# Music by Genre > Jazz/Blues Variants, Bossa, Choro, Klezmer >  Easy swing tunes

## crisscross

Recently, on a whim, I had the idea to re-tune my tenor banjo from GDAE to CGDA. Until then, I had thought of it as a mandolin an octave lower, but now I was eager to become able to read music in CGDA. As a practice tune for my newly aquired abilities I chose "Poor Butterfly", which transposed from Ab to G lost most of its scariness. :Wink: 
I played the melody on my banjo, developed a mandolin solo and ended the tune with a western swing solo on my Tele.


On the banjo, I still want to learn some chords and a little chord/melody playing, but at least, it's a beginning. 
I'm planning to continue working in this format and am looking for other tunes that might work.
Right now, I'm practicing "Back home again in Indiana."
There's "Limehouse blues", "Avalon", "After you're gone"...

I'd be glad if other Cafe members would post their recordings of swing tunes, links to websites with sheet music or simply propose tune titles. :Mandosmiley:

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## Julian Morris

really enjoyable. how are you doing your multi-tracking? if I could figure out how to multi-track, I could possibly post a swing tune here.

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## crisscross

Thanks,Julian. I have a little tascam dp-008 standalone 8 track recorder. No need to find your way through a complicated computer menu, just push the "on"-button when inspiration hits me. :Smile:

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## Julian Morris

I have a tascam tape 4 track, i can check if it still works.

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## crisscross

I started with a 4-track tape too, but recently my brother convinced me to go digital, and since I don't like sitting in front of my laptop very much when playing music, I bought a little d-008.
I finished recording "Indiana". This time, I wanted it too sound like a 3-piece string band playing dixie, so I learned some chords on my tenor banjo and played rhythm on banjo and mando.


I'm still hoping for some tune suggestions from Cafe members.
BTW does anyone know the dixieland fake book http://www.amazon.com/Real-Dixieland...eland+fakebook
I'm thinking about buying the one for Bb instruments. It contains 248 tunes with chords and melody transposed to string friendly keys,

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## des

Wonderful!

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## StuartE

> I'm thinking about buying the one for Bb instruments. It contains 248 tunes with chords and melody transposed to string friendly keys,


Why would you want to buy the Bb edition rather than the C edition?

Very nice playing on the video, btw.

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## crisscross

Thanks des, thanks Stuart.


> Why would you want to buy the Bb edition rather than the C edition?


In the C edition, the tunes are in the original keys which often is a key, in which clarinet or trumpet players can play with few accidentals, like Bb, F or Eb. In the Bb edition they are transposed one step up including chords.
"After yo've gone" for example is in Bb in the C edition and in C in the Bb edition.
I don't consider myself a jazz player who is eager to learn to improvise in any given key. I just like to play these tunes in C,G D or A and approach them  like" hm.., let's see what I can play this time".
In the mando solo to "Indiana" in G, I used some crosspicking over chords A7 and D7 with open strings.
In the original key F that would have been more difficult.
That's why I would prefer the Real Book in the Bb edition.
Should I ever invite a clarinet player to my recordings, he has to read a few #s :Wink:

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## Julian Morris

> I started with a 4-track tape too, but recently my brother convinced me to go digital, and since I don't like sitting in front of my laptop very much when playing music, I bought a little d-008.
> I finished recording "Indiana". This time, I wanted it too sound like a 3-piece string band playing dixie, so I learned some chords on my tenor banjo and played rhythm on banjo and mando.
> I'm still hoping for some tune suggestions from Cafe members.
> BTW does anyone know the dixieland fake book http://www.amazon.com/Real-Dixieland...eland+fakebook
> I'm thinking about buying the one for Bb instruments. It contains 248 tunes with chords and melody transposed to string friendly keys,



Fab again. Such clean sound too. Is the mandolin plugged in or miked up?

I went digital a few years ago, using Garageband to collaborate with a friend who was using Cubase. He then persuaded me to get Cubase, and that just about finished me off because it's such a pain in the BTM to use. To this day Cubase leaves me completely cold, I think I have developed a mental block about it. Although Garqageband is very limited, it's so so easy to use. 

