Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

[33rdaladrummer]

http://cgi.ebay.com/IDd-Set-Discharge-Papers-Letter-and-Fife_W0QQitemZ150386559166QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2303bcc8be

"He re-enrolled at Port Clinton as a Fife Major on Sept 17, 1861"

I guess musical ability was not a requirement in this case. Either that or this fife belonged to someone else.

[Shantyman]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

Will, can you tell what key the fife is in?

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

I'll ask the seller how long it is. Or you can ask him if he has a piano to blow on it and hit the keys until he finds the right one.

[Jimmayo]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

In case some don't know what a cheater is, here is a picture of one. With this device anyone can make a fife sound off.

Story behind this one was that a Confederate broke it in two at Appomattox and threw it away. A junk dealer bought it from an old lady who said her yankee grandfather brought it home from Appomattox. This was about 35 years ago . When I asked the dealer what her grandfathers name was he gave me a funny look and said "why would you want to know that?" I gave him the asking price of $35.00 which I thought was high since there was no ID.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

Thanks, Jim, fantastic piece

[JKfifer119]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

http://cgi.ebay.com/IDd-Set-Discharg...item2303bcc8be

"He re-enrolled at Port Clinton as a Fife Major on Sept 17, 1861"

I guess musical ability was not a requirement in this case. Either that or this fife belonged to someone else.

there's many a musical person without an embrochure.
Also the cheater could have been put on the fife in the major's advanced GAR days, one never knows

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

Joe,

You should hear Joe Whitney play his original fife with cheater...

Steven,

15 inches long. It's a C.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

Jim,

Do you think you can take a tape measure to the broken fife when you get a chance? We've been having a B-flat / C discussion in Liberty Hall recently. Nowadays over 99% of fifes are B-flat but there are many surviving fifes in the key of C. There's a C fife at the Museum of the Confederacy.

Thanks.

[Jimmayo]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

Jim,

Do you think you can take a tape measure to the broken fife when you get a chance? We've been having a B-flat / C discussion in Liberty Hall recently. Nowadays over 99% of fifes are B-flat but there are many surviving fifes in the key of C. There's a C fife at the Museum of the Confederacy.

Thanks.

14.5 inches end to end.

What does that tell you?

[JKfifer119]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

14.5 inches end to end.

What does that tell you?

its a "C" fife most likely

as Will points out most(99.999%) fifes one hears today are in B flat.
an awful lot of orginal "c" fifes turn up but folks just don't like playing them
they take some getting used to but are pretty darn effective, you get a whole lot of bang for your buck, once you get passed the pitch

[Hardtack Herring]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

Oh Lord,

Here we go again with the C fife things.

It has been estimated that 50% of the fifes used in the war were in the key of C and the other 50% B flat.

Most people prefer the sound of the B flat over the C. To me it sounds much better.

Some will say the C fifes cut through the Drums better. I have not noticed this to be true.

Recently the LHFD performed on original Civil War Fifes in the key of C. This was a lot of fun. I think the best part about it was knowing the fifes we were playing were original. I do look forward to playing on Original fifes again be it C or B Flat.

Personally I like the sound of the B flat fife much better.

As for the Cheater...A lot of Civil War era fifes turn up for sale or auction with the cheaters attached. This seems odd to me as it is really not hard to play the fife without one.

It is much easier to learn to play the fife than the drum.

For those of you who think playing the drum is just banging with 2 sticks think again. To learn to play the drum properly can take up to two years of dedicated practice.

The drumming in the Reveille alone should be considered advanced.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

Paul,

This fifer seems to have the same opinions as you:

"I borrowed a drum from the quartermaster, and used to go over to the hill between the camp and Tufts college to practise. I had no one to teach me and probably began wrong, for I think I have never succeeded in anything less than in learning to drum. My sense of rhythm was keen and I could keep time, but I could never get an even roll. This is done by making a double stroke with each hand. That double stroke I never mastered. It was partly because a drum was so awkward to carry on the march that I soon sent for a fife and learned to play that, and in December got transferred from drummer to fifer, but I was glad enough to turn in an instrument that I played so poorly."

A little fifer's war diary. By Charles William Bardeen

http://books.google.com/books?printsec=frontcover&id=16yCAAAAIAAJ&output=text&pg=PA20

[joewhitney]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

Most of the Civil War era fifes I have seen are in C, but both were common from about 1840 on. Bb became popular because they could be played in the key brass bands played, and many bands had a fifer along with snare and bass drummer.

Prior to the 1840's they were usually in C, but looked much different than later fifes, being thicker, straighter and often of softer, quieter woods such as boxwood.

Almost every single fife from the period I have seen have either a cheater or a mark where a cheater once was. Whether this was during the war or afterward is impossible to say unless you have a CDV showing the fifer with the fife in his hands. But it's a great way to get thousands of novice fifer recruits to make actual notes come out instead of just air with out developing their embouchures!

Joe Whitney
2nd SC String Band
Liberty Hall Fifes and Drums
Md Line Field Music

[Hardtack Herring]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

Cheaters would help turn out fifers in numbers. Making that first sound from the fife is often the hardest part of learning to play

To be honest it did not take me long at all to sound a note from the fife.

Others it can take years! Why I do not know. Dedication is my guess.

Some can sound a note but can not finger notes at all.

And yes Will,

I would rather carry a fife on the march than a drum or rifle any day!

I often do not understand why kids getting into the hobby who can not play an instrument choose the much more expensive and heavy drum.

My guess is people think that the drum is easy. Just bang on it.

In reality the drum is much much harder to play than the fife.

If you were to learn to play the fife with a cheater which would be perfectly authentic the drum is now much much much much harder to play.

As this topic is about fife cheaters.... Are there any repros being made? I have only seen original cheaters.

I would also say that many of the original or antique fifes I have seen for sale have cheaters on them.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Fife Major using "cheater" mouthpiece

Ed Boyle sells cheaters:

http://www.beafifer.com/mouthpiece.htm