Building a Traditional Tune Repertoire

Shove That Pig's Foot A Little Closer To The Fire

(Key of G)

The Tune:

As you play more Old-Time music, you will notice that some tunes are known by different names or by multiple versions of a similar name, and many tunes will have names which are very long, descriptive phrases, while other tunes might have obscure meanings. Shove That Pig's Foot A Little Closer To The Fire, in the Key of G, is a good example of all of these characteristics.

Also known as (aka): Shove The Pig's Foot A Little Closer To The Fire, "Shove" is often replaced by Push or Put, "A Little Closer" might be replaced by A Little Farther or A Little Bit Further and "To The Fire" could be replaced by In The Fire or Into The Fire. To complicate matters even further, this same melody is played in the movie "Cold Mountain", but is called Ruby With Eyes That Sparkle & is played in the Key of D.

The meaning of Pig's Foot, contrary to what you may first think, has apparently nothing to do with the pig as an animal. In mining & blacksmith terminology, Pig Metal is the name given to a crude lump of iron which still needs the impurities to be burnt off before the metal can be made into tools & a Pig's Foot is the name given to a blacksmith's tool, as well as various other pig's-foot (cloven hoof) shaped metal tools, such as a common crowbar.

Listen to the Midi: 120 bpm & 160 bpm

Techniques:

• Overview of Tune: This simple melody has a lively syncopated feel created from the use of dotted 1/4 notes followed by an 1/8 note.



• Chords: The chord changes are played the same in both Parts A & B.

  Part A:   ||: G | C/G | G | D | G | C/G | G/D | G :||
  
  Part B:   ||: G | C/G | G | D | G | C/G | G/D | G :||



• Pick Strokes: Pick all 1/4 notes with Downstrokes & all paired 1/8 notes with Down/Upstrokes. In measures 3, 6, 7, 8 of Part A & measures 11, 12, & 15 of Part B, the dotted 1/4 note is played with a Downstroke, using a count of "1-and-2-" after which the 1/8 note is played on the following "-and" with an Upstroke. The tied notes in measures 9 & 13 are played the same way.