Slow, sweet songs

[Jcdraayer]

Hi all, I’m looking for recommendations on your favorite slow, sweet sounding tunes on our favored instrument. My family is ready to hear something other than the same old fiddle tunes and bluegrass jams. Thanks!

[apache]

I've really enjoyed learning this one:
https://johnreischman1.bandcamp.com/track/sarafina

[JRG]

Travis Book singing Poor Boy's Delight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvnW7u2ojLM

[mandopops]

Monroe's Lonesome Moonlight Waltz.
Or break away from the Grass altogether & learn Italian tunes. There are 1000's. Check under the Classical, Italian category for Sheri Mignano Crawford's threads.
Highly Recommended.
Joe B

[Dan in NH]

Streets of Laredo
Birmingham jail
Red river valley

There’s got to be 100 other Lonesome cowboy songs I just can’t think of right now

[Chuck Leyda]

Two of the best for sweet melodies are Peter Ostroushko and John Reischman.

Heart of the Heartland and Prairie Jewel would be two great ones to learn.

[Dan in NH]

break away from the Grass altogether & learn Italian tunes

Break away from bluegrass. lol. The very idea...

This reminds me of one of my favorite early Simpsons quotes. Lisa suggested to the music teacher that the school band perform a song that WASN'T written by John Phillip Sousa. The music teacher looked back, perplexed, and asked "You mean something just ARRANGED by Sousa?"

[Kevin Winn]

Any of Andrew Marlin's three solo instrumental albums have quite a few slow, sweet tunes (in addition to some barn-burners).

These are a couple of my favorites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT5jGGEDQng
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPJsA4ZuS80

[Dan in NH]

Streets of Laredo
Birmingham jail
Red river valley

There’s got to be 100 other Lonesome cowboy songs I just can’t think of right now

Blue Shadows from The Three Amigos!

I'm googling mando tabs for that as soon as I get home.

[allenhopkins]

Every now and then I'll just play Greensleeves, which I think I learned when I first picked up a mandolin around 1970.

There are a lot of standard waltzes that work well -- Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms, Tennessee Waltz, Midnight On the Water come to mind. And Statman's Flatbush Waltz.

Also O'Carolan tunes: Panxty Fanny Power, Si Beag Si Mor, Planxty George Brabizon. Celtic waltzes: Greenwood Tree, South Wind, Gentle Maiden, Snowy-Breasted Pearl.

Lotsa them out there.

[rickbella]

Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust"

[NDO]

On my regular playlist to play (with vocals) as moderately slow, sweet songs:

Love, Me (Collin Raye)
I can’t help falling in love (Elvis)
Remember When (Alan Jackson)
Ripplin’ Waters (I like the NGDB version)
Good Morning Beautiful (Steve Holy)
Wonderful Tonight (Clapton)

I realize these may not be the style you had in mind but they certainly are slow, sweet songs.

[OldSausage]

The Long and Winding Road….
what was the question?

[Eric F.]

A Place in the Heart.

[CES]

Wayfaring Stranger…tab is in the Cafe library…

[Pittsburgh Bill]

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain in E major

[CarlM]

Mandolin Mondays from a week ago had a beautiful rendition of the Ookpik Waltz. It is still on the front page. There is always Ashokan Farewell though it has been done to death. One of my favorites to play is the one below from the master himself, the Maiden's Prayer.

[Mandobart]

I think Moonlight on the Water is one of the prettiest songs there is. I do like to do a whole Ken Burns Lewis and Clark doc mini-set - When Summer Ends (by Silly Wizard, it was Lewis' theme in the show), Heart of the Heartland (as previously noted) and Beech Spring.

I also really like Mark Knopfler's theme from the film Local Hero. Then that gets me thinking about Hector the Hero which is so sad when you learn the story behind it. Niel Gow's Lament for His Second Wife is a beautiful slow tune and the sheet music is readily available.

[GChris]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c191UCP89xw

Neil Gow’s Lament on the Death of His Second Wife

[Mike Buesseler]

Inisheer.

The Waltz of Dreams, Magnus Zetterlund

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hi all, I’m looking for recommendations on your favorite slow, sweet sounding tunes on our favored instrument. My family is ready to hear something other than the same old fiddle tunes and bluegrass jams. Thanks!

Today, at the request of a guy I play music with, I learned Bob Weir's "Only a River." Been playing it on all my instruments. It's a natural for mando:



Which makes me think of Bob's friend Jerry, accompanied here by Dave Grisman. It's one of Dave's best-known tracks:

[Charlie Bernstein]

The Long and Winding Road….

Played that on guitar for a wedding once. Great tune!

[Charlie Bernstein]

Blue Shadows from The Three Amigos!

I'm googling mando tabs for that as soon as I get home.

Love "Blue Shadows on the Trail"!

For the curious: The first source is Roy Rogers singing it in the Disney movie Melody Time. Bing Crosby (a cowboy music fan) sang it, too. More recently, Randy Newman covered it, and Syd Straw sang it on the Disney tribute album Stay Awake.

You just inspired me to get around to learning it. Thanks!

[pops1]

Elk River Blues by Ernie Carpenter

Farewell Trion

[Pittsburgh Bill]

Not exactly sure what you are looking for but when in the mood a few others I go for:
Sweet Baby James
Sunshine on My Shoulder
The Rose
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
Dream A Little Dream Of Me

Hope this helps.