What songs/tunes are you practising now?

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 11 Feb 16 - 06:37 AM

Down in the fields where the buttercups all grow.   And failing miserably at it.

LTS

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Will Fly
Date: 11 Feb 16 - 03:56 AM

This is lovely stuff - the essence of a great thread - such rich and varied activity.

Love it!

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Bugsy
Date: 11 Feb 16 - 03:31 AM

San Diego Serenade (Tom Waits)
We Are One (Dan Seals)
All Those Songs (Derek Brimstone)
Fairytale Lullaby (John Martyn)

Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Feb 16 - 11:35 PM

"Sligo River Blues" --John Fahey, from "The Legend of Blind Joe Death"

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: BobKnight
Date: 10 Feb 16 - 08:39 PM

She's An Old Weakness - Diamond Rio'

Trad song: The Land O' The Leal

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Rog Peek
Date: 10 Feb 16 - 04:16 PM

The Set Dancer's Complaint by Pat Burke
The Cotswolds by Mick Connor
Cotswold Tiles by Edward Berryman/Johnny Coppin

a capella

Rog

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Sean Belt
Date: 10 Feb 16 - 02:52 PM

Will Fly: Yes! With R. Crumb. I simply can't get enough of that stuff. And top notch work on that video. Thanks for sharing.

GUEST,leeneia: Good to hear from another Show-Me-Stater. Where in the state are you located? Focal Point is a great venue. We've played there a couple of times and it's always a good time.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Feb 16 - 09:44 AM

Thanks for the video, Will. That's an impressive performance.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: gillymor
Date: 10 Feb 16 - 07:49 AM

Excellent reading of that lovely old tune, Will.

Octave mandolin: Lucy Farr'S Barndance/ Bill Malley's Barndance

                      The Mouth of the Tobique

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Will Fly
Date: 10 Feb 16 - 03:25 AM

Some time ago I did a tenor guitar transcription and recording of the Frankie Trumbauer/Bix Beiderbecke version of "Singin' The Blues" (the 1920s version, not the later Marty Robbins tune).

Having been without the tenor for bit, I decided to work out a fingerstyle guitar version - which is what I'm working on at the moment. I've voiced it in G, and put a capo on the 2nd to give it a bit of lift. It's coming along.

The Trumbauer/Beiderbecke recording is one of my all-time favourites. Here's the link to my tenor guitar version if you're interested...

Singin' The Blues

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 Feb 16 - 11:58 PM

Sean Belt: hello from a fellow Missourian. I've been to the Focal Point.

Ged Fox: I play 'Nymphs and Shepherds' too. A beautiful piece.

I'm practising the old 'La Seine' by Guy LaFarge. Got the idea here at the Mudcat. The only MIDI I could find had about eight instruments to it, and the melody kept moving from part to part. In addition, it was in E-flat but the maker hadn't indicated that. It took me over and hour to get a workable copy of it.

There is a contemporary piece called 'la Seine', but I don't care for it. It's very percussive.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Will Fly
Date: 09 Feb 16 - 12:04 PM

Ah - the Cheap Suit Serenaders - with Robert Crumb, I presume? One of my favourite bands!

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Sean Belt
Date: 09 Feb 16 - 11:53 AM

I've been working on material for an upcoming gig (March 5, if you're interested) at The Focal Point here in St. Louis with my band, The Mound City Slickers. Along with contributions from the rest of the band, I'm trying to get these into shape:

"Moonshiner" and "Hills Of Mexico" from Roscoe Holcomb
"Leaving Home" from Charlie Poole, about the Frankie and Johnny/Frankie and Albert murder here in St. Louis
"I've Always Been A Rambler" which I picked up from The New Lost City Ramblers
A couple from The Cheap Suit Serenaders: "Fine Artiste Blues" & "She Lived Down By The Firehouse"
"Down By The Willow Garden" a fine old ballad of murder and subsequent punishment!

I'm having a wonderful time with all of them, by the way.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Ged Fox
Date: 02 Feb 16 - 11:18 AM

Within my usual genre of "Board School Folk & National," in the last couple of weeks I've sung, in front of an audience for the first time, "The Old Superb" & "The Boys of the Old Brigade." More practice needed on both.

Not yet ready for performance, "Nymphs and Shepherds" with voice and Northumbrian pipes.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 02 Feb 16 - 09:26 AM

...and actually, having just listened to the Poirot theme on youtube, I think it would sound uncannily like a Playford tune if played starkly on the violin!

