Frank Fairfield: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

[@deehoo40]

It's strange how the older I get the more appreciate honest, real sounding music. This was great. New fan.

[@ArbitraryLifestyle]

+David Hoggan not terribly strange if you consider the inverse... that younger people enjoy meaningless music.

[@LeafHuntress]

+ArbitraryLifestyle Get of my lawn!

[@ArbitraryLifestyle]

LeafHuntress Get out of my leaf pile!!

[@aninatalia]

Absolutely!!! The honesty is gorgeous & just so endearing.

[@Goff667]

❤

[@bicarbonat1]

_What a merry time we'll have upon your wedding day, Hi dee dudlee um tu dum ta day, There's work for all when little boys get maaarried~_

[@moxzilla6]

I knew it was him! His voice is super unique!

[@ennisshabab9557]

I popped off sohard

[@ennisshabab9557]

AAAAAHHHH

[@devonm8578]

The pointy cone upon your head, you can't be wearing that.

[@ginog9684]

The same -- I watched OtGW several years ago, then discovered American Epic a year ago, then rewatched OtGW and said, my God, it's that guy that sang about being a duck in whiskey!

[@florianclaude]

With one of my band we played a show with him (not playing together). It was in a house for a special evening. It was crazy, like we were back 100 years in time. Most of all, he is lovely as not so many people

[@nickhagin7825]

its like we're all sitting around a fire letting the music guys of the village play around while we all fall asleep

[@fetermcblues]

Finest authentic music so impressed to see Frank plays with these great two musicians this is phenomenal

[@ethppr]

I love the way he sings, I've replayed I ain't a goin' to weep no more so many times. It's great!

[@xandavius9610]

He sang in a cartoon called over the garden wall. Look up "courting song, over the garden wall". It's a great example of his singing voice.

[@ethppr]

@@xandavius9610 that's awesome to hear, thank you!

[@andrewbarrett1537]

That’s a great song. I love how Von Tilzer uses the half-step above motif in the verse to give a slightly sinister or unsettled sound; it’s poignant when taken in contrast with the prettier chorus and helps make the tune less bland as a whole (as do the non-chord-tones in the chorus). It’s funny, several great songwriters like Harry Von Tilzer, Chris Smith, Irving Berlin, Vincent Youmans, and Lewis F Muir could only play piano in one key: respectively Bb, Ab, and the last three in Gb or F#. I wonder if there is somehow about how limiting one key was that helped encourage them to be more creative within that key? Maybe if they could have played in multiple keys they wouldn’t have reached so far in coming up with tunes? Anyway Irving Berlin did have a transposing piano, however.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

I wrote “something”, not “somehow”. Thank you autocorrect 😂

[@randomstuffidc]

​@@xandavius9610that's where I found him his voice is amazing

[@NUFCGamer]

So glad I've found this little gem again - who's still listening in 2021?

[@Unusederas]

2022!

[@fractuss]

Late 2024 here.

[@hauntsofnature]

Frank is so amazing!! This music makes me picture warm summers spent on a porch drinking sweet tea

[@bairiotjf]

Thank you from Belgium. Thank you Zac, thank you Frank, Tom, Craig, Meredith, Jerron, ... :-)

[@dylanperrillo]

By far the best NPR Tiny Desk there is.

[@benjaminhartley6578]

I'm a lover and a student of music and this is what does it for me. So good, thanks

[@rustoleum6232]

14 years ago; I heard the legend of Frank. So it goes something like; little frank was raised in Nicaragua, amongst a bunch of "old time, southern records", that happened to be there. Not far from the church's musical instrument's. The three ingredients mixed. ,and Todd got his fiddle back, with only one string left.

[@briansinclair4961]

The most entertaining quarter hour on the internet. Love it.

[@carolinerodrigues2369]

Jesus Christ!!! It's so beautiful. Hugs from Brazil.