How about you have a go at Straighten Up and Fly Right? There doesn't seem to be a clean version with mandolin on YouTube, except the Bob Wills version which personally I dont hink is instrumentally that impressive. It's terribly rushed too.  Bet you could do better, without all the Wills' meaningless noodling in the middle that bears no relation to the tune.

Apologies to Bob Wills fans, I have probably crossed a line here.

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## Teak

For that Dixieland sound, I play two songs back to back that are in the same key and have the same chord progression: _My Four Reasons_ and _Five Foot Two_. They are actually tenor banjo songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB5PpsR005M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E5auQTcsaY

C E7 A7 D7 G7 C D7 G7 

C E7 A7 D7 G7 C

E7 A7 D7 G7 D7 G7 

C E7 A7 D7 G7 C

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## morgan

After reading this thread I  bought the Real Dixieland Book Bb edition.   It's great fun and highly recommended.   Something like 288 songs, many classics and many good ones I was not familiar with.   The intro says "In keeping with historic practice, the majority of the chords are triads and dominant sevenths" and recommends extending the chords as you see fit.  (diminished chords are also provided)   This makes it pretty easy to get a feel for the tune quickly.  Another thing I like is that lyrics are included for most of the tunes.  I find it is often hard to get a feel for the melody of swing tunes from the written music only, but if you can sing it, it falls into place.

I have a particular fondness for novelty swing tunes with corny lyrics, and the Dixieland book introduced me to Where did Robinson Crusoe Go With Friday On Saturday Night.  The answer:  "On this island lived wild men in cannibal trimmin' ,    Where there are wild men there must be wild women..."



The Hal Leonard Jazz Bible Fake Book Swing Era is also a good source for swing tunes, but the tunes are a little later and the progressions are somewhat more complicated

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## crisscross

Another useful resorce for TradJazz tunes is Will Fly's tablature site. There are mostly fingerpicking guitar arrangements, but also some nice arrangements of tradjazz tunes for tenor guitar, that work equally well on the mandolin. http://www.willflyguitar.com/tablatures.html
You can either play the tabs, as if they were writen for the mandolin, and, if need be, transpose the accompaninemt chords, or transpose the melody a fifth down. ( The tenor guitar seems to be notated an octave higher than it sounds)
For most tunes, you can simply play the tenor guitar version one string lower on the mando. That's what I did with "Honeysuckle Rose"


First my tenor uke/guitar then my mando

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## Julian Morris

> Another useful resorce for TradJazz tunes is Will Fly's tablature site. There are mostly fingerpicking guitar arrangements, but also some nice arrangements of tradjazz tunes for tenor guitar, that work equally well on the mandolin. http://www.willflyguitar.com/tablatures.html
> You can either play the tabs, as if they were writen for the mandolin, and, if need be, transpose the accompaninemt chords, or transpose the melody a fifth down. ( The tenor guitar seems to be notated an octave higher than it sounds)
> For most tunes, you can simply play the tenor guitar version one string lower on the mando. That's what I did with "Honeysuckle Rose"
> 
> 
> First my tenor uke/guitar then my mando


That's the most laid back I've heard that tune. Well done! Apart from the shampoo...

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## crisscross

> That's the most laid back I've heard that tune. Well done!


Thanks Julian, not being the Speed King, laid back is my only chance not to ruin the tunes I play. :Wink: 

Another resource is "Gypsy Swing and Hot Club rhythm for mandolin" by Dix Bruce.http://www.melbay.com/Products/902BC...-mandolin.aspx
Though honestly, I was a little disappointed when I received the book.
I had expected some advice on the intricacies of playing "La Pompe" and some possible variations.
Instead, at the beginning of the book, there's only a short general explanation of this kind of comping.
But I discovered two nice tunes I didn't know until I saw them in the book.

Some of these days


Baby won't you please come home 


Well, not up to Django speed yet, but maybe some of these days....

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