searching for songs with chords

Subject: searching for songs with chords
From: GUEST,Ian
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 08:03 AM

Is there a way to find good folk songs including chords?

I'm not looking for any particular songs but would like to increase my current singing/guitar repetoire.

Apologies if this is a daft request!

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: donal
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 08:09 AM

try www.olga.net

D

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: Charcloth
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 08:11 AM

two books that have over 1000 folk songs with chords "Rise up singing" & "Folk Singer's Wordbook". The first one is produced by Sing out magazine. I think it is probably the better of the two & cost about $20. The second is compiled Fred & Irwin Silber & cost about $30. I hope this helps
Charcloth

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: MMario
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 08:17 AM

For those songs you can find in ABC notation (and there are a lot out on the web) - Pavane's HARMONY program will assign chords for you.

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: GUEST,Ian
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 08:23 AM

Thanks for the replies.

Can you tell me a bit more about this HARMONY program? It sounds interesting. I get frustrated by finding great lyrics but no chords!

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: Genie
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 01:07 PM

There are many folk song books with chords (and usually melodies, too) which are found in most municipal libraries. Some pertain to particular artists (e.g., Joan Baez , The Weavers, Theodore Bikel, Tom Paxton, Woody Guthrie) and others to eras or countries (e.g., Child Ballads or Songs Of The Old West). Use a topical search under "folk music" and you should find a lot of material. (If you don't have access to a fair-sized city library, the internet can give the same results, but I find it slower than the library if I just want to browse a wide selection of material.)

Genie

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: MMario
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 01:13 PM

Ian - see this thread

I'm sure Pavane will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: wysiwyg
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 01:21 PM

Well, wait a minute. If you know the melodies, figuring out the chords for yourself can be some of the best part of having the songs at all. There have been lots of threads about chord theory around here-- maybe someone can point them out for you. But you CAN do your own arrangements and often they are quite simple. This really makes the songs your own. Also, if you play with others who are learning, you can work with each other to do arrangements on stuff the group is interested in.

Try this with a song you are interested in now-- go grab your guitar (or whatever you are playing) and and play detective, and see what the chords might be!

~Susan

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: MMario
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 01:24 PM

now Wys - you *know* there's bunches of folke out there that don't seem to be capable of that... *grin*

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: Genie
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 02:46 PM

Yeah, Susan, I often use the chords that are printed in the songbook or sheet music as a jumping off point for MY chord pattern--one that fits my capabilities, harmonies, etc.
Occasionally I will be 'stumped' on a song because I can't figure out where the chord pattern STARTS (if it starts off with the 5th or an unusual chord). Once I get my bearings, e.g., from a chord sheet, the rest comes naturally. And if the sheet music puts in what I think are unnecessary chords, I often omit them. If it leaves out chords that would add richness or pizazz, I may add them.
There's another nice thing about lyric sheets printed with chords -- you can share them, withouth having to type everything out yourself and add chords. (I have tons of songs that I know how to play but for which I end up spending time generating lyric/chord sheets for jams or song circles--reinventing the wheel, as it were. That's why a book like "Rise Up Singing" is helpful in settings like that.)
Genie

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 02:57 PM

Re MMario's first suggestion, you don't need to find the songs in ABC only - if you have a MIDI file you can use utilities like midi2abc to convert them and then use something like Harmony if you can't put your own chords. (Is the online version of the DT all MIDI now? If not I can supply you with the entire Fall99 version converted to either abc or MIDI - I spent an hour or so running a batch conversion of them all from Songwright).

Mick

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: 53
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 08:34 PM

A lot of the songs in the books sometimes have the wrong chords, so you still might have to figure them out anyway.

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: MMario
Date: 07 Mar 02 - 08:37 PM

The online version is midi Mick, the downloaded or CD version is in Songwright.

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: pavane
Date: 08 Mar 02 - 02:49 AM

Ian, You can download my program from my web site www.greenhedges.com(Hope I got the blickie right this time)

It does need to be provided with a melody in some format, either abc or MIDI, but will then generate chords for you, and play them for you to check.

Let me know if you want any further information or help

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: Genie
Date: 08 Mar 02 - 02:57 AM

Your're right about the books often having the wrong chords, 53. They often have the wrong words, too, and maybe the wrong authorship attribution.

Nevertheless, it's a place to start from. You can change the chords if something else sounds better.

Genie

Subject: RE: searching for songs with chords
From: GUEST,ta2
Date: 08 Mar 02 - 10:12 AM

guitar tab universe.........it's a mirror of olga and nebraska archive