Well, since week #5 seems to have gotten started a day early, I'll go ahead and start a discussion for it, so they will all get posted here! Over the Waterfall ~ Key of D ~ Reel ~ Old-Time or Bluegrass Here is notation on www.thesession.org Here is a search of TabEdit files on Mandozine When you post your video, please take a moment to include some information about the instrument you are playing!
alltabs.com (TEF viewer needed, free download) MountainSentinel.com with both tab and notation, PDF or TEF; a little more advanced with double stops Cafe files (d'oh!)
I first heard this on Norman Blake's Blackberry Blossom album back in the 70s. I've Nobil-cized it, I'm sure, but it's still a good tune for dances and playin'. (Looks like I need to work on sitting in a better light.)
Joe, that's pretty similar to how I play it! Tell us about your mandolin! It sounds great!
Thank you for your kind words, Barbara. Sorry, forgot to mention the mando...it's a 1930s model Gibson that I've been told is bottom of the barrel, beginners model what have you. I fight with it sometimes and a lot of the time I don't. Must be part of the mandomania. ;^) I've been lovin' that little lady and the way she sounds more and more as of late. Where I've started placing the pick while playing has something to do with her sweet tone, also. I'd been told by a builder that a mandolin's sweet spot is around the end of and over the end of the fingerboard. As I experiment with that position, I'm finding his words to ring true. I do realize there's various fields of...the correct word escapes me, now...tonal quality(?) such as fortissimo, forte, mezzo forte, mezzo piano, piano, pianissimo that all has to do with where the pick is placed. For instance over the end of the fingerboard is probably mezzo piano while near the bridge would be like a fortissimo. Of course, that can all be varied or effected as well as affected by where you're playing with the amount of power you strike the string(s) with, too. But there is definite differences in tonal quality when your pick plays at different locations between the fingerboard and bridge. Y'all can read more about the instrument and how I found it in the Ragtime Annie post section.
The tune is the Fiddler's Fake Book flavor. The mandolin is Gibson F-5 Adam Steffey No. 38. I'm trying to figure out the best way to make these videos. The below is using my laptop iSight camera, but I ran it through Final Cut instead of iMovie. It's a cool program, if I can figure out how to use it a little better. I also made a version using a Sony Handicam with the audio recorded onto one of those little Edirol stereo flash recorders. If I get time I might synch up the sound on a little of that sometime and put it up just for the sake of comparing quality. OK ... later addition as a science experiment. I recorded this last night on a Sony. The video is screwed up. Not enough light, so I just made it a B&W. But I recorded the sound on one of those little stereo Edirol flash recorders to see what the quality would be ... sorta figuring the compression at YouTube would crush any differences. If you do an A/B test, you can judge for yourself. Cheers.
Oooh, I likey that one Mike! Lots of embellishments! I like the other versions, too... I'm trying to decide if I've heard it before. At times it sounds familiar, but I'm not sure.
Just looking at the A part of this tune and I'm going to love it. It really falls under the fingers nicely.
This is as easy as riding in a barrel on the Niagara River...
Our band does this tune in what we call the W set.... Over the Waterfall, Whiskey Before Breakfast & West Fork Gals
Eddie, is that on top the barrel or in the barrel? I've not tried it yet.
Here I am in the barrel... no guesses as to what type of barrel... Played on an Eastman DAWG DGM1...
As usual I have trouble reconciling what I hear to what is written. Here is my take on it: (the middle part is like a refrain it is played A A R B B A A R) -I stuck the refrain in cause I like it
I dig the Dawg mandolin! ... I'll try the Waterfall/Whiskey idea, now that I know Waterfall. Might keep Whiskey from getting out of control, tempo wise. We do Whiskey/Devil's Dream, and it usually gets so outrageous that I want to lie on the floor afterward and pant. You should do your post as a set, Barbara. ... I'm anxious to try Chris' chord ideas. One of my resolutions is to learn actual chords to songs.
Our band plays the chords thus: (A) D A D D D A D D D A D D C C G G (B) D G D D D A D D D G D D D A D D
oops -after I see your version I saw the mistake in mine and got it corrected above.
