Help Us Get a Good Grade

Subject: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: GUEST,JudiB
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 02:58 AM

My brother-in-law is taking a course in recording technology in college. His final grade next semester will be to turn in an album. The usual fare is Rock or Hip Hop, he wants to not only be different, but also to have something to be proud of at the end.

He wishes to record an album of Appalachian Folk Songs, all of which need to be public domain, and as we are limited to female voices, those suitable for girls to sing would be great.

If you could suggest any songs for this list, we would be very grateful.

We will have at least one guitar, maybe more, but not really anything else in the way of musicians. (Oh, possibly a bass if needed, but that's either way really.)

Thanks in advance,

JudiB <><

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 05:18 AM

Look here:
http://www.smsu.edu/folksong/maxhunter/

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Amos
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 05:22 AM

All the songs on the Mudcat CDs are either public domain or are permitted by their authors.

A

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 05:43 AM

I'm fairly ignorant of Appalachia and its music - however I do recall Joan Baez referring to some of her songs having that as an origin. Come All You Fair and tender maidens was very popular in English folk clubs at one time. I believe early folk song collectors like Cecil Sharp toured the region and found isolated settlers who had kept British ballads intact for several hundred years. I seem to remember reading somewhere that they actually like to be accompanied on a piano.

If you can get the Joan Baez songbook, it would probably give you the actual songs. This is as quick fix rather than involving yourself in research at a time when you need to be buckling down to the technical side of your assignment. The recording of acoustic instruments is always an unknown quantity.

I can think of half a dozen artists who will give you a more ethnic sound and sing with that sort of Appaachian twang in their voice, but copying Joan Baez's work will be easier for you to achieve and technically easier for your guitarists to approach. Plus she relies on a guitar, if you get into banjo tunes and autoharp pieces, when you haven't got either - it might be difficult. A Jaws harp is a cheap enough authentic detail. Maybe you could sample it and play it with with a keyboard - easier than doing it properly!

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: GUEST,MTed
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 12:02 PM

If I was taking a class of the sort decribed above--I'd try to set up a project that showed off the skills I had learned in the class---- good folk recordings require lots of live recording---which equals studio time--Hip Hop and rock stuff can be done with relatively little live recording, with lots of synth tracks and samples cut and pasted on the the computer--the sort of thing a student could do in their own room--

On the other hand, it is possible to use synth sounds to fool the ear into thinking that it is hearing acoustic folk music when it is really hearing techno--our own Justapicker made it look easy with his recording of "Don't Think Twice"--

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 12:07 PM

An essay of interest.


A

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: GUEST,JudiCB
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 03:08 PM

Thanks for all the input.

The point of this excersise is to show what he can do in the studio, we will have a LOT of practice time beforehand, and all the performers are relatively experienced with working together, and with music in general, not professional by any means, but we're pretty good. We just don't know what songs to do... I will look into all the songs and srtists mentioned here, and will keep coming back to check for more answers... we have a few months to get this together, so I'm not worried about how much work is necessary, we'll be able to do it.

Thanks again,

JudiCB <><

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: mg
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 03:18 PM

A long time ago I came across a great internet site that had actual people singing actual songs and I think they were Appalachian if I recall..anyone remember the site? There were hundreds and hundreds of songs. mg

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: GLoux
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 04:17 PM

How about Southern Harmony?

-Greg

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 04:28 PM

That looks like a great source..but the one I was thinking of had actual recordings of people. WIsh I knew where to start looking. It has been mentioned on Mudcat before. mg

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: GLoux
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 04:39 PM

Okay, how about The Wolf Folklore Collection?

-Greg

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: GLoux
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 04:49 PM

There's also The Digital Library of Appalachia. Click on the Music button once there...

-Greg

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 05:16 PM

Mary,
   The Hunter Collection is probably what you remember. The URL that I posted is for that site. It is loaded with audio files.
             Sandy

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 07:16 PM

GLoux--

Thanks for the Digital Library of Appalachia! We do a lot of that sort of gospel weekly in an alternative worship service. Many new items to try!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Bill D
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 08:05 PM

indeed, GLoux...that is a fantastic site, (I made the mistake of showing my wife, and almost lost my seat at the computer..*grin*...she wanted to hear everything...till I pointed out there are 600 pages...


and the Wolf site is almost as good.

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 08:23 PM

Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies(Maidens)
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=1883

Wagoner's Lad
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=7561

Pretty Saro (this tune used for Wagoner's Lad also)
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=4782

The Riddle Song
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=6898

I Wonder as I Wander
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=75584#1329126

Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=665

..and don't forget the link to Southern Harmony above by GLoux
I like Resignation (My Shepherd Will Supply My Need)...
and of course New Britain (Amazing Grace)

A dulcimer accompaniment would be nice if you have one. (Your guitar player could probably play it easily.) Jean Ritchie plays the Resignation tune on the Appalachian Dulcimer in the Mudcat CD collection that Amos mentioned above.

