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So I thought I’d take a break from posting Old World tunes of uncertain origin and switch to something new and different – New World tunes of uncertain origin. “Big Sciota” (or sometimes “Big Scioty”) is an example of what is known as the “Old Time” genre of music.
Before recorded music was a thing (so all of human history before 1900 or so), if you wanted to hear music, you either had to go to a performance or play it yourself. And since most people (A) lived far away from any kind of live music venue and (B) didn’t have spare money lying around to attend a concert anyway, many more people made music themselves in their homes.
The tunes that were passed around between these home-based musicians in the past and and then down through the generations are collectively known as Old Time. “Big Sciota” is one of countless tunes in the genre, but it is definitely one of the more popular that is still loved to this day, especially among Bluegrass musicians.
If you listen broadly enough, you’ll hear many different versions of the tune as well. That’s because Burl Hammons, the West Virginia fiddler most often credited with bringing “Big Sciota” back to life in the second half of the 20th century, was known to play the tune in a variety of different ways. Musicians who play it today can choose to emulate any of the dozens of recorded performances of Hammons, resulting in many different popular renditions.
“Big Sciota” Playing Tips
You are certainly welcome to seek out early recordings of “Big Sciota” from Hammons and others to work out your own variations on the tune. The version I’m posting sticks to the core of the melody as I first learned it and is perhaps a bit boring. I still like it, though.
The A section of “Big Sciota” sticks to first position for the most part, and it has lots of open strings, which I hope makes it look friendly to beginners. Measure 6 features a quick slide that might catch you off guard.
After playing the 3rd fret at the end of measure 5, keep your finger (probably your ring finger) in the same position and play that 3rd fret again. As you strike it, though, slide your finger from the 3rd fret up to the 5th, keeping it pressed down the whole time.
If the slide is too intimidating for you at the moment, you can just stretch your pinky up to grab the 5th fret and play it without the ornamentation for now. Easier still, you can play all of those notes on the 5th fret by just playing the open A string. I like the contrast in tonality you get by playing the A on the E string first and then switching to the open A string at the end of the measure, but it isn’t necessary.
The B section features some shifts in position to grab that 7th fret on the A string a few times, and it throws that slide up the 5th fret of the E string in two more times. This is a really rewarding tune once you have all of the little tricks down, so be patient with it.
If you do find the tune too challenging for you at the moment, I’ve included a simplified version as well. PDF download after the embed.
Click the link or the ‘Download’ button below to see the sheet music if your browser doesn’t display the embedded PDF. The simplified version of the song is the bottom download button. Happy picking!
“Big Sciota” Low G Ukulele Sheet Music Download
“Big Sciota (Simplified)” Low G Ukulele Sheet Music Download
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