'Say Darlin' Say'

Well, I have a reprieve from last week's ornamentation lesson so we're back to working on the basic tunes themselves. Yeay! I'm sure we'll revisit ornamentation soon enough, but I'll appreciate it more when I have a firmer grasp on my shuffle.

My new tune is Say Darlin' Say as performed by Tommy Jarrell on the album The Legacy of Tommy Jarrell, Vol. 2: Rainbow Sign. Although I have heard some people comment that Jarrell's playing style is somewhat sloppy or scratchy, I don't think it is a distraction and seems only to add to the nostalgic feel of the tunes he plays and no one can argue that his syncopation is anything but wonderful.

As for the tune itself, I remember 'Say Darlin' Say' as the childhood lullaby 'Hush Little Baby', so I was quite surprised when I heard it played for the first time as a fiddle tune. Moreover, the verse about "starch and iron will be your trade, and I'll get drunk and lay in the shade" made me laugh out loud - THAT was never in the lullaby I was used to!

This is a fun tune to learn. It is very simple in its composition as the B part varies only ever so slightly from the A part. aka - less work for my lazy ear! As of now, I (think I) have the basic notes down and am trying a few different bowing patterns to see which one feels the best and conveys the same syncopated feel that Jarrell's version has.

Since I'm still playing around with Finale NotePad®, here is my interpretation of 'Say Darlin' Say' as notated with NotePad®. I'm purely amateur at fiddle, ear training and notation so I make no guarantees as to its accuracy. Enjoy!