This week's tune is Cold Frosty Morning. We had a power outtage this morning so I'm announcing this via my Blackberry! I'll post more info when I get back online!
Tab on the Cafe Tab with standard notation and midi
Tracy, they're both the same link....
Is that a Collings Blackberry, Barbara? Oval-hole or F-hole?
Well, it's not very cold nor frosty in Georgia this morning, so I tried to heat this up a bit, with variable success. I couldn't really negotiate the major/minor flips in the tune without a backing track, so I play a little bass and banjo in this too.
that's really special, david - very well done.
... in contrast, however - here's a waaay skinnier version:
But none the worse for that - I like the way you create your own rhythm track too.
Barbara - this is a great tune choice! I have wanted an "excuse" to tackle this tune for a long long time. Tracy - thanks for that link with all the midi's! David -- awesome picking! where you picking up the bass and banjo in the headset then -- i.e., this the same thing we were hearing on the video sans the mandolin? Bill -- outstanding and moving version as well. Those were certainly inspiring videos I might have to leave work early today for a hair cut -- or something.
Bernie, yes, that's right, I recorded the bass and banjo tracks first and listen to them in the headset, and record the mandolin while videoing it. Then I mix them all down (using Sonar) and sync them with the video in Windows Movie Maker.
Rocking job, Old Sausage, very nice. Your rhythm line is really stable, a great platform for soloing over.
Ok, I'm back home, the power is finally on... 8 hours it took, don't know what happened in the storm! Here's my version...
OldSausage & Bill, those were both great renditions!
I learned this as one of my first mandolin songs, but I recorded it again today. In the middle there's a part I 'stole' from Jim Richter, I mixed my version a bit up with his version
hendrix2 - well played ... a strident, slightly martial feel to that, me thinks. i'm sure jim richter would not begrudge you the rewards of "research."
hendrix2 ~ awesome!
Great job, Kenneth! Barb, very nice. I appreciate your examples of simpler melodies that are easier for us relative noobs to play.
I really like this tune. I was playing Barbara's video and then played hendrix2 video and they were playing at the same time. It sounded like two mandolin's playing this tune as a round. Once I learn this tune I am going to have to try it with another mandolin player.
Nice job Barbara -- I like the kind of Celtic feel you gave this tune! Actually the history of tune name "Cold Frosty Morning" is very intersting - -there is the American version in Am (what we are playing?) then second there is a tune that is derived from a Scottish arie (maybe actually from the great Neil Gow? -- not sure about that) and then third there is an old tyme version that was a quadrille (6/8 time? or 3/4 time?). This tune is played in using an altered tuning and is in the key of D. The Fiddlers Companion attibutes this one to Stephen B. Tucker of Mississippi who started fiddling in late 1860's and was recorded for the Library of Congress in 1939. I plan to research this more.
This page has all sorts about it: http://communityguitar.com/students/...ty_morning.htm My favorite version is by Blue Highway, a bluegrass band well worth hearing if you haven't already. It's on their album "Midnight Storm", which is all around pretty good. http://www.bluehighwayband.com/
hendrix2 (you are actually Kenneth?) -- that was a remarkable version of the tune. Outstanding picking that mandolin really sounds incredible a lot of sustain -- I am assuming it is an f-hole but is seems to have the oval hole sustain? The headstock reminds me of a D'Angelico grand artist.
Yeah! Blue Highway smokes! I did not realize they had cut that many records but if you stop and think about all the hits they've had.........
The mandoline is a Fender FM63S, a rather beginners instrument, but I must say that the mandolin opened up the last couple of months (I have it almost three years). It always sounded very thin, but now I actually really start to like the sound of it Thanks for the nice comments people
Great playing by everyone, especially nice variations by OldSausage and hendrix2. I've always faked my way through this one in jam sessions and never learned it proper, so I'll get to reading the dots after seeing how it really goes thanks to your videos.
