Draggin' The Bow CD with Charlie Walden & John Stewart

All 31 tracks from my Draggin' The Bow CD. 


 Recorded in 1985. Download this track and the entire album from:

https://charliewaldenmusic.bandcamp.com/


When I was coming up as a fiddler in Central Missouri the older gentlemen I learned from played a wide variety of music. In addition to the standard hoe-downs and waltes, I heard lots of great rags, swing numbers, schottisches and 6/8 tunes. John and I have attempted to put together a program on this recording that includes some of that "other" music. 

One of the exponents of these other types of tunes was a fine player from Jefferson City named Jimmy Gilmore. We enjoyed hanging out with Jimmy because you never knew what he was going to play (or say) next. He was one of the few old-time fiddlers I ever met who would admit to being able to read music and was equally comfortable playing Sweet Georgia Brown as he was The Grey Eagle. Jimmy had a vibrato on waltzes you could drive a Mack truck though and a great sense of humor to boot.. This recording is dedicated to Jimmy Gilmore. --- Charlie Walden 


Thanks to my long-time musical collaborator John Stewart for providing the up-town and hillbilly guitar work on this recording.

Bob Holt - Ozarks Fiddler

Various clips of Ozark fiddle great Bob Holt, of Ava, MO.

Gryphon Strings - Palo Alto Fiddle Workshop 2015 with Patt & Possum

Excerpts from a Missouri-Style fiddle workshop held in Palo Alto, CA, on January 31, 2015, at Gryphon Strings. Tunes incles Norma Lou's Waltz, Lamplighter's Hornpipe, Harrington Valley Two-Step (by Calvin Vollrath), and Casey's Hornpipe. Presented by Charlie Walden - fiddle and Patt Plunkett - piano.

Jam @ Dwight Lamb's (October 3, 2015)

Tunes from the Missouri Valley recorded at a weekend jam session in Western Iowa on October 3, 2015, with Dwight Lamb, Liz Amos & Charlie Walden on fiddle, Patt Plunkett on piano.

Learn to Play Back in '89

From a workshop held in Effingham, IL, on October 17, 2015 and sponsored by the Illinois Old Time Fiddlers Association. The workshop focused on tunes from midwestern fiddler Lyman Enloe.  Tunes taught included Back in '89, Cowhide Boots and Lost Indian (or Lonesome Indian as Lyman called it).

Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival - 2013

Patt & Possum (Charlie Walden - fiddle & Patt Plunkett - piano) playing at the Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival in Dorrigo, NSW, Australia in 2013.

Bethel Youth Fiddle Camp - 1988

Collection of twenty videos from the Bethel Youth Fiddle Camp 1988.  The camp has been going strong for almost 30 years.  Its focus is regional style and repertoire of Missouri and the Midwest.  The camp takes place every June in Bethel, Shleby County, in North Central Missouri.  These videos feature mostly teaching sessions by old-time Missouri fiddlers Vesta Johnson, Taylor McBaine, Bob Walsh, Kelly Jones and Dean Johnston and represent regional Missouri fiddle styles from the Ozarks, Little Dixie and North Missouri. All videos were recorded by folklorist Amy Skillman.

Mountain Pickers Association Concert, Upwey VIC Australia

Patt Plunkett and Charlie Walden (a.k.a Patt & Possum) recorded November 6, 2014, at the Burrinja Café amd Cultural Center in Upwey, Victoria at a meeting of the Mountain Pickers Association.  Videography by Roger McKenna.

2011 Clifftop Masters Concert

Masters Concert at the 2011 Appalachian String Band Festival. Charlie Walden - fiddle, Patt Plunkett - ukulele, Doug Smith - guitar and Nick Lloyd - bass. Special guest Gerry Hale of Melbourne, Australia, on mandolin.

Buddy Durham 45 RPM Records

Rare 45 RPM long play records of the great Buddy Durham.

Old Square Dance Records

Various old square dance records from my personal collection.

Jam Session at Dwight Lamb's New Year's Eve 1989

Recorded at a New Year's Eve session in Dwight's home in Onawa, IA. 1989.  Accompanied by Elvin Campbell on guitar.

Charlie Walden Birthday Bash - THE MAIN EVENT

Video of the entire stream from my birthday bash on January 14, 2017.

Learn Taylor McBaine's Red Fox Waltz

Taylor McBaine (center) yukking it up with Travis Inman 

and Wes Brown at the contest in Bethel, MO, back in 1986

Red Fox Waltz was one of the first tunes I learned. Taylor McBaine of Columbia, Missouri, taught it to me and I still play it today. It's in the key of D and is not that hard to get on to. 

The playlist below consists of highlights from a recent workshop I did at the KDHX St. Louis Folk School. The various videos take you through a demonstration, then learning a basic version, some fancy add-ons and finally a group play along with Patt Plunkett on piano. 

You can get a copy of the music at: 

http://www.charliewalden.com/Dots.htm

Learn to Play Vee Latty's "Fever in the South."

Learn this great old hoe-down from Vee Latty, which originated Callaway County in Central Missouri and is likely part of the old repertoire from Missouri's Black fiddlers. Latty, with his wife Marie on slide guitar, performed over WOS Radio in Jefferson City in the 1920s.

Learn the tune from these workshop videos...

Get the tune transcription here.

Listen to Vee and Marie play Fever in the South.

