Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec

Subject: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Project
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 02:40 PM

I have the longterm loan of an old songbook from the WLS Radio (Chicago) Barn Dance program, 1935.. It's far too fragile to play out of. I have discussed its preservation with two Mudcatters, but it looks like a big project for one or two, and if more people participate it could have some nice applications.

Obvious approaches are scanning, hanging up on a website.... posting lyrics & chords here... someone mentioned recording...

OK, details:

100 WLS Barn Dance Favorites.
(C) 1935, M.M. Cole Pub Co., Chicago. "From the music library of WLS, The Prairie Farmer Station, Chicago." Compiled by John Lair, WLS Music Dept.
Approx. 100 songs with artist photos and line art. (Pioneer songs, southern songs, cowboy songs, fiddle tunes, sacred songs, mountain songs, home songs.)
Foreword, black & white souvenir photo (inside back cover).
Also included, article by George C. Biggar, WLS promiotional director, WLS: When the Cowbells Ring Out on Saturday Night (It's National Barn Dance Time)." 96 pages.


See also related thread, "Help: Cowboy Songbook Preservation Project."


People, what are your ideas? Post them here.

Do you want to volunteer to join the project team? E-mail me.

(Click HERE to e-mail me.)

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: Lucius
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 06:17 PM

So what tunes are in it??? I'm always looking for new tunes, and I might be interested in typesetting a few. Are they too fragile to scan and send along?

And what is a Chicago Barn Dance, anyway?? Around my parts a barn dance is the rougher version of a genteel English or Contra dance. Longways sets and/or Squares--are the steps even included?

Lucius

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: Dale Rose
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 09:34 PM

Yeah, I got that one too, and many, many more. Time is what it's all about, though.

The National Barn Dance which began at WLS, and struggled through its final years at WGN after WLS changed formats was more or less a Grand Ole Opry type show, but I'd say it had a bit broader interpretation of what type of music to perform. At least that was the way it was then ~~ now the Opry plays just about anything.

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: Gypsy
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 11:51 PM

What we have done with old, fragile books, that we really want to play out of. Gingerly copy each page at a quiet copy shop, preferably one with tables. Once the scary part is done, pop the original back into bag. Then, you can have the copyshop run multiple copies, collate, and comb bind. You will want to keep one as a master, to make other copies from. As an aside, I used to love WLS when i lived in the area! Is WXRT still in business? Another real fave, i recollect when they first started.

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: Gypsy
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 11:53 PM

Oh yeah, just to segue even further off.....still have the Hometown Album that WXRT put out in the long ago and far away.

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 03:39 AM

Yeah, scanning is a problem with old books. I hate to risk breaking the binding by pressing them down flat to get a good image. I notice that some scanners have a very small margin between the glass and the edge of the machine. I imagine those would be much better for scanning out of books. Anybody have pointers on scanning?

Also, is there a way to compensate for yellowed paper, to get the image to come out just black-and-white? A good Xerox machine can do it - why not my scanner?

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: GUEST,Kernow Jon
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 10:24 AM

Joe
I've just scanned a copy of Duelling Banjos tab that was printed on a tan coloured paper and I used the lineart setting. Came out OK in pure black on white.
KJ

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: GUEST, WYS
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 11:03 AM

Fortunately these are all pretty easy to flatten without harming-- the Barn Dance and cowboy books. Bound like magazines-- stapled-- with lightweight paper and covers that don't create much bulk. The staples can come out, too, if necessary... once and once only! And then they can go right back in!

~S~

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: RichM
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 11:13 AM

I'll volunteer to help; I have a new scanner on order...waiting impatiently for it!

What can I do to help? I don't have a website, but I could post lyrics and chords.

Rich

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: GUEST, WYSIWYG
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 12:02 PM

Great, Rich! Scroll up in this thread to the clickable link to my e-mail and sign up. I may not reply right off-- I am just collecting names for now. Mention what you are willing to do, in your message, OK?

Dale. Were there other volumes issued in other years, or was this one IT?

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Mar 01 - 03:23 PM

Betcha thought I forgot this project. I didn't. I had several really promising volunteers sign up, too. Thing is, one of the signer-uppers has a PILE of stuff probably more worthy of preservation than this thing-- and I am waiting to hear back from him if he would like to invite my volunteers to help HIM, instead.

So hang on-- news when I have it.

~S~

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: NH Dave
Date: 07 Mar 01 - 12:43 AM

Joe,

In the older days before color copiers one could usually get rid of specks and other induced graphic noise by setting the contast/saturation real low so all you'd get were weak lines on a dead white background, then copy that output with normal contrast to get sharp images on a background that was still clean.

You can continue to play with the contrast controls until you get most of the background garbage out of the copies, which can then serve as masters for new contrasty clean copies.

Dave

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 04:00 PM

If you are wondering what ever happened to this project, and all the help offers I got, it all got set on the back burner when health, computer, and other problems got in the way, and also I lost touch with one of the mainstays of the planned project.

However in the meantime I got a scanner and Noteworthy Composer software and can share items from these more easily from right here.

What I think makes sense now is for me to post a table of contents of the items in the book and people can request them-- I can e-mail a requestor a scan and they can post words and maybe share with me the work of making a Noteworthy tune of it. And I will save it all in folders that can eventually be dumped into a CD I can burn to lend out by mail. Unless someone volunteers a site it can be hung up in, at that point.

That sound workable?

~Susan

Subject: RE: Help: Barn Dance Songbook Preservation Projec
From: IanC
Date: 22 Aug 01 - 04:19 AM

Susan

This project slightly worries me. This work is clearly copyrighted and John Lair may even be still alive. Have you sought his (or his heirs') permission for this wholesale copying?

I know the book isn't easily available in bookshops but, by searching on the internet, I have found that it is in one or two libraries.

Should we be doing this?

Cheers!
Ian