Hey, Hendrix2, good picking - would you mind picking up that nice looking Godin behind you one day and playing it for the camera a bit? I would love to hear how that sounds.
oldSausage: I have 2 vids up at the moment of the godin: Plugged in: http://s97.photobucket.com/albums/l2...t=DSCF7788.flv unplugged (way to dark): http://s97.photobucket.com/albums/l2...t=DSCF7782.flv (I didn't embed them because I didn't want to disturb this topic) It's a wonderfull guitar. If you want an archtop but you can't afford the high end archtops, the godin is definatly the way to go. An amazing sound and a superb playability.
whoa! - you certainly know your stuff, hendrix ... complimenti! (i see you're pretty well stocked-up on guitars ... should get you through the winter.) i've always liked the look of those sleek, elegant looking hollow body mandolins from godin.
I edited my previous post, I had included twice the same video. Bill, Godin is an excellent brand. They make stunning instruments for rather low prices.
That's excellent, thanks hendrix2 - it sounds as good as it looks, great value. That P90 is killer.
Alright I did mention how glad I was that Barbara picked this tune as I had wanted to learn it for a while. But then here it was Monday of the next week and it looked like Cold Frosty Morning was going to pass me by again. No, not this time. So last night I worked on it and then again this morning - this is a pretty basic version but I'm still flakey on the high part -- I plan eventually to put some triplets in and make it Celtic sounding. A few clams as usual with me. Do you all try to stick that E chord in there on the ending to the second part? That is Am - C - D - E - Am - G - Am (or just foget it?)
Bernie, Yes, that progression is good, with one "minor" change: Am - C - D - E - F - G - Am
Here is my take on Cold Frosty Morning. I had to upload to Vimeo, as 5 tries to YouTube failed miserable (the video uploaded, but the video wouldn't appear, just the audio. No idea why.) The link is: Cold Frosty Morning (or paste: http://www.vimeo.com/5299194) DWP
I really enjoyed that, CD, nice work. Sounds frosty, too, the way you play it.
Very nice interpretation CelticD! That is a nice crisp sounding mandolin -- lots of sustain also. I was interested in your comment about it being a non-Irish tune which I think is true -- it does have a Scottish connection though. I have to look into this Vimeo.
OS - Thanks; high praise, coming from you, as your performance was pretty amazing. Never mind the banjo/bass back-up. You were jamming all over the place. AFA frosty, though, well maybe if I'd had a cold frosty one... Bernie, Thanks to you as well for your kind words. Yes, the MT is a really nice mando. I didn't know about the Scottish connection; sounds very old-timey to me. Nice playing yourself, BTW. What are you using for the backup? I signed up for Vimeo as a YouTube back-up. Am I the only one having trouble with YT? My original file may be corrupted, although it plays on both WMP and QuickTime. I'll record something else and see.
on the contrary ... when i play vimeo videos on my imac computer (700 mhz powerpc g4 - version osx -10.4.11) they appear like this. anyone know why? dana - i took the liberty of using your video as an example as chris travers doesn't want his videos played on youtube - i have yet to hear him play! if, for any reason, you're unhappy that i did this, please let me know and i'll remove it immediately:
Here is my shot. Took me awhile to record. I still get nervous in front of the camera. I will play the song almost perfect and then when I go to record it, my hands don't function properly.
Nice work Kyle! I know what you mean about that video eye -- its a real distraction. I have the same problem -- I can play a song smoothly -- no clams -- then I turn the camera on and immediately they start. The reason is obvious -- if you consciously NOT to make a mistake, well........... That is a very cool looking mandolin you have there -- the video compression by YT makes it very hard to see details.
Thanks Bernie. It is actually this cheap webcam that distorts the picture. I need to get a better camera, but this will work for now. You can go to my album and look at the pictures of my mando.
bilkilpatrick, not sure of your question about Vimeo. That's just their interface, look, and feel. It's the same look on IE as it is on Firefox/Mozilla. Bernie, the graininess of Kyle's vid could be more related to the recording being done with a webcam (I'm guessing about that)...maybe an older webcam,...may be the setting he's capturing his playing at, too, or a combination of the two. It looks like the compression is pretty low to begin with as the arm movement is stuttery, also. Technology's! Ain't it wonderful?
joe - the audio arrives in pieces - all chopped up - and the video isn't co-ordinated to the music - in fact, sometimes it doesn't move at all. several of chris travers's videos finish the staccato replay with the same still image throughout (usually an empty chair.)
