Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 3: Bowing

This lesson is part of the course Old-Time Fiddle with Bruce Molsky.

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Get deep into the roots of Southern Appalachian old-time fiddling. Bruce breaks down the melody, bowing patterns, rhythms, and embellishments of each tune he teaches so you can really learn to play like Bruce and the old masters he learned from.

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GREASY COAT

West Virginia fiddler Edden Hammons was recorded in 1947 by a collector named Louis Chappell. Hammons’s playing has a Scottish influence, with strongly detailed phrases and an old-fashioned style of intonation. You’ll learn his version of “Greasy Coat” in this lesson. “Greasy Coat” is in A E A E tuning, and Bruce starts by playing the tune through a couple of times, before breaking the melody down for you phrase by phrase. He also shows you how Hammons often played thirds and sevenths slightly flat, and trilled the third. You’ll learn the melody of both the A and B parts in this video.

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SHOVE THE PIG’S FOOT A LITTLE FURTHER IN THE FIRE

Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 1: A Part Melody

Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 2: B Part Melody

Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 3: Bowing

Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 4: Drones and Harmonies

Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 5: Play-Along Track

Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 3: Bowing

The bowing in “Shove the Pig’s Foot” isn’t as pattern oriented as some tunes you’ve learned. The bowing, instead, responds to the phrasing and rhythm of the melody, which can be likened to speech, with punctuation, breath, etc. Bruce walks you through his bowing of both parts slowly and plays each part a couple times, so you can practice the bowing with him.

"Shove the Pig's Foot a Little Further in the Fire" (Available to subscribers)

Previous Lesson

← Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 2: B Part Melody

Next Lesson

Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 4: Drones and Harmonies →

Previous Lesson

← Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 2: B Part Melody

Next Lesson

Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 4: Drones and Harmonies →

Previous Lesson

← Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 2: B Part Melody

Next Lesson

Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 4: Drones and Harmonies →

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Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further in the Fire, Part 3: Bowing

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