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Thread: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Books?

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    Registered User cmateer's Avatar
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    Default Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Books?

    Hi,

    Is there a TAB version of "Ryan's Mammoth Collection"? I have been working through a couple of fiddle tunes tunes form the book transcribed into tab with my mandolin teacher and I have been loving the ones we have worked through. I'd love to learn more, but I don't read notation...

    I'd also welcome any feedback on the Kaufman fiddle tunes A-Z books. And/ or any other favorite collections available in tab that you all have had fun/ studied with.

    Thanks so much & Happy Thanksgiving!

    Chris

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    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Bo

    Learn to read, at least fiddle tunes. Not so hard. It will open up a big world of other music to you, even flute music etc.
    Jim

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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Bo

    I could recommend a metric ton of tune books. But none of them are tabbed out, unfortunately. Mostly because they are written primarily for fiddle, and most of the purveyors of the tune books can read notation.

    (As an aside, yes there is a form of fidde tab. It is sometimes used as a teach tool, but I have never met anyone who uses it.)

    That is one of the primary problem with tab - the tabbed universe only represents those tunes someone has thought would be good on mandolin. With notation one can become an explorer, finding new mando-material in just about every other kind of music.

    I sympathize with the frustration, it is a speed bump to learn notation.

    Other tune books:

    General tune books

    Fiddlers Fakebook
    Portland Collection (volumes 1).
    The Waltz Book (volume 1) editor Bill Matthiesen

    Bluegrass Picker's Tune Book editor Richard Matteson Jr. (Other more hardcore bluegrassers might have a better recommendation than this book.)

    Whatever local collection of tunes your musical community has compiled. They used to be xeroxxed sheets, but now they may be PDF files on the web. This is a key thing to try and find.




    Important to have, this will complete your collection, and would be most of everything you probably would ever really need:

    General tune books

    Portland Collection (volume 2)
    The Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes (volumes 1 and 2)
    Ryan's Mammoth Collection (editor Patrick Sky)
    Waltz Book (volume 2 and 3 and 4)
    Traditional Dance music of Britain and Ireland The Fiddler's Tune-Book (editor Pete Kennedy) (volume 1tan colored)

    Irish tunes

    Irish Traditional Fiddle Music (editors Miller and Perron)
    O'Neills Music of Ireland

    New England fiddle tunes

    The Fiddler's Throne (editor Randy Miller)
    New England Fiddler's Repertoire (also Randy Miller)

    Canadian

    The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island (editor Ken Perlman)
    The Cape Breton Fiddlers Collection (editor Paul Cranford)





    Nice to have, these are non-essential but fantastic tune collections to amuse an delight you for hours:

    General

    Traditional Dance music of Britain and Ireland The Fiddler's Tune-Book (editor Pete Kennedy) (volume 2 through 5, orange, blue, green. and pink)


    Irish tune books

    Irish Session Tunes (Ceolta Seisiuin na hEireann) (orange book and blue book)
    Fionn Seissiun (volumes 1, 2, & 3)

    Scottish fiddle tunes

    The Fiddle Music of the Scottish Highlands Ceol Na Fidhle (volumes 1 though 6)
    William Marshall's Scottish Melodies (edited by Randy Miller)


    And last but by no means least: Milliner Koken - Collection of American Fiddle Tunes. There is a ton or more of gold stuff in there.


    That, believe it or not, only scratches the surface. There are many tune books not on the list that others will consider to be essential, I am sure. Also some gems I have found, and frequently snatch tunes from, that I haven't considered since I last updated that list.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Bo

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Garber View Post
    Learn to read, at least fiddle tunes. Not so hard. It will open up a big world of other music to you, even flute music etc.
    I suggested the same thing on this thread's other post. Learning to read music will be much more useful to a mandolin player than tab.

