Barlow Knife

If I seem dispondant at the beginning of this video, it's probably because I was- you should have heard the stuff I played before this! Not pretty...
Anyway, about the tune. I learnt this from a CD by the fuzzy mountain string band, which is a must buy for fans of old-timey music. It has words too, most of which concern how marvelous the Barlow knife is, and how good it is at...er...cutting stuff. You know the kind of thing. Just the kind of silly old-timey lyric I like. No singing in this rendition though. Oh, and I must give credit to the one legged tapdancer who accompanies me from the midpoint. For a more scientific explanation, see my video of Katy Hill from this same sitting...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Fiddle
• old
• timey
• folk
• violin

[accordiona]

Delightful! I enjoyed it very much - lively playing!

Lorna

[ScotchIrishFool1]

There is no "authentic" anything in Old Time Fiddling. Everything was copied by ear, and morphed constantly, so what was the starting point. Nobody knows. Take the song "Barlow Knife" and compare it to John Ryan's Polka (among other names), and you can plainly see that it was morphed down "old time" from that song.

[nirodha024]

Also- I'm sure if you asked Yonder if they would consider themselves "old-time", they would deny it. Don't unfairly assume they are trying to be something they aren't

"I was determined to carve out a music of my own. I didn't want to copy anybody." Bill Monroe.

[nirodha024]

I beg to differ. Yonder Mountain String Band is an excellent band. I saw them on New Years in Denver and they were wonderful. They might not be as "authentic" as you're taste requires, but they are amazing improvisers and have done more than a lot of other non traditional string bands have done in the frameworks of a bluegrass band. I personally prefer FMSB over YMSB, but their talent should stand above what a string band "should" sound like.

[Mosstrooper7]

Fuzzy Mountain kept it authentic because they respected the music. Great band. "lost my chops" has it together. He respects the songs. He is an OLD-TIME player. Keep it up! We need you! Lots of posers out there!

[Mosstrooper7]

They and the Averetts sound like their playing is making fun of genre. How dare they! Sounds like a bunch of rockers unplugging their guitars and and deciding to play banjos, etc. Doesn't work that way. They sound like a bunch of ham-handed wanna-bes. Go back to your drumming circle, damn hippies.

[Mosstrooper7]

Yonder Mtn are just another line of old-time/bluegrass band-wagon-riding posers! Same for the Averett Bros. If you're gonna play bluegrass and/or old-time, do it! And, get a fiddler! Don't they know the fiddle is the premiere instrument in old-time! If they travelled around in the right circles, they might find a fiddler. Oh, I'm sorry, Yonder isn't looking to be authentic or carry on a tradition. They and the Averetts sound like rockers who decided to play bluegrass.

[slimpickensrx]

nice! the fuzzy mountain string band is awesome

[360FFrPyl3]

Fuzzy mountain? What bout you hear Yonder Mountain?

[360FFrPyl3]

I lisen to you once and you are better than me!!

I heard you do sally goodin also.