Annotation:Snowflake Reel

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SNOWFLAKE REEL. AKA - "Snowflake Breakdown." Canadian, American, Bluegrass; Breakdown and Reel (irregular measures in both parts). USA; New England, northern New York, Missouri. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddld). AABB (Phillips): AABB' (Bohrer/Kibler). Composed in 1959 by Canadian fiddler Wally Edward Traugott (sometimes Trougott, 1934-2010), this reel also has had currency with American fiddlers, particularly along the Canadian border and in the Mid-West (Missouri). The B Flat chord in the accompaniment to the second strain is often the bane of unwary guitarists! Trougott, originally from Kitchener, Ontario, recorded in Canada in the 1950's and 1960's and played with Tommy Hunter, but became disillusioned with the recording industry there. He relocated to the United States in the late 1960's and worked for Capitol Records' Capitol Mastering Subsidiary for twenty-five years, mastering recordings for a variety of artists (including the Beastie Boys, John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band, Paul McCartney's "Band on the Run" and George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass").

Additional notes

Source for notated version: - learned by fiddler Vic Kibler (Hamilton County, N.Y.) from a recording by Wally Trougatt [Bohrer/Kibler].

Printed sources : - Bohrer (Vic Kibler), 1992; No. 16, p. 16. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; p. 261. Hinds/Hébert (Grumbling Old Woman), 1981; p. 19 (appears as "Snowflake Breakdown"). Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1), 1994; p. 226. Welling (Welling’s Hartford Tunebook), 1976; p. 16.

Recorded sources: -Kicking Mule 209, Andy Cahan - "Melodic Clawhammer Banjo.” Adelphi 2004, Delaware Water Gap "String Band Music.” Arc FH2 (K-Tel), Anonymous Fiddler - "25 Old Tyme Fiddle Hits." Arc 565, Carl Elliott - "Down East Dancing." Banff RBS 1123, Jerry Robicahaud - "16 Great Fiddle Tunes by 16 Great Fiddlers.” County 772, Bobby Hicks - "Texas Crapshooter.” F&W Records 6, Fireside String Band - "Square Dance Tunes for a Yankee Caller.” GRT 210, Ward Allen - "Maple Leaf Hoedown.” MCA 162, Tommy Jackson - "Square Dances Without Calls.” Nashville 2015, Wally Traugott - "Fiddlin' Country Style." Quality K534 (45 RPM), Wally Traugott (Rounder 0060, Brother Oswald and Charlie Collins - "Oz and Charlie.” Rounder 0216, John McCutcheon - "Step by Step" (1986. Appears as "Snowflake Breakdown").

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