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Like usual, I stumbled upon something I think sounds great!
I love playing "The Skye Boat Song", it's a rather simple tune - so I got pretty excited when I found this version for 2 violins.
I'd really appreciate if any of you know the best program/easiest way to transcribe this so both parts are combined for a solo violin.
Very excited about this, but I'm too lazy to transcribe this by hand or just play it reading both parts simultaneously - obviously not the sharpest pencil in the box at the moment (I'm probably just tired).
- Emily
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@ELCBK Im sure youre familar with musescore..have you tried that? One thing i noticed though..theres seems to be some challenging stretches to play both parts without shifting some of that 2nd part up an octave unless im not thinking...which is entirely possible. 
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@ABitRusty -
I've only looked at Musescore for existing music - haven't actually tried to use it for anything else.
I'm guessing, by your mention, it's time for me to dive in there!
I only glanced through the duet - figured octaves might be better played as chords (rolling chords?), instead of double stops.
Think if I play "Happy Birthday" through a few more times (all double stops), I'll be ready for anything! (lol)
Actually been getting more comfortable with double stops in general this last few months - a little here, a little there...
Thanx a bunch!
I must be part Scot. (lol)
- Emily
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i use notion but youll have to either purchase it outright or bundled with another product. musescore will do what you need though. notion just integrates with presonus to well for me to switch.
hey..sounds like your becoming quiet the old time fidller there! ill be 'spectin some possum up a gum stump soon! 
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NO POSSUMS!
@ABitRusty - did you ever read my possum story in "Laugh a Day"?
...btw, I don't think of "Old Time" when I'm playing Celtic tunes. You do?
- Emily
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@ELCBK not really. to be honest alot of the old time stuff sounds more Nordic than Irsh to me. I know..weird..just what i hear. think its the drones and double stops that you hear alot more of. I hardly practice any of the old time anymore.. it feels more difficult to me due to the rhythm involved. I like a bunch of the tunes though. lately im really liking the simpler quebecois stuff on fiddlevideo, but its the same as old time in getting the bow rhythm down. Irish is more approachable but the ornaments and where to put 'em to be authentic and speed are the issue there. gotta pick one i guess and spend a few years in it...
messin with you about the old time earlier. i picked up its not your go to genre. 
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@ABitRusty -
I'm not getting so hung up anymore, not like I used to, about speed when playing the Celtic tunes. I might be if I was playing for someone to dance to, otherwise I've heard fast, slow and in-between versions of most of the tunes we run across.
I distinctly recall Kevin Burke mentioning he felt tunes should be learned at speed. Just don't think it's a problem if we become comfortable with a tune at a slower speed. Absolutely confident we'll be able to play it fast, in the dark, upside down, maybe backwards, after... how many years? (lol)
Think I feel more free to play any speed I wish because unlike "the Old Days", tunes aren't handed down player to player, this music is archived everywhere! I don't feel like I'm changing history.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a brisk "Cooley's Reel"!
...really need to work more on little finger ornaments - actually, everything using my little finger (constant struggle). 😒 ...and more vibrato, etc...
Thanx for running me down the rabbit hole, again. (lol - I enjoy it)
Btw, I still enjoy playing "Cluck Old Hen" and "Lonesome Moonlight Waltz"!
- Emily
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...I distinctly recall Kevin Burke mentioning he felt tunes should be learned at speed....
yes Ive heard him say that as well. by breaking it up in sections at speed and piece it all together that way.
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I love this song! (And I love Outlander, I just started to watch the season 5 😊)
Your idea also sounds great, maybe I should try it too.🤔
I have Musescore software on my computer, it’s actually great program, I have used it a lot when transcribing some piano/violin sheet musics for the cello. It’s very easy to use. (And free, and available also in Finnish, which is great for me 👍🏻)
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@Ilona -
Be great if we could start a group project!
...maybe I should try to play it first. (lol)
Btw, these are the "Outlander" lyrics - the original lyrics are much different if you look them up.
Did you find the "Schindler's List Theme for Cello" at Musescore I tried to link you to?
- Emily
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@ELCBK
Ok, now you got me hooked! 😄
If I write this to the Musescore, I can drop it down by one or two octaves and it should be fine for the cello.
I have sometimes played duets with myself, I have the Acapella app which is very handy for that. I played "Ulv, räv, hare" with this method and it was super fun. 😊 I might try this too! Or do you want to play this with me? Maybe we could start our own group project for two persons!
