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LKN2MYIS
Apr-03-2008, 10:36am
Recently (for the 100th time, probably) saw "The Last Waltz". I believe the theme is called "Theme For The Last Waltz".

Anyway, a beautiful tune.

I've had no luck searching for the tab for this one. I'd appreciate any help.

VERY haunting and I'd love to be able to play it on the mandolin.

Thanks for the help!

lespaul_79
Apr-03-2008, 12:12pm
Don't know where there is tab. Just try to play to it and figure out the key. I think it's in A. But the first note may be an E note (3rd string, 2nd fret). As far as chords, probably some A's and E's. Don't know what else.

Even if you don't nail the melody, it's a great song to practice your scales/fanning to and break out for your friends that dig Dylan and the Band.

LKN2MYIS
Apr-03-2008, 3:45pm
My biggest challenge on the mandolin is figuring things out by ear. I'm notoriously poor at it.

Such a wonderfully haunting melody. Love to be able to play it.

lespaul_79
Apr-03-2008, 4:06pm
Learn your major scale in A. And dance all over it.

Remember "stay on the yellow brick road.....". If you stay in that A major scale and the song is in A, you can't go wrong. Like a "key" fitting in a door. It just works.

LKN2MYIS
Apr-03-2008, 5:27pm
I'll go my best with my limited ability!

Robbie Robertson wrote that one. Real haunting qualit to it.
One of those 'can't get it out of my head' tunes.

Kevin Briggs
Apr-03-2008, 5:59pm
My biggest challenge on the mandolin is figuring things out by ear. #I'm notoriously poor at it.

Such a wonderfully haunting melody. #Love to be able to play it.
I used to have a very hard time figuring out songs, because I was trying to think too far ahead of the music. 'd try to figure out runs sintead of notes. A good friend and great guitar player (the late Rob Hoffman, who played in Motivation in the 70s) told me if that's how I'm struggling I just need to sit there and do one note at a time. After I grind out a few songs, it will become easier.

He was right, although I don't think he knew how right. I spent about three months figuring out "Blackberry Blossom," and then a week or two figuring out "Old Joe Clark." After that, I was able to pick things up a little easier. Heck, I just figured out the opening lick to "Sweet Child of Mine" the other night... on mandolin. Expect a YouTube video on that one.

LKN2MYIS
Apr-03-2008, 6:09pm
Yes, I agree that the one note at a time is the way to go.

I think that my problem is that I get frustrated too easy, and just give up.

It is a beautiful tune and the mandolin is a wonderful instrument.

jefflester
Apr-03-2008, 6:22pm
"The Band" website discography (http://theband.hiof.no/albums/index.html) has chords to most of songs by The Band, but not this one.

LKN2MYIS
Apr-03-2008, 6:38pm
They are one of my all-time favorite groups. As a matter of fact, a very close friend of mine is recording his next CD at Levon Helm's Studio in upstate New York. It's very exciting.

I remember reading that Levon never really considered himself a mandolin player, but he fooled me. Every time he picked it up it was to play incredibly tasty licks.

I'm thinking that "Theme From The Last Waltz" will be a lot of fun to practice my tremolo on as well.

Perry
Apr-03-2008, 6:57pm
Get the Amazing Slow Downer (http://www.ronimusic.com/) and the world is your oyster

LKN2MYIS
Apr-04-2008, 5:53am
I have the TASCO Guitar Trainer which is incredible. It isn't the ability to slow down the piece to get the notes that is the problem.

It's truly my low tolerance for my lack of ability on the mandolin! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

David Lloyd
Apr-05-2008, 5:24pm
Isn't the tune for the last waltz..Westphalia Waltz?
Dave

Dave Harbst
Apr-05-2008, 5:45pm
A coincidence, LKN2MYIS. Just yesterday, while visiting a friend of mine, I saw "The Last Waltz", too. Only my 3rd time, but I remember when I first saw it(about a year ago), I was also struck by the beauty of that waltz. I didn't see until yesterday that it was the theme of the movie/documentary. I will make it my next "new favorite" waltz and do my best to learn it(by ear).
Meanwhile, how about the instruments those guys had, especially that big ol' harp guitar of Robbie's?
One more comment(for ddlj60): In answer to your question, "Isn't the tune for the last waltz..Westphalia Waltz?". No, it s not Westphalia. Quite different, especially in the second part(I think there are only two parts??).
Good luck to all who are trying to learn it. If anyone figures out the tab & chords, how about sharing?
Thanks.
Dave in PA

Jean Fugal
Apr-05-2008, 6:08pm
I don't have all the answers, But, If I learn how to "sing" the song I can play the melody on guitar or mandolin... I can't even begin to learn it from notation or tab. I must Sing it first. YMMV jpf

Dave Harbst
Apr-05-2008, 7:20pm
Just listened to it again and heard what I think is at least 3 parts. Key of A. It will take a while to work this one out.

LKN2MYIS
Apr-06-2008, 6:35am
I know someone here will be talented enough to figure it out.

LKN2MYIS
Apr-06-2008, 12:20pm
Isn't the tune for the last waltz..Westphalia Waltz?
Dave
No, the Westphalia Waltz is a different tune.

