Good Oktoberfest tunes?

[Big Squeezy Accordions]

Hey Folks,
Every year I get offered Oktoberfest gigs, as no doubt many of you do also. I almost always turn them down because, to be honest, I don't much care for the music one is expected to play at these gigs. This year, however, I decided to say yes to a series of twelve 4 hour gigs that paid enough to make it worthwhile, and figured it would be a chance to learn some new repertoire. Apart from the unavoidable Chicken Dance, Beer Barrel Polka, and the (musically and thematically) appalling Too Fat Polka, which are always expected at these affairs, what are some legit Bavarian folk tunes that would be good for this kind of gig? Or, failing that, what are the tunes that people will want to hear at an Oktoberfest event in the (southern) US? My German repertoire is more along the lines of Kurt Weill and Hanns Eisler, which I'm pretty sure would not go over well.

 

[Ventura]

these have worked for me for decades

add in a few general purpose Rathskeller medlies that follow the beat
of happy Germans holding beer steins up in the air waving them
back and forth as they sing at the tops of their lungs

 

[JeffJetton]

and the (musically and thematically) appalling Too Fat Polka

Well if it helps, "Too Fat" is basically just the Village Polka with new words. So play the Village Polka and let the audience draw their own conclusions. I usually do it as a medley with the Lindenau Polka, but you can string any number of similar old polkas together to make things interesting.

Some other German and German-adjacent folk/trad tunes that I've played on these sorts of gigs:

• Ein Prosit (this one is pretty much mandatory)
• Du Liegst Mir im Herzen
• Der Fröhliche Wanderer
• Clarinet Polka
• Freut euch des Lebens
• Trink, Trink, Brüderlein Trink
• Lustig ist das Zigeunerleben
• Zillertaller Hochzeitmarsch
• Waldeslust

And some of the more modern/poppy Oktoberfest tunes to consider:

• In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus
• In Heaven There Is No Beer
• Edelweiss
• Pennsylvania Polka
• Who Stole the Kishka
• Fliegerlied
• Country Roads (Very popular at the "real" Oktoberfest for some reason)
• Hey Baby! (Yes, the old Bruce Channel song. Also very popular in Munich, believe it or not, thanks to a modern remake.)

Now I could be reading too much into your post, but I get the sense that you might feel a bit of disdain for a lot of this music. Which I sort of get. Some of it is simplistic and not very musically interesting. Maybe even stupid. And definitely clichéd (I mean, that's the point, isn't it? That's what Oktoberfests hire accordion players for--the whole stereotype.)

But you know what? I like playing them! More to the point, I like playing them for people who like hearing them. Kids going absolutely ape$hit for the "Chicken Dance". People swaying back and forth with their beers to Edelweiss, singing along. Even people not really paying close attention to the music but nonetheless enjoying the whole atmosphere.

There are lifelong memories being made at these events. And there are troubles being forgotten, at least for an hour or so. How fortunate to get to be a part of that?

 

[Giovanni]

I'm sorry to say that I got the same disdain impression .I hope I'm wrong ..
If you don't like the music or want to play over the audiences head you are not doing the bookers , audience ,or your self any favours !! Give them what they expect and want ..
Just my thoughts...certainly no offence intended in my comments

 

[Big Squeezy Accordions]

Thanks for the suggestions. These will be very useful. Sorry if anyone thought I was insulting the music or expressing disdain. As I said, it's not my favorite style but I am looking forward to learning a new repertoire, and I wouldn't have taken the gig if I didn't understand my role as an entertainer and deliverer of familiar favorites. I mostly make my living repairing and refurbishing/selling accordions at this point, so I'm not so hard up as to take a gig I absolutely don't want to do. No doubt it will be fun, though 4 hours solo is a bit rough.

 

[JerryPH]

No doubt it will be fun, though 4 hours solo is a bit rough.

Calculate about 15 songs per hour and take a 15 min break each hour to minimize the pain... lol

 

[Tom]

Get any book of Frankie Yankovic tunes and don’t forget the waltzes and schottisches. There are cool tunes there you never heard, on beyond the Beer Barrel.

 

[John M]

Get any book of Frankie Yankovic tunes and don’t forget the waltzes and schottisches. There are cool tunes there you never heard, on beyond the Beer Barrel.

Here's a "cut sheet" of a Slovenian polka I found -- I don't know where I got it. I don't even know what the name means. It's a very simple tune. You can add 1/8" notes, different right hand patterns, etc. I love it. I never play it the same twice. For me it's one of those tunes you just have to "feel", get into a polka beat rhythm, and play what comes out. Then it's the best.

 

[JeffJetton]

I don't even know what the name means.

According to Google Translate, "moja dekle" means "my girlfriend".

And hey, while we're on the subject of Slovenian accordion music, you can't go wrong with pretty much anything by Slavko Avsenik. Okay, so he's not German, but he was/is pretty popular over there--a lot of his tunes are possibly better known by their translated German titles ("Trompetenecho", "Auf der Autobahn", etc.)

 

[John M]

According to Google Translate, "moja dekle" means "my girlfriend".

And hey, while we're on the subject of Slovenian accordion music, you can't go wrong with pretty much anything by Slavko Avsenik. Okay, so he's not German, but he was/is pretty popular over there--a lot of his tunes are possibly better known by their translated German titles ("Trompetenecho", "Auf der Autobahn", etc.)

