Songs of any style that all mandolon players should know

[DavidKOS]

BTW, I'm a little surprised at how many times "The Godfather" has been mentioned here. I'm not sure which of the two is meant - the main theme or the love theme. I've been playing the latter in my Italian restaurant repertoire, and while it is not terribly complicated, it's not that simple, either. Perhaps those saying something like that mean the former. I'm glad for the reminder, though - I should work that up.

I play 3 tunes from the movies, the theme also called "Bruscia la terra",

http://godfather.wikia.com/wiki/Brucia_La_Terra

"This page is inaccurate, the lyrics of "Brucia la terra" were written by a sicilian songwriter, Giuseppe Rinaldi, or "Kaballà", on the melody from the theme of "The Godfather", part I. Proof of this can be found at the end of the movie "The Godfather, part III", among the other credits. (also in the italian wiki page of Kaballà)

Thus the song is obviously not an authentic Sicilian ballad, as stated, nor the fact that Gian Campione recorded it on 2009 is of any relevance, I'd say."

and the main theme and a waltz. They are lovely tunes and well known due to the movie's enduring popularity.

In my mandolin musical world, you're not a mandolinist if you can't play the typical Tarantella, Torna a Surriento, Che la Luna, Santa Lucia, and other common Italian/Sicilian/Italian-American music.

[JeffD]

In my mandolin musical world, you're not a mandolinist if you can't play the typical Tarantella, Torna a Surriento, Che la Luna, Santa Lucia, and other common Italian/Sicilian/Italian-American music.

Yes, I neglected this in my post above. Bluegrass is not the only genre with a well defined roll for the mandolin.

I was asked to play mandolin at an Italian restaurant, after bringing one of my cases inside on a hot day. The repertory was pretty well defined.

[Emmett Marshall]

I'm not sure which of the two is meant - the main theme or the love theme. I've been playing the latter in my Italian restaurant repertoire, and while it is not terribly complicated, it's not that simple, either. Perhaps those saying something like that mean the former. I'm glad for the reminder, though - I should work that up.

The one I learned is called "Speak Softly Love" A.K.A "The Godfather Theme." I found the TAB for it somewhere in cyberspace and had a blast learning it. It was tabbed by someone named Mike Strangeland. It motivated me to begin working on tremelo - on which I still have a long way to go.

[journeybear]

Just so we're clear, that's the love theme. The main theme, aka "The Godfather Waltz," is what you hear during the credits. (If I recall; haven't seen the movie in ages.) I've transpose the love theme to G, like 90% of my repertoire.




Yes, there are indeed a number of tunes you're expected to be able to play in an Italian restaurant. I do all those mentioned (except Che La Luna), and also "Funiculi Funicula," "O Sole Mio," "That's Amore," a medley of three well-known Verdi melodies, and until recently, "Volare. (I've gotten tired of it.) I also throw in "Never On Sunday," "Somewhere My Love," and even "Blue Bayou." Done right, it sounds Italian - or at least, romantic.

Bluegrass is not the only genre with a well defined roll for the mandolin.

Ummm ... that well-defined roll is for the banjo ...

[DavidKOS]

I was asked to play mandolin at an Italian restaurant, after bringing one of my cases inside on a hot day. The repertory was pretty well defined.

Jeff, what did they want to hear?

Just so we're clear, that's the love theme. The main theme, aka "The Godfather Waltz," is what you hear during the credits. ........

Yes, there are indeed a number of tunes you're expected to be able to play in an Italian restaurant. I do all those mentioned (except Che La Luna), and also "Funiculi Funicula," "O Sole Mio," "That's Amore," a medley of three well-known Verdi melodies, and until recently, "Volare. (I've gotten tired of it.) I also throw in "Never On Sunday," "Somewhere My Love," and even "Blue Bayou." Done right, it sounds Italian - or at least, romantic.

All of those are on my Italian gig short playlist too!....except the last time I played "Blue Bayou" was on electric guitar at least a decade ago.

