Fusiontunes - Posted - 07/12/2010:  00:56:54

The Shannon Waltz
An Irish waltz named after the Shannon River in Ireland.

I first heard this tune in the early 80's from this album:
amazon.com/gp/product/B002XF1R...1&seller=
I really liked the tune but had a hard time keeping up with it. I never did learn to play it until recently. I had forgotten about it.
There doesnt seem to be much information on this tune but here was what I was able to dig up.
Apparently The East Texas Serenaders recorded a version of it:
music.aol.com/song/shannon-waltz/2353719

Also played by Walter Ford and recorded by Steve Rice in Breckinridge County, Kentucky 8-20-91

Here is another version on youtube
youtube.com/watch?v=rznojJZxro4

The sheet music I learned it from.
celticguitarmusic.com/tbw_shannon.htm

A recording I made of it last night.
I dont know how to create a link to the tune but you can find it here at the bottom of my list of tunes.
fiddlehangout.com/myhangout/mu...?id=17918

Edited by - Fusiontunes on 07/12/2010 00:59:03

wormbower - Posted - 07/12/2010:  06:47:49

Nice one! Gotta love that bass player hamming it up in the You Tube video. Your playing on your own recording is beautiful.

Paul

tiquose - Posted - 07/12/2010:  13:05:50

Paul's right!

So, once I get the melody into my head, how do I make it sound "waltz-y" like you do? Gotta get back to learning vibrato, but ... there's more to it than vibrato, isn't there?

Ozarkian D.L. - Posted - 07/12/2010:  20:45:35

Ca'nt find nothing else on this'n Vinney, but it's sho'nuf a good'n. I've never heard it before. You're a great fiddler.

Edited by - Ozarkian D.L. on 08/16/2010 08:03:15

Runaway - Posted - 07/14/2010:  06:15:50

quote:

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So, once I get the melody into my head, how do I make it sound "waltz-y" like you do? Gotta get back to learning vibrato, but ... there's more to it than vibrato, isn't there?

---

Reilly-Byrne - Posted - 07/14/2010:  07:31:42

I've heard this waltz at Texas fiddle contests.

M-D - Posted - 07/14/2010:  08:07:29

Taylor McBaine frequently used this waltz when competing in contests. I believe he called it "The Waltz of Shannon".

Fusiontunes - Posted - 07/14/2010:  10:57:08

Thanks Paul.
Its just a quickie. Its tough for me to call a tune "finished" with only a guitar for accompaniment.
I'm so used to adding mandolin breaks, bass parts, etc..

quote:

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Originally posted by wormbower

Nice one! Gotta love that bass player hamming it up in the You Tube video. Your playing on your own recording is beautiful.

Paul

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Fusiontunes - Posted - 07/14/2010:  11:20:30

There are many different types of vibrato. Each one can make you sound totally different.
For Bluegrass/Blues I use a slow wide vibrato. For jazzy tunes I tend to use more of a short quick vibrato.
I still have to play only one style for awhile to be consistent.

I dont know any secrets for playing waltzes. On my show we never play the same style back to back and end up playing in several different time signatures. I can recall tunes we do in 4/4, 3/4, 5/4 7/4 2/4 6/8 16/16 etc.
Outside of the Bluegrass and OT world not all 3/4 time tunes are waltzes.
I feel lucky I can even make it through one.

quote:

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Originally posted by tiquose

Paul's right!

So, once I get the melody into my head, how do I make it sound "waltz-y" like you do? Gotta get back to learning vibrato, but ... there's more to it than vibrato, isn't there?

---

coelhoe - Posted - 08/16/2010:  08:47:01

The Fiddlers Companion has a long discussion of the tune which is identified as Canadian / New England. It was also recorded in the late 1920's by The East TExas Serenaders, whose fiddler said he learned the tune from a northern fiddler. It was made more popular by Don Messer, the Canadian legend, and from him it entered into the contest repertoire, usually called the "Waltz of Shannon."

On the Youtube versions, the first couple of measures are similar to "Sweet Bunch of Daisies," and the rest has many of the typical contest waltz flourishes and runs.

For those looking to add some good waltzes to the their repertoires (a requirement for fiddling in the west) let me recommend "The Fiddle Tune Repertoire Builder: 25 Waltzes." By Vivian Williams and available from the Voyager Records website. CD and music. Vivian has won in several divisions at Weiser over the years and knows her waltzes.

Edited by - coelhoe on 08/16/2010 08:48:46