Great stuff!!! I really enjoyed this. I have limited appreciation for instrumental kareoke but you've got great time and didn't use a recorded back up track. Real music, superbly played!
hvyj, I appreciate the kind words about my timing. Of course, every time I record myself I hear all kinds of slip-ups... always something to work on!
Gus, if you do a forum search for "old-time" you will find a couple of threads on this style of music. There are some great players out there, like Mark Graham and Dave Rice, just to name a couple.
If I'm not mistaken, Brendan Power just put out a new cd in an old-timey vein!
I learned this tune from a cd called "Harmonica Masters." I know it's been mentioned on the forum before; it's essential listening for any harmonica player, I think. All kinds of idiosyncratic pre-war stuff.
As for tips, I think starting with a familiar tune and trying to play along with the fiddle in first position is good practice. Then throw in some tongue-blocked octaves and chords and it'll probably sound pretty good. It really is important to be able to whistle-- or sing-- the whole melody before you start, imho.
Probably the best thing to do is to find a jam that will tolerate a harp player. Just don't tell them I sent you :-)
Thieven', I teach high school -- pretty much the same thing...