[@Accou25]

One of all time favorites of NPR TDC, didn't see it for a long time and "I ain't gonna weep no more" played in my dream tonight. Great song(s) and performance! Thank you.

[@johnmcfadden3149]

Only here cos its always on the end of the Chris Stapleton NPR Tiny Desk Concert! Good stuff haha

[@briansinclair4961]

This is real music, played by great musicians.

[@hibryd7481]

Found it via Over the Garden Wall, but makes me want to watch Zorba the Greek for some reason. :3

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Does the mandolin remind you of a Bouzouki?

[@Mariekesone]

Love these guys, wish they would tour New Zealand :-)

[@briansinclair4961]

such joy. I keep listening to this.

[@S1P1G3]

Just Fantastic. Well done gentlemen.

[@pkcowzah3369]

What a delight!..thank God they were tired

[@briansinclair4961]

still the best thing on you tube. Real Music

[@briansinclair4961]

this is probably the best music on youtube

[@nathannichols2021]

I love Frank's laugh

[@143yaknow]

This makes me so happy!

[@mopslopanbucket]

HOLY BANJO SOLO!

[@MissNatalonga]

Diggin the green 'stache. ^_^ Loved it.

[@briansinclair4961]

fabulous

[@briansinclair4961]

best string music on line.

[@briansinclair4961]

still great.

[@aninatalia]

Apparently, everyone that keeps mentioning how "out of tune" they are, are just missing the point... Get over yourselves. Enjoy!

[@trevscribbles]

What point are they missing? Being in-tune is literally THE basic requirement in the life of a musician.

[@stephenlasko9217]

They’re channeling a musical feel that doesn’t require strict rules of being in tune. Whether most musicians would approve is beside the point. They’re playing it the way they want, and it’s got a character that would be gone if it was in tune. Not that being in tune isn’t preferable in most instances, but the rule book should not be adhered to at times.

[@seth11247]

I don't think its out of tune really ever? Unless you are shooting for perfection.

[@ProfesserLuigi]

@@trevscribbles What dull musicians you must be with that just have good tuning as the base requirement.

[@LammasDeluge]

@@ProfesserLuigi Thank you for pointing this out. There can be so much beauty of expression in "wrong" notes and dissonance.

[@Benjahmanmusic]

I have to keep searching for this one because youtube won't play it on my mixes. Maybe that's why only 92k views in four years :(

[@andrewbarrett1537]

That’s not right! Something wrong with the algorithm

[@briansinclair4961]

the most entertaining music on youtube

[@nickcaceresmusic]

Not really sure what people mean by 'out of tune'. They are actually completely in tune. The instruments are old and rustic, but they are tuned just fine, probably by ear, exactly how something like that would have sounded 100 years ago.

[@bobkmac]

Instruments being "old" is no excuse for being out of tune. And yes the banjo is most definitely out of tune.

[@TimeGallon]

They aren’t in tune.

[@SweetBabyJoe]

Glad they got to take a break from the Italian restaurant they all work at to do this.

[@plebiannn]

Harsh but sadly true. Performance was oke but not up to tiny desk standards. O well they play better than me

[@maaxalvarez]

omg hahahahahhaaha

[@BannedPhotoshop]

hahahahaha

[@oldtimeharmonica8560]

Lmao

[@andrewbarrett1537]

As a person who has been studying and playing this music for over 20 years, you are probably not focusing on the right aspects of their performances. For one thing, note their RHYTHMIC FEEL and PHRASING. It is not perfectly even like in a lot of published sheet music, but is deliberately lilting. I almost wrote “uneven”, but unfortunately that word also means “careless” or “not well thought out” which is not what we have here. I mean for example their eighth notes are not perfectly straight. This is also true of many legendary recording artists from the ragtime era. Only with some of the musicians (often classically trained band musicians) are actual straight eighths actually played. The degree of unevenness or rather unequal eighth notes varies from musician to musician and is individualistic. Also, the feel also changes when syncopation is played. When a quick syncopated note comes up, it is often played slightly AHEAD of the beat, maybe not a full 16th note (in 4/4 time) ahead, but more like a 32nd note or similar. Along with an accent, this gives a nice subtle “kick” to the music. Even many of the “square” brass band musicians play the syncopations “ahead” on old ragtime era records, so they definitely “got it”.

