Frank Converse "Banjo Without A Master"

[Tim Twiss]

12/28/12

I'm going in for another project, this one being the 1865 book "Banjo Without A Master" by Frank Converse.

It will go up, one song at a time from front to back, but it may go a bit slower because I am going to write them out in Sibelius as I go. Been meaning to do this for a long time, so this will make a nice quartet of books. Watch for them as they go up at

www.timtwiss.com and hit "Music Store".

 

The writing will take more time than the playing.

[Tim Twiss]

30 tunes.....and a choice of a "sound"....where to mike it, mute off overtones, if at all....

[Tim Twiss]

12/29/29

I put 2 together, due to their length. Calabash Dance & Cane Brake Reel. If you want to know what an extension of "Juba" sounds like, try "Calabash". Trying not to go too fast...another one of those illusions..playing it slow makes it come out about right.

[Tim Twiss]

Added Oh Susannah, Yankee Doodle, Cotton Pod Walk Around. Very easy single melody lines. I don't think the right hand fingering is that essential, but it is worth doing to see where he is coming from. Now on the other hand, I would consider Cotton Pod Walk  Around to the THE quinessential banjo tune. So many have this lick....great beginners tune...highly recommended.

[Tim Twiss]

12/30/12

Added Rattlesnake Jig, Coon Hunt Walk Around, It Will Never Do To Gib It Up So. More ESSENTIAL beginners material. The transcriptions are going well in Sibelius....finding these shortcuts...like using cut and paste on templetes that at similar, and then adjusting notes. Sometimes there are larege phrases, or measures, where they are almost the same. I am collecting a nice book along the way...Converse alltogether ...finally.

[Tim Twiss]

8:00....got Bee Gum Reel & MattPeel's Walk Around. They just keep feeling better and better. Funny...Briggs' had Never Do To Give It Up So..10 years earlier. 10 years is a long time in a popular music cycle of life....and the tune in it's arrangement is relatively unchanged. Just an observation as we debate whether people played like the books were written.

[Tim Twiss]

Added Rumsey's Jig & Original Essence of Old Virginny. I wrote out Luke West's Walk Around, but that may wait until morning. What a fun project...in these days of extra time. Wish it was always like this.

[Tim Twiss]

12/31/12

Luke West's Walk Around, Bully For You, Walk Into the Parlor. More A+ beginner material. Transcriptions look really good.  Got Bully For You on the first take...yay!

[Tim Twiss]

1/1/13

BANG!! Starting strong....with SIX NEW TUNES to the Converse Yellow.

Hyde's Favorite, Callowhill Jig (see Philadelphia in Briggs), Butler's Jig, (see Old 76 Briggs), My Love Is But a Lassie, Lanagan's Ball, and O'Flarhaty's Wake. Some similar DNA to the tunes he has in the 1863 Old Cremona Songster. I sure am getting a nice book out of this too....good clean copies.

[Tim Twiss]

DONE!!!!

Wrapping this one up on a fine New Year's Day. Oh, how I love extra time!

The Charcoal Man, Whole Hog or None, Operatic Jig, Brighton Jig. I'm so glad I did this....what a stockpile of fine Stroke tunes. Wow. Now, I also have a great book of uniterrupted manuscript. Go check this stuff out....you'll want to play it.

www.timtwiss.com  go to "Music Store"