Arkansas Traveler on Mountain Dulcimer
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- čas přidán 23. 08. 2024
- Two dulcimer tracks with dulcimers tuned DAA are used for The Arkansas Traveler. It was raining today so making this video gave me something fun to do. The lyrics on this are fun and tell a great story full of backwoods wit.
lyrics ; Oh, once upon a time in Arkansas An old man sat at his little cabin door And fiddled at a tune that he liked to hear A jolly old tune that he played by ear. It was raining hard, but the fiddler didn't care, He sawed away at the popular air, And his rooftop leaked like a waterfall But it didn't seem to bother the man at all. A traveler was riding by that day And stopped to hear him a'practicin' away. The cabin was afloat and his feet were wet But still the old man didn't seem to fret. So the stranger said, "Now, the way it seems to me, You'd better mend your roof," said he. But the old man said as he played away, "I couldn't mend it now; it's a rainy day!" The traveler replied, "That's all quite true, But this, I think, is the thing for you to do: Get busy on a day that is fair and bright, And patch the old roof til it's good and tight." But the old man kept on a'playin' at his reel And tapped the ground with his leathery heel. "Get along," said he, "for you're giving me a pain. My cabin never leaks when it doesn't rain!"
Thank You May Si.
Dave
Great song, Great performance, exactly what the song calls for, simple, rustic voices and instruments. thank you for posting.
Thank you for presenting not only the melody & instrumental but also the lyrics. I recall reading the lyrics when i was a kid taking piano lessons from the old John Thompson books. Only the 1st stanza was presented & always wondered what the remainder of the lyrics were. Here's a tidbit: The Thompson version ad libbed to play a L-handed (lower octave part) a la Bazooka which I later learned was an Bassoon-like instrument after which the US army weapon was named!
I love it. Great video, too, because it's so clear what you are doing. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful sounds!! Enjoyed your beautiful performance, thanks for your sharing! Have a nice day, dear Dave!
Thank You Aisoke.
It is a fun song to play at what I call "singing speed".
Dave
I woke up at the wee hours of the morning and decided to search you tube for different versions of Arkansas Traveler. Thanks so much for sharing such a wonderful performance of this tune. You put fun in my insomnia.
Thanks Kat. Music has saved me many times, either in helping me stay awake while driving late at night or helping me forget about the day while getting ready to sleep. I might use Arkansas Traveler to keep me awake while driving because it is a fun song. ...
Dave
I realize it is quite randomly asking but does anybody know a good website to stream new tv shows online ?
@Zev Sawyer try Flixzone. Just google for it =)
Thank You
I hope you got a good grade! This song has been teaching people about backwoods wit, humor, and hospitality since the 1850's.
Dave
Hunter
Making this one with the lyrics was a big motivator for me. There are many tunes that are mostly played as instrumentals that we can resurrect with a version that includes lyrics.
Thanks
Dave
Thanks, I turn 60 this weekend, and I have been looking for this version of this song, I had the 45 when I was 5 yrs old. This and 77 sunset strip played over and over
I found the lyrics on various websites, but I wasn't finding any videos where people were singing the lyrics, so my motivation was to provide a sung version. I also wanted to slow the song down a little to what I call "singing speed".
Dave
Also, we wore out the Telstar instrumental album and Jan and Dean's "Dead Man's Curve" 45.
Dave
Worst storm in Los Angeles in decades. Just discovered this. Seems fitting. Thank you.
If you're on the west coast you're definitely getting enough water to stay inside and work on this song. Take care. ...
Dave
I haven't heard this song in years! Made me laugh. I needed that today. Like always, great job Dave
@TanteA
Thanks Anette
Arkansas Traveler is an old bluegrass fiddle tune. It usually is played with a fiddle and seldom sung, so I wanted to provide a sung version. It also was the state song for Arkansas at one time (with different lyrics). It was great fun arranging a rainy song on a rainy day.
