Dirk Powell played this tune for my video camera in a private lesson in 2000, so this is a transcription that I can guarantee to be true to the source! Dirk recorded Snake Chapman's Tune with Tom Sauber and John Herrman on their out-of-print Yodel Ay Hee cassette album One Eyed Dog (a most excellent album -- if you find one, grab it). I will post selected excerpts of my video of Dirk playing this tune as soon as I have secured permission from him to do so.
This is a very interesting, driving tune. Would be great for a square dance that doesn't require a square tune (note that there is an extra beat at the end of the A part -- I've cheated my measure system a bit to fit it in). The A part is modal or minor-sounding until it resolves to the A major chord in the 7th measure. However, interestingly, the guitar is playing a major D chord throughout (except for the brief A major in the 7th and 15th measures). This gives the tune a wonderful dissonant tension.
The A part is transcribed from the main way Dirk played it for my camera, but "A Var 1" seems to be the dominant way he played it in One Eyed Dog. The other variations were presented in the lesson as ways to color the tune depending on one's mood.
It's up to you to transfer the B part to the upper strings for the high version, which alternates every other time with the low version shown in the tab. The fingering and bowing are the same, but the drones will now be below the melody instead of above.
Comments, suggestions and/or corrections are always welcome! Write me at: doug at oldtimefiddle dot us
For printing or viewing in Acrobat, use the PDF version.