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14 messages

old time fiddle dots

08 Jun 07 - 04:38 PM (#2071695)
Subject: old time fiddle dots
From: oombanjo

Hi all Im trying this one for my better half. Is there a site where you can get some old time fiddle score. eg needle case. cheers Oombanjo


08 Jun 07 - 04:49 PM (#2071701)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: katlaughing

THIS SITE has dots for a lot of old trad tunes. There was some discussion about the website owner listing it all under the "Celtic" banner, but English is not his first language and I say cut him some slack. There's a lot of work put into the site and I appreciate it.

If you have a program which can convert midi to dots, Barry Taylor's Traditional Tunes site is excellent. Just use the drop-down menu and you can download the entire collection. They are well-sequenced and arranged and a lot of fun to play along with, imo.

So...are you gonna change your name to oomfiddle?**bg**


08 Jun 07 - 05:25 PM (#2071735)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: Banjo-Flower

I think that site's too Celtic for Oombanjo,Kat
he's looking for American old time at a guess

Gerry


08 Jun 07 - 05:34 PM (#2071750)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: Lynn W

This site has Needle Case amongst others-
http://www.mne.psu.edu/lamancusa/tunes.htm
You can also get it on general sites like JC's tune finder, just type the title in the search box-
http://ecf-guest.mit.edu/~jc/cgi/abc/tunefind
See you next weekend!
Lynn W


08 Jun 07 - 06:40 PM (#2071791)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: oombanjo

thanks all. and shall we be seeing you this year lynn??


08 Jun 07 - 06:54 PM (#2071797)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: katlaughing

Well, Taylor's tunebook has a whole category of American tunes, if, as I said, you have a converter program. (Wasn't sure where you were.:-)


08 Jun 07 - 08:02 PM (#2071846)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: open mike

John Chambers has a wonderful site--link here:
J C's Tune Finder has several formats, dots, midi, etc.
this was mentioned already, and here is the blicky


08 Jun 07 - 09:59 PM (#2071895)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: Stewart

Here's a great collection - not free, but well worth the price.

Cheers, S. in Seattle


09 Jun 07 - 08:49 AM (#2072079)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: Sorcha

Lots of stuff here. Click!

I used to have another site marked but I've lost it.


09 Jun 07 - 08:57 AM (#2072083)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: Sorcha

All MIDI here, but if you have Noteworthy, etc you can transcribe.

A bunch more.

That ought to keep you for a while. Then, go buy The Fiddlers Fake Book, by Brody, Oak Publications.


09 Jun 07 - 04:01 PM (#2072317)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: Jack Campin

Try the Henry Reed archive at the Library of Congress American Memory site.


09 Jun 07 - 04:38 PM (#2072349)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: wysiwyg

ABOUT GETTING FIDDLE TUNES FROM DOTS... (dot, dot, dot)

I used to assume all palyers know the following, until I learned that thinking that was likely to be construed as being rude and dismissive.

So-- just for those new to the genre, most of which originated as live (L-I-V-E)dance (D-A-N-C-E) music,:


1. Oldtime = folk subgenre= not composed on paper usually = dots will be transcriptions of heard, well-known versions

2. Transcriptions will tend to indicate a repeat of each section, but actual practice = the tunes are played until the dancers drop. :~)

3. True tempo = dance tempo = how fast can feet move and still be having fun = slow down! = remember the dancers even if there aren't any actually present = it ain't bluegrass

4. A piece may have a local way the repeats are organized = a given tune may usually be played AABBAABBA or AABBAABBAABB, or whatever is local practice. Three-part tunes may also have a particular repeat pattern in local custom = AABBCCAABBCC or AABBCAABBCA or whatever = none of this will probably be indicated in the transcription so you will have to listen to other players

5. Historical/field recordings may very well include only a single run-through of each section to get as many tunes on tape as possible = may actually have been played in a very different repeat pattern in the locale or by the player from where/whom it was collected = if you are going to learn from a recording you must customize what you have heard = if you are going to be playing with other players you must plan on punting to follow their lead on matters of tempo, repeat paterns, etc.

6. Ornamentations are not the tune! = Learn to hear the diff between the basic underlying pattern of intervals upon which the ornamentations have been layered, and learn to hear the ornamentation variants = the dots will usually treat ornamentation as melody and will not tell you straight-out which notes you can omit while learning the tune (or adapt at will to make your own ornamentations).


May be more, but gotta go,

~Susan


10 Jun 07 - 02:21 PM (#2073005)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: BanjoRay

Susan - that was an excellent view of getting Old Time tunes from the sources. The snags and pitfalls of only getting them from written music are very many and very varied.
As Dwight Diller says --- You gotta listen to the old guys!
Ray


10 Jun 07 - 03:05 PM (#2073032)
Subject: RE: old time fiddle dots
From: wysiwyg

Thanks, BR. I'd add this:

If ya don't have any old guys to hear (in person or via recording), ya gotta listen to the ones that did listen to the old guys! :~) They might have a clue.

~Susan