Annotation:Irish Cobbler (The)

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 IRISH COBBLER, THE. AKA and see "Shortenin' Bread (2)," "My Baby Loves Shortenin' Bread." Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABCDD (Christeson): AA'BBCC (Phillips). See also the closely related tune "Shortening Bread," a favourite of Kentucky fiddlers. Christeson (1973) maintained the "Irish Cobbler" was not heard that often when he was collecting, "although fiddlers around Jefferson City, Missouri, including Tony Gilmore's nephew, played it earlier." Nevertheless, the melody is on Missouri fiddler Charlie Walden's list of '100 essential Missouri fiddle tunes', and Iowa fiddler Dwight Lamb says it was a "common Missouri Valley tune" (he learned it from Bob Walters, "brushed up" by Missouri fiddler Casey Jones). Kentucky fiddlers such as Doc Roberts and George Hawkins recorded versions that Mark Wilson (notes to Rounder 0529, Dwight Lamb) says were "generally faster and more syncopated that the Missouri Valley treatments."  Sources for notated versions: Bob Walters (November, 1951, Burt County, Nebraska) [Christeson]; Cyrill Stinnett (Mo.) [Phillips].  Printed sources: R.P. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory, vol. 1), 1973; p. 97. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; p. 119.  Recorded sources:  See also listings at: Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources

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