Annotation:Ducks on the Pond
X: 1 T:Ducks on the Pond M:C| L:1/8 K:Ador "Am" [E4A,4] [e4A4]|"(C)"edef g4| "G" B2 Bc BAGA | "(Em)"BABc BA G2| "Am" [E4A,4] [e4A4]|"(C)"edef gaba | "G" g2e2d2B2|1"F"A3 B A4:|2 "Am" A3 B A2|| |:e2 | "Am" aebe a2g2 |"(C)" edef g2 g2-|"G"gfga bagf | "(Em)"edeg ag e2| "Am" aebe a2g2 |"(C)" edef g2 ba |"G" g2e2d2B2|1"F"A3 B A4:|2 "Am" A3 B A4|]
DUCKS ON/IN THE POND. AKA and see "Lady of the Lake (6)." Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; western Virginia, West Virginia. A Major ('A' part) & A Mixolydian ('B' part) [Brody]: A Mixolydian [Krassen]: A Dorian (Johnson, Songer). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The melody was learned by most modern sources, including West Virginia fiddler Oscar Wright, from Glen Lyn, Virginia, fiddler Henry Reed (d. 1968).
The tonality varies depending on the source for the tune, but dorian mode versions seem to have persisted. Bayard (1981) identifies this tune as belonging to the "Paddy on the Turnpike (2)" family of tunes. It was published by George P. Knauff in his Virginia Reels, volume III (Baltimore, 1839), under the title "Lady of the Lake." The reel is not related to the similarly titled "Ducks on the Millpond," although there is sometimes confusion between the two. Perhaps related to the Patrick County, Va., version of "Grey Eagle" and Owen "Snake" Chapman's "Rock Andy."