I love this tune. I tried to do something different with it on this one. Enjoy! Over the Waterfall Chris
Once again, Chris Travers, you put us to shame! I feel like I'm watching a 'phenom' in action! Awesome version.... mine sounds like chopsticks compared to yours! Keep up the good work, and in won't be long till we're paying big bucks for tickets to see you in concert!
Hey here's my humble attempt played of a Sobell large bodied mandolin.
Nice one, Chris. You beat me to the punch with a few of those embellishment ideas. I guess I'll have to think of something different.
Here is mine. This one I also just did by ear and am not trying to play anything to exact I especially just sort of noodled through the second part not necessarily even following my own chord pattern (I don't have the B part as clearly in my head as the A part) It is an attempt to get the 'gist' of a melody without worrying about a exact repeatable sequence of notes.
Our band does Over the Waterfall in a set we call The W Set ~ Over the Waterfall ~ Whiskey Before Breakfast ~ Westfork Gals. Here's me playing (poorly) each tune once through (in performance, we play each tune twice), on my Collings MT 2 O mandolin. You get a glimpse of my knees (don't want to compete with Bill & Eddie in the knee department )
David, that was great, and a beautiful instrument! Thanks for joining us!
The Sobell is awesome! I so love those!
Chris Travers - you rock! David - loved hearing your Sobell, great stuff! Barbara - really enjoyed the W set!
Jill, sure wish you'd get a video camera and join in!
Hopefully I'll be getting one in mid June, right after I get my Pomeroy - I'll have alot of catching up to do!
Jill: Do you have a Mac? I have an unused iSight camera you can have.
I wish I had iSight, then I could get rid of this iWhite-stick and my iGuide Dog...
"don't want to compete with Bill & Eddie in the knee department" ... oh i dunno' - i wouldn't mind a little competition from you. as for eddie: winter can't come too soon.
Bill, I hate to burst your bubble, but those knees in your video you posted were pretty impressive! I'm gonna have to get some sun and exercise, before I'd be willing to take you on in a knee contest!
mromkey - I do have a Mac, an older Powerbook - will the iSight camera work with that?
Hi, Jill. I bet it will. Let me rassle it up tomorrow and see what it plugs into. It's firewire, I think. We'll confer. - Mike
An older Powerbook might not have a firewire port... you might need a usb adapter...
Just checked the "About this Mac" stuff - it says there's a Firewire port on it.
Excellent!
Hi, Jill. I found the iSight camera. It plugs into your firewire port and has a clip so you can attach it to the top of your screen; there's also a stand you can use if you want to put it on the table. Send me a mailing address at mromkey@mac.com, and I'll take it to the post office in the a.m. - Mike
Awesome! Thanks Mike!
Here's my version. I think I've figured out the embedding thing.
Don, that was wonderful! Tell us about your mandolin!
Nice, Don. Love the snakehead. (Isn't a Gil, is it? Looks "new" in the video.)
That would be Don's Gilchrist Model 1 I believe. Do tell us more about how you like it Don. And great version Don. The mandolin sounds great. don
Sweet mother of pearl! A Gilchrist Model 1?!? Yes!
Thanks, folks, I've been playing this tune for awhile. Yes, it's a Gilchrist Model 1. I contacted Steve a few years ago and asked him about building me an oval hole. He said he'd just built a prototype based on the A Jr style, but he redesigned it to sound more like the F4 he built for Compton. I couldn't talk him out of his prototype that he was playing himself but he said he'd be building a few in with his batches of F5s. A year or so later (summer 2007) I get an email saying he had one that wasn't claimed, so I grabbed it. It's good for all styles of music, as Steve says.
Sounds as though you've played the tune awhile, Don. Gilchrist's are beautiful sounding instruments. (I'm gonna have to win a lottery.)
Here is my try.
Kyle, you're catching on pretty quick! Good job. To me, though, it sounds like your mando is a little out of tune! Try tweaking it a little more!
Thanks. Yeah I kept on tuning it last night. I need to get some new strings, and a better camera. The sound quality is terrible with this cheap $15 web cam.
Kyle, it's always something, isn't it! I can't remember, what is your mando? New strings are a good way to cheaply make it sound better!
Its a Howard Morris two point oval hole.
