The Onlies benefit contradance, Sun. March 9th 2pm @ O Space

Invite your friends and family to the contradance of the year!  Featuring Seattle's hottest youth string group, the Onlies, and benefiting folk music programs for youth on Vashon, this is an event not to be missed.

Open Space welcomes The Onlies to Vashon, headlining a Benefit Performance for RISK and RISK Jr.
As a venue that loves music, arts education, and joyful gatherings, we are thrilled to welcome The Onlies, RISK and RISK Jr. to our stage! This Benefit Performance will feature RISK and RISK Jr. opening the show. Over 25 Vashon kids and adults will take the stage to perform. Then, The Onlies will bring their amazing music and spirit, with a concert and dance sure to bring smiles to every face and a spring to every step. Larry Muir will call the dance portion of the afternoon.

The Onlies play original and traditional fiddle-driven music, with Celtic, old-time American, and Canadian roots. Members Leo Shannon, Riley Calcagno, and Samantha Braman are Garfield High School (Seattle) sophomores who've literally played together since they were two years old. Singing and playing fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, and piano, they have developed a strong fan base throughout the Pacific Northwest, performing concerts, dances, restaurants, and pubs from Port Townsend to Palo Alto, CA. The Onlies have just finished their first full-length album, "Setting Out to Sea." The CD features six original songs and tunes, plus traditional and contemporary selections

Proceeds from the event will go towards the RISK Scholarship Fund, which supports music lessons and instrument rentals for low-income kids.

Don’t Mess With My Toot Toot, chords, lyrics, and recording

Click here for the youtube live concert, Doug Kershaw and his band playing don't mess with my toot toot:
http://youtu.be/pQjGc2NdrAQ

No sheet music for this one, we'll learn it by ear!

By Denise La Salle 
Tabbed By Larry Mofle

Chorus: 
G
Don’t mess with my toot toot 
G
Don’t mess with my toot toot 
                        D
You can have the other woman 
                      G
But don’t mess with my toot toot 

Verse 1:
G
When I was born in my birth suit 
G
The doctor made up his mind 
                          D 
He said: “You're gonna be special 
                 G     
You're gonna be fine

So you can look as much 
But if you much as touch 
You’re gonna have yourself a case 
I’m gonna break your face 

Chorus

Solo 
 
Chorus 
 
Repeat 1st verse

Chorus

Jumbolaya Cajun tune, recording, sheetmusic and chords and lyrics!

Jumbolaya's another Cajun tune, written by Hank Williams, and may be based on an older Cajun tune, like the way much music truly is based on what came before, especially in the folk tradition.

Here's R Cajun and the Zydeco Brothers playing it: sheetmusic, chords and lyrics await your viewing pleasure below :)

http://youtu.be/ehvPAGE8pw4

 

Jambalaya
written and recorded by Hank Williams 
G                             D7
Goodbye Joe me gotta go me oh my oh
                                      G
Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou
                                 D7
My Yvonne the sweetest one me oh my oh
                                       G
Son of a gun we'll have big fun on the bayou
 
                                       D7
Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and filet gumbo
                                       G
Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
                                  D7
Pick guitar fill fruit jar and be gay-o
                                       G
Son of a gun we'll have big fun on the bayou
 
                                   D7
Thibodaux Fontaineaux the place is buzzing
                                  G
Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
                                     D7
Dress in style and go hog wild me oh my oh
                                       G
Son of a gun we'll have big fun on the bayou
 
                                     D7
Settle down far from town get me a pirogue
                                   G
And I'll catch all the fish in the bayou
                                   D7
Swap my mon to buy Yvonne what she need-oh
                                       G
Son of a gun we'll have big fun on the bayou
 
repeat #2

I's the B'y sheetmusic and lyrics in G

This evening I thought I'd post some music for I's the B'y, a song we taught way back before the blog got started.  The song's author is unknown, and may be a re-writing of an older ballad, but in it's most recent form, it originates in Newfoundland.  For more info and all the verses, click here.