Come to think of it - Check out Jean's page at http://www.jeanritchie.com or just Google "Jean Ritchie"!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 08:49 PM

The cross-referencing at DLA is not entirely reliable-- there are song files hiding in a number of the other pages besides the Music pages, that do not appear in the Music list, so do look "fuhthuh."

Also I found it very hard to notice that it isn't only the ones MARKED with a fiddle image & MP3 that have a downloadable MP3! Apparently they only marked 'em like that when they had no other image to hang up. They are ALL MP3s! Some are just short clips, but a LOT are full length songs.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 09:16 PM

All of the recommendations are good, especially the Library of Appalachia site, which I had glanced at once but didn't really look through and appreciate until now.
The Wolf and Max Hunter sites are useful because many of the Appalachian songs appear in the Ozarks as well.
("I Wonder as I Wonder" is Appalachian in style, but is a modern song by John Jacob Niles- ca. 1933. The copyright, if any, has not been enforced as far as I know, so it is 'available'.)

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 09:55 PM

***Correction***

Jean plays the Resignation tune on a different CD, not the Mudcat CD.

And I'm glad Q clarified that JJN info. I never know what to do about him. There are many other ballads (Child Ballads, etc) that are sung in the Appalachians, but not originating there. ie. Barbara Allen (Barbry Ellen) Jean has an entire tape of Child Ballads in the Appalachians.

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Ferrara
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 10:22 PM

oh my. These links are going to keep me busy until at least September! Love the DLA. We came across some fragments that I really loved, and the text explained where to find a recording of the entire song. ... Come to think of it, it's going to keep me broke until September, too.

Good luck with your project, JudiB.

RF

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 10:35 PM

Huh? Whadja say? [savetargetsavetargetsavetarget....mumble.....]

Oh hi Rita! (I bumped into her in there)

~S~

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: open mike
Date: 23 Feb 05 - 11:12 PM

i recommend seeing these movies for ideas...and you might include a
Shape Note Song...see sacred harp music
Oh Brother Where art thou...
High Lonesome sound-by John Cohen
High Lonesome by Rachel Liebling
http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?ean=755362060499&pwb=1
Song Catcher
Cold Mountain...Tim Ericksen was the music Director, i believe.
http://www.coldmountainmovie.com/
look up music by these folks:
Roscoe Holcomb
Bascom Lamar Lunsford
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001DK0/102-6229915-1319334?v=glance

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: GLoux
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 08:18 AM

The Wolf collection has an incredible bunch or Almeda Riddle recordings...

-Greg

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Bill D
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 11:21 AM

yes! I was drooling over those...an entire Granny Riddle CD!

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 01:05 PM

On top of old smokey
down in the valley
the dove she is a pretty bird
wildwood flower

Why confine yourselves to Appalachia? Appalachia isn't that big.

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Ferrara
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 04:27 PM

Musically, it's huge. The geography of the mountains tended to encourage development of local musical traditions so there is a great variety of musical styles & repertoire.

Geographically it's not that small either. The DLA site has recordings from college & university collections in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 04:52 PM

Appalachia is huge geographically, tho this collection doesn't cover it all.

~S~

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 06:23 PM

WYSIWYG is correct; many people have no idea of what the Appalachians really comprise.
Ohio's Appalachian region comprises 29 counties in eastern and southern Ohio. Ohio Appalachian Region Don't forget much of Pennsylvania belongs to the region.

The Appalachian Mountains, with name changes, extends from the Maritimes of Canada to Mississippi (and in the subsurface to southwestern Texas). Wherever the mountain chain exists (above ground), many of the same songs are found.

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: open mike
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 06:35 PM

you might want to check into the recording techniques used by
Grey Delisle . I
hear she tries for the old fashioned sound by using older
recording equipment...not going digital.
She was featured in the No Depression Magazine march april 2004
She mentions that she recorded many of her songs on vintage equipment,
such as a Rek-O-Cut recorder. She wil be appearinig in a documentary
on the Carter and Cash families soon.

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 24 Feb 05 - 07:18 PM

Curiously I was looking at John Jacob Niles songbook earlier this evening. Go there.

Subject: RE: Help Us Get a Good Grade
From: GUEST,JudiCB
Date: 25 Feb 05 - 12:56 PM

WOW!!

This is so great!! Thank you all so much... I will pass along all the info to my B-I-L and see what he wants to do about it...

I don't really know why he wants only appalachian music, but who am I to disagree, I have found such a rich source of music, I can't complain in the least, it's a dream come true to find great music, and this is an opportunity in a lifetime for me to acutally be able to perform this kind of music.

I hope that this project will be a way to expose some of the people here in Houston to the great music of the Appalachians.

Thanks again...

Judi <><