The Butterfly, strict picking

[Simon DS]

Here's the music for one version of 'The butterfly' with chords and one version of the picking directions, that I'm trying to work out.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ebwjgulp07ll7by/The%20Butterfly%20Slip%20Jig%20pick%20n%20chords.m scz?dl=0
All the pick directions are included, I hope it's correct. It's quite a strict version- you could replace the first note of measure 13 with a downbeat and thereby make all of the last four measures the same picking as measures 9 to 12, though the down pick at the end of measure 12 followed by a sudden down pick at the beginning of 13 could be heard as a slight change in rhythm.
Comments for errors please -I'll try to edit without changing the link. Thanks.
Is there a library for this music on MandolinCafe?

[Mark Gunter]

There are two tablature libraries here as far as I know, one is for text tabs and the other is for Tabledit (.tef) files. I noticed your file is for MuseScore, so I can't view it. I do not think there is a library for that here. Click the Learn/Listen tab upper right this site.

[Simon DS]

Oops here's the pdf, I have heard someone play this with just downbeats and it sounded really different, good but different:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fxqunturfdbrifo/The%20Butterfly%20Slip%20Jig%20pick%20n%20chords.p df?dl=0

Musescore is free by the way, it can even be loaded onto a phone, to read and play back later- I find it's been really good for learning how to read music and ear training too.

[crisscross]

That's very interesting! I've always asked myself how to pick the succession of quarter notes and eight notes in a jig. I pick them with downstrokes only reserving the upstroke for the second note in a triplet. Sounds like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKKvwDSl0ME
You seem to avoid two downstrokes in a row, but to me that's an essential part of jig picking. I'll never be able to play those fast triplets as ornaments in reels, but with some exercise, I found myself preferring DUD DUD for jigs and hence DDDDD for the first measure of the Butterfly.
Once I had internalised this concept, I didn't have to work out the pick direction for each note.

[derbex]

Hmm I play it the same as you for the 1st two bars, and I keep that pattern for the rest of tune, except where there are 2 adjacent triplets in which case I use DUD DUD. Worst of both worlds ;)

My music teacher hates DUD DUD on classical pieces (or any other :)), so I try to keep it to folk.

I'm a musescore user too, tried getting tabedit to run on linux under wine. It ran but wouldn't open any of the files.

[Jill McAuley]

Hmm, I thought that I played with starting with two downstrokes but it appears that I keep it pretty much to DUD DUD the whole time except for at the start of the third part.

The only time I really play with a lot of consecutive downstrokes would be when playing waltzes.


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[Eddie Sheehy]

I'm never sure how I do it but since I have a recording - seems to be consistent:

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[Peewee]

Hmm I play it the same as you for the 1st two bars, and I keep that pattern for the rest of tune, except where there are 2 adjacent triplets in which case I use DUD DUD....

Me too. I think that's as close to "standard" as you'll find. Some people will play the first measure pattern as all downstrokes, and a few (definitely a minority) will play the consecutive eighth notes DUD UDU.

Reversing the picking pattern by starting measure 3 with an upstroke is pretty unusual (same with measure 7 and 13). You can accent both upstrokes and downstrokes, but most people find it easier to keep the rhythmic feel by playing a consistent pattern and always playing downstrokes on the beat.

[derbex]

I'm learning a classical triplets exercise at the moment -all down strokes, I'm sure it's good for the soul.

[MikeyG]

GREAT job, Jill! I would play it with those same pick directions. I think you get the proper emphasis that way.

My goodness, you're getting fantastic volume from that A-Junior. What strings were installed when that video was made.

Cheers,

MikeyG

[Jill McAuley]

Cheers MikeyG! I had just had it set up/refretted and had my luthier put J74's on it. Had briefly debated trying flat wounds but then stuck with the tried and true J74's.