Train on the Island, Part 1: Vocal Exercise

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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SINGING AND FIDDLING: “TRAIN ON THE ISLAND”

Train on the Island, Part 1: Vocal Exercise

Train on the Island, Part 2: Melody and Harmony

Train on the Island, Part 3: Play-Along Track

Train on the Island, Part 1: Vocal Exercise

The first recorded version of the popular old-time song “Train on the Island” comes from J.P. Nestor and Norman Edmonds, and many people have put their own stamp on it since. Bruce talks about the evolution of the song and some of the people he’s been influenced by and then plays his fiddle-and-voice version, which is in GDGD tuning. As Bruce does with all his Singing and Fiddling lessons, he starts by giving you a scale exercise for learning to sing with the fiddle.

"Train on the Island" (Available to subscribers)