by Wendy Anthony

The Tune:

Spring Creek Gal is a crooked fiddle tune, in the Key of D, played in many old-time jams.

Listen to the MIDI: 120 | 160 bpm

Printable Sheet Music: pdf

Techniques:

• Overview of Tune: As most fiddle tunes have a standard 8 measures, repeated twice for each part, this tune is considered crooked because Part A has only 6 measures, repeated twice, while Part B has only 4 measures, repeated twice (or 8 measures, no repeats).
• Chords:
  

  Part A: || : D /// | D /// | D /// | G /// | D /// | A / D / : ||

  Part B: ||   D /// | D /// | D /// | A / D / | D /// | D /// | D /// | A / D / ||

 

• Pick Strokes & Fingering: To help develop good mandolin picking technique, make sure to pick all 1/4 notes with Downstrokes, & all paired 1/8 notes with Down/Upstrokes. Measure 2 has a syncopated rhythm – instead of picking the first 1/8 note on the second beat, leave an 1/8 note rest, and then play the following 1/8 note with the usual Upstroke. Part B presents many opportunities for using hammer-on notes – pick the first note cleanly, then, without picking again, neatly press/hammer-on the strings, at the appropriate fret, to produce the next note clearly (create a hammer-on/pull-off by pulling your finger off again, sounding the string without picking).

Wendy Anthony

o2b.pickin at gmail.com