Huh?

[Jody Stecher]

Continuing my comparison of the tutor books of Bradbury and Grimshaw:

My 1960s copy of Bradbury volume 1 arrived today and I have begun playing through this, omitting nothing. All was well until  I came to page 15 ( 16 in the later editions). At the top of the page I found a sentence that is meant to mean something I think. It says

"Actually like time, making the 8th note the beat unit".

Context suggests  that this apparently incomplete sentence is intended to support the idea that counting 4 beats per measure in 2/4 time is perfectly ok and helpful.  But what can that sentence mean?  Is Bradbury talking about a ticking clock? I can't guess at anything else.  

At the bottom of the page is a study called "Popcorn".  It seems to be partially derived from an old song, variously called Green Corn, Hot Corn/Cold Corn, and other names as well.  The notes do pop out when played well so the title is apt. Above  the third measure of the last two lines is an asterisk and a number 2.  Context suggests that this is meant to indicate Second Position. But the use of asterisk and number is not explained in the preceding pages. So this seems to be an oversight.

An earlier oversight: On page 9  (10 in the newer edition) the directions for exercise 2 say to use the thumb on strings 5, 4, and 3, and to use the index finger on string 2. There is no mention of using the middle finger on string 1 and string 1 is part of the exercise. It is symbolized by "  ll ".  All well and good, as this is explained at the top of the page but it can be confusing to the beginner to find written instructions for the thumb and index and no mention of the next finger. 

I'm starting to think that although both tutor books are full of solid information and useful things to play, neither Bradbury nor Grimshaw fully understood what it is to be a rank beginner with no string instrument experience. 

[Jody Stecher]

It looks like this post has been bunched together with the one about the big stretch from F so I'm replying to my own message so that the original message will be seen.

[Joel Hooks]

HI Jody, RE: Pop Corn, most of the pieces in the book have been ripped off from something else, reorganized, combined, transposed, or otherwise slightly altered and given new names.  I've been able to track down the majority of the, ahem, inspiration for the pieces he used.  "Pop Corn" IS "Green Corn", or "Hot Corn" or whatever other name it went by.

Bradbury was famous for his "arrangements" where he would take various strains of different pieces and paste them together and call it something else. 

I will be sharing my complete list of findings in a future (perhaps the next?) 5 Stringer. 

Um... Positions and the use of * is clearly explained just two pages before Pop Corn in the section titled "Positions".

While likely some sort of typo or editing problem (that exists in pretty much every work) the full paragraph and the following example showing counting is pretty clear to me.  The word "time" is used in the section "The Time Signature" and "how to count time", where examples are given on "counting time", which is a common term used in music. 

As stated in the section "Learning to Read and Pick the Open Strings," "This is called 'straight picking.' Later the alternate R.H. picking will be given."

I hope you don't get too upset when you get to "Chords in the Key of F Major-- Adapted to the Banjo" and realize that an "E" was used and is a typo.  These sorts of printing errors can keep one up at night ;-)

Anything can be torn apart.  Generally and overall the book is my favorite C notation tutor. 

[Jody Stecher]

Thanks for the explanations. I am evaluating the two tutors, not tearing them apart. When I come to something I don't understand I submit a question to the site members here. 

I know Green Corn as a song with verses and chorus.  The words vary a lot but the melody and banjo parts are remarkably similar to each other but a bit different from Popcorn.

There's Green Corn Green Corne Along Cholly, Hot Corn Cold Corn Bring Along Your Demijohn, Sook Pye Sook Pie Come For Your Nubbin, Stand Boys Stand, and a few others. All are said to have been well-known and well-worn at the time of the 19th century American Civil War.  Remember the former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? An old high school buddy of mine used Hot Corn Cold Corn Bring Along Your Demijohn as a device for remembering his name:

Hot Corn Cold Corn Mahmoud Ahmadinejad !

Joel Hooks said:

HI Jody, RE: Pop Corn, most of the pieces in the book have been ripped off from something else, reorganized, combined, transposed, or otherwise slightly altered and given new names.  I've been able to track down the majority of the, ahem, inspiration for the pieces he used.  "Pop Corn" IS "Green Corn", or "Hot Corn" or whatever other name it went by.

Bradbury was famous for his "arrangements" where he would take various strains of different pieces and paste them together and call it something else. 

I will be sharing my complete list of findings in a future (perhaps the next?) 5 Stringer. 

Um... Positions and the use of * is clearly explained just two pages before Pop Corn in the section titled "Positions".

While likely some sort of typo or editing problem (that exists in pretty much every work) the full paragraph and the following example showing counting is pretty clear to me.  The word "time" is used in the section "The Time Signature" and "how to count time", where examples are given on "counting time", which is a common term used in music. 

As stated in the section "Learning to Read and Pick the Open Strings," "This is called 'straight picking.' Later the alternate R.H. picking will be given."

I hope you don't get too upset when you get to "Chords in the Key of F Major-- Adapted to the Banjo" and realize that an "E" was used and is a typo.  These sorts of printing errors can keep one up at night ;-)

Anything can be torn apart.  Generally and overall the book is my favorite C notation tutor. 

[Banjowaif]

Hi Jody

Having picked up my copy of the Bradbury book again after a long gap, I’m looking forward to the reports on your current project.

For my own part, I would like to have seen a bit more on counting such as the time exercises in The Complete American Banjo School in the early pages.

[Joel Hooks]

[Joel Hooks]

[Joel Hooks]

[Joel Hooks]

And there are more of these.  It also shows up under different titles.  I'd say, as far as tutor fodder goes, some variation on this tune "Hot Corn"/"Green Corn" or whatever is only rivaled by the old "Spanish Fandango" as far as frequent appearance in tutors.

[Jody Stecher]

All the same and all different!  The versions I know have a different second part. The one you posted called Hot Stuff has elements of it. I''l try to notate a mix of the versions I know and post them here. A nod to the Bradbury method. :-)

Joel Hooks said:

And there are more of these.  It also shows up under different titles.  I'd say, as far as tutor fodder goes, some variation on this tune "Hot Corn"/"Green Corn" or whatever is only rivaled by the old "Spanish Fandango" as far as frequent appearance in tutors.

[Jody Stecher]

Here's a simplified transcription that somewhat represents the versions I know.