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I was looking at a tune on The Session this morning, Beggar's Belief, by Robin Beech. There's interesting discussion on it, 3/4 vs 3/8, etc... I thought it might suit 12/8 better, so checked out Robin's site to learn more...
WOW, Montreal Session Tunebook - this is a treasure chest!
This website is a resource for traditional music with a particular focus on music played in the Montreal sessions. This includes music in the Irish and Quebecois traditions as well as music from England, France and elsewhere. Many of the tunes are written as they are played in the sessions around the Montreal area and so might be different from versions played elsewhere.
In addition we host several collections with more than 4000 tunes available as pdf sheet music, in abc format and midi files. O'Neill's Music of Ireland, Dance Music of Ireland and Waifs and Strays of Irish Melody are available due to a multi-contributor project to transcribe the books into abc. The Northumbrian Minstrelsy is a collection I resurrected from an ABC file produced by Henry Ford.
Check out the Tunebook - there is an AMAZING drop-down search menu of different TYPES of tunes AND Collections!
Types of tunes: Airs, Andros, Bourrées, Bransles, 5/8's, 7/8's, 6/4's, 3/2's, Gavottes, Hornpipes, Jigs, Marches, Mazurkas, Planxties, Polkas, Polskas, Quebec, Reels, Schottisches, Slides, Slip Jigs, Strathspeys, and Waltzes!
Collections: Allan's Irish Fiddler, Ed Reavy, John of The Green, Northumbrian Minstrelsy, La bourrée, O'Neill's, AND PLAYFORD!
All the individual tune names are also listed alphabetically and link to abc & png of the notation - with pdf, midi & edit options!
🤔... for folks who like multiple genres (like me) the Montreal area sounds like a wonderful place to check out a session!
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Thats a brilliant list, I opened up o neils waifes and strays, there is a tune there called rosin the bow, never seen it before, but just read and played it, its a cracker . I am going to learn it and post it on here by thursday, its a challenge for myself;)
Cant beat a sunny day
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@stringy -
I really enjoyed your playing! (Rosin the Bow Thread)
Mentioned I had attached the whole Ed Reavy Tunebook pdf - back in 2022, in the OP of the "Tongadale", "The Mill House" & "Whistler of Rosslea" Thread.
SO much nicer to have midi for all the tunes, though - along with notation on the Montreal Session site! The book does have extra info/notes & history in it, so I'll link here for reference:
Ed Reavy Tunes Book pdf
I had forgotten I'd also seen the Allan's tunebook on the ITMA site (besides tunes on The Session). Scores with midi.
Allan's Irish Fiddler
Including the link to the Playford English Country Dance Music Thread
...I'd love to spend a lot of time in this whole list of Traditional Tunebooks and Songbooks (from celticguitarmusic.com) - some of these tunebooks & tune notation sites have already been mentioned & some I haven't heard of!
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Dang, @ELCBK That is a terrific listing! It has Britches Full of Stitches. The version in the listing is pretty much the way I was doing. Hannah has a skigjt variation, I did notice that a note I was going back and forth with was at least one of the notes. I wasn't sure if a C# was a D or a C#. I was doing it bother ways, 😂. They both worked. It is a C#. Dang, again, I was sure it was a D.
Love this. I don't want to pin posts too many to the top if a room, but with the number of great pieces in this list, I think it should be. At least for a year or two.
Also, I am going to see about a new room in the Learning, etter yet, Playing area, and if it is approved, I will put the link there, then I will remove the pin.
🐭
Learn Violin and Fiddle
on
Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
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I recently got interested in Philippe Bruneau's 'Hommage á Jimmy Di Genova' & found it in the Montreal Session Tunebooks!
Natalie Haas & Elisabeth Giroux playing it on Cello.
Where I first fell in love with this tune... Antoine Leclercq (mandolin), Sylvie Frechou (diatonic accordion), Sophie Leclercq (piano).
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@Mouse -
Sorry, I missed your post!
Glad you took a look & found 'Britches Full of Stitches', too!
There's a lot to like in that tunebook & the other links I posted - a great way to check out tunes & try something new. Some tune names are just irresistible, but not always what they seem. I've seen tune names you'd think would be dark/sad, but then I find they sound as merry as can be! ...part of the adventure. 🤗
Be pretty cool if they really do play a little bit of everything in Montreal sessions!
...maybe someone who has played around the Montreal area will be kind enough to comment? 😊
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Just thought I'd mention Michael Eskin's ABC Tools, (again). 🥰
It has been SO EASY to copy the ABC's from tunes in The Montreal Session Tunebook - then paste them into Michael's Tools to learn & practice playing along (also EDIT, if you want)!!!
- Adjust tempo (for permanent adjustment, add Q:1/4=whatever, on next line after key)!
- Add Swing (more tools button)!
- Change instrument sound (more tools button)!
- Move it up, or down to a different/easier key (transpose buttons)!
- Edit notes, or add grace notes!
- Use the metronome!
- SAVE the edited ABC's!
- SAVE the MIDI!
So VERY pleasant to practice with something EXACTLY the way you want to learn it!
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