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Thread: 20 Songs you need to know

  1. #1
    nanaimo
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    Default 20 Songs you need to know

    I think I have seen something like this around the Cafe before but can't seem to find it.

    As a rookie, just over 5 months into playing the mandolin, I am thinking ahead to when I will be able to get to a camp or symposium. I am looking to be pointed in the direction of a 'list' of essential tunes that I shoud have memorized. I am sure that there are probably many different lists, but there must be certain tunes that are a must. Any help with this search is appreciated.

    Kelly

  2. #2
    Registered User Miked's Avatar
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    How about these?
    Mike Bloder
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    Registered Mandolin User mandopete's Avatar
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    Just 20?

    Not really trying to be my usual sacarstic self, but without knowing the context of your desire to learn material it's hard to gauge what you should learn. In the bluegrass world there's any number or standard "fiddle tunes" that get called out at a jam. Then there's songs (with singin') and bext to keep those pretty simple and know the lyrics (i am ashamed).

    But best of all is learn to listen (I am ashamed). I have heard some really great players recently in jam sessions who may not have ever heard the music before, but one or two times through they are realy getting it and without a pre-conceived notion of that the music is "supposed" to be all sorts of wonderful things happen.
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    Well, it depends on the style of music that you want to play. I'm really only familiar with Bluegrass mandolin. Even then, do you mean licks/solos or the songs in general? Bluegrass solos would be Rawhide, etc., while the essential songs would be Salty Dog Blues, Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms, etc. But, I'm a Bluegrasser ...

  5. #5
    nanaimo
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    OK, Got ya! Let me start with Old time tunes ( I also like Celtic)

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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandolin Mick View Post
    Well, it depends on the style of music that you want to play
    It really does depend. There are 20 essential bluegrass tunes, 20 esential old timey tunes, 20 essential Irish traditional tunes... and so on.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

    The entire staff
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  7. #7
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    All right, old timey!
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

    The entire staff
    funny....

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    Registered User Mike Snyder's Avatar
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    Paring that down to 20 very basic songs will be tough. Everyone's preferences should show up real fine.
    Soldier's Joy Cripple Creek
    Liberty Old Joe Clark
    Ragtime Annie Red Wing
    Turkey in the Straw Kitchen Girl
    Mississippi Sawyer Barlow Knife
    Forked Deer Golden Slippers
    8th of January Liza Jane x3, big, little and goodbye
    Arkansas Traveller
    Angelina Baker
    Bile 'em Cabbage
    Cluck ol' Hen

    I've tried to stay away from ITM, Scottish pipe tunes, Cape Breton, Quebecois, good lord it goes on forever. Little sense in it because all these tunes are derivative of some older tunes that were derivative of old-world tunes that were derivative of...................................Some I've listed I don't play because they're in the cliche cycle. They'll be back eventually.
    I have a list of 50 or so that I use busking. Ten or eleven off this list get played. I'd be interested in more regional lists.
    Top 20 Ozarks Old Time, Top 20 Appalacian, Top 20 Georgia Stringband. Portland, San Francisco, Nogales, Traverse City, Portland (the East one) et al!
    Mike Snyder

  9. #9
    nanaimo
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    Thanks for the list Mike. This is a start - Some I have already and will search out the others.

    Kelly

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    Registered User SincereCorgi's Avatar
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know


  11. #11
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    Another good one is Garryowen (Gary Owen)!

  12. #12
    George Wilson GRW3's Avatar
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    Kelly,

    This is really a very regional kind of thing. You basically have to go to jams to find out what they are playing to know what you need to learn. Around these parts, songs are king, you can go for months and never play a tune. (Using the Song = words + music and Tune = just music rule.) Lot's of people can do the tunes, like Soldier's Joy, Old Joe Clark, Redwing, etc., etc., they just don't. I know a bunch of tunes just because I like to play them.

    My communal effort in songs is learning choruses of a lot of songs so I can do harmony parts. People always want me to do harmony in jams so I do my best to oblidtge. The songs I learn are strictly what appeals to me. I do try to keep them in the 'jammable' range but not always. By learn I mean memorize, I do not carry a big jam book (though I do keep a song list tucked in my tone gard, I remember more songs than I remember I know).
    George Wilson
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  13. #13
    Registered User Hendrik Ahrend's Avatar
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    Learn Bill Monroe with Flatt & Scruggs! Kelly if you wish, cronologically in chunks of twenty. I'm serious. When you're through with them, stay with Monroe. (20, 20, 20...) See if you can use your skills on Flatt & Scruggs, Jimmy Martin and Reno & Smiley. (Comparatively infrequent mandolin breaks, but great for playing rhythm and singing along!) Should keep you busy for awhile. If ten years from now you found out it helped, send me a Nanaimo bar, yum, yum!
    Henry

  14. #14
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    Keys of C, G, D, A, Bb, B (Rebecca when you're ready). Stuff with different right hand stuff. Waltzes. Minors. There's plenty of tab available, in addition to videos, etc to learn this list. I had a lot of success with Harold Streeter tab, Dan Huckabee, Jack Tottle's Bluegrass Mandolin and Mel Bay's Deluxe Bluegrass Mandolin(Ray Valla), but mostly from lessons from Ron Pennington. Nothing beats a good teacher.

    Rawhide
    Wheel Hoss
    Billy in the Lowground
    Soldier's Joy
    Arkansas Traveler
    Salt Creek
    Red Haired Boy
    Bill Cheathum
    Moonlight Waltz
    Old Joe Clark
    Clinch Mountain Backstep
    Jerusalem Ridge
    Southern Flavor
    Kentucky Mandolin
    New Camptown Races
    Wildwood Flower
    Bury Me Beneath the Willow
    Black Mountain Rag
    Blackberry Blossom
    Stoney Lonesome

    Different parts of the country will have different lists.

    Bob
    re simmers

  15. #15
    Registered User Andy Alexander's Avatar
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    Learn the tunes on "Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe".

  16. #16
    Part-time picker HddnKat's Avatar
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    Default Re: 20 Songs you need to know

    I'm in the same region as George, and I agree about here the majority of jam fodder is songs (and in my neck of the woods, they tend to be 50 year old country songs at that). When they do tunes, some of the more popular ones not yet mentioned are San Antonio Rose, Midnight on the Water, Cherokee Shuffle and Panhandle Rag (in E of all God-awful keys because that is where the dobro player likes it). Recently our jam-master challenged us to learn Black Mountain rag in memory of Doc, but I"m not there with it yet.

    Quote Originally Posted by GRW3 View Post
    Kelly,

    This is really a very regional kind of thing. You basically have to go to jams to find out what they are playing to know what you need to learn. Around these parts, songs are king, you can go for months and never play a tune. (Using the Song = words + music and Tune = just music rule.) Lot's of people can do the tunes, like Soldier's Joy, Old Joe Clark, Redwing, etc., etc., they just don't. I know a bunch of tunes just because I like to play them.
    TEXANS!
    Song-a-Week group
    SKYPE me at 'grykat'

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