The Godfather waltz is a lovely tune, it's one of the 3 I mentioned. This is the other, the "Godfather Waltz - Come Live Your Life With Me":

[journeybear]

Ummm ... yes ... but that is only 1/3 of the whole piece. I saw that on my way to finding the whole thing, which I posted. And, mercifully, it is in Em. (Should have said the other one I posted is in Am.)

[crisscross]

Done right, it sounds Italian - or at least, romantic.

Done right, even "Midnight in Moscow" sounds halfway Italianhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkdHdDW5vFs

Did someone already mention that tune? I'd include it in the list.

[Barry Wilson]

This thread made me add Maggie May to my repetoire, though I transposed it down 2 steps to make it easier to sing

[Jim]

What music pieces, no matter the style or genre, do you think every mandolin player should know?

If you are going to play for others you should learn a few things others recognize. Irish Washer Woman is a good choice because most have heard it , Happy Birthday will come in handy as will knowing several Christmas Carols. Knowing the Mandolin part to Maggie May or Losing My Religion is good too,(for listeners who are pop music fans of the late 20th century) but to truly impress you will need to sing these as well. Learning Vivaldi, Paganini or Bach will probably make you a better player (person;-) but will not get you a lot of " that's my favorite song" comments from listeners. Your best bet is to play what you like , because you'll play it better and enjoy playing it.

[Tobin]

Folks, sorry if my previous comments were seen as a "hijack" or "scaring off newbies". Wasn't my intention at all. Nor did I intend to suggest that playing multiple styles of music is bad or "wrong" in any way. I was just attempting to point out that there's value in being focused on one particular genre at a time. It's actually something I wish I had been told in my early years after taking up the mandolin. I do switch back and forth between OT and bluegrass, with some occasional ITM music in the mix, but I feel like I have a long way to go before I could sound truly 'natural' in any particular style. It has taken me a long time to fully appreciate the differences in technique that each genre requires (which is not to say I can adequately apply them), and perhaps I'm guilty of projecting that to others. I just offered it as food for thought, as something a newbie should consider when mapping out his plan for where he wants to go, but with no disrespect or dissuasion intended whatsoever. So, like Forrest Gump, "that's all I have to say about that."

[JeffD]

Jeff, what did they want to hear?

I dug out my list. This is a partial list, and I didn't play all of these. These are one's I easily found versions of I liked.

Santa Lucia
Arrivederci Roma
Mattinatta
Non Dimenticar
Torna S Surriento
O Sole Mio
Bella Notte
Mio Dolce Sogno
Vieni Sul Mar
Tra Veglia E Sonno
Speak Softly Love (Godfather Waltz)

[JeffD]

If you are going to play for others you should learn a few things others recognize. ....

So true.

And part of why I don't like to play for others. Letting folks who couldn't tell you which instrument is a mandolin on a bet dictate the set list, it just gets my bad attitude up.

[journeybear]

You need to update your list. "Speak Softly Love" is the love theme, not the waltz. (See above.)

And I need to update MY list. "Non Dimenticar" is a good one. I should work that up. I'll look into the others ones, too. I could stand to bring some more variety into my set, even if just for my own enjoyment.

There are tons of Hollywood movies featuring Italians and Italian music. A lot of these tunes are straightforward, with a sharp or flat here or there, and very pleasant to hear and not too hard to play. In this sense, they are good ones for a beginner to learn. And down the line, since they are all of the above and also recognizable, they are good to keep in your repertoire, to pull out when needed. They tend to put smiles on people's faces.

[multidon]

Tobin, I appreciate the clarification. I just think that most beginners don't analyze things in that way. They just want to learn some tunes.

As a former music teacher that was a difficult instinct to deal with though. Especially on orchestral strings. The students had to get a few skills under their belt before they could learn tuned, which they wanted to do very badly. Then it was Mary Had A Little Lamb, Hot Cross Buns, and in a quantum leap forward, of course, Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star!

