www.joelfriedman.com
Joel Phillip Friedman
Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle
for Two Violins
Scores & Parts
Commissioned by the Irving M. Klein International String Competition This two-violin arrangement is for Karen Bentley Pollick
Duration: Ca. 6:30 minutes
World Premiere, original version (solo violin)
Irving M. Klein International String Competition, June 8, 2013, San Francisco, CA
World Premiere, arrangement (two violins)
Virtuosos De Camara, Fiddlefest Premiere Rescheduled TBA Karen Bentley Pollick and Philip Brezina, violins
Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle for Two Violins Program Note
Back in 2013 when I was commissioned by the Klein International String Competition to write a solo violin piece, I decided to set myself the challenge of writing a fun and flashy “encore piece.” The title, Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle, came from two main sources. The first is the word hokum, which basically means nonsense, bunk, or something silly. In theater it also described some sort of stage gimmickry designed to elicit a response from a jaded audience. Perhaps a… crowd pleaser? The second source is a type of bowing typical of virtuosic country fiddling pieces: hokum bowing (also referred to as the “double shuffle”). Check out Orange Blossom Special as an example of this “trick bowing.” Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle was meant to be a challenging-yet-fun showstopper fusing concert and fiddle music for a solo performer It was “Wieniawski meets Orange Blossom Special ”
Fast forward to 2021 and friend/violin virtuoso Karen Bentley Pollick asked if I would reconceive the piece for two violins Karen and fellow virtuoso Philip Brezina are the perfect pair for this piece since both move back-and-forth effortlessly between the classical and fiddle worlds. Since Karen knew the solo piece, I kept the solo part mostly intact, while adding a rhythmic second fiddle accompaniment part for Philip full of characteristic bluegrass fiddle “chopping.” Chopping has had a long and storied history in fiddling before moving into mainstream string playing, starting with Richard Greene, who played with the great bluegrass musician Bill Monroe, through Darol Anger of the Turtle Island String Quartet, and finally to Casey Driessen, Oriol Saña, and Tracy Silverman and Rachel Barton Pine (amongst many other ccontemporaries). Driessen and Saña’s The Chop Notation Project is an invaluable resource on all things chop.
The opening of Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle is based on the typical hokum bowing pattern, with its syncopations and double stops , and now has a chopping accompaniment. It is built on a variant of the tried-and-true blues chord progression. It is metrically “malformed” in ways that echo how the syncopated hokum pattern normally plays against its solid quadruple meter.
The middle section features broken octaves, chromatic motion, and virtuosic flourishes exploring the upper register of the violin. After all, this began as a competition piece. A developmental section, based on the opening’s hokum material, follows. The original Calm section, set in the solo violin’s upper register, now explicitly articulates the slow blues it had hinted at. It is a welcome relief from all the previous motion and separately bowed notes.
The final section is a demonic fiddling romp picking up on the small alternating 5-6 opening blues shuffle-hokum figure where Barrel House boogie-woogie-meets-the country fiddle. There’s a hint of early Chuck Berry here. Once again, the blues progression is present in the background. There’s a flashy coda of 19th Century virtuosic ricocheted arpeggios that touches upon the middle section’s broken octave chromatic material, and then a final descending scalar flourish in rhythmic unison for both violins.
Performers should bring their own interpretation to the bowing, phrasing, and timbre. Within reason, and with taste, of course, more idiomatic fiddling subtleties –slides, percussive sounds, and so forth could be added Along those lines, I’ve created a version with an added an optional foot stomping part (available upon request). Don’t be afraid to dig in, make some noise, and have a little fun. After all: a little hokum never harmed anyone!
In my original program note I thanked the exceedingly gracious violinists Debra Fong and Robin Sharp for their invaluable assistance with the solo Klein version. Now I must thank Karen Bentley Pollick and Philip Brezina for their enthusiasm, and Karen and expert advice (including bowings and editorial markings), and for “asking” this version into existence! Ask and shall ye receive? Yes, most definitely
Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle was commissioned by the Irving M. Klein International String Competition and was premiered during the semifinalist round of the 2013 Klein Competition on June 8, 2013, in San Francisco, CA. The 2-violin version premiere will be rescheduled as part of Virtuosos De Camara’s 2023 Fiddlefest (Karen Bentley Pollick and Philip Brezina, violins). See Virtuosos De Camara’s website (https://virtuososdecamara.com) for video. Contact me directly via my website to purchase either version.
Joel Phillip Friedman
www.joelfriedman.com
Stomping (ask the composer for this version)
Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle for Two Violins Performance Note
The stomping in both parts is optional: one, or both players can stomp; stomp as written; stomp selectively only for emphasis; stomp as one can multi-task while playing; but stomp with exuberance! Obviously if stomping is incorporated, footwear, flooring, and overall aural “business” become points of discussion point. But just the visual and exuberant effect of the visual gesture also has a clear benefit.
At m. 157 I offer a bit of “choreography” for those more ambitious in their stomping floor work. Since the Calm section has taken on a more overt bluesy tone, why not add a bit of a barroom percussive pattern instead of just a plain quarter note backbeat? It, like the indications of heel and toe, are suggestions. Players can find something that producers the proper rhythmic effect with one foot, or two; with heels, toes, full foot stomps, etc.
