Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 2: Bowing and Drones

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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PICKIN’ THE DEVIL’S EYE

Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 1: Melody

Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 2: Bowing and Drones

Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 3: Variations

Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 4: Play-Along Track

Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 2: Bowing and Drones

You’ll learn the bowing to “Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye” in this lesson. Bruce shows you the “pulses” that emphasize the second note played with one bow stroke, and shows you where you can play drone notes, which sound particularly good in the A E A C# tuning. Bruce also talks about some of the things you can add to the tune to bring it to life, including some bluesy thirds, slides, and bow pulses. He ends this video by playing the entire tune through a couple times at a slow tempo.

"Pickin' the Devil's Eye" (Available to subscribers)

Previous Lesson

← Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 1: Melody

Next Lesson

Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 3: Variations →

Previous Lesson

← Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 1: Melody

Next Lesson

Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 3: Variations →

Previous Lesson

← Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 1: Melody

Next Lesson

Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 3: Variations →

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Pickin’ the Devil’s Eye, Part 2: Bowing and Drones

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