http://woodshed.podomatic.com/

Railroad Earth and Nickel Creek

Here is an example of a "Newgrass" group called Railroad Earth. The addition of a drumset takes this away from traditional bluegrass but the old sounds are still there with the banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin.

The next video is from Nickel Creek. This band varies in my opinion because the songs don't sound bluegrass or very "country". The instruments are similar with upright bass, acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, but the sound is very modern. One thing they use very well is vocal harmonies which is reminiscent of bluegrass for sure. Check this song called "Speak", one of my personal favorite groups of all time. p.s. -- you may recognize the mandolin player Chris Thile from The Punch Brothers (previously posted video).

Trampled By Turtles "Wait So Long"

This is another example of a "Newgrass" group called Trampled By Turtles. Definitely a lot of influence of traditional bluegrass with a slight twist. These guys are really young too so you know they are generations away from the bluegrass of the old ways they can't help but be influenced by so many modern groups.