where can i find nursery-rhyme songs?

Charlie · Post by **Charlie** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 6:45 am

i'm a beginning whistler, and oddly enough i _want_ to be able to play the simple nursery-rhyme songs, such as 'twinkle twinkle little star', 'ba ba black sheep', 'row row row your boat' etc. Is this possible, or do these songs use notes that are just not availabe with the pennywhistle scale?

are the fingerings or sheet music available online anywhere?

thanks,
charlie

Cees · Post by **Cees** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 8:30 am

It's not odd...those songs are very good to start whistling on. I started with those.

I did a quick internet search and didn't come up with any whistle tab for nursery rhymes. My suggestion to you is to do what I did: just play around with your whistle until you figure out the tunes you want to learn. When I first started playing a couple of years ago I played around with it until I figured out the notes for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." The notes for those tunes aren't out of the whistle's range. I think it will help you a lot, as it did me, to find the notes through trial and error...in the process you will teach yourself a lot about whistling.

Good luck and happy whistling!

aderyn_du · Post by **aderyn_du** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 8:38 am

Very true, Cees!

Charlie, by trying to learn these more simple and well-known songs without the aid of sheet music, you'll be able to slowly start building your 'ear' for picking out the notes to more complicated tunes-- so just keep at it.

To this day, despite having played one instrument or another for 23 years, whenever I pick up an instrument I've never played before the first thing I do is pick out 3 Blind Mice or Mary Had A Little Lamb.

So you're not alone!!

Best,
Andrea

Charlie · Post by **Charlie** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 3:03 pm

Thanks for the good advice Andrea & Cees! after posting my query last night, i did actually start to wonder if this was a good opportunity to practice this 'learning by ear' business. i shall begin with Row row row your Boat!

cheers,
charlie

thurlowe · Post by **thurlowe** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 3:13 pm

Wouldn't it be nice, though, if there were an illustrated compendium of nursery rhymes, with all the verses I've forgotten and the melodies notated on the page. With stories about the songs' origins. I've actually worried about the fact that should I become a mother, I'll pass on garbled versions of the children's songs I half remember. Does anyone know of such a book?

Cara

aderyn_du · Post by **aderyn_du** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 3:27 pm

Hi Cara! Actually, I've checked out a couple books from the library recently that are like that!

I've been using them to teach music to my kids for our homeschooling. Unfortunately, the one I really liked I just recently returned and can't for the life of me remember the exact title or who put it together... when I go back to the library in a couple of days, I'll recheck it out and PM you.

I do have one in front of me that is pretty decent, though. It's called The Great Songbook-- a collection of the best loved songs in the English language, and is edited by Timothy John, music edited by Peter Hankey, illustrated by Tomi Ungerer. It's part of the Benn Book Collection, published by Doubleday.

Best,
Andrea

lixnaw · Post by **lixnaw** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 3:27 pm

here's a nice lullabye http://www.contemplator.com/folk2/dromore.html
or use this search engine. just click on pdf for sheet music http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/cgi/abc/fin ... e%29&L=100

did you get my pm charlie?

thurlowe · Post by **thurlowe** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 3:54 pm

Thanks, Andrea! I'll check my own library for books of nursery rhymes, too. Don't you love the library?

One of the books I had as a child was the Metropolitan Opera's Guide to the Great Operas (or something close to that), filled with photographs and drawings of singers in costume surrounded by elaborate sets. It occupied me for hours and hours. It went a long way toward making me a classical music fan. And of course, the outlandish opera plots were fun for my sister and I to act out. There were so many unique and colorful characters to play, it never got boring. Maybe your children would like something like that?

Cara[/i]

MarkB · Post by **MarkB** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 4:37 pm

Ah Libraries are indeed a good place to look for almost anything...I wonder!

I our library we have: Songs from Mother Goose with the traditional melody for each; by Nancy Larrick; Harper and Rowe, New York 1989.

Here is a link to Amazon.com and it states that the book is out of print.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... ce&s=books

But if your library doesn't have it you might be able to get a used copy from them.

Happy whistling

MarkB

Cees · Post by **Cees** » Wed Dec 17, 2003 6:23 pm

Andrea, you homeschool? That's so cool! I am also homeschooling my children (5, 3, and 1)...I was homeschooled myself all the way to college except for one semester of high school (to take Driver's Ed.)

Oh yeah, and I'll chime in about libraries...I LOVE the library so much!!! I go there at least once a week and am always researching and ordering books on hold over the internet and then can just go pick them up when they come in at the library. I think libraries are one of the best things ever invented.

ThorntonRose · Post by **ThorntonRose** » Thu Dec 18, 2003 7