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Forks of the Cumberland

from Mentor by William Ritter

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about

(Fiddle GDGD)
I learned this beautiful old solo fiddle tune from Bruce Greene. It's easily one of my favorite pieces to play at home--It has many twists and turns and takes a good bit of focus to really get the strings to "ring" right. (even on this recording they aren't ringing like I want) Bruce is a master of subtle but deceptively difficult bowing and tricky left hand techniques. I don't make any claim to be able to play it like Bruce, despite the many hours in my life I spent trying to capture his thoughtful and elusive playing! One day I told him I just couldn't do it, and he smiled and replied in his gentle way, "William, all the old people told me, 'do what comes natural." I am very grateful for all of the music, but especially the wisdom that Bruce and his partner Loy have shared with me over the years. This tune comes from the Hamblen Collection manuscript under the title "Three Forks of Cumberland." Most folks "hoedown it up," but I much prefer the meandering way it is presented here. There are plenty of great hoedowns, no sense in straightening out a perfectly good and crooked road!

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from Mentor, released September 23, 2022

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William Ritter Bakersville, North Carolina

William Ritter is a native of Bakersville, NC William plays banjo, fiddle, guitar, and other "string-ed things." He is particularly interested in old apple trees, family heirloom seeds, and mountain humor. In 2019, he received the *In These Mountains* Folklife Apprenticeship Grant from the NC Arts Council to study with ballad singer extraordinaire, Bobby McMillon. ... more

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