Dill Pickles: Errors in Clifford Essex score?

[Jody Stecher]

Has anyone tried to play the Clifford Essex score for "Dill Pickles" exactly as written?  (It's in the library here.)  If so I'd like to know how you are accomplishing this as I'm finding sections of  the third part, marked "Trio" to be unlikely. It's on page 2.

 The downbeat, C natural is preceded by a triplet. There are two problems with this. 

1) The notes of the triplet are G A B. The 2 within a circle below the triplet indicates that the triplet is to be played on the second string. It's easy enough to do but it then makes the C natural hard to get at.  The left hand fingering indications however are 0 2 1. This makes perfect sense if the G is gotten on the open 5th string, the A on the second string, and the B on the first string.  So why is there an encircled 2 below the triplet?

2) The phrase that is preceded by the triplet occurs three times. It appears as the first measure of the first three lines of the Trio section. That's fine the first time. The next two times cannot be played if the preceding measure of each is played as written. There is no time, no room, no place for it because the triplet actually begins just before the downbeat.  Vess Ossman on his recording (in the Original Recordings section here) omits the preceding measure on his banjo and relegates it to the accompanists. But maybe there's a way to squeeze it all in (?)

The next problem occurs in the last measure of the second line of the trio. It begins with a three note chord: F#, B, and D. There are two problems with this

1) This is a B minor chord. It makes no sense in context. I think the B should be a A. That would create a D major chord which is what is played in all performances I have heard of this well-known tune. 

2) The chord is marked as 10 PB. That symbol stands for "position barre" and indicates that somewhere in the chord position there are at least 2 strings held down by one finger and that the lowest fret in the position is fret 10. But there is no barre here. The chord F#A D occurs two other places in the score, The first time is at the end of the last measure of the intro where it is indicated at 10 P meaning a chord position whose lowest fret is fret 10. No barre. All good. It makes sense. The other place is in the third measure of the third line from the bottom. This resolves to a D7: F# A C.  This makes sense and indeed there is a barre when the finger playing D is lifted.  So my question is "why is there a 10 PB indication in the trio?"  It could be a printer's error. But maybe I am missing something.

What, if anything, am I missing here?  Can anyone play this score as written?

Thanks.

[Jody Stecher]

I have come to the same conclusions as you for teaching the tune. For playing it myself I have been trying  out  ways to squeeze in the triplets even on bars 5 and 9. I've been listening to piano renditions and am copying their timing. Also, for the triplet (which my computer auto-corrective device keeps changing to "Trout") on bar 5 I am trying it two ways. Bar 4 ends with a G on the open 3rd string. I am substituting this open G for the octave higher G that starts the triplet. OR I am beginning the triplet with the open 5th string and starting it right on the last beat of measure 4 so the phrase becomes CBAg ( the lower case g means an octave higher). In other words I am playing CBA gab  C . The underlined lower case notes are the "trout".  

Or, as you suggest I am leaving out the triplet in bars 5 and 9.

Thanks!

Jody

Richard William Ineson said:

Hi Jody, Moving on to the vexing question of the triplets/grace notes, this is a very complex muddle and again the triplets/grace notes, as notated in the Essex score cannot be played. The triplets are not slashed through which indicates that the emphasis must be placed on the grace notes which would displace the rhythm because, as you say, "There is no time, no room, no place for it because the triplet actually begins just before the downbeat." In the first bar of the Trio the triplet can be played in the preceding bar because the 2nd banjo accompaniment and the piano part, have an eighth note rest which allows space for the triplet to be played, however in the fifth bar and ninth bars this space does not occur in the preceding bars in the 2nd banjo or piano part so some adjustments have to be made to the score (as written) so that the triplets can be played if so desired. Ossman seems to play the triplets every time but to my defective hearing it is very difficult to hear what the band is playing in the background. The choices seem to me to be, play the triplets the first time (where the accompaniment allows sufficient time to do this)  and then forget them in bars five and nine  or, if you do wish to play all of the triplets, alter the preceding bars to allow time for the triplets to be played or, don't play any of the triplets at all. 
Jody Stecher said:

Good point. :-)

Richard William Ineson said:

Hi Jody, No, it is not playable on the banjo 'as written' because the first G note is indicated as being played on the second string and also on the fifth string and you cannot be in two places at once.  

[Richard William Ineson]

Speaking of the very irritating auto corrective device, this intrusive robot insists on changing Ineson to Insane. 

Jody Stecher said:

I have come to the same conclusions as you for teaching the tune. For playing it myself I have been trying  out  ways to squeeze in the triplets even on bars 5 and 9. I've been listening to piano renditions and am copying their timing. Also, for the triplet (which my computer auto-corrective device keeps changing to "Trout") on bar 5 I am trying it two ways. Bar 4 ends with a G on the open 3rd string. I am substituting this open G for the octave higher G that starts the triplet. OR I am beginning the triplet with the open 5th string and starting it right on the last beat of measure 4 so the phrase becomes CBAg ( the lower case g means an octave higher). In other words I am playing CBA gab  C . The underlined lower case notes are the "trout".  

Or, as you suggest I am leaving out the triplet in bars 5 and 9.

Thanks!

Jody

Richard William Ineson said:

Hi Jody, Moving on to the vexing question of the triplets/grace notes, this is a very complex muddle and again the triplets/grace notes, as notated in the Essex score cannot be played. The triplets are not slashed through which indicates that the emphasis must be placed on the grace notes which would displace the rhythm because, as you say, "There is no time, no room, no place for it because the triplet actually begins just before the downbeat." In the first bar of the Trio the triplet can be played in the preceding bar because the 2nd banjo accompaniment and the piano part, have an eighth note rest which allows space for the triplet to be played, however in the fifth bar and ninth bars this space does not occur in the preceding bars in the 2nd banjo or piano part so some adjustments have to be made to the score (as written) so that the triplets can be played if so desired. Ossman seems to play the triplets every time but to my defective hearing it is very difficult to hear what the band is playing in the background. The choices seem to me to be, play the triplets the first time (where the accompaniment allows sufficient time to do this)  and then forget them in bars five and nine  or, if you do wish to play all of the triplets, alter the preceding bars to allow time for the triplets to be played or, don't play any of the triplets at all. 
Jody Stecher said:

Good point. :-)

Richard William Ineson said:

Hi Jody, No, it is not playable on the banjo 'as written' because the first G note is indicated as being played on the second string and also on the fifth string and you cannot be in two places at once.