Ps. Yes, I found that Schindler's list theme. Thank you for telling where to find it! I already learned about half of it, but the rest will need some more time, because I'm not familiar with those very high notes... Need to figure out how to find them... I can't use thumb position so fluently yet.
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@Ilona -
I was thinking I'd personally like to lower it some because it would sound better.
I'll try to get to this, soon.
Then I'll get back with you to see what we can do with it!
- Emily
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Ok, my first arrangement of this song is ready! I think the melody sounds pretty good now, but I need to check those double stops. I have an idea of what I'll do for them, so I will continue with this project. 👍🏻 I have interesting homeworks from my lessons too, and I want to learn this and Schindler's list theme and.... so I have lots going on. But I love to be busy with all this! It's so boring that I also have to go to work instead of playing the cello...🙄😂
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@Ilona -
I see you printed out both lines of the music separate, instead of combining them.
My original thought was to combine the two - your combination would be in Bass Clef (maybe some Alto Clef) and mine would be in Treble (some Alto Clef). Any 3-note chords could be rolled 1,2,3 or played as 1 note + a double stop.
Would this be too hard?
What do you think?
- Emily
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I'm working on with that. My plan is to write this first as a duet, and when I'll get everything sound good, I'll try to combine them! I don't know if it's possible so that I can actually also play it, but let's see... I know in theory what I want to do, but I'm not sure if it's possible. It's not an easy task.
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@Ilona -
Seems I was premature with my excitement.
I looked at this sheet music more closely and think I'll have to rewrite it to get what I originally wanted.
I knew absolutely nothing about "musescore" so I spent some time looking at tutorials for navigating the site, yesterday. Need a little more time to become better familiar with musescore. I hadn't expected to need to learn something else new right now, but want to and I'm sure it's all actually less difficult than what I think.
I can't promise anything right now because I haven't felt good this last week and the grandkids are starving for some extra attention.
I'd like to give rewriting this a shot, or have you already thought of doing it?
Send some
...if it was only this easy.
- Emily
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ELCBK said
Like usual, I stumbled upon something I think sounds great!I love playing "The Skye Boat Song", it's a rather simple tune - so I got pretty excited when I found this version for 2 violins.
Thanks for the share. Some of the chords on that above posted duet are not appealing to me. Do you guys feel the same way?
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I dont think the chords would be bad..Id just like to hear the top line dropped an octave..or 2.
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The short answer is I don't like it the way it is - more infatuated with the concept of a fuller solo and I thought this might be a place to start.
- I thought it was just too high pitched for my liking, but the more I listen my "Spidey sense" tells me something else is going on(?)
- Thought it might be the wrong key, but I do normally play it in Gmaj. Don't really care what key it's in, just want to hear the switch from major to the minor chorus, then back to major - that it's supposed to have with the chords.
- My next step was to rewrite - starting with the bare melody and the basic chords. Only looked at chord options used on versions on thesession.org - so far.
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- Like to see how the chords could be broken up/manipulated, maybe replace with (or add) some arpeggios.
- I really do like the idea of notes that lead up to the chords, played in between the melody.
- Want to spread this tune out so it's using all 5 of my strings.
- Is it best to switch back and forth between Treble & Alto clef?
- Maybe also some lower repeat or echo of the melody
- All said, I still don't think this tune should be played quite this high.
- Just started looking into using "musescore" (so not familiar, yet).
Lofty ambitions while I'm tied up with Grandkids over - can't really concentrate enough to be creative, right this moment. 😒
- Am I even thinking in the right direction?
- Should I just start by reading up on composing somewhere?
Feel like helping?😁 Any and all thoughts appreciated!
...got to go!
- Emily
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@ABitRusty -
Thanks, Greg - missed your post somehow!
Was hoping for an easier go at this, now that my head exploded with all that nonsense. (lol)
I definitely think the 1st violin part needs to dropped down 1 octave. Seems like a lot of just chords, though - the way they are played would be important. Still thinking maybe some arpeggio use here.
What are slow gracenotes called (if there is such a thing)? Or just just some possible light gracenote use?
Also, think it's important to lengthen some of the notes more for emphasis placed like in the "Outlander" theme version.
Here I go again... need some sleep! (lol)
Think there's a few ideas I'd like to take from this version... geez, I'm back to rewrite?
...nothing elegant about my thought process.
- Emily
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