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The following etudes in Figure Twenty-Five explore some of the melodic possibilities for shifting positions inthe key of C.

Track #25

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The Girl I Left Behind

Now it’s time to apply what we’ve learned to some fiddle tunes. A basic rule for all of the arrangements is tolet notes ring as long as possible, sometimes even holding a note into the attack of the next note. Take specialcare whenever fretted notes in higher positions mix with open strings. These timbral effects are subtle, butessential to the sound of flatpicking. Precise finger placement is important if you want to reap the benefits ofthe fingerings. Use the recordings as a guide to how the song should sound.

The Girl I Left Behind is a song that dates back before the civil war and is one of the most recognizable songsin the fiddling repertoire. This arrangement has us going through the form of the song twice. The first chorusstays in 1st position, with the only exception being a slide to 3rd position in measure fifteen. The second cho-rus is a variation which has the melody sounding up an octave. Watch the fingerings carefully.

Tracks #26, 27

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