CHOP NOTATION GLOSSARY
1 - Note Heads
2 - Bow Placements
The chop & Hammer-On
3 - Hard Chop
The following symbols used in Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle and are taken from The Chop Notation Project by Casey Driessen with Oriol Saña. I only require the hard and soft chop (and a brief hammer on), but additional techniques could be incorporated.
4 - Soft Chop
Explanation (mostly) from The Chop Notation Project:
BOW PLACEMENTS (Sounding Point)
CHOPS
Bow placement in this context means the location between the br idge and fingerboard where the bow is placed 2 Middle
Away from Body
Hard Chops
2a - Location: Midpoint between br idge & fingerboard
- Location: Towards player's body Towards Body
- Location: Away from player's body
2d - Location: Between br idge & tailpiece Beyond Br idge
"Chops" refer to an up and down vertical bow stroke movement that is an alternative to the common understanding of a "standard" horizontal bow stroke. "Up" and "down" in the case of chops means perpendicular to the plane of the ground, as opposed to "across" the strings as is the common understanding. It is important to note that a chop "down/up" is not quite perpendicular to the instrument if this is done, nothing will sound.
Hard chops are the backbone, or more accurately the backbeat, of chopping. They are stronger in attack and are achieved by putting more wrist momentum behind a down-bow chop. Similarly, another way to make a hard chop seem stronger is to make the surrounding strokes more soft or lighter.
CHOPS (Ver tical Bow Technique)
• Hard chops are always executed with a down-bow stroke.
• Chops are often made on an adjacent pair of strings. The "slash" can be placed low, mid, or high on the staff to indicate which register of strings is recommended for a specific tone.
Soft Chops
3a - Down-bow chop Location: Midpoint between br idge & fingerboard
3b - Down-bow chop Location: Towards player's body
- Down-bow chop Location: Away from player's body
- Down-bow chop Location: Between br idge & tailpiece
Soft Chops are built upon the same down/up chop vertical bow stroke technique as Hard Chops but are executed without additional momentum and sound much more lightly in comparison to the surrounding Hard Chops. They can often be thought of as the rhythmic subdivision placeholder or timekeeper within a chop bowing pattern and usually involve alternating bow placements on the strings to achieve fluidity.
• Soft chops can be executed with up & down-bow strokes.
• Soft chopping is often suggested by Ghost Notes (1d above).
4a - Down & up-bow Location: Midpoint between br idge & fingerboard
- Down & up-bow Location: Towards body
- Down & up-bow Location: Away from body
- Down & up-bow Location: Behind br idge
You can start exploring chopping at https://www.caseydriessen.com/chop-notation-project. In addition, there are many explanation/demonstrations of the technique and variations on YouTube and Tracy Silverman has expanding the technical palette: https://www.tracysilverman.com/education#books.
Hard Chop
© Casey Driessen 2019 17 Casey Dr iessen with Or iol Saña
A "slash" note head is used to indicate the vertical motion of the bow when chopping, as opposed to more traditional détaché technique. The large slash represents a stronger dynamic or accented percussive-only chop. A chop "rests" on the strings and does not bounce up but is instead lifted in time to the music in a rhythm that corresponds to the appropriate subdivision of the groove. Chops are often made on an adjacent pair of strings. If desired, the "slash" can be placed low, mid, or high on the staff to indicate which register of strings is recommended for a specific
tone. In the case of this Chop Notation Glossary, the Hard Chop will only be placed mid-staff, but the player can experiment with different registers. It should be noted that the Hard Chop is only executed with a down-bow
Soft Chop
As with the Hard Chop (1a) a "slash" note head is used to indicate the vertical motion of the bow when chopping, as opposed to more traditional détaché technique. The small slash note head is shown to indicate no discernible pitch being played in the left hand, like the Hard Chop, but at a lower dynamic than the Hard Chop. The absence of pitch is accomplished by either lightly gripping the neck and strings with the whole hand, lightly placing the 3rd & 4th fingers across the strings or releasing the pressure of the pitched fingers on the strings just enough to stop the strings from vibrating. The tone of this "pitch" is purely percussive.
Hammer-On
The "hammer-on" is a technique borrowed from guitarists. The first note is bowed, and while the string continues to ring, the following note is executed in the left hand by "hammering" on the string. The slur does not indicate a standard tie in which the bow stays on the strings, but rather it is off the strings during the "hammer." Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle has many additional opportunities to use hammer-ons if desired
Note on the opening phrase (m. 1, etc.)
Instead of the composer making a “concert music transcription,” the performer should execute this passage, and its subsequent repetitions, with stylistically appropriate interpretative freedom. What is wanted is character and dramatic build. It may initially be performed this way – with a slur/slight smear between the notes– or with separate bows. It may be best to leave the separate bowing for later iterations to help create variety and intensity.
Similarly, the bowing is implied in m. 6 but not notated.
Extreme Pressure (E.P.)
Simply pressing too hard with the bow (and perhaps not hard enough with the finger) to produce a deliberately ugly non-pitched scratch tone. Go for a low, guttural sound, not a “squeal.” www.joelfriedman.com