Greetings from Tennessee
Dave
Thank You Der Strom
Unfortunately, I learned this song in this version later in life. It would have been good to have this one and more like it in my childhood upbringing.
Dave
Thank You Rick
Dulcimers are among the simplest instruments and Arkansas Traveler is a lot of fun to play on dulcimer.
Dave
@rhopen
Thanks Ron
I never heard a sung version of Arknasas Traveler before working on this video either (other than the old Looney Tunes cartoon "I'm looking for a baby bumble bee" that used part of the melody). I think there are a lot of fiddle tunes that are just played as instrumentals and the sung versions are almost forgotten. They can be as much fun to sing as they are to play and I think I was overdue for posting a fun song.
Thanks again for your kind comments.
Dave
Great, Dave! You've sung very well this lovely song and the sound of the dulcimer is fantastic!*****
Hey Dave. this was just great. You have some the best folk instruments. I hate to admit it but I had never heard The Arkansas Traveler with lyrics before, so this was especially great to hear. The vocal was excellent. -Ron
All these old fiddle tunes had lyrics, but few people know them. Well done, friend.
Thank you Edward. I'm one of those who would like to find the lyrics to may old fiddle tunes and bring them down to what I call "singing speed". Arkansas Traveler was easy because it is also a story song that captures the spirit of a leaking roof and fix it some day demeanor with a fun melody.
Dave
Thank you for the lyrics and keying of the dulcimer for the song. Love it, very comical
Thanks Herbert. Arkansas Traveler is a fun song and I think singing the lyrics in between the instrumental parts adds some great opportunities for us dulcimer players. ...
Dave
Thanks John
This song is normally played at a much faster pace but I like to sing it so in this case I call it played at "singing speed".
I have been to Cades Cove and it is one of those places that connects us to the lifestyle that existed here in Tennessee in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. I love to go to such places that display history and transmit such a strong feeling of the past.
Dave
Thank You JKinder
The Buffalo is definitely one of the treasures of Arkansas. Hopefully the weather cooperated.
Dave
Wonderful music. Subbed. Best wishes:)
Thanks Robert
There are so many kinds of songs. This one is just plain fun.
Greetings from Tennessee, USA
Dave
Thank You Perelandra
I still play this one when I need to smile.
Dave
great arrangement, nice dulcimer sound!! thanks!!
Loved the playing and the singing! Great job!! The lyrics remind me of my husband!! (Although we did fix a leaky roof!) Wonderful sounding dulcimer - your playing looks so easy!
Wonderful!!
That was fantastic, I've always thought that the dulcimer is one of the nicest sounding instruments. Only heard this one as an instrumental before so the lyrics were a great addition, fantastic vocals. Great stuff.
Just found this Dave! As previous comments, I like the pace at which you play it,and intend to try it at that speed henceforth !, thanks ! Co-incidentaly, I received a gift in the post two days ago, a book of art photos with appropriate notes, featuring 'Cade's Cove' !!!
jh176
Thanks for keeping the lyrics! It took me a while to find one with them!
So this song is about a lazy guy who makes excuses to not fix his roof.......I LOVE IT!!!! (replay)
@karcnikg
Thanks Karcnikg
I love how these old songs are connected to such interesting memorabilia. I never knew of the origin of the bazooka before now but I searched the internet and it has some Arkansas history.
What a connection!
Dave
11/23/2022,,Sounds Great to me👍🏼
Thank you Markus. Learning old songs like this has been good for me.
Dave
Thanks Lukas
Yours was a special fourth grade. Other than Christmas Carols, the National Anthem, and America The Beautiful, I don't remember there being much music in my fourth grade.
Dave
I've heard that morels grow throughout different parts of the year, but haven't been able to prove it yet. We've only been able to find them from maybe as early as March and maybe as late as May. Morels to people who search for them are like the pot of gold to a leprechaun.