[Caleb]

So true.

And part of why I don't like to play for others. Letting folks who couldn't tell you which instrument is a mandolin on a bet dictate the set list, it just gets my bad attitude up.

My favorite is when, on the off chance that I actually know a song that someone wants to hear, I begin the song, they listen for about five seconds and maybe sing along a bit, and then get bored and either want to hear something else or just walk away. And of course if you don't know the songs someone wants to hear, then "you suck."

[DavidKOS]

I dug out my list. This is a partial list, and I didn't play all of these. These are one's I easily found versions of I liked.

Santa Lucia
Arrivederci Roma
Mattinatta
Non Dimenticar
Torna S Surriento
O Sole Mio
Bella Notte
Mio Dolce Sogno
Vieni Sul Mar
Tra Veglia E Sonno
Speak Softly Love (Godfather Waltz)

Mio Dolce Sogno is the only one I don't play often.

Bella Notte , as in the song from the Disney movie?

There are tons of Hollywood movies featuring Italians and Italian music. A lot of these tunes are straightforward, with a sharp or flat here or there, and very pleasant to hear and not too hard to play. In this sense, they are good ones for a beginner to learn. And down the line, since they are all of the above and also recognizable, they are good to keep in your repertoire, to pull out when needed. They tend to put smiles on people's faces.

Exactly! There's a bunch of tunes like that, plus all the songs from 40's and 50's Italian singers in American pop music.

[JeffD]

Bella Notte , as in the song from the Disney movie?.

Yes I think so, from Lady and the Tramp, the spaghetti scene.

[flatpickle]

I recommend learning some songs you can sing while accompanying yourself:

1. Knocking on Heaven's Door
2. The Fox
3. Brown Eyed Girl
4. I Never Go Around Mirrors
5. Let It Be

And lots of fiddle tunes.

[Ellen T]

I just play for myself, so I can go with whatever genre that suits my mood. I am a happy amateur with absolutely no ambition except to get through tunes I like to my satisfaction. I mostly play by ear, but if I can't remember a song well enough (through the distance of time or lack of exposure), I can also read music. So even though I have been playing for close to 50 years, in some ways I still have the beginner's mindset in terms of wanting variety. It's very satisfying as a beginner or amateur to learn to play melody decently before doing chords, because you get the instant gratification of recognizing what you are playing. I used to play string bass in a school band, and practice was BORING because how many times can you listen to yourself playing thoom, thoom, thoom-tha-thoom-thoom-thoom? Anyway, get familiar enough with the scales to either play some stuff you like by ear, or get the sheet music since you have a music background. I play old folk, folk revival, a few hymns (and I am not religious but I like a lot of the music, like Amazing Grace and This Is My Father's World, both very easy), some classical, show tunes, old standards from throughout the 20th century, all kinds of, for lack of a better word, generic music. I've never felt like specializing. I like to group some songs together: Skye Boat Song, Farewell to Tarwathie, Scotland the Brave, Wild Mountain Thyme all work well consecutively. I always thought I hated Danny Boy until I concentrated on the tune and blanked out the lyrics (I don't sing anyway), now I love it. A lot of what was listed in that music book (Mandolin Gold?) I've either worked out by ear or have in books. Once you get comfortable with easily recognizable tunes, you will have a better idea of what genre you like - or you may want to keep playing a variety. If you don't like older music, play new stuff. There aren't any rules (beyond some technique basics) except HAVE FUN.

[crisscross]

Santa Lucia
Arrivederci Roma
Mattinatta
Non Dimenticar
Torna S Surriento
O Sole Mio
Bella Notte
Mio Dolce Sogno
Vieni Sul Mar
Tra Veglia E Sonno
Speak Softly Love (Godfather Waltz)

I'd add the Wedding Tarantella to the list.
Might come in handy when Giuseppe and Gina finally decide to marry.
Or when you want to call your soccer-playing kids to a convenience-food pasta meal.Fredericooo!