I can't get Vimeo to work using Firefox. If I use Internet Explorer, and let the video complete load, then go back and play it, I can then see and hear it as it should be.
It's peculiar, isn't it? I've seen some other pieces, not music, done in Vimeo and they're fine but there's very little movement and the audio is a voiceover but they're also very short like 30 seconds in length. I just played Dana's vimeo recording on my Mac and everything came through fine. But I have noticed some of Chris' Vimeo vids have had playback issues. I just discovered something. Dana (Celtic Dude's) Vimeo doesn't or isn't recorded in HD. Chris' recording of The Big Sciota is recorded in HD and there's an "HD is On" button on the right hand side of the Vimeo Video window that you can click and turn HD off. After doing that it loads faster, sounds, and plays fine without all the hiccups, stuttering, sputtering, glitches, etc. At least it did on my Mac. I'm going to assume a bit more here based on my limited DV camcorder experience. Dana is using either an older camcorder or is using a good quality webcam. Chris is using a newer DV camcorder and hasn't set the record mode from HD to standard (NTSC) or it's an HD camcorder and doesn't allow a standard recording mode. I had that happen to me with the Canon DV camcorder I bought just a while ago. Had to get the manual out, open up the menu on the camera and select Standard (NTSC) or whatever it is which turned off the HD recording mode.
I'm so not savvy about all this stuff, but isn't it strange that everyone is promoting HD, and from what I've experienced with it, it certainly isn't better than the 'standard' stuff!
grazie joe and barbara - HD may be the culprit (jacking-up the prices to make it "better"/making it "better" to jack-up the prices.) i use firefox - with up dates - and the problem persists. i'm sure there's some interface snafu going on which i'm not ever going to understand - in any real sense. thanks again - bill
Bill - I don't have a problem with you using my video as an example. I don't know a thing about Macs, but why let that stop me from giving unsolicited advice... You said your Mac is 700 mHz? That seems slow, and may be why it's having trouble with Vimeo. OTOH, it could just be that Vimeo doesn't play nice with Macs. You might try FireFox for Macs, and see if that changes anything. I'm guessing YouTube works fine for you, so my guess about your processor speed doesn't really hold up. Joe - I'm using my digital camera, a Canon Powershot 610, to do the videos. I'm not happy with the audio quality, but I'm too cheap to buy a camcorder (which is not real likely to have better video at my price point). It doesn't record in HD. I suspect the solution, which I used for Squirrel Hunter, is to record the audio with a dedicated audio recorder (Zoom H2 in my case), and then either sync it with the video from my camera (not sure how), or use another video and/or stills as the video portion. Either way, it becomes something of a production, which can be fun, but I'd rather play mandolin.
Here's my attempt at Butch Baldassari's arrangement from his Appalachian Mandolin & Dulcimer CD.
once again I messed up going into the second time, so I just edited it to the end of the first. Doesn't end quite right, but you get the picture (or video as it were).
Celtic Dude, I thought your audio was fine on your vid. I'd forgotten that a digital camera such as a Canon Powershot can shoot video. I've done it with the Powershot I had before it went south on me! I also played the Vimeo vids in Firefox on a Mac but it was a G5. My PC at home plays the Vimeo fine but I do have to let it load up but I'm willin' to bet that the HD button on Vimeo has to be turned off. I don't think your Powershot camera is recordin' in HD, too. Your vids always have good sound no matter what computer platform I'm watching on. I, too, would just rather play mandolin. Most of all I hope that Chris doesn't quit posting his vids! I'd miss hearin' his renditions and seein' him develop.
bgjunkie - -really great! I've been meaning to try to work this song out on the manocello and you essentially showed me how that might be done. I know what you mean about trying to shoot clean videos -- I always screw up on the last verse because I get to thinking I'm home free -- actually I shouldn't be thinking period! Joe -- great picking. That is a great looking/sounding mandolin and I like the back up how did you do that?