Each chord gets 3 beats.  The chords for it are:


G G D D
G G C D
G G D D
C D G G

The melody is the top line:

The words vary widely depending on whose version you sing.  Here's the version we have sung:

I's the B'y who builds the boat
I's the B'y who sails her
I's the B'y who catches the fish
and brings 'em home to Liza

I took Liza to the dance
Faith but she could travel
Every step that Liza took
Covered an acre of gravel



From the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada - We are told that although the song may have originated in the 1870s, probably in a Newfoundland fishing village, interest in I's The B'y did not spread outside Newfoundland until after the song was heard and transcribed by two researchers interested in Newfoundland's folk traditions, Kenneth Peacock and Gerald S. Doyle. Its melody and lyrics were transmitted throughout Canada in the songbook Folk Songs of Canada by Edith Fowke and Richard Johnston (1954), relying on Peacock's transcription. Teachers and students outside Newfoundland were eager to learn about the music of the newest province, which had joined Canada a mere five years earlier, and I's the B'y quickly became a favourite of classrooms and choirs across the country.

EVENING RISK @ the Roastery A BIG HIT

***************UPDATE 10/16/12: ****************

We had a rockin' fun time last Thursday night at Minglement with 7 excellent players showing up to jam!  I have some recordings to post later this week.

The next EVENING RISK will take place on NOVEMBER 15TH, 7 PM, at the Roasterie.  Mark your calendars and join us if you can!

***************************************************

We will have our FIRST EVENING RISK get-together THIS THURSDAY!!

This group is open to anyone who wants to come out and share a musical hour plus.  Beginners welcome.  If you have RISK music already, please bring that along as we will probably do some of our favorite tunes.  You can find and print out or listen to all the music here on the RISK site!

The Roasterie is closed during the time we will be there, so bring a drink or snack if you need one.  There is a small fee of $5 per session.

Looking forward to some rockin' evening jams!!

Cheers,

Kim and Shane

Pentatonic/Blues Scale Tutorials!

This evening I thought I'd share some excellent tutorial videos of how to play the pentatonic or blues scale on all sorts of instruments. These scales are move-able to any key you want to play in! Warning: you WILL want to have your instrument IN YOUR HAND when you watch these videos, so you can try them out and play along :)

Violins/Violas/Cellos go here to see a 5 string electric fiddler:
http://youtu.be/q3vUP8eSR7I
Note: The performer (Shenzu) plays in a key that is great for Viola and Cello, not so much for violins. Violins should pause the video to try out the pattern on the G string, or shift to 3rd position on the A string to play along with the video.

Guitars go here to learn both minor AND major pentatonic scales:
http://youtu.be/BgRzzvVWBrU

Ukuleles go here to learn the minor pentatonic scale:
http://youtu.be/WSevRgWnBbY
...and here for the major one:
http://youtu.be/wXwA7wPHVZE

Then watch this video for some inspiration of how to put some feeling behind the notes: Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio playing 'In the Cluster Blues' live!
http://youtu.be/r4kvzWLSDT4

The Bosco Stomp for RISKy fiddlers

And we are back to Cajun music!  The fabulous Kim has brought us another outragous fiddle tune.  Listen to her play it here nice and clear, then watch the video below of the the Lost Bayou Ramblers playing it live.  Keep an eye on the bass player - I think he is actually balanced ON TOP of his double bass as he plays it!  That's some high energy music folks!

I typed up some sheet music for it too, feel free to print it out.  We'll learn the second part of this on Tuesday! Thanks Kim!

Bosco Stomp mp3, fiddle

Hangu from Podoloy

This evening's post is Hongu from Podoloy, and transitions into Freylachs from Podoloy.  Both are Old World Klezmer tunes, played by the Hungarian Klezmer band, Di Naye Kapelye.  We will learn the second tune in the fall!

 This second video is the Di Naye Kapelye Live!  Enjoy!


Newly posted, here's the sheetmusic for the tune!
 http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/1956f166ffed208662b779a2376eb651f77e04d8


Here's the viola part:
http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/1956f166ffed208662b779a2376eb651f77e04d8

RISK: String Fiddle concert on Sunday, November 20th, 2011

Dear Friends of the Rock Island String Kollective,

Vashon Island's own folk orchestra, the Rock Island String Kollective, will be presenting a Pre-Thanksgiving Concert at 7pm on Sunday, November 20^th at the Vashon Methodist Church (17928 Vashon Highway SW). Come enjoy the sweet strains of Irish fiddle tunes, Klezmer music, Beattles classics and Jazz Standards.


We will be sharing the stage with Vashon's own community choir, the Free Range Folk Choir! Come enjoy the harmonies of a cappella choral music from South Africa, Republic of Georgia, Israel and the US.


As always, admission is free; donations in support of the event are welcome.

We hope to see you there!
Shane Jewell & Kim Thal, co-directors
Vashon Rock Island String Kollective