Dave
dholeton try the shallow, wet caves of the Ozark Mountains ;)
@mtnpelican
Thanks Clark
I remember listening to a famous musician once and I realized he took the time to play it and sing it right (he made great sounds and he wasn't playing fast). That realization has motivated me to play music at a speed that is comfortable for me. I enjoy playing songs at what I'll call "singing speed". If you sing or think the lyrics while learning, you might find yourself playing the song slower and learning it faster.
Good Luck learning Arkansas Traveler.
Dave
This is great. Thanks.
Thank you Greg. I made this recording a long time ago but I still play this song often just because it is so much fun.
Dave
So this is where the baby bumblebee tune came from! Nice to hear you playing. I have a dulcimer somewhere in my basement covered in dust...poor thing.
Thank You Ribbit
I can only encourage you to dust off that dulcimer and start playing something at least once a week. It will change your life.
Dave
TY I enjoyed playing it when I was a small fry, but when my teacher passed away I gave it up. You're right, I should get back to it.
Do it. The longer you don't the more time you'll have wasted not being a fantastic dulcimer player. Trust me.
Caroline and Jordan
Is that like "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?"
Thanks
Dave
Charming.
Thank You Townes. After all of these years it is still one of my favorites on Mountain Dulcimer.
Dave
@DianeKY
Thanks Diane
The wit and humor in the lyrics made this one so mucy fun to make.
Dave
Love this more than you will ever know!
+Dan D. Dirges Thanks Dan...'Tis a great thing for a song written in the 1840's to still be popular today. This song just makes me smile every time I play it.
Dave
@dholeton
My compliments, dholeton for your kind reply & good information.
I'll be looking up in Wikipedia more about bazooka.
Best wishes.
Nicely done and wonderful scenes.
Thank you kestrel. I try to play this at least once a week so that I can maintain my ability to play it! ...
Dave
Good job!
awkward moment when i cannot find the version of this song that my choir is singing anywhere
literally the truest thing ever
Paige Buchanan My chior did a whole medley with this song as its base. I'm gonna have to track down every damn folk song D:
Paige Buchanan me to
OMG!! I know this song! It was on a record we had as kids. On this record we're a lot of silly songs and this is one of them. I hadn't heard it since I was about 12, but I remember it for all these years (I'm 55 now). I used to play the record for my brother. There were a few plastic records of different colors. Did u also have these records or was this an actual song? I remember it being a faster song. That's the only real difference. The words I remember r a little different. I remember "The cabin was afloat and his feet were wet, but still the old man didn't seem to fret, so the stranger said "Well the way it seems to me, better mend your roof", said he. But the old man said as he played away, "I couldn't mend it now; it's a rainy day". It's all the same. Thank you for a wonderful memory
Eileen ... We got our first record player around 1963 and one of our first records was Terry Stafford's "Suspicion". We had some other records and one was a jazz record and the record itself was also a picture of musicians playing music in a street scene. We didn't have "Arkansas Traveler" but if I hear any of those first records that we had, I go right back to 1963. Musical memories are wonderful.
Most people today play "Arkansas Traveler" as an instrumental and most people tend to play it very fast. Some people play the instrumental part fast then speak or sing the lyrical part at a slower speed. The spoken versions tell a story and the story varies greatly from the lyrics I use (check out Pete Seeger's version here on CZcams). I decided to play the entire song at the same speed (at what I call "singing speed").
"Arkansas Traveler" is just fun to play and I still play it at least once a week. ...
Dave
Great work in DAA tuning!
Thanks Rod. I like it when I'm able to keep the melody on the melody strings of my dulcimer, so I use DAA often. ...
Dave
* * * VERY GREAT !!!! * * *
cool i used this song for my school project so thx
Going to have to write these words down!
Guy Sharwood This url has lots of information on the song. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arkansas_Traveler_(song)Dave
dholeton Thanks!!!
So awesome!!
Thank you Tina. It's one of the few songs I sing where I can remember the lyrics without a lyric sheet.
