July-August 2010

Sugar Foot Rag

By David Bragger

May's 5th Ever Old Time Social was an explosive three days of hot old-time action!! On Saturday I had the honor of teaching some old-time workshops with another Sausage Grinder musician, Chris Berry, at this fabulous event. Collectively, we taught some great Kentucky fiddle tunes, Old Aunt Jenny and Going Across the Sea, for the fiddlers and some raggy old-time chord progressions for tunes like Carbolic Rag, Peacock Rag, and Alabama Blues. Before the workshops, I was able to hang out and play some music with some friends I rarely see, while sipping the awesome home brew concoctions of Triple Chicken Foot's Ben Guzman. During one of these impromptu jams fiddler Paul Jarrell was playing Sugar Foot Rag, a lesser-known Tommy Jarrell tune. It is already a staple tune in my fiddle lessons. Especially for students working on their "synco-shuffles." This particular bowing pattern is found throughout Tommy Jarrell's playing and is one of those grand rhythm patterns that can be thrown into a tune to give it that syncopated bite. Throw a little bow rocking into the mix and you don't sound like you're from California anymore!! I present Sugar Foot Rag.

David Bragger is a Los Angeles-based instructor and player of old time fiddle and banjo music. He also photographs, films, and collects the lore of traditional artists, from puppeteers in Myanmar to fiddlers of Appalachia http://www.myspace.com/davidbragger

Previous Columns