Playing with older recordings...

[Songbird]

Hi all,
I'd like to start playing along with some Monroe and Stanley Brothers tunes but it seems that the very old music is in a different pitch...how do you go about playing the songs? I don't feel like I'm anywhere good enough to start a band to play with others and I don't particularly want to keep adjusting the pitch on my mandolin. It's a bit boring just playing lead on my own so I'd like to know what any of you guys did?
And out of interest does anyone know when the tuning changed to the pitch we have nowadays and why?
Thanx

[doanepoole]

Think of it as a good opportunity to work out the key of A flat, or would that be G sharp?

Seriously, though, there are computer programs that will bring a tune to any key you type in, but I don't think you need spend your money that way.

I'd just tune my mando to the recording.

[Frank Russell]

A lot of times I find that the old analog recording speeds for older recordings causes them to be out of pitch with me. Kind of a bummer, unless you're playing them back on a reel to reel.

[doanepoole]

Only loosely related, but I have a CD player that plays CDs a bit faster than normal speed. I didn't know this till about a year or two ago, and this was the CD player I was playing to all along.

I suppose I can credit any picking speed I've built up to shoddy workmanship.

[Michael H Geimer]

Most annoying.

I've used software to correct the pitch, but only rarely. Most of the time I'll just move on to truer tunes.

[Tom C]

Some, like Flatt and Scruggs I think, used to play a tune 1/2 step higher (Like G sharp) to have a brighter sound.

[John Flynn]

I use Transkriber software. It will not only speed up and an slow down tunes without changing pitch, but it will also change pitch by cents, up and down. I can "tune" the track to my mando, rather than the other way around.

[Spruce]

I downloaded a free program called the Amazing Slow Downer that will tune and slow down your tune to where you can work on it without retuning...

It's really a great tool for learning tunes....

[Randy]

You could record old 33's, 45's, and 68's onto a cassette tape, then if you have, or can get, a player that has pitch control, nudge it one way or the other until you get a pitch you can play with. This will speed or slow the tempo as well, however. Some CD players have a speed dial as well, and some newer players have the ability to raise or lower a pitch without changing tempo and vice versa.

[mad dawg]

If you have the capability to transfer your old recordings to audio files or a CD-R, you can "normalize" the pitch of the tunes during playback very easily with software such as "The Amazing CD Slowdowner" from Roni Music.

[danmills]

I just LOVE Amazing Slow Downer. It's available for Mac & Windows. It does everything under the sun, and at least the Mac version produces superior sound quality to what I experienced with Trankriber. I got the paid version. Can't remember what the limitations of the free version are, but it's not expensive, and I'm fortunate to be able to support the creator in this way. I understand not everyone can.

You can save copies of your tunes with whatever settings you want. For example, I recently prepared a CD of a dozen or so tunes that my fledgling band is trying to work out. I moved them all to the keys that work for our vocal ranges, and I slowed a couple of them down by a 10-20% to put them within reach. I find this a VERY useful tool for me to use for practicing. I made copies for my bandmates too. When I'm trying to work something out, I will often isolate a chorus, or a verse, or a break, and save that as separate file. Maybe it's a crutch, but I am a musician with only modest natural talent, and this helps get me into the game and keeps it fun.

Check it out: Roni Music Website

Caveat: I already keep all my music on my computer, to which I have attached some high quality powered speakers. I rarely use my stereo anymore. If I weren't already listening via the computer, I might find using a software program a hassle. As it is, it's very convenient and natural for me.

- Dan

[KevinM]

Another free software program to use is the slow down add on for Winamp. Dont use Winamp 3.0 - instead use it with the predecessor program 2.__. It works but can be glitchy (i.e., freeze up). It will slow down, change pitch, etc. That presumes you can get your source music onto your hard drive.

[french]

i have amazing slowdowner. it's great for learning tunes. but if you want to play along to a recording, you have to adjust your own tuning to the recording's tuning ... or am i missing something here?

[danmills]

i have amazing slowdowner [ASD]. it's great for learning tunes. #but if you want to play along to a recording, you have to adjust your own tuning to the recording's tuning ... or am i missing something here?

The pitch slider in ASD lets you tune the recording up or down instead of changing your instrument. You can change it just a little, e.g. if your instrument is at A440 but the recording is off a little one way or the other. You can also change the pitch a lot, e.g. if the recording is in the key of A but you want to play it in C. (The voices on the recording can start sounding pretty weird, e.g. like the chipmunks if you go up more than a half step or two, but it's useful for practice/playalong.)

For instrumental tunes, you may have no desire to play it in a different key from the recording. In fact, if you're trying to cop licks from the recording, they may not work in a different key. However, it's great for songs when your vocal range is different from that of the recorded singer(s).

Cheers,
Dan

[Songbird]

Thanx for the replies
I've got two slowing down programmes, the Amazing Slow Downer and another one called Transcribe. I ended up paying the full fee for Transcribe but sadly it's rubbish in comparison to ASD. You can't change the pitch and it can't read cd tracks without crashing...so that was a nice waste of $40