September 2020 - "Brush Arbor"

This month’s tab is an arrangement of another original song by David Schnaufer called “Brush Arbor”. The title refers to the rough, open-sided structures constructed of vertical poles driven into the ground with additional long poles laid across the top as support for a roof of brush, cut branches or hay. They were often used by churches to protect worshipers from the weather during lengthy revival meetings, also known as “camp meetings”.

Brush arbor revivals began in the late 1700's and were held regularly through the mid-1900's. These "protracted meetings" could last for days or even weeks, with many people traveling for miles to attend and staying to camp on the grounds. An itinerant minister or a preacher who rode circuit through rural communities would send word in advance of his expected arrival and the congregation would erect a brush arbor to house the revival meeting, usually at a crossroads in a well-traveled area. Leafy branches overlaid the pole structure, blocking the hot summer sun and most rainfall. A pulpit was set up in the center front. When the crowds overwhelmed the space under the arbor, extensions could be built to accommodate them.

David co-wrote the song with fellow Nashville musician and song writer Rick Roberts. Rick is a multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo). He and David met when both were working as session musicians. David later invited Rick to join him on his 1992 release “Dulcimer Sessions”, and it was while working on that project they came up with “Brush Arbor”. In the liner notes, David dedicates it to his friend Bea Jordan, a woman who lived next door to David’s family in La Marque, Texas, when he was growing up, and who taught David that “Jesus lives in the Garden”. He recorded the tune on his 19th century music box, outside on a hot summer day with the thirteen-year cicadas “just a buzzin' right along in the sonic wilderness”. They recorded the song as an instrumental for that album, but when David recorded it again on his 2001 release “Uncle Dulcimer”, he also provided the vocals for the tune.

David usually played this in the key of A, since that was a better key for him to sing in. He did that by capo’ing at the 4th fret out of D-A-d tuning. I’ve arranged it here in the key of D, so no capo is required.

Here is a PDF of a hand-written copy of this tune written by David himself that he used to teach at a workshop at Kentucky Music Week in July 2000. I’m indebted to Sharon H. for sharing this with us all!

Tab by David

As a reminder, a DVD of a concert David did in 1999, recorded and preserved by Dave Haas, is now available for purchase. This remarkable video capture's every detail of David's playing for a full hour-long concert. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this video go to support the "Dulcimers for David" project, which is spear-headed by Deborah Porter, with the goal of getting mountain dulcimers into the hands of young people who have expressed an interest in learning to play.