Old Christmas Morning (Modoch Rounders/Wilson Douglas)

Old Christmas is what they sometimes called the 12th Day of Christmas, I believe. I liked the setting by the Modoch Rounders which puts it into the key of G (many people play it in A it seems). It is a wonderful crooked tune and it reminds me a little of some Scandinavian crooked tunes. It also sounds a little like parts of Cluck Old Hen if you mixed up all the phrases of the A part of that tune.

About the bar lines: I have put measures starting where it sounds like new groups of notes. So, thinking of the note at the beginning of each measure being subtly emphasized (as it often is) should give you a good feel.

Notes on Playing the Tune

• The most challenging thing here (outside of understanding the twists and turns of the melody) is to switch between the F and F# position with 1st finger. I have realized that the F natural position requires more tension. You can release that tension to return to the more common F sharp position. Try to do this early, a couple notes before F# comes back.

Here is the source for my transcription:

Here is Wilson Douglas himself (in the key of A).