Building a Traditional Tune Repertoire
by Wendy Anthony
Bill Cheatham
(Key of A)
The Tune:
This fiddle tune is thought to originate in the Southern United States, and has been a long-time favorite for fiddlers at fiddle contests & guitar players at Bluegrass Festivals. In Bluegrass, the tune is called Bill Cheatham, while the Old-Time Breakdown, in older recordings and tune books, is spelled Bill Cheatum or Bill Cheatem.
Techniques:
- Overview of Tune: Part A uses a mix of both 1/4 & 1/8 notes, with few chord changes. Part B uses mainly 1/8 notes, with some string-crossing on the Upstroke, and changes chords continuously.
- Pick Strokes: Use Downstrokes for all 1/4 notes and Down/Upstrokes for the paired 1/8 notes. The triplets in measure 15 can be played either Down/Up/Down or Down/Hammer-On/Up. When crossing strings to play the Upstrokes (eg. Downstroke open - E / Upstroke 4th fret - A), give just enough clearance to pass over the E strings, in order to easily pick both A strings.
- Chords: In Part A, each chord is played 2 full measures before changing: A|A|D|D (I-I-IV-IV), with a quick E/A (V-I) turnaround in the last measure. Part B changes chords each measure: A/D|E/A (I-IV-V-I) with a reversal of the A & E in measure 13: A/D|A/E (I-IV-I-V).
Variations:
- Intro Lead-In Measure: When starting the tune, add one of these lead-in variations before the first measure.
- Replace Quarter Notes in Part A: Use one of these variations in place of measure 1 or 5. Try something similar in measure 3.
- Use 4th Finger in Part B: Practice using your 4th (little finger) on the 7th fret (B) in measures 11 & 15.
- EndLicks: Substitute either lick for the last two measures, 16 & 18. Both use a slide, but start with a different pick strokes & go in the opposite direction on the neck. Lick #1 slides Down the neck on a Downstroke, followed by another Downstroke at the beginning of the next measure. A bit more difficult, Lick #2 slides Up the neck on an Upstroke, followed by another Upstroke on the next note.
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