There aren't any rules (beyond some technique basics) except HAVE FUN.

It's not a rule, but I think in the end it pays off to learn standard notation as well as tablature. This way you have access to a wealth of tunes that have not been tabbed yet for mandolin but work fine on this instrument like for example easy pieces from Anna Magdalena's notebook. So, in the beginning it's not all about having fun, but also about learning some basic reading skills.

[DavidKOS]

I'd add the Wedding Tarantella to the list.
It's not a rule, but I think in the end it pays off to learn standard notation .

Reading standard staff notation is the ONLY way to really read music.

That version in the first video is a bit slow!

I just recorded a version of the Tarantella on Shamisen for a scene in an Italian Sushi bar!

[Sleet]

Such an interesting community, from professionals, to earnest amateurs, to those diffidently approaching their first instrument. As the latter, I have gotten so much from the generous and thoughtful people who post to these forums, but sometimes I run into threads that might just as well be titled “Music-You’re doing it wrong!” As a beginner, I like to be able to play some tunes I’m familiar with and that are widely recognized. It was motivating to me when I was fumbling through Red Wing, that a listener said “Hey! There’s a tune in there somewhere!” So I like the suggestions for Soldier’s Joy, Arkansas Traveler, Red Haired Boy, Eighth of January, Irish Washerwomen, Sailor’s Hornpipe, Turkey in the Straw. Add a nice waltz. As you get more experienced you can dress these tunes up, dress them down, take them anywhere, like the sturdy classics they are. As for contemporary tunes, Maggie may, but I have no intention to, so I’ll leave that to others.

[JeffD]

So I like the suggestions for Soldier’s Joy, Arkansas Traveler, Red Haired Boy, Eighth of January, Irish Washerwomen, Sailor’s Hornpipe, Turkey in the Straw. Add a nice waltz. As you get more experienced you can dress these tunes up, dress them down, take them anywhere, like the sturdy classics they are. .

Good selection for old time or traditional. Or even a contra dance.

And that would be my musical "home" too. Everyone I play music with in a given month of jams knows those tunes all too well. But its always surprising to me how insulated my home musical community is to the general population. My brother, who is fairly musical in the ordinary, popular sense, playing acoustic guitar in a blues/rock style, playing chord banging favorites with friends and beer on a semi-regular basis, he would not recognize any of those tunes. Not a single one. If I played three of them, three times each, and then went back to the first one, he would likely think I played four tunes.

Now if I played Friend of the Devil, House of the Rising Sun, Margaritaville, or most anything by the Eagles, he is there. With all the musicality and emotion he can muster.

And the rest of my family, I am not sure, if my brother and I took turns choosing the tune to play, I am not sure they would even recognize that two different traditions were represented. They would likely listen till the food was ready.

[Sleet]

But its always surprising to me how insulated my home musical community is to the general population.

My brother acknowledges only jazz. I don't know that genre well enough to make recommendations, and all I know about classical I learned from Bugs Bunny cartoons. I trust the hive mind will fill the gaps.

[journeybear]

I'd add the Wedding Tarantella to the list.

So should whoever is playing the mandolin in that video! That is NOT the way I've heard it and learned it, and oh, by the way, I've never known it to be called that either, though I won't go to the mattresses to fight for that cause. He plays the C part before the B part, and takes a few liberties with the melodies as well. And the kicker is, he includes the sheet music for the correct way it's played (or as I've known it) at the end, in the last ten seconds. Throw in the very slow tempo, and this is truly a misbegotten but quite droll example. Thank you so much for the (presumably) unintentional humor. It brightened up a rather gloomy day in my world.

That said, there is a D part as well in the first transcription which does correspond with what he is playing - albeit in a different order - that although I've never heard it before, does appeal to me. I may have to work that into my arrangement. You never know where information or inspiration will come from!