Dave
@@dholeton I want to learn the lyrics, I love to sing! I am trying to get hubby to play it now lol wanna make a band with us? ✌👊🙏
@@momoflogan I'm full time busy but am able to make a video now and then. Also, my friend and I play once a month at a local assisted living home. It's all I can do to keep up with only that much music. If you're in Clinton, TN, you and your husband could join us at the assisted living home.
Dave
@@dholeton awee well we live in Creston, Ohio. That is quite a commute I would say. We too stay fairly busy and like to enjoy playing (him) and singing (me) together when we get a chance. Mostly, music time is spent with the worship team giving God the Glory 🙏
Hey, we are with ya in spirit!
@@momoflogan Well half of our set is gospel songs and the residents know all the verses. If you're ever in the area ...
Dave
fantastic. Thanks for posting.
shellback1978 Thank you Shellback...I have some friends who play dulcimer and we have started working on a version similar to this.Dave
nice job
Thanks Bear. I've been playing this song for years now and it is still one of my favorites.
Dave
@Fabyr
Thank You Fabyr
I think this song is used in many variations to demonstrate the differences between the people that existed in the rural hill country and the supposedly educated people (travelers) from the city in the USA. Whose common sense? might be a question that gets asked related to the lyrics in this song.
Dave
It was very nice! Just didn't get to find any Morel Mushrooms, but oh well. Maybe next time.
@mtnpelican
Clark....Some pictures are from the Museum of Appalachia in Norris TN and some are from Cades Cove in Smoky Mountain National Park.
The dulcimer is a box dulcimer that I built from scratch after seeing some box dulcimers at the Museum of Appalachia.
To play this with a noter I think you will need a tab version in DAA (like the video). I found a simple DAA version at the Strum Hollow Acoustic Music web site. You can also email me and I can reply with one.
Thanks
Dave
Great song, I always play this video whenever I miss Arkansas. Going to the Buffalo tomorrow to see her splendid beauty! :)
-Conway
Nice tune.
Thank you. It has been and continues to be a fun song for me to play and sing.
Dave
@ArmenianLegion
Thanks Michael
This box dulcimer has become one of my favorite instruments for songs that I can arrange in the dulcimer DAA tuning.
Dave
@dlay436
Thanks DLAY436. Arkansas Traveler has that wit about it that makes me smile every time I play it!
Dave
@Bidyyy
Thank You Ernest and Sarah
Greetings from Tennessee, USA!
Dave
@jazzmaneast
Thank you JazzMan
Singing along on this one kinda' slows it down, but for me it makes it more fun to play.
Dave
Thank You Blue Bonnett
@michaeljking
Thanks Michael
I have been stuck in an Aeolian/Dorian/Phrygian Mode (mood?) lately and then in spite of the rainy day I found myself playing an Ionian fun tune.
Dave
The old man didn't seem to fret... (pun?).
That's a good one ED. But the fiddle doesn't have any frets. It's all good. Dave
@duckscli
Thanks Duncan
I have been moody the first 7 months of this year and creating moody music, so this was a break out and be happy song for me.
Dave
@Travisthetruth1
Thanks Travis
Yep, I think I would rather play music than fix a roof too.
Dave
Anyone know the Ford family who makes dulcimers?
@davidsummerford
Thanks David
@thoeckel
Thanks Trish
Yea, us husbands can find lots of excuses for not performing the fixes around the house. I'll bet your roof did not leak when it wasn't raining, too!
Dave
who sings this???
Hi Roach. I decided to sing this version. There may be other versions that are sung, but I think the majority of people perform this as an instrumental. Pete Seeger and Jerry Garcia recorded it as a dialog between the traveler and the fiddler (no singing) between the instrumental parts of the song.
Thanks
Dave
Are you in DAD tune??
This version is in DAA tuning. I found I like the chord arrangements for backing up the vocals better in DAA. It also puts the melody entirely on the melody string (I don't play any melody notes on the middle or bass strings). ...
Dave
Wonderful!!
Thanks Maggie. I have to play the song often in order to maintain the ability to play it, but it's fun!
Dave