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Thread: Norman Blake Tunes

  1. #1
    Mike Parks woodwizard's Avatar
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    Default Norman Blake Tunes

    I bet there's not many acoustic pickers here that don't like to pick some Norman Blake tunes from time to time. Please feel free to post some of you picking your favorite Blake tunes. Vids or music ... it's all cool. Would love to see/listen to them. I'll start with a couple mp3 recordings I made with my Tascam little mixer ...one called "Ruins of Richmond" and "Coming Down From Rising Fawn"
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  3. #2

    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Great idea. Here's the Constitution March that Norman played on guitar, but it works well on mandolin.



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    Registered User Jim Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Nice pickin' Don!

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    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    I love Norman Blake tunes, and play them often, especially the ones he teaches in the Homespun Video series. I don't have any recent, decent recordings, though. I'll link to a few from when I was more of a rank beginner trying to learn them.

    From Norman:



    Here's one where I was attempting to learn and slowly practice Thebes on the guitfiddle ...



    From Nancy:



    And this Nancy tune from when I first began to learn it, and before I started working to cure the "flying fingers" approach, LOL.

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  9. #5

    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Wish we would have picked at Pagosa, Mark. We share a love of Norman and Nancy tunes.
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  11. #6
    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Roger that, Don. I took you for a Norman & Nancy fan when I discovered your YouTube videos a good while back. Those folk are the real deal, for sure.
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  12. #7
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Very nice playing of a lovely tune there Don. I'd never heard it before,but i'll be hearing it a few (100) times more,
    Ivan
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    Registered User mandopaul's Avatar
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Mark, I love the "Hangin' Dog" tune that you worked out. I tried to follow Nancy on that one, but her fingers fly so fast. There is a very haunting melody on this song.

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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Thanks to this theard I learned a few of Norman Blake´s tunes. Here is Constitution March- I stole a lot of Don´s Video. Thanks for that!
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  17. #10

    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Nice, Markus, sounds just right on the old Gibson--and thanks for bring this thread back up. We all need some more Norman and Nancy in our lives these days.
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  19. #11
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Some nice videos here. I have just discovered N&N Blake tunes. I bought a used Natasha's Waltz CD and am enjoying it. My first project is to learn Blake's March, a great tune on mandolin. Luckily there are a few versions in notation on the internet to help me but I can't find notation for other Blake tunes. Is there a book of their tunes available to buy? Their music sounds to me like a hybrid of US old time and English folk dance tunes.

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  20. #12
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Some nice videos here. I have just discovered N&N Blake tunes. I bought a used Natasha's Waltz CD and am enjoying it. My first project is to learn Blake's March, a great tune on mandolin. Luckily there are a few versions in notation on the internet to help me but I can't find notation for other Blake tunes. Is there a book of their tunes available to buy? Their music sounds to me like a hybrid of US old time and English folk dance tunes.

    Kevin
    Anglocelt
    mainly Irish & Scottish but open to all dance-oriented melodic music.
    Mandos: Gibson A2, Janish A5, Krishot F5, Taran Springwell, Shippey, Weber Elite A5; TM and OM by Dave Gregory, J E Dallas, Tobin & Davidson.

  21. #13
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Quote Originally Posted by Anglocelt View Post
    Some nice videos here. I have just discovered N&N Blake tunes. I bought a used Natasha's Waltz CD and am enjoying it. My first project is to learn Blake's March, a great tune on mandolin. Luckily there are a few versions in notation on the internet to help me but I can't find notation for other Blake tunes. Is there a book of their tunes available to buy? Their music sounds to me like a hybrid of US old time and English folk dance tunes.

    Kevin
    Mel Bay has a book by Steve Kaufman

  22. #14
    Registered User MarkusSpiel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Quote Originally Posted by Anglocelt View Post
    Some nice videos here. I have just discovered N&N Blake tunes. I bought a used Natasha's Waltz CD and am enjoying it. My first project is to learn Blake's March, a great tune on mandolin. Luckily there are a few versions in notation on the internet to help me but I can't find notation for other Blake tunes. Is there a book of their tunes available to buy? Their music sounds to me like a hybrid of US old time and English folk dance tunes.

    Kevin
    I got the notation for the first 12 tracks of the Natasha's Waltz Cd from Mike Black
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  23. #15
    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    When Markus bumped this old thread, I noticed that the OP woodwizard had posted a version of Coming Down From Rising Fawn in the initial post, and it just happened that this was the tune for the SAW group about the time this thread was bumped. I listened to it a minute ago, and am surprised how closely his playing of the A part resembles what I've been playing on that tune. The rest of what he does sounds more like Norman's tune than what I've been doing.

    At any rate, it was a blessing to see his mandolin version here, since it seems that most recorded versions of the tune are played on guitar. I'm going to link his tune into the SAW thread.
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  25. #16

    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    I totally missed Coming Down from Rising Fawn in the original post, Mark. Thanks. Been working on Green Leaf Fancy too. You working on any Norman tunes?
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  26. #17
    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Quote Originally Posted by Don Grieser View Post
    I totally missed Coming Down from Rising Fawn in the original post, Mark. Thanks. Been working on Green Leaf Fancy too. You working on any Norman tunes?
    Been working on Coming Down From Rising Fawn, but that's all. I've been sidetracked by Willie Nelson tunes and also writing some juvenile stuff. Playing Crazy and Ain't it Funny How Time Slips Away and found what I think is a cool way to play Robert Johnson's Kind Hearted Woman on mandolin.
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    late as usual, here's Nancy's Hornpipe on Octave


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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Quote Originally Posted by Wt02575 View Post
    Mel Bay has a book by Steve Kaufman
    Mel Bay has many books by Steve Kaufman but I can't see one which covers Blake tunes. Maybe it is out of print?

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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Quote Originally Posted by Anglocelt View Post
    Mel Bay has many books by Steve Kaufman but I can't see one which covers Blake tunes. Maybe it is out of print?
    It’s called The Norman Blake Anthology

  32. #21

    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    I did this a while ago! (Not exactly a tune, but very Norman)

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  34. #22
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Great thread. Thanks for sharing!

  35. #23

    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Glad to see people adding on to this thread. Here's Coming Down From Rising Fawn.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy8Uk9nA4m0
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  37. #24
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Woodwizard you have no idea what you started

    here's a rough attempt at one of my favorites "Walnut River"



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  39. #25
    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Norman Blake Tunes

    Good stuff Don & Mr. Sweeny
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