Last updated February 23, 2004

It is my intent that this page will contain some recordings of me playing various tunes that strike my fancy from time to time. Now, the tunes that fiddlers play are like little windows on who they are and what they do with their time. Each of these pieces is (or was), at one time or another, something I considered worth putting a little effort into trying to get sounding good. There are a lot of things that can make a tune attractive, from the standpoint of either the listener or the player. So, although I can't promise a whole lot in terms of playing quality or acoustic quality, I do hope you enjoy some of them.

Content here is likely to vary with time, so check back every once in a while. Feel free to email with comments or complaints.

  • Bonnie Charlie
  • Chirps and Williams
  • Chinese Breakdown
  • The Crossroads Dance
  • Cottage Hill / Miss Petermeyer's Hornpipe
  • Old Town Band
  • Mahoney's Reel
  • White Man

    Bonnie Charlie

    This is a Scottish tune which I have seen in various books, sometimes as a reel, other times as a strathspey. We originally learned it as a dance tune, so I play it at a fairly moderate tempo

    Chirps and Williams

    This tune was composed by the prodigious Canadian fiddler Calvin Vollrath, which he recorded on his "Bonjour Comment ca va" CD. The title is his tribute to three well-known U.S. fiddlers, Lynn (aka Chirps) Smith, Stuart Williams, and Mike Williams

    Chinese Breakdown

    Our version is this tune is derived from the version by the legendary Ohio River Valley fiddler Ed Haley. He played a couple of extra variations on this tune, which we did learn to play but they don't really work for the dances. However, we really do know them and could play them if we wanted to, so you people in the Ministry of Old-Time Music Purification can just call off your inquisitors, okay?

    Crossroads Dance

    I think this is a very-nicely structured tune for old time dances. It comes from the O'Neills collection of Irish tunes

    The Old Town Band

    This tune comes from Pennsylvania and was collected by Samuel Bayard and transcribed by him in the book Dance to the Fiddle, March to the Fife.

    Medley - Cottage Hill / Miss Petermeyer's Hornpipe

    The first of these tunes was composed by Kenny Sidle, a fiddle player from Ohio. I have also heard this tune played beautifully by Bobby Taylor of Charleston, West Virginia. I myself learned it from the LP "Seems Like a Romance To Me", an album of fiddle music put out by the Gambier Folklore Society, Kenyon College, in 1985.
    The second tune, Miss Petermeyer's Hornpipe, is one of my originals. There is an interesting story behind the title, but I won't go into that right now.

    Mahoney's Reel

    This tune comes from the playing of Cyril Stinnett, the great Missouri fiddler. I learned it from a tape of his playing that is available from the Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers Association.

    White Man

    This is another Missouri fiddle tune, and is attributed to Bill Driver. It is transcribed in The Missouri Old Time Fiddler's Repertory, Volume 2.

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