Old Time Stringband Workshop for Flatpick Guitar is one in a set of four books, each with a matching collection of 40 traditional type fiddle tunes arranged to develop ensemble and jam session playing skills with other acoustic instruments, as well as to expand your repertoire of tunes. the music is presented in Notation and Tablature with annotations for playing techniques and variations. A bonus arrangement of Star of the County Down is available as a free download. See www.melbay.com/21764.

Old Time Stringband Workshop for Mandolin is one in a set of four books, each with a matching collection of 40 traditional type fiddle tunes arranged to develop ensemble and jam session playing skills with other acoustic instruments, as well as to expand your repertoire of tunes. the music is presented in Notation and Tablature with annotations for playing techniques and variations. A bonus arrangement of Star of the County Down is available as a free download. See www.melbay.com/21765.

Old Time Stringband Workshop for Fiddle is one in a set of four books, each with a matching collection of 40 traditional type fiddle tunes arranged to develop ensemble and jam session playing skills with other acoustic instruments, as well as to expand your repertoire of tunes. the music is presented in Notation with annotations for playing techniques and variations. A bonus arrangement of Star of the County Down is available as a free download. See www.melbay.com/21763.

Old Time Stringband Workshop for Banjo is one in a set of four books, each with a matching collection of 40 traditional type fiddle tunes arranged to develop ensemble and jam session playing skills with other acoustic instruments, as well as to expand your repertoire of tunes. the music is presented in Tablature with annotations for playing techniques and variations. A bonus arrangement of Star of the County Down is available as a free download. See www.melbay.com/21762.

In this book, journalist, composer, songwriter, teacher, and 2003 Winfield Flatpicking Guitar Champion, Jeff Troxel, delivers a masterclass in arranging fiddle tunes for flatpicking guitar. These 20 themes and variations on favorite bluegrass melodies are designed to improve overall musicianship and augment your own arranging skills. Ideal for the intermediate to advanced flatpicking guitarist, the author reveals techniques for enabling readers to create their own theme and variations settings. Suggested rhythm guitar chords and light left-hand fingerings are also provided. Troxel points out that one of the unexpected benefits of learning and memorizing themes with variations is that the process will ultimately facilitate linear and harmonic improvisation. It would be a painstaking process to learn this skill from a teacher or a harmony textbook, but once memorized, the scale and arpeggio patterns within these tunes and variations will set you on a viable path towards original improvised lines. As a bonus, the author includes a generous appendix containing several of his Flatpicking Guitar Magazine articles that deal with aspects of musicianship that every guitarist should know. While written in standard notation and tab, if you have relied solely on tablature and recordings in the past, this book can provide the key to understanding essential music theory and reading standard notation. If you’re not quite ready to learn to read standard notation, you can still use the tab and the author’s excellent online recordings to learn these delightful arrangements. In any case, it will be fun to get these settings of standard bluegrass tunes “in-hand” and use them in future jam sessions.

Tommy Thompson arrived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1963, smitten by folk and traditional Appalachian music. In 1972, he teamed with Bill Hicks and Jim Watson to form the nontraditional string band the Red Clay Ramblers. Mike Craver joined in 1973, and Jack Herrick in 1976. Over time, musicians including Clay Buckner, Bland Simpson and Chris Frank joined Tommy, who played with the band until 1994. Drawing on interviews and correspondence, and the personal papers of Thompson, the author depicts a life that revolved around music and creativity. Appendices cover Thompson's banjos, his discography and notes on his collaborative lyric writing.

This meticulously researched anthology presents detailed biographies and transcriptions, including bowing, ornamentation, and accentuation of 39 fiddle tunes as played by 25 Newfoundland fiddlers from locations throughout the island. For unparalleled authenticity, the author’s live field recordings of each tune are available online, offering a unique perspective of the various types of tunes and techniques favoured by past and present Newfoundland fiddlers. Newfoundland, a former British colony, possesses a rich and varied cultural heritage due to its history of unique settlement patterns. Beginning in the 16th century, European migrants from Ireland, Scotland, West-Country England, and France settled on the island, bringing with them their various cultural practices, including their fiddles! This collection provides insight to the backgrounds, geographical locations, and musical preferences of the individual players, and how music-making and the role and status of Newfoundland fiddlers have evolved over time. The tunes included here vary from original compositions and revival collectors’ treasures, to reinterpreted versions of timeless Irish, Scottish, and French tunes. Together, they form a part of the modern-day Newfoundland fiddling tradition. This book will delight fiddle players and any musician who wishes to further enhance their repertoire and technique, or simply learn more about the island of Newfoundland and its music. Includes access to online audio.

In this generous collection, Nova Scotian fiddler Bill Guest presents standard notation of easy to intermediate-level traditional tunes, some of his own more complex original compositions plus works by twenty-one of his Canadian fiddling contemporaries. The collection offers approximately 120 dance tunes including: waltzes, hornpipes, jigs, polkas, two-steps, airs, breakdowns, reels, swing tunes, and a few 4/4 melodies for slow dancers. “The Irish Washerwoman” is presented in 3 versions with different time signatures, and five selections are arranged as duets. The salient feature of this book, however, is the enjoyment and multifaceted musical perspective gained from playing the work of so many fiddlers from across the vast commonwealth of Canada.

This affordable 5 1/2 by 8 QWIKGUIDE offers 43 traditional fiddle solos in standard notation with chord symbols. Selections include: Arkansas Traveler; Back Up and Push; the Blarney Pilgrim; Beaumont Rag; Bill Cheatham; Billy in the Lowground; Blackberry Blossom; Bonaparte's Retreat; Cotton-eyed Joe; Cripple Creek; Down Yonder; Dill Pickle Rag; Drowsy Maggie; Durham's Bull; Eighth of January; Fisher's Hornpipe; Fire on the Mountain; Garry Owen; Haste to the Wedding; Jolie Blond; Maidens Prayer; and more. the attached CD contains performances of all the tunes in the book.Also available in Japanese from ATN, Inc.

Mandolin Picking Tunes: Early Music Gems by Dix Bruce is a collection of 34 wonderful songs from the 1200s to the 1600s especially arranged for intermediate and advanced mandolinists. The titles span the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras and the sounds of the individual songs reflect those years. The music includes standard notation, accompaniment chords, and tablature. Includes access to online audio recordings of each piece for listening and playing along.