Contraband of East Port Royal

Comment by Tim Twiss on January 19, 2015 at 5:15pm

Is this your playing and tracks?

Comment by Wes Merchant on January 19, 2015 at 5:18pm

The piano is a midi track I created in Garageband, then I dubbed in the fiddles.

Comment by Al Smitley on January 19, 2015 at 7:17pm

Cool, Wes.  Give us some background!

Comment by Wes Merchant on January 19, 2015 at 7:56pm

Well, the manuscript is form a digitized collection from Middle Tennessee State University. I also found a published version of the tune, but I kinda of like the hand written one.

https://archive.org/search.php?query=center%20for%20Popular%20Music...

I created the Midi file in EasyABC. First I transcribed the tune into ABC notation, then inserted the chords, exported as a MIDI file and opened it in Garageband. instant piano track. It says it a Steinway, kind of classy don't you think.

Comment by Roberta Perkins on January 19, 2015 at 9:08pm

Wow, Wes: Keep us posted. I would love to learn this! It would fit right in with what I am doing here in Delaware and Ft. Mifflin in PA. But you have to remember, I am in kindergarten, when it comes to learning tunes:-)

Thanks for sharing...

Comment by Roberta Perkins on January 19, 2015 at 9:13pm

Can you share the words with us?

Comment by Wes Merchant on January 20, 2015 at 6:43pm

Roberta, I did some checking, the words are actually "The Song of the Negro Boatmen", by John Greenleaf Whittier 

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Song_of_the_Negro_Boatmen

Comment by Roberta Perkins on January 20, 2015 at 11:40pm

Thanks, Wes: I'm learning all the time:-). 

Comment