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141 BRAND NEW OLD TIME FIDDLE TUNES VOL. 2
This cleanly displayed and notated book is Vivian's new collection of tunes from 22 Northwest tunesmiths, showing just how hot the local old timey scene is. Lots of styles, lots of tunes, but I like seniors Myllie Barron and Joe Pancerzewski's catchy, smooth melodies the best. Looking for great new old timey tunes? This is a must buy! (Victory Review)
*****
This series provides a publication forum for the many wonderful oldtime and bluegrass fiddle tunes being written by contemporary fiddlers. The first volume featured tunes by four fiddlers. The second volume has tunes from twenty-two fiddlers! This series has been well received, and we believe will form an important addition to the published fiddle repertoire. Already some of the tunes are being performed across the U.S. and Canada. (Bluegrass Gazette)
*****
"141 Brand New Old Time Fiddle Tunes" is an apt title for a book that features 141 original fiddle
tunes composed in the old-time style. Don't look for "Spider Bit The Baby" or "June Apple".
You won't find them. In fact, don't expect to recognize any of these tunes, unless you happen to
live in the Pacific Northwest and have heard these people play. (If your geography is a little
shaky, the Pacific Northwest comprises the states of Washington, Oregon and the Canadian
province of British Columbia.) These tunes were all composed by fiddle players who make their
homes in this area.
These 22 musicians come from a variety of backgrounds and have a variety of interests which are
reflected in their compositions. They have played (and still play) with many different bands, have
won many contests and prizes, have appeared on albums and have each composed many tunes.
One contributor, Cy Lovell, says that he played his tunes which appear in this book "away back in
1937 on the CBC radio when I got tired of the general run of old tunes."
This collection includes Norwegian-flavored waltzes, Irish-style fiddle tunes, Appalachian-sounding hoedowns and Scottish-style airs, along with a selection of jigs, polkas, marches, two-steps and schottisches.
The tunes are all transcribed in standard musical notation and the appropriate chords are written
in above the melody line. The book is very well-printed and the quality of paper is excellent,
making it very easy and pleasant to read.
A picture and brief biography of each fiddler player are included, so that you can perhaps
understand better the origin of their tunes. Many of these biographies are written with a very dry
humor. One fiddler, Paul Elliott, merits this description: "Although trained as a violinist in his
dark and sordid past, he has managed to overcome that..."
A discography is given (with some addresses), so that you can order the records and hear what many of these tunes sound like. If you are a collector of fiddle tunes or a musician who is looking for new melodies, this book offers quite a selection and may be just the source you are looking for. (Bluegrass Unlimited)