Thanks -- Now I can tell the folks when I play that polka

 

[Jaime_Dergut]

Kids going absolutely ape$hit for the "Chicken Dance". People swaying back and forth with their beers to Edelweiss, singing along. Even people not really paying close attention to the music but nonetheless enjoying the whole atmosphere.

There are lifelong memories being made at these events. And there are troubles being forgotten, at least for an hour or so. How fortunate to get to be a part of that?

I swear that I'm going to get a duck mask and play the chicken dance in an Oktoberfest this year or later.

 

[JerryPH]

I had a lot of fun with the chicken dance... I'd almost drive some of the older people to having a heart attack with how slow and fast I'd play it and I always had a chuckle when me and the trumpet player would play major wrong key notes for this one particular part... never a dull moment in that song!

 

[Ventura]

curious to me.. i would have never considered the Chicken Dance an
Oktoberfest song at all

to me it is one of those silly Wedding party type songs for the Kids
and drunk Uncles and Aunts to have fun with.. like the Macarena..

i don't think i have ever played it at an Oktoberfest gig, which around
here has always been more Euro and less Chicago Polka focused
with the Food being at least as important as the Bier and occasionally
including a few of the open-air specialties i fondly remember
like Zwiebelkuchen and Mushroom Soup and DampfKnodlen..
i look forward to some Nuremburger Brats and Purple Slaw and
all those treats and think of them while i practice the music and
find a few new songs to include in this season's setlist

one year i got some slightly yet fermenting Wine from BIll Loew to bring along,
as the "noiwein" is sipped and discussed at the more country located German
Oktoberfests and good naturedly argued over.. good for digestion too !

 

[JeffJetton]

i would have never considered the Chicken Dance an
Oktoberfest song at all

to me it is one of those silly Wedding party type songs for the Kids
and drunk Uncles and Aunts to have fun with.. like the Macarena..

It's both!

Although I'm not so sure how common it is at an authentic German Oktoberfest, I've definitely heard it at some here in the States. I guess we're more inclined to associate pretty much anything that sounds polka-y and has an accordion with Bavarian culture and thus Oktoberfest, even if it's really Polish or Slovenian or (in this case) Swiss-German.

I mentioned Fliegerlied in my list above. That would be the one to play if you wanted a goofy audience-participation song that actually is German (and apparently very popular at the Munich Oktoberfest).

 

[Tom]

Chicken Dance is definitely considered standard Oktoberfest fare here in Wisconsin, US. Don’t ask me anbout other venues. But I think any kind of audience participation tunes are fair game, especially if they involve throwing beer. Even YMCA.

 

[Ventura]

the one that they seem to like and help me sing is
"Who stole the Kishka"
and though it seems vaguely Polish to me, they have a very artistic
Poster in the Skeller at Old Europe that is very German indeed

Ein Prosit to all, and to all..
Ein Schwei Drink up !

 

[Alan Polivka]

the one that they seem to like and help me sing is
"Who stole the Kishka"
and though it seems vaguely Polish to me, they have a very artistic
Poster in the Skeller at Old Europe that is very German indeed

Ein Prosit to all, and to all..
Ein Schwei Drink up !

Yes, Kishka is the Polish word for blood sausage - it is a Polish-style polka. In German, that type of sausage is called Blutwurst. Nonetheless, as you imply, it is very a popular song at Oktoberfest - especially in this country. Similarly, the Beer Barrel Polka is extremely popular at Oktoberfests and it is a Czech polka (originally named "Skoda Laska").

 

[Tom]

Yes, Kishka is the Polish word for blood sausage - it is a Polish-style polka. In German, that type of sausage is called Blutwurst. Nonetheless, as you imply, it is very a popular song at Oktoberfest - especially in this country. Similarly, the Beer Barrel Polka is extremely popular at Oktoberfests and it is a Czech polka (originally named "Skoda Laska").

Pretty much, as I’ve noted before, here if you don’t play Beer Barrel you might as well just pack up your cordeen and go home. Sad but true!

 

[Alan Polivka]

It's both!

Although I'm not so sure how common it is at an authentic German Oktoberfest, I've definitely heard it at some here in the States. I guess we're more inclined to associate pretty much anything that sounds polka-y and has an accordion with Bavarian culture and thus Oktoberfest, even if it's really Polish or Slovenian or (in this case) Swiss-German.

I mentioned Fliegerlied in my list above. That would be the one to play if you wanted a goofy audience-participation song that actually is German (and apparently very popular at the Munich Oktoberfest).

The Chicken Dance was originally the Ententanz, which means Duck Dance in German. So, yes, they play it over there. It became known as the Chicken Dance here in the USA when a German group was touring the USA and wanted to rent a duck costume for one of their performers. The location only had a chicken outfit, and that's how the name got changed here.

 

[Alan Polivka]

Get any book of Frankie Yankovic tunes and don’t forget the waltzes and schottisches. There are cool tunes there you never heard, on beyond the Beer Barrel.

Yankovic books will certainly work for most audience members who are not familiar with traditional Oktoberfest music. However, the Yankovic music is all Slovenian, so Germans (who haven't lived here in the '40's-'60s, when Yankovic was popular) won't recognize any of those songs.

The list of songs provided by Jeff J is exactly what you need to learn for playing an Oktoberfest. I've been playing for Oktoberfests for about 50 years and play them throughout Colorado every weekend of Sept and most of October, so I can attest to what Jeff recommends.