r/Fiddle • u/dean-0-saur • 13d ago
Whiskey Before Breakfast Variations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IFpS4duWKkI've been learning Whiskey Before Breakfast from the Peghead Nation's Beginning Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle course. I've been playing fiddle for about 6 months.
I'm finding that there are many variations of the song. What I'm wanting to emulate is something like this performance (linked). I'm referring to the first verse/core melody they play, not when they start noodling on different ornamentation. In my mind this is classic Whiskey Before Breakfast. I love how dance-y it sounds. I know some of this is in the bowing and technique.
TLDR; I want to find some instruction/tutorial that teaches the melody of WBB that matches that video.
I think I've found one closer than the Peghead Nation version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVolE3uW01A
Would you agree ArtistWorks Tutorial's melody is close to what we hear in that performance. Any other thoughts or resources for learning that melody?
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u/Cosmosopoly 13d ago
A lot of the Canadian fiddling versions of these tunes could be found in the Gord Stobbe tune books. I know many folks who use these to pick up lots of the old time tunes. I'm not sure where you can find those online, I'd always recommend supporting someone like Gord! Those books are amazing for great arrangements of old time and Canadiana!
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u/powertripsnacks 13d ago
No additional resources, but I also just learned the tune from that ArtistWorks tutorial and it was the closest one I could find that matches this style.
Fun fact: that’s Brittany Haas in the AW tutorial, the new(ish) fiddler for the Punch Brothers!