David Lloyd
Apr-06-2008, 4:08pm
The last waltz has always been one of my favorite music documentaries. Although it has been a while since I have watched it. It would be nice if someone could work the theme song out for those of us still a bit challenged in that department http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Dave

Amandalyn
Apr-07-2008, 5:44pm
You can get the guitar tab and transpose
http://www.911tabs.com/tabs/m/misc_soundtrack/last_waltz_theme_tab.htm

I'll try and take this and put it
into mando tab for Tabledit- ( me also like):)

LKN2MYIS
Apr-07-2008, 5:47pm
That would be wonderful for us musically challenged people.

Thank you!

Spruce
Apr-15-2008, 3:21pm
I remember that The Band attempted this tune at Winterland for "The Last Waltz" filming, but it didn't really come off.....

Funny, I'm looking at all the setlists for that famous evening, and the whole 3 CD set of recordings, and I'm not seeing it....

But I'm positive they played it....

McMandolin
Apr-15-2008, 3:32pm
I found this on youtube is this the tune?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4onjRLmiJqs

Spruce
Apr-15-2008, 4:26pm
Yep....

And those are crowd shots outside of Winterland before the show....

But they played it that night on stage. #It kinda sucked, so they re-shot if for the movie on a soundstage, with Robbie on harp-guitar, and Richard on lap steel....
(These are old memories. #Correct me if I'm wrong....)... #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

cooper4205
Apr-15-2008, 7:08pm
Yep....

And those are crowd shots outside of Winterland before the show....

But they played it that night on stage. It kinda sucked, so they re-shot if for the movie on a soundstage, with Robbie on harp-guitar, and Richard on lap steel....
(These are old memories. Correct me if I'm wrong....)... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif
and Levon on a resonator mando, right?

steve V. johnson
Apr-16-2008, 10:37pm
It's sort of a given in (particularly west coast) engineers' lore that the cut that appears in the film was assembled in the studio by Robbie Robertson at Scorsese's request, and that the harp guitar was recorded, at least a couple of times, but didn't really make
it into the final audio version.

Which is to say, the scuttlebutt is that the audio that you hear of The Last Waltz over The Band at the end doesn't really have
much to do with what was filmed on that stage. #(kinda like Whitney Houston's vocals... #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif #)

Them are the rumors. #I have no idea what really happened and Robbie won't tell me.

#http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #

I was walking along the street in NYC one time, oh... musta been 1981... and I came up to Matt Umanov's store and there in the window was a fine, fine Gibson harp guitar with a card in the strings, lettered in fine early-20th-century style, that said, "Yes. #The Last Waltz."

It was -not- for sale, but they did let me play it. #Just blew my mind.

Ahh, but... that doesn't really help you to play it, tho, does it ... ?# Oh...

Sorry...

stv

Spruce
Apr-17-2008, 10:40am
Yep, The Last Waltz audio that you hear is not what happened that night....

Most of the Robbie guitar solos, for instance, were replaced, as was the bass, etc. etc....

I just found my audience recorded cassettes of the show, and "The Last Waltz" did indeed get played that night....

Paul Kotapish
Apr-18-2008, 1:30pm
Here's a really interesting article about the remaking of the music the Last Waltz.

http://theband.hiof.no/articles/m02_tlw.html

Here's a telling quote:

“The length of the mix was the longest I'd ever been on,” Maslow continues. “It was six months, done mostly at night. I had three days off: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. One reason the film as a whole took so long is [The Band] took the tapes to their ranch and messed with them for a year, overdubbing bass and keyboard and vocal parts. I remember one of the problems we had to deal with was that Rick Danko had all-new bass tracks, and he overdubbed them without regard to the sync fingering onscreen. So part of what I had to do was every time he was on camera, I had to switch from the overdub bass to the production bass and make it sound seamless, which wasn't easy because it had a slightly different quality to it. As I recall, there were also quite a few piano overdubs, too, but since you never saw Richard Manuel's fingers, that wasn't a problem.”


Nothing about overdubbing new guitar parts from Robbie, but all of Rick's parts were redone before the film was mixed. There is a weird jumpy quality to some of the editing, and rewatching it recently I was aware that there were occasional gaps between what I was seeing on screen and what I was hearing on the speakers.

Still a great music movie--one of the best.

For Band heads, this whole site is full of interesting info and articles: http://theband.hiof.no/

LKN2MYIS
Apr-19-2008, 4:45pm
Great movie and a wonderful band.

I had seen them MANY times 'back in the day'. Always impressive. And that tune is beautiful.

If I recall correctly, the Stones live album "Get Your YaYa's Out" had a lot of Keith Richards over-dubbing in the studio as well. I'd imagine it isn't that uncommon a thing.

Spruce
Apr-20-2008, 8:46am
For you Band fans, this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_hsp4SBwO4) is an absolute must-see...

"King Harvest" is just perfect....

No overdubs there.... #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

8picker
Apr-20-2008, 9:45am
I always thought that the last waltz theme was kind of like the third man theme...some friends of mine played it regularly in a Dublin stringband for years.
I've said it before, Levon is probably the reason I picked up a mandolin in the first place. A man who's full of music.

PS
Bruce...the mangler is amazing!!! absolutely my kind of'concept' album.