Misirlou

  1. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    This is a traditional folk song from the Eastern Mediterranean, variously played by Greek, Arabic and Jewish musicians. The earliest known recording is from 1927, in Greek rebetiko style. These days it's more often known from Dick Dale's speeded-up surf rock instrumental version (misspelled "Miserlou").

    My arrangement is at the original tempo, based on a setting for two violins from:

    http://www.kiwifolk.com/dfc/DSFO%20Violin.pdf

    Played on a vintage Italian bowlback mandolin, double-tracked, with tenor guitar accompaniment.

    1898 Giuseppe Vinaccia mandolin (x2)
    Vintage Viaten tenor guitar



    Martin
  2. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    I never knew what that tune was called! Thank you for the musical education and the nice video.
  3. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Great playing Martin, really nice! And thanks for bringing the tune to light.

    I’ll have another go. I’ve tried to play this tune so many times. It’s the rubato and the cut time in the tremolo that I can’t work out.
    I used this vid as a source:
    https://youtu.be/bsUYqF32EdU

    And this Arabic one that seems easier to understand, rhythmically, and seems to go into another key in parts:
    https://youtu.be/n3tJ_XyBwyE
  4. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Ok, I worked it out!! Yeeeehaaaar!!

    This is a very difficult tune to play (for an Englishman at least) because the singers are singing in 4/4 Time with the occasional eighth note and an up beat.

    The mandolinist on the other hand, is playing most of the time in what seems like a double jig, 12/8, so each of those quarter notes that the singer is singing is divided into three, and then into six for the tremolo. The thing that makes the rhythm really cool is that the mandolinist Will suddenly jump out and play straight 4/4 time on the parts where not much is happening to give that up beat.

    -well this is how I see it at least, I'm sure there are some of you guys who understand the theory better!
  5. Martin Jonas
    Martin Jonas
    Thanks, Simon and Dennis!

    Simon: the transcription in the songbook I have linked is useful in figuring out the rhythm as it gives both the melody line and the accompaniment rhythm (second violin/mandolin alternates between playing the rhythm and playing harmony), in a somewhat simplified form compared to the quite complex polyrhythms in the rebetiko video you've posted.

    Listening to this version may help -- the oldest known recording of the tune, from 1927: https://youtu.be/LW6qGy3RtwY

    Martin
  6. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Ouch! That first-recording-ever https://youtu.be/LW6qGy3RtwY is very smooth and flowing!

    This is still my favourite.
    I’m not sure now if it really is rhythmically and rubato-ically complex, it may just seem that way because it’s so foreign, in the same way that a fiddle tune would seem complex to someone who’d never heard one before.
Results 1 to 6 of 6