Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: GUEST,Val
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 05:41 PM

Oh, Tannenbaum is pretty religion-neutral as I recall, especially in German ("Christmas" tree would be Weinachtsbaum, not Tannenbaum. So the typical English translation is a wee bit misspoken?)

Val

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: GUEST,Murray on Saltspring
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 04:18 PM

The Gloucestershire Wassail is one of the best. Oxford Book of Carols and many other places.

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: SharonA
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 03:25 PM

*refres*

Thanks again, folks... especially to OldHippie who emailed me a scan of some hymnal pages. Keep the songs coming, please!

Sharon

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: Susan of DT
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 08:41 AM

try the key word seasonal in the DT. You will get songs for a lot of seasons, but look thru it to see what you like. Also, think wrens and wassail.

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: MMario
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 08:55 AM

the ABC is the letter stuff down below the red portion. starts with N:


the concertina net converter is at:

http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 07:52 PM

There's our own CapriUni's Solstice Song with ABC tune in this thread

Sound samples, maybe enough to get the tunes, and songs HERE at Amazon. #3 - To Drive Cold Winter Away is an easy tune to learn, imo, and can be done a lot faster and less formally than in the sound sample. #7 Send Us A Happy New Yeare, is to the tune of What Child Is This.

This Little Light of Mine has been adapted for Solstice, from what I vaguely remember...dropping the reference to Satan.

These adaptations would be easy to learn: CLick

Good luck!

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: Fidjit
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 07:00 PM

There's aso the parody of the Boars head.
About
The kebab that I have in hand.
Is the best Kebab in all the land.
No one knows what animal
gave it's life to produce this meal!

Enjoy your winter solstice I know all about the dates. My son was born on the 21st. Dec. Longest night I remember.
Chas

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: SharonA
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 06:39 PM

Chas: Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen (December 26th). Solstice is December 22nd this year, and is always a few days before Christmas. Aside from the part where the king and the page go tramping about in the winter snow, I'm not sure what "GKW" has to do with the solstice.

The Boar's Head Carol might be a possibility, though. I'll run it past the band members.

Gotta log off now and go to a different band's rehearsal. Please keep those song suggestions coming!

S

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: Fidjit
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 06:02 PM

Solstice was, "The Boars Head Feast" surely? And Any Yuletide references ie Good King Wenceslas.

Chas

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: SharonA
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 05:58 PM

Thanks, O.H.!!

If anyone else prefers to email songs, please PM me and I will provide my address. Thank you!

S

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: SharonA
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 05:54 PM

Hi, MMario:

OK, I went to www.concertina.net and... umm... where's the converter?

(The "ABC" is all that code in red text on Barbara's thread that kat linked to, right?)

Thanks,
Sharon

P.S. to Chas: Thanks for the link. Aside from the aforementioned "Deck the Halls" and a Shaker hymn called "The Glad New Year", I didn't see any songs there that one could interpret as Solstice songs... but at least the site provided sheet music and a midi for their songs!

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: oldhippie
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 05:43 PM

"Chant For The Seasons", I will e-mail copy.

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: Fidjit
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 04:58 PM

Try these here

all you need I think

Chas

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: MMario
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 04:38 PM

Sharon - for the midi posted in midi text cut and paste the ABC at concertina.net's convertor and it will give you sheet music or midi.

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: SharonA
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 04:31 PM

Hi, Richard:

According to my friend who issued the invitation to me, the festival set list will certainly include Christmas songs (and I think "The Holly and the Ivy" would fall into that category, as it draws parallels between pagan symbolism and the birth of Jesus).

However, he says he needs to include Winter Solstice songs in that set list, and has none to put there. So we need songs about the Solstice celebration that do not allude to the Christmas story.

Thanks,
Sharon

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 04:12 PM

Any of the versions of the Holly and the Ivy? - or is it too Christian?

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: SharonA
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 04:04 PM

Thanks, Kat! That's a great start. But how can I get hold of tunes and chords for some of these songs before Sunday afternoon -- 4 days away?

BTW, for Barbara's song with midi, I could not link to the page with the midi software and instructions. Is this on a new site?

Thanks again,
Sharon

Subject: RE: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 03:48 PM

click

and, there are some simple round in this thread

and, one more with midi clickety

Subject: Easy-to-learn Solstice songs needed NOW!
From: SharonA
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 03:39 PM

How do I get myself into these things? A guitarist friend, who has sat in with the folk trio I belong to, has invited us and three-or-four other folk musicians to perform with him at a holiday festival to benefit a local arts center. The fest is a week from Saturday, and we're going to have only one rehearsal together this Sunday. My friend is specifically asking us to bring along Winter Solstice songs for the group to learn on rehearsal day and play together at this festival. He says he doesn't know any Solstice songs, and aside from "Deck the Halls" I don't really know any myself, and neither of us knows what if any songs the other gents can contribute!

I know there are several Mudcat threads about Solstice songs, and I apologize if this one seems redundant, but this is not a generic request for songs. I'm in need of songs that can be picked up quickly by our pick-up band! We'll have several guitars, a banjo, a mandolin or two, a blues harp (as needed), an acoustic bass and probably a fiddle. The players are at varying levels of proficiency; some can do nice bluegrass breaks or blues licks, while others (like me) are more limited to fingerpicking sequences and rhythm instrumentals (though I'm learning to take mandolin breaks!).

Songs with easy chord progressions would be best, and I'm thinking that we'd better play songs that have a straight 4/4 or 3/4 or 6/8 rhythm throughout (not songs that have the occasional 2/4 measure popping up in the middle of a 4/4 song to confuse those friends whom I know are tempo-challenged).

I have a wide vocal range and could lead-sing tunes with notes that "jump around", but it would also be nice to have songs with simpler tunes that others could lead or join in with.

So, given all that, can you help??? Please?????

If so, please provide as much info as possible: lyrics, chords, tune and/or a link to a page where the tune can be heard, etc.

Thank you so much!!!

Sharon