[@dylanperrillo]

so good dude

[@kassandraayalasongs]

His mustache 😍😍

[@that_womann]

perfectiooon

[@altapape4594]

love

[@masonmcglamery4202]

I miss Frank

[@oscarking4891]

Mason McGlamery he's back! Started touring again last September

[@stanamilanovich3956]

Yay!

[@ArtBusker]

Me gusta !!!! Yesss !

[@DL-bd2zd]

If you liked the first song, search for "Brazilian chorinho". Very similar. (but not the same)

[@CyborgxHR]

Genial!

[@millicentwindshuttle9556]

does anyone know where i can find the banjo tab for the second song? plz plz plzzz

[@darianreynolds3630]

Millicent Windshuttle damnit 2 years and still not reply😂

[@andrewbarrett1537]

I think you have to transcribe it and make it your own since a good part of these performances are improvised. However, the tune itself was a published popular song and is public domain so you can probably find the sheet music on one of the free university sheet music collections online like “IN Harmony - Sheet Music from Indiana” at Indiana University; or “Charles Templeton Sheet Music collection” at Mississippi State University. These are two places where ragtimers find a lot of old sheet music as PDFs. Also original sheet music turns up on eBay and other places for not much dough. You can make tab from the original piano-vocal score.

[@davidcattin7006]

Check out Zac with La Lom.

[@tillmanwilli]

I

[@Greengo45]

song 1. whats the guy on the right playing? us that an 8 string uke? long mandolin? help please.

[@williewoodall8305]

over the garden wall

[@luceroemilynveratorres7103]

3:43

[@christianjacobsen2945]

Anybody feel like you're at Disneyland watching this?

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Speaking on behalf of the other Main Street Piano Players, as well as friends like the Dapper Dans and the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra (who are an entirely independent group whose music was licensed and used in the Disney parks for decades), I am very honored and humbled by your comment in comparing us collectively to these great ragtime musicians and thank you very much!! 🙏🙏🙏🥰

[@bloodvalenists9558]

Is there sheet music for the first song ? I've searched everywhere and can't find some

[@isaacj.elliott2137]

THE GUITARIST IS FROM LA LOM

[@HenryBarnesFiddle]

LA has it all

[@tonymostromable]

Amber curvatures all over the place....nice....good ol' Frank, I mean young Frank....

[@joeshea1010]

what happened to frank fairfield?

[@monoyamono]

About 1.30 mark someone in the background says "I'm off" in Spanish. Lol (Yo me voy.)

[@kurtdewitt460]

20 people are not fans of music.

[@aLtee]

I dont know why I cant stop laughing when I hear this music

[@jacquesdeburgo2878]

Bro don't even got a Patek 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@THESLOWDEATHHOOKS]

get these guys in tune lol good playing nonetheless.

[@birdyinabox]

95dank It wouldn't have the same character at all if it was "in tune"

[@darthsmack7090]

Lol James Brown

[@camerongairns8844]

quirky ......

[@Hunter623]

Shame about their instruments not being in tune..... Good playing otherwise.

[@Mariekesone]

Dave.Paul Uhm really, ever listened to Ry Cooder?

[@doekebekius1271]

Rineke RobertsonvanDam Ry Cooder usually plays in tune, but I tought it was a great performance!

[@meldanvers]

Fairfield is great but mustache isn't.

[@BICI1903]

I think I prefer Taylor Swift........bwahahaahaa🤣

[@andrewbarrett1537]

I like both!

[@robertbullard4741]

tune the guitars.. and spend more than 89 dollars on the instruments...otherwise very nice