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    poor excuse for anything Charlieshafer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Bo

    Yes to Jim and David and Jeff. Just learn to read. The best part is you really only need the treble clef, and most of your notes will be within the staff, in first position. A couple of weeks, and presto, you're pretty fluent. The other thing that's great about instruments tuned in fifths is that the finger pattern for major scales is the same no matter where you start on the fingerboard. You can learn the pattern, then find all the, say, D's on the fingerboard, and repeat that pattern and voila, you know a D scale in four octaves.

    The other great thing about reading even at a basic level is it speeds up learning tunes by ear. A quick glance at someone's printed music will show you what key the tune is in (one flat, G; two flats a D, 3 an A 4 an E, etc), and as you've been practicing your scale patterns, you now can be a genius by playing that scale wherever you choose on the fingerboard.

    Playing along with a few people is now made easier, as I find that when learning a tune in a group that I don't know (the tune, not the group) it's easier to pick up the melody by removing notes, rather than adding them. I'll lightly play that scale, keeping careful time with everyone else, and in a few seconds, the notes you don't want stand out, so you just ignore them the next time around, and usually within three reps, you've got the tune down. Sounds weird, but it works..

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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Bo

    Quote Originally Posted by Charlieshafer View Post
    Yes to Jim and David and Jeff. Just learn to read...
    The only part I would disagree with, and its a disagreement of emphasis more than message, is that learning to read is not a "just do it" kind of thing. I help my friends with it all the time and though it "seems" so simple to me who has been doing it since jr. high school, it does take some work and effort. Learning to read is a gigantically great idea, well worth every ounce of effort, but not everyone finds it simple, or even straight forward. Lots of resources on the net and elsewhere to help, and I would encourage anyone and everyone to do it. But effort is effort, I totally understand.

    Especially hard to feel like you are going backwards, as when you can read tab effectively and quickly, and have to go back to struggling along note by note to get started reading. Can't tell you it doesn't suck to be an embryo again.

    But there is some joy to making the progress, seeing yourself getting it, and then finally tasting all that is behind that door you have opened. Nobody who has ever made that particular journey has ever said it wasn't worth it or "dang that was a waste of time and effort".

    Being an embryo is so much easier when you actually are one.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

    The entire staff
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    Registered User DougC's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Bo

    This is a great place to learn to read music.

    http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/10

    Does your teacher read regular music? If so, you have a real advantage there.
    Decipit exemplar vitiis imitabile

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    Default Re: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Bo

    I agree with the previous posters. Learning to read music opens a lot of new possibilities.
    A simple tunebook I like is: Mandolin Player's Pastime http://elderly.com/books/items/604-2.htm
    It has standard notation and tabs.

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    Registered User cmateer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Bo

    Thanks for all of your comments! I have decided to begin the process of learning how to read notation! Excited to begin the journey. Thanks for the push!

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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Bo

    Quote Originally Posted by cmateer View Post
    Thanks for all of your comments! I have decided to begin the process of learning how to read notation! Excited to begin the journey. Thanks for the push!
    Go for it!

    There is a veritable fire hose of music available on the other side. I just purchased four volumes of French tunes, written for accordion, that I am having a ball with.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

    The entire staff
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    Default Re: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Bo

    Debora Chen has a good book on learning to read standard notation for the TAB-addicted mandolinist. Available here:
    http://www.stringthingm.com/Home_Page.html/Shop.html
    (NFI.)
    EdSherry

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    Registered User cmateer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tab of Ryan's Mammoth Collection? Recommended Fiddle Tunes Bo

    Quote Originally Posted by EdSherry View Post
    Debora Chen has a good book on learning to read standard notation for the TAB-addicted mandolinist. Available here:
    http://www.stringthingm.com/Home_Page.html/Shop.html
    (NFI.)
    Has anyone used Debora Chen's book? I just started using Joe Carr's Reading Notation for Fiddle & Mandolin. So far, so good... Thinking about getting Deborah Chen's book since the reviews are so positive online. Any insight to share? Thanks!

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