Annotation:Clayhole (The)

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X:1 T:Clayhole Waltz, The N:From the playing of the Gifford Family, for several generations musicians in N:the southern Utah area, beginning with Moses Elias Giffo rd in the late 1800's. N:Samuel Kendall Gifford formed the Gifford Family Band in the first half of the N:20th century, and musical descendants of the family continue to entertain. M:3/4 L:1/8 R:Waltz D:Utah Arts Council, The Gifford Family - "An Old-Time Utah Dance Party" (1996). D:https://digitallibrary.utah.gov/awweb/awarchive?type=file&item=69936 Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:C Gc|e2- ed eg|e2d2e2|a2- ag ab|a2g2e2 |d2- dc de |1d2c2d2|e2- ed cA|G4 :|2 d2c2 ed|c2-cB cd|c4|| F2|A2F2F2|F2[F2A2] cA|G2 E2-EF|E2D2E2| G2D2-DE | D2C2D2|E2-ED CD|C4 FG|A2F2[F2A2]-|[F2A2]A2 cA| G2E2- EF|E2D2E2|G2 D2-DE|D2C2- CD|C2-C z CD|C4||




CLAYHOLE, THE. American, Waltz (3/4 time). C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). One part. "The Clayhole" was collected by Utah concertina player Hal Cannon, who learned it from Larkin Gifford of Springdale, Utah, who said he had learned the melody and title from his father. Cannon taught the tune to Ron Kane and Skip Gorman, who remark "Apparently, the Clayhole was an old camping spot near the Arizona-Utah border where lumberers, freighters and cowboys would rendezvous"[1].

The Gifford family of southern Utah are a musical family going back generations to Moses Elias Gifford in the late 1800's. His descendent Samuel Kendall Gifford formed the Gifford Family Band in the first half of the 20th century, and gained a regional reputation. Further descendants of the family continue to entertain and perform at folk festivals at other functions.


Additional notes
Source for notated version : - Greg Canote [Silberberg].

Printed sources : - Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; p. 24. Matthieson (Waltz Book II),

Recorded sources : - Folk Legacy FSE-76, Ron Kane & Skip Gorman - "Powder River" (1981. Originally recorded in 1977). Rounder Records, Skip Gorman - "A Greener Prairie." Utah Arts Council, The Gifford Family - "An old-time Utah dance party : field recordings of social dance music from the Mormon west" (Disc 2: track 29).

See also listing at :
Hear Ron Kane & Skip Gorman's 1977 recording at Slippery Hill [1]
Hear the Gifford Family recording [2]



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  1. Liner notes to Folk LEgfacy FSE-76, Kane & Gorman - "Powder River", 1981.