Dat Yam Rag

[Trapdoor2]

Hi y'all! Ok, it has rained enough here that we're out gathering animals two-by-two. So, I've gotten some time off for good behaviour from the "honey-do" list and have keyed in yet another Weidt tune. Standard caveats apply: I haven't gone thru it completely yet, if you find glaring errors or impossible fingering, let me know.

As my scanner has been packed away, the dots are out of TablEdit. Because of the way TablEdit creates dynamic markings, the ones I input are tied to the TAB...so in order for the dynamics to be available for you dot readers...I had to put dots and TAB on the page together. So! You get 4 pages of dots/TAB and then a seperate 2 pages of just TAB. Whew!

Have fun with it, I know I will...

===Marc

[Carl Anderton]

I dig this tune. Thanks for the tab. Maybe we can make it a "tune of the week" in a few weeks.

"Do it right with A. J. Weidt!"

[Trapdoor2]

Thanks Rob. I finally got to pick thru it at lunch today. Yeah...I've got some fingering changes to make; nothing critical, just "oh, this is easier here..." The original (from one of the Walter Jacobs' books) has very minimal fingering shown, so it will be (once again) simply the way my fingers like it.

Cool piece though. Lots of "ragtime" cliches...

[Trapdoor2]

"Weidt", being germanic, was probably pronounced "Vight"...but likely anglicized (latinated?) to use the "w" sound. I imagine we'd need someone from the family to get it exactly right, um, reet, um... ;-)

I think George Wunderlich told us the "proper" way to pronounce "Boucher" but I can't remember which it was. I use "Booshay".

Usage rules, of course. I always used to tell people that my name is spelled with a "c" (Marc). One time I told someone that my name was Marc Smith..."with a C" and I watched as they wrote "Mark Cmith"...

[Jody Stecher]

A friend of mine named Jon told a telephone operator his name was spelled J-O-N, no H. One month later it appeared in the directory as JOMOH



Usage rules, of course. I always used to tell people that my name is spelled with a "c" (Marc). One time I told someone that my name was Marc Smith..."with a C" and I watched as they wrote "Mark Cmith"...

[Trapdoor2]

Yah, years later I'm finding that one must be careful. Somewhere, someway I got my name on a legal document as "Mark"...so now I'm finding (like in my Credit Report) that I have an "aka" listed: Marc aka "Mark". Grrrrr....

[Trapdoor2]

Learning update:

I'm liking this tune a lot and I thought I'd post some comment about my learning experiences.

I have found that the "Introduction" is very accent-sensitive. I had the devil's own time figuring out what makes it tick...and it has become the hardest part of the piece to "get right". Miss a the rhythm just a tick and the syncopation in the third measure gets out of whack. Accent the wrong note and you loose the feel. It just takes practice, but as the rest of the tune is calling...I gotta make myself do it.

I think there is ample room in this piece for "jazzing it up" a bit. Some flashy triplets or arpeggiated/rolled chords help a lot. I've been starting the piece with a triplet lead-in (basically rolling a G-B-D triplet, starting on the third string open, then picking the "G" from the 5th string as the first note of M1). The B part also benefits from rolled chords.

I haven't found any significant fingering changes in the A part but there's a run in the B part that I'm experimenting with. M 27 currently shows a bit of a reach from the F# on the 4th string to the E on the 1st. This sequence can be also found by making the E/D#/E notes on the 2nd string, fret 5-4-5 and then making your LH move down the neck while your RH is picking the open D note.

I really am enjoying playing the C part and have changed the fingering for one of the two chords barred at the 5th. The first (m59) is currently fingered "255" and I've changed it to pick up the A on the 4th string, 7th fret (which will make the TAB look like 7_55). Works nicer for me and seems to flow well with the rest. I'll post corrections soon...and hopefully a video!

===Marc

[Trapdoor2]

Update...

Well, this has been a frustrating evening...trying to make a video of "Dat Yam Rag". Spent the last two hours trying to get past the 2nd part w/o completely crashing. When I did finally get thru the A and B parts...I crashed horribly in the repeat of the A part just before the Trio (I think I was so relieved to have made it that I forgot where I was).

So, I took a break and went out into the Banjolounge chat room. There was only one other person in there and he talked me into pulling out a Stewart. The only thing I could think of to play was "Dat Yam Rag" and...wouldn't you know it, I made it thru the Trio before falling apart.

Part of the problem is still a touch of nerves when the "record button hits" but mostly it is lack of time with the piece. I've got most of the fingering memorized and even some of the parts...but I just cannot string it all together yet.

Another problem is finding a proper speed to play it. I have a terrible time slowing it down, my fingers want to run away with it (which is a common problem for me). I guess I need to wind up the metronome!

One interesting thing, the Trio has a very strong hook to it. I have been waking up in the morning with the Trio looping in my head lately...gotta stop that!