Ed Haley Fiddle Tune Transcriptions

Several people have expressed interest in my transcriptions of Ed Haley's tunes, so I am making them available on the web. You can click on the links below to view the ones that I have done so far. I don't know if I am going to be doing any more for a while, though.

Disclaimers/Rants

If you listen to the recordings (and you should) you will realize that the transcriptions below do not in any fashion represent complete or absolutely precise versions. His renditions of tunes are varied and somewhat unpredictable. Nevertheless, I have tried to capture what I feel is something close to the core or soul of the tune, mainly for my own learning. Others may listen to the records (as they should) and find a come up with somewhat different interpretations.
If you are one of those people who strongly objects in principle to trying to notate traditional fiddle music and wants to make it into an issue - sorry, but I am not interested discussing it with you. I don't really want to be a grouch, but - well, lets just say I'm tired of having that particular conversation.
I know that my transcriptions are not complete and do not capture all the intricacies of Ed Haley's playing. What I tried to do was strictly personal, and that was to learn a few new tunes to play. I freely admit, however, that there is a lot that I am neglecting.
If you have any questions about my approach, methodology, or why I did things the way I did, please feel free to write me and I will be very happy to dicsuss it with you. You can email me via my home page (link below).

Should you learn the tunes from these transcription? Of course not. What you should do is get the CDs and listen to them. You should use the notation in the same fashion that you use the notes you took in class. They don't capture the totality of the lecture, but they should contain enough information to jog your memory so that you can master the material and pass the tests. But it is my humble observation that there are a lot of people going around playing Ed Haley tunes who have not listened to the recordings very much.

The CDs, by the way, are Ed Haley - Forked Deer (Rounder 1131/32) and Ed Haley - Grey Eagle (Rounder 1133/34). The liner notes are by Mark Wilson and Gus Meade, with much additional material by John Hartford. They are incredibly detailed and make fascinating reading. The recording quality is bad to horrible, due to the nature of the recording process used and the physical condition of the media, but listen to them with the ear of a musician. His playing is absolutely fabulous.

BLUEGRASS MEADOWS
CATLETTSBURG
CHERRY RIVER RAG
DORA DEAN
DUNBAR
GARFIELD'S BLACKBERRY BLOSSOM
HALF PAST FOUR
INDIAN ATE A WOODCHUCK
LOST INDIAN
OLD SLEDGE
NO CORN ON TYGART
POPLAR BLUFF
THREE FORKS OF SANDY

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