Raw hide -- the high bit?

[Marcus Horatius]

Hiya,

I've got the Todd Collins book of Bill Monroe tunes (Mel Bay pub), which has a good transcription of "Raw Hide". However, he omits the version of the "A" part the second time around when Monroe plays it up an octave. Now, I can work out how to do that -- it's an octave higher! -- but does anyone have a tab version that will help me work out the optimal fingering pattern? It has to be played so fast that finger placement is pretty vital!

And while we're on the subject of Monroe, does anyone know a tab for "Kentucky Mandolin"?

Appreciated,
Marcus
www.pineapplepubs.co.uk/mymandolins.html

[bmagra_ireland]

Marcus, there's tab for Kentucky Mandolin in the Butch Baldassari collection of 30 fiddle tunes for mandolin, by mel bay.

[Jim Broyles]

There are kinda close tabs for both tunes at Mandozine. (http://www.mandozine.com/music/tabledit_search.php) To search you have to spell it Rawhide. Monroe doesn't really do the A part an octave higher, it's really kind of a C part - same chords as the A part, but more or less a break around the 8th fret. The highest note, if I recall correctly, is an E on the 12th fret of the E string.

[Marcus Horatius]

Thanks for the helpful replies! Will investigate both suggestions.

[Don Grieser]

There was also a great transcription in one of the old Mandolin World News issues--not sure which issue but just get them all. It has the high break written out as I remember. There's some "bounce off any of the open strings no matter what chord you're playing over" Monroe goodies in that high break.

[Marcus Horatius]

Now that I've got away from the computer and actually picked up my mando, I find you can play the high A part fairly straightforwardly by replicating the "low" fingering, only with first finger at the 7th fret, shifting up to 8th fret on the E string for the high e note, and down to the 5th fret for the final G chord in the penultimate bar. Works sort of OK, though I'll need to practise practise practise.Note to self: spend more time playing, less time typing.

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

[Jim Broyles]

I guess it wouldn't hurt to replicate the low A part, but I don't think I've ever heard Raw Hide played that way. It starts out as a "Monroe slashing break" for all the versions I've heard which include John Duffey's, Ricky Skaggs' and a few others, then it goes to a version of the familiar "Monroe IV chord arpeggio." Why not just try to work out a break yourself? The B part after the high break is very similar to the first B part, except when it comes to the G before the song ending.

[Timbofood]

I agree with you jbmnado, make it your own, at least partly. I'm not Mr. Monroe and I don't have to play it just like him.

[MandoSquirrel]

There was also a great transcription in one of the old Mandolin World News issues--not sure which issue but just get them all. It has the high break written out as I remember. There's some "bounce off any of the open strings no matter what chord you're playing over" Monroe goodies in that high break.
That's where I first learned it, Dix Bruce offers back issues at "MusixNow". musixnow.com/MWN (http://www.musixnow.com/MWN.html)

[Peter Hackman]

I vaguely recall a transcription in Frets Magazine, from the 70's. Probably
by Grisman.

[swampstomper]

The whole thing is tabbed out in the Dave Peters "Masters of the Mandolin" book. This is a diamond-in-the-rough, not typeset just handwritten, but full of classic Mon breaks (not just tunes) and other cool things mostly from the 70s and 80s.

[david blair]

There is a really good version in Sam Bush's "Bill Monroe" video. I also highly rec Ronnie Mccoury's video. The C chord at the 8th fret, and F chord a string lower. The G and also C chords are right there to, with two frets between the fretted notes. The bridge starting with a E chord at the 7th, A a string below that, D at the fith, and G a string below that. Find all the double stops and use tremolo.
You can hear my version here.
www.therustystrings.com

[AlanN]

The whole thing is tabbed out in the Dave Peters "Masters of the Mandolin" book. #This is a diamond-in-the-rough, not typeset just handwritten, but full of classic Mon breaks (not just tunes) and other cool things mostly from the 70s and 80s.
Yes to the Peters work.