Free sheet music for winter tunes for 2015

[harper]

Dear Mandolin Friends,

A year has rolled around since I posted my Winter's Tale tune book on this Forum. Here is Winter's Tale Book 2. I hope you enjoy playing through it. If you see any errors, please let me know and I will correct them.

Best wishes for the holidays,
Evelyn

[Beanzy]

I love how you're doing these based on the season.
It looks like a great choice of tunes too and doubtless they'll be accompanied by your lovely harmonies as always. Thanks once again for being so generous with your time and effort by sharing with us here.

I'll look forward to getting together with the family and playing these this winter.

Thanks

[Bob Clark]

Wow! What a wonderful gift you have given to the mandolin community. Thank you very much!

[JH Murray]

I need to stop visiting Mandolin Cafe. I keep discovering new tunes to play every time I stop by. So many tunes, so little time. Thank you for brightening my day!

[Phil Vinyard]

These are stunningly good!!! Many thanks!!!

[harper]

Thanks, Phil. I see from your profile that you are a cellist. The kind with the bow? I have been struggling for years to learn cello. Right now I'm transposing this book to bass clef for cello.

Regards,
Evelyn

[John Kelly]

Evelyn, what a great gesture you have made here, making your arrangements so readily available, and providing access to such a wide range of material from so many different origins. Thanks so much!

[DavidKOS]

Nice work - I like 3 part arrangements!

[ukrobbiej]

Very lovely arrangements Evelyn, thank you so much! What a gift!

Evelyn, how do we go about purchasing some of your other mandolin ensemble arrangement you mention? For example, The Jamie Suite?

Thank you,

Rob

[harper]

Thank you, Rob. I have just sent you a pm in response to your question.
Regards,
Evelyn

[brunello97]

Thank you, Evelyn, for compiling and sharing this great music. I look forward to playing these pieces.

A question for you or Martin or others who have some experience recording themselves playing / and overdubbing the multiple parts in such arrangements....

What would you recommend as simple but functional system for recording and overdubbing at home--for the mp3 pleasure of it not for professional purposes / sales, etc.

I would be much obliged for any suggestions.

thanks,

Mick

[Martin Jonas]

Thank you, Evelyn, for compiling and sharing this great music. I look forward to playing these pieces.

A question for you or Martin or others who have some experience recording themselves playing / and overdubbing the multiple parts in such arrangements....

What would you recommend as simple but functional system for recording and overdubbing at home--for the mp3 pleasure of it not for professional purposes / sales, etc.

Mick,

My recordings are done with very little technology: a laptop running Audacity (which is free), plus a Zoom H2n recorder which I run as a USB microphone into the laptop, plus headphone on one ear only (so that I can still hear my playing).

Typical recording session looks like this:

1. Create a click track in Audacity at the desired tempo, time signature and number of bars. I leave a 5 second gap at the beginning, plus two extra bars as count-in.

2. Record the lead part (usually the melody) to the click track. This first recorded track will be used as a guide track for the rest of the recording, but deleted from the final mix as it's hard to play a musical lead without the backing.

3. Add the other tracks one-by-one. I usually put down the rhythm guitar (if there is one) next, then the harmonies/bass line.

4. Re-record the lead part once all other parts are down. Listening to the backing while recording the lead give more musical lead playing.

5. Mute the click track and guide track and mix the other tracks in Audacity, then export the stereo mix as MP3 or WAV.

With a bit of practice, you get used to playing to a click track and from that point on it's not that hard to do. It's not studio quality, but the microphone in the Zoom is pretty good, and I find the process fairly painless.

Drop me a line if you want to chat about the process, or get stuck!

Evelyn: Many thanks again! As I've already said in private: we play loads of your arrangements with our group and there are so many gems, both in the original compositions and in the arrangements. Every part gets something interesting to play which keeps all the group members happy.

Martin

[brunello97]

Thanks, Martin! This if very helpful. I haven't done any multi track mandolin recording in ages (and that wasn't digital)--or recording of any kind outside of when playing with our more casual settings live--which tend to be very accordion heavy.

This gives me a good place to start….I like the idea of overlaying these parts as a means to boost my own musical comprehension--and get my guitar playing back up to speed. I'll get myself set up over the holiday break and be in touch.

Evelyn…I drive back and forth between Houston and Austin pretty regularly when we're back home in TX and there's always that right hand turn there in Hempstead that I pass by. I do drive over to Lexington for bbq at Snows. College Station isn't but a bit further. Hopefully some day we might be able to visit visit.

Mick

[harper]

Mick,
I have no experience recording tracks, but I have an Zoom H4 and a computer. I may give Martin's method a try.
I do you hope you will stop by College Station when you are in Texas. You would be most welcome to play through tunes with me and my fellow pluckers.
Best regards,
Evelyn

[Martin Jonas]

To follow up on both themes in this thread: here is my home recording of Evelyn's arrangement of "Sevivon". This is great fun on mandolin, and once the melody variation is under the fingers, it's pretty straightforward.

Recorded as outlined above: click track -> melody as guide track -> rhythm guitar -> second mandolin -> octave mandolin -> first mandolin -> mix down to stereo. Took about 40 minutes beginning to end.

1890s Umberto Ceccherini mandolin
1915 Luigi Embergher mandolin
Mid-Missouri M-111 octave mandolin
Ozark tenor guitar



Martin

[Martin Jonas]

Here is another Hanukkah song from Evelyn's tune book: "Ma'oz Tzur".

I've taken the opportunity to try out my brand new parlour-sized tenor guitar on this one, taking chords on the first and third verse and lead melody on the second. I got this delivered to my work address today, to it's the very first run-out. Very different sound compared to my Ozark, bright and jangly. Fun to play!

1890s Umberto Ceccherini mandolin
1915 Luigi Embergher mandolin
Mid-Missouri M-111 octave mandolin
Viaten Paul Brett tenor guitar in CGDA



Martin

[violmando]

THANK YOU!!!

My husband and I have played all of Book 1 and I've even used a few tunes with my violin students. LOVE these!