hi guys.. sorry I've been awol for a while.. lots of "life events" going on.. but I'm back on a regular schedule and back to my fiddle lessons :) Having said that.. we got the music for the "Plaza Polka" tonight and I had it pretty good before leaving class.. but once I got home.. I couldn't remember the tune to save my life.. I can play the notes.. but they don't sound like any song LOL Does any one know this tune and is willing to post a video of themplaying it or know where I can hear the song? I'm stuck and frustrated .
thanks!

quote:

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Originally posted by abinigia

I have a page where I've collected many tunes, plus links to several other music sites.

users.wildblue.net/briankwood/

Brian Wood

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 I do believe that this is a doa link

google...Prairie Mountain Fiddlers Tunes for a variety of fiddle tunes,  with midi mp3

Plaza Polka: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nfdDT-iV5w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBb4PLg72NI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5DRkrdSkqE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jjp0a0hJJ6M

Check out the Vancouver Fiddle Club website. I often find notation for Patti Kusturok tunes at that website. Use the Fiddlers Companion website database when looking for information about fiddle tunes.

quote:

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Originally posted by nfritzjr
 

quote:

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Originally posted by abinigia

I have a page where I've collected many tunes, plus links to several other music sites.

users.wildblue.net/briankwood/

Brian Wood

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 I do believe that this is a doa link

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I had forgotten about that site. My site has been updated for a long time. Since that post above I started transcribing bluegrass and old time tunes, which is now the real point of the site.

Go here:

briankwood.net

Hi all, I've got some tunes up on my website as well, if that's helpful, mostly in the New England/contra style with some other tunes here and there. As I put up new things I'm pretty careful to make sure the sheet music, audio, finger chart, and lesson are all the same notes, though in some of my older things I ended up occasionally playing a few different notes from what I had in the music. I hope it's helpful! I'm also always open to suggestions of good repertoire (in the public domain) to add to the site so feel free to contact me with requests through my site contact page.
freefiddlelessons.com

I don't like midi files. I prefer using recordings from CDs and/or downloading music from Youtube. IMHO, midi's don't accurately capture the "feel" of the music. I have lots of books with fiddle notation, but "The Craig Duncan Master Fiddle Solo Collection " has enough high quality notation to keep someone busy for years. No recording with that book though. Probably too many copyright considerations.

If you do buy the book, have it spiral bound. Then the book will be easier to use and last much longer.

http://briankwood.net

Every once in awhile this thread gets revived. My site now has well over 100 transcriptions of fiddle tunes, most of which are linked directly to the source recording.
 

quote:

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Originally posted by abinigia

http://briankwood.net

Every once in awhile this thread gets revived. My site now has well over 100 transcriptions of fiddle tunes, most of which are linked directly to the source recording.
 

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It is a nice little list of tunes... Thanks for creating it.

quote:

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Originally posted by Swing
I do...mne.psu.edu/lamancusa/tunes.htm this also has some tunes in midi format....... nice selection

Play Happy

Swing

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site shut down!

Here is what I go to mne.psu.edu/lamancusa/tunes.html and it works just fine... great transcriptions etc...

Play Happy

Swing

ON FIDDLING CORNER on my Website:
GLADYS CELTIC CORNER
gladyscelticcorner.com

THERE ARE LOTS OF GREAT TUNES
(All tunes posted with FREE SHEET MUSIC, MIDIS, MP3S and VIDEOS:

COME TAKE A LOOK!!!

JAM SESSIONS
gladyscelticcorner.com/teaandatune.html
gladyscelticcorner.com/JAM%20S...IVES.html

MIXED STYLES Fiddling gladyscelticcorner.com/MixedBa...%20M.html
gladyscelticcorner.com/MixedBa...%20Z.html

CELTIC FIDDLING
gladyscelticcorner.com/FiddleS...iles.html

TUNE OF THE MONTH
gladyscelticcorner.com/tuneofthemonth.html


Also...if you can't find what you're looking for... I do REQUESTS :)

Gladys

Tune Collections on the Internet
http://www.biteyourownelbow.com/webtunes.htm

Yes, Mickey Koth has a great Site; we have a link to his
'Fiddle Tunes on the Internet' on our Fiddlers Resources
page.. it gets a lot of hits... his Sie is so easy to follow, Thanks
for posting.
Gladys :)

My site has moved from briankwood.net to fiddletunes.net.

