Mandolin (Violin?) Music Resources

[Sherry Cadenhead]

I'm interested in finding mandolin/violin music books with piano accompaniment. Medleys would be a plus. Most any genre is acceptable; e.g., classical, spiritual, country, old time, pop.

Suggestions for where I might start my search?

[James Vwaal]

Hal Leonard. My local music store owner just showed me a new series put out by Hal Leonard. They cover many genres with written piano music and suggested chords. A mandolinist or violinist can read the melody line from the piano parts, and pick out a melody line to play while the pianist plays the chords, bass line, or bass and melody lines together.

Let me see if I can find a link. NFI on my part. They are called the Jazz Piano Solos Series. My local store just ordered me the Gypsy Jazz volume (no. 20) which covers tunes like 'Minor Swing', 'Honeysuckle Rose', 'After You've Gone'. I have figured out my parts for those songs, but our piano player hasn't gotten past simply comping chord shapes. I am encouraging her to use the sheet music to construct alternate melody lines to give me a break from having to play the solos all of the time.

[Louise NM]

Sherry, Mel Bay. Anything for violin, flute, or oboe with piano accompaniment will work, and they have tons. A local music store should have quite a bit, too, from Beatles to gospel to Christmas.

[James Vwaal]

There are also a lot of fake books out there that have the melody line and chords. The pianist can play the chords whilst the mandolinist and violinist plays the melody. Then you alternate, i.e., mandolin comps chords while piano plays melody (with bass line). Do a Cafe search for fake books. People have posted links to jazz fakebooks, swing, Django, Dixieland, and etc.

[BoxCarJoe]

http://www.free-scores.com/index_uk.php

There is a lot of good stuff at Free-scores.
But you have to get the hang of their search procedure. It's kind of odd.

[Jim Garber]

The Beethoven pieces for mandolin and piano are very nice and not too difficult. You can download them in imslp.org:

Sonatina Adagio in C-Minor

Sonatina in C-Allegro

[Bill Cameron]

This isn’t quite what you asked for, but it might be part of what you are -looking- for.

In Cape Breton a very flashy piano style has been developed alongside their fiddle tradition. The catch is that most of it isn’t written down, but it’s well worth your looking into. In fact in my experience, most CB fiddlers are also wicked piano players, and play the melodies as well as fancy accompaniment lines. Search for Cape. Reton Piano and you’ll find all sorts of info, including this.

http://sessions.kimberleyfraser.com/...no-course1.pdf