1983 Boonville, MO Fiddle Contest

Here's some great old audio from the 1983 Fiddle Contest at Boonville, Missouri. Back when I first started playing this was one of the great contests. It was held each year at the Laura Elliot Speed Jr. High School auditorium.

These audio recordings I made myself with an old Sony reel-to-reel tape recorder. 

Program:

0:00 Skater's Waltz (Charlie Walden & John Stewart)

3:44 Angus Campbell (Charlie Walden and John Stewart)

5:39 Bile the Cabbage

6:41 Red Fox Waltz (Bob Hagan)

9:03 Salt River Reel (Bob Hagan)

11:00 Durang's Hornpipe (Spencer Galloway)

12:33 Our Last Waltz (Spencer Galloway)

14:45 Grey Eagle (Taylor McBaine)

16:57 Clark Waltz (Taylor McBaine)

18:37 Lazy Kate (Bob Atchison)

20:17 Western Waltz (Bob Atchison)

22:59 Waltz in G (Vesta Johnson)

26:06 Fort Smith (Vesta Johnson)

27:30 Soldier's Joy Hornpipe (Bill Eddy)

29:38 Canary Waltz (Bill Eddy)

32:00 Ragtime Annie (Mike Wells)

33:52 Westphalia Waltz (Mike Wells)

37:49 Grey Eagle

39:40 Sweet Bunch of Daisies

42:16 Tom and Jerry (Lynn Wells)

Program:

0:00 Combination Waltz (Lynn Wells)

2:13 Bill Cheatum (Jimmy Gilmore)

4:40 Over The Waves Waltz (Jimmy Gilmore)

7:18 Fireball Mail (Musial Wolfe)

9:45 Westphalia Waltz (Musial Wolfe)

12:48 Fisher's Hornpipe (Maggie Sprat)

13:46 Waltz (Maggie Sprat)

16:41 Sleepy-Eyed Joe (John Griffin)

18:23 Country Waltz (John Griffin)

20:42 Katy Did Waltz (Joe Grable)

23:49 Durang's Hornpipe (Joe Grable)

25:39 Announcements

28:51 Tom and Jerry (Charlie Walden)

31:47 Dance Around Molly (Taylor McBaine)

33:43 Coming Down from Denver (Bob Atchison)

35:39 Sally Goodin (Mike Wells)

37:41 Marmaduke's Hornpipe (Lynn Wells)

40:02 Coming Down From Denver (Bill Eddy)

41:44 Woodchopper's Breakdown (John Griffin)

43:12 Announcement of Winners

You can also download this audio and have for your very own.

SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Charlie Walden's Fiddlin' Tip #4

Tip #4   The "Tennis Ball Trick" Improve Bowing

Novices tend to play stiff armed when bowing.  Also, there is tendency to play out of the shoulder when really most action should be in the fingers and wrist.  If you are experiencing this try putting a tennis ball in your right armpit and holding it there while you play.  If you are playing from the shoulder the ball will fall out. This tip is one of the I got from Taylor McBaine of Columbia shortly after I started playing. It works!

Charlie Walden's Fiddlin' Tip #3

Tip #3   Emulate a Great Player

One of the best things I ever did to improve my playing was to attempt to emulate great players.  By emulate I mean try to become a dead ringer copy.  During some point in developing my playing I attempted to emulate great fiddlers I had access to directly like Cyril Stinnett, Pete McMahan and Taylor McBaine. On the recorded side at various times I listened to everything I could from Kenny Baker, Blaine Sprouse, Johnny Gimble, Tommy Jackson and more -- all players I admired.  

The idea is to attempt to learn a majority of the repertoire of the player you choose and in so doing all the elements of style you can figure out.  In other words, don't just learn the tune but try to play it exactly as they do.  And don't worry about becoming a clone (wait a minute, who the heck wouldn't want to sound like Kenny Baker). Your own approach will emerge in time.

Charlie Walden's Fiddlin' Tip #2

Tip #2  Twelve Ounce Curls

Nothing strengthens your bowing arm like repeated 12 oz. curls.  Just pick up your favorite brew and raise it to your lips.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat...

Charlie Walden's Fiddlin' Tip #1

Tip #1:  Practice Effectively

Someone once asked a fiddler standing on a street corner in Nashville, "How do you get to the Grand Old Opry."  To which the fiddler replied, "Practice son. Practice."  How right that fiddler was!  No amount of theorizin', analyzin' or other such activity will get you where you want to be.  But deliberate, regular and well-planned practice will improve your playing no matter what your level.

I envision good practice having three components.  The first of these is passive and active listening.  Passive listening means hearing good recorded fiddle music all through the day.  This means putting on a fiddle tape or CD while you're eating breakfast, driving to work, making dinner, etc. 

Active listening is critical and deliberate listening to recordings a fiddler of your choice.   Listen to rhythm, bowing, melodic passages, chords.  Try to soak it all in.  Pay attention as if it were Monday Night Football, The Man Show or some other such engrossing TV programming.

The second component is to practice specific techniques that improve your left-hand and your right-hand. 

The third component is tunes.  You can learn these by ear or off the page or some combination.  Work on some easy stuff for personal encouragement and for a challenge always be working on something that is over your head.

In order to plan your practice use my Old Fiddlers Practice Log.  Print out a copy each week from the link or download it in PDF format and keep it handy.  Fill one out each week to plan your daily practice and then stick to it.