When I want to become familiar with the melody for a tune, I go to Youtube, find a version I like, and listen to that. The first step in learning a tune is memorizing the melody.

For some styles of fiddling, there are quite a few fiddle repertoire books available. And some books contain quite a few tunes. Generally speaking, the quality of the notation in the books is better than the free notation, and unlike the free notation, often includes copyrighted tunes.

I'm about to launch a new Cajun and Creole Fiddle series called Fiddle from Scratch, which includes tablature and notation, along with breakdowns. You can get a stripped-down version here: https://mitchreedmusiclessons.com/downloads/, and if you want the tabs that go along with it you can click here and I'll keep you posted on the release date.

I just browse using several keywords, usually the the word "fiddle" and then the title of the tune, and then the word "notation". I have found lots of excellent websites. Eventually, through trial and error, you will end up with a few favorites.

I would get a book. Information on websites changes. Brian Wicklund's "The American Fiddle Method" was written for newer fiddlers. Mel Bay, the publisher, provides the ability to download sound files. I didn't think much about the downloads until the files were destroyed during a move. Being able to download the sound files again was a big plus. When you get the book, have it spiral bound. It will be easier to use that way, and it will last longer.

When I was having weekly face-to-face lessons with David Bragger, he insisted that we memorize the tunes, along with the bowing. He'd tell his students that musical notation was contrary to the OT tradition and spirit. To be sure, he'd let us record his lessons, during which he'd he'd play the tune in normal tempo and the shout out the proper bowing (Up! Up! Down! Up! Up!).

If musical notation is "contrary to the OT tradition and spirit" I wonder why so many 20th century fiddlers had copies of "Cole's 1000 Fiddle Tunes?"
I would say his doctrinaire method of teaching is even more contrary to the "tradition and spirit" of the music. Glad I didn't learn that way.

I learnt to play by listening to the tunes many times over.I cannot say that I can read music and play,but to read the notations I'm ok,full stop. I wonder whether reading music to play accordi ngly would be one up from playing it by ear.
Any ideas ,so I can put it to rest.lol

quote:

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Originally posted by Lonesome Fiddler

When I was having weekly face-to-face lessons with David Bragger, he insisted that we memorize the tunes, along with the bowing. He'd tell his students that musical notation was contrary to the OT tradition and spirit. To be sure, he'd let us record his lessons, during which he'd he'd play the tune in normal tempo and the shout out the proper bowing (Up! Up! Down! Up! Up!).

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I wonder how many pre-folk revival fiddlers learned from someone slowly playing the tunes phrase-by-phrase and calling out the bow direction. At the jams around here, I look at the experienced fiddlers and their bows are definitely not moving in the same directions.

Do the sources for the tunes bow it the same way every time? What do you do when you encounter a tune that the teacher didn't teach?

I admire Bragger as a player and teacher, but I wonder if you couldn't get the a lot of the same results with well-done notation. I notice that he has a transcription book on his website for sale: https://oldtimetikiparlour.com/product/pre-order-kings-lament-solo-and-duet-violin-transcriptions-book/

I also wonder how much prior musical background goes into how we like to learn. From school band I can read treble clef pretty well, and going to a phrase-by-phrase workshop can be pretty frustrating when a simple transcription could show the same stuff.

I haven't taken much formal instruction, but where I have encountered it, strict bowing directions have
made learning new tunes harder. Working on bowing techniques separately makes more sense. Once you have some basics there you can concentrate on learning tunes without the tyranny of following bowing directions for every phrase. You can always change or refine your bowing on a new tune later, on your own.

Lots of tunes with notation and recordings: fiddletunes.net