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 02 Feb 16 - 09:20 AM

I'm having a bit of a tunes frenzy at the moment, having been given several tune books for Christmas.

Learning lots of different Playford Tunes:

'The Beggar Boy' trying to pair it with 'Bobbing Joe' (they fit well, but they're also on the same page in the book, very handy!)
'Millison's Jig'
'Millfield'

Also:
'Jack Worrell's Hornpipe'
'R Key's Hornpipe' from Three Extroardinary Collections (wonderful book)

To whoever it was mentioned the 'Jeeves & Wooster' theme: there's a musical turn of phrase that keeps cropping up in these old hornpipes that kept on nagging me, until I realised it was from the Hercule Poirot theme. At some point I shall have to learn it, and find a way of shoehorning it into a set.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: gillymor
Date: 02 Feb 16 - 04:18 AM

I used to play Bonnie Lass of Anglesey in open C tuning, sort of approximating Carthy's version. I think Richard Thompson appropriated the main lick in that one for '52 Vincent Black Lightning and if I remember Carthy's liner note he got it off some cajun fiddle tune.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 02 Feb 16 - 03:52 AM

"The first cut is the deepest" (Cat Stevens but working from the Sheryl Crow version) probably in single drop D but it might go to double drop D.

Travelling Light (from the Cliff Richard recording)

Street Fighting Man (using a funny capo to approximate the open G tuning).

Blowing in the Wind (working from the Marvin Gaye recording)

King Knapperty (obviously from the Carthy recording, hoping to make a mandolin part out of it)

Bonnie Lass of Anglesey (also from the Carthy recording, hoping to make a guitar part out of it using a funny capo to approximate DADGAD)

Meet on The Ledge (hoping to get it a bit more folkie than the Fairport original and planning to use chorus after every verse)

And one of these years I will get back to the elusive Monster Science (working from the Kirkpatrick recording) and Stockholm Tar (from the Spinners recording).

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Will Fly
Date: 02 Feb 16 - 03:27 AM

Hi Dennis - are you doing OK with "Puttin' On The Ritz"? The notes aren't a problem in that one, but the syncopation can be a little confusing at first! Great tune though.

Glad you like the thread - nice to get positive thoughts from people and news of progress.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Gurney
Date: 01 Feb 16 - 11:00 PM

The John Renbourne Group's variant of 'High Germany.'
Marcus Turner's 'Chocolate.'
John Martyn's 'Fairytale Lullaby.'
Tom Paxton's 'When You Shook Your Long Hair Down.'
Madeleine Peyroux's 'Don't pick a Fight With a Poet.'

Mostly. And for various reasons.

Trouble is, I'm finding it hard to cram any more lyrics into my aged pate, and I was never a good guitarist.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 01 Feb 16 - 09:48 PM

Bovaglie's Laid, re-fingered from the old way I played it. (Wrong key from the Scott Skinner book). Jenny Nettles, different tuning from the way I used to play it. Arthur's Determination, tune I made up for one of our cats.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: GUEST,DrWord
Date: 01 Feb 16 - 08:48 PM

Hey 'catfolk.
tenor guitar: Puttin' on the Ritz, Windy and warm
mandolin: Gossec's Gavotte, intro & break for Steve Goodman 's Between the lines
3 days of laying flooring, eager to get pickin'. Thanks for the thread, Will.[and, of course, everyone who has contributed] I have temporarily pushed pause on trying to learn your transcription of Eugenia, but it _is_ on a back burner.

keep on pickin'
dennis

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: gillymor
Date: 01 Feb 16 - 07:15 PM

Dave, find a musical partner(s) and see if you can find some tunes to work on together. You'll be surprised how quickly your practice habits will improve and consequently your playing, plus it's a lot of fun.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Feb 16 - 02:47 AM

Just getting to grips with piano accordion so everything I play needs lots of practice! Oddly enough the Princess Royal is one I am doing. Along with Planxty Irwin, The Jenny Lind Polka and The Bridges of Paris.

The thing I am trying to practice most though is not a tune but focus! I get distracted by allsorts of things - Mainly random musings :-( How do you good musicians concentrate on what you are playing? Any tints and hips?

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Will Fly
Date: 01 Feb 16 - 02:35 AM

Nice choice, Garg - I used to do "Maple Leaf Rag" on guitar, many years ago, after hearing the playing of David Laibman and Eric Schoenberg.

Hi Charlie - nice to see you up here. Hope you had a good Christmas and New Year!

Constant practice of the Swedish bourrée by Roger Tallroth - "Amanda" - has paid off. We played it last night at the Ditchling session in Sussex - and it sounded OK, with tenor guitar (me), nyckelharpa, concertina and guitar.

Now I'm going to look at the theme tune to "Jeeves and Wooster"...

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: RTim
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 11:40 PM

As always - too many songs a one time.
When will I ever learn.

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 07:13 PM

Piano will be tuned in February.

Without harmony there is little joy nor motivation.

Agenda:
Memorize, refresh, again many Ragtime Joplan.
Learn/memorize "Black Hawk Waltz" and "Maple Leaf."
Commit to three "spontanios performance pieces.
Practice/read/perform two scored classics:
"Rhapsody in Blue" and "American in Paris."


Sincerely,
Gargoyle

spontanious playing "by ear" is grand...but has provided a momentary (15 year) cheap thrill).

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 05:30 PM

Lady Coventry's Minuet and Fare Well

Both published in Newcastle in 1800. I found them at the Traditional Music Archive site.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: fat B****rd
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 02:38 PM

Mary's Prayer by Danny Wilson and Heroes by Mr. B.
Hi, Will. How are you?.
Charlie

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 01:29 PM

Just emerging from the serious Burns season up here, and now starting to look at stuff for the next Matt McGinn tribute night in Linlithgow. Haven't yet seen the set list, but I heard that "A Right Proper Bar Steward" is getting done again. I have suggested another lullaby, called "Lie Cosily" - much less well-known than "Coorie Doon".

Beyond that, there will be St Patrick's/Irish-themed gig in March.
Have some nice 3-part arrangements of "Her Mantle So Green" and "Si Beag Si Mor", and we'll be doing a set of polkas (don't have the names with me right now.)
Will be brushing up "The Ballad of John Williams" too.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 12:34 PM

Haven't got the right sort of drum, but I've got other things that will do. I've never done anything quite like that before and it's going to take a while to get it down.

It's amazing what you can do with only three holes and enough practice:

Phil Cunningham set

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Will Fly
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 12:14 PM

That's a great tune, Jack - thanks for the heads-up. The txistu (plus drum) reminds me of the medieval pipe and tabor. Do you always play the pipe with one hand - and have you got the accompanying drum as well?

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 11:45 AM

Fandango Albiztur.

It's a Basque tune, and since I've just got a Basque instrument (a txistu) I thought I'd try it on that. But I can't find a recording of it played on one (it was written by an accordionist) and it's a bit of a bugger on it.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Will Fly
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 09:58 AM

Whoops - gillymor

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Will Fly
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 09:58 AM

Thanks, Gillmor - he's a wonderful player, and a nice guy as well.

I like your choice of current guitar tunes - particularly The Princess Royal.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: gillymor
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 09:36 AM

Mandolin:

Christmas Day Ida Moarnin'
Variations on The Wren

Guitat:

Bonaparte Crossing the Rockies/ The Princess Royal fingerstyle

Banjo:

Julianne Johnson variations

I loved Mr. Durrant's video. Great playing and a nice guitar.

Subject: RE: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: terrier
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 09:17 AM

I play mainly Irish music, but not exclusively, whatever takes my fancy really. I always have a long list of tunes on my to do list and I play them all regularly, those that I end up liking stick in my memory, others just slip away into oblivion. I don't really spend time 'learning' tunes, I just keep playing them until they sink in. Same with songs, although not such a long list these days, I read the words whilst singing them, they take root eventually. but not all the songs stand the test of time.

Subject: What songs/tunes are you practising now?
From: Will Fly
Date: 31 Jan 16 - 08:04 AM

What's on your performance plate at the moment, fellow 'Catters? Something old, something new, etc?

I'm lending my beloved tenor guitar to a fellow musician (Richard Durrant)* for a few weeks from Monday onwards, so I've been giving it a good workout, before I lose it for a bit, on:

"Blue Skies" - in G
"Amanda" - bourrée in Gm by Roger Tallroth of the Våsen Trio
"Maison De Glace" - slow jig in D

And, on mandolin:

"Proudlocks Fancy/The Marquis Of Lorne" - hornpipes in G
"Enrico/Argeers" - in D

*Honeysuckle Rose - Richard Durrant