August 2024- "Teddy Bears' Picnic"
This month’s free tab is an arrangement of the song “Teddy Bears’ Picnic”. The teddy bear is a classic children's toy that has been beloved for generations. It originated from an incident involving President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 during a hunting trip in Mississippi. During the trip, Roosevelt refused to shoot a black bear cub. This demonstration of compassion was depicted in a widely circulated political cartoon by Clifford Berryman, which inspired a Brooklyn candy shop owner named Morris Michtom to create a stuffed bear and name it "Teddy's Bear" in honor of the president.
The toy became an instant success, leading Michtom to found the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co. to mass-produce "Teddy's Bears" across the United States. The teddy bear craze quickly spread worldwide, becoming a staple in children's bedrooms and a symbol of comfort and companionship.
In 1907, John Walter Bratton composed an instrumental piece called “Teddy Bear Two-Step” in honor of the popular stuffed animal. Some 30 years later, an Irish songwriter named Jimmy Kennedy added the now familiar lyrics, and renamed it as “Teddy Bears’ Picnic”. The song became a popular children's tune, describing a delightful picnic attended by teddy bears. Over the years, "Teddy Bears' Picnic" has been recorded by various artists and remains a classic in children's music repertoire.
This arrangement requires the use of the 1+ fret. If you don’t happen to have an instrument with that additional fret, you can add a “temporary” one by taping a wire paper clip to your fretboard half-way between the first and second fret.
Here’s a link to a YouTube video of an original recording of the song by Henry Hall and his orchestra in 1932:
If you go down to the woods today, be sure and take your favorite Teddy Bear with you … along with your dulcimer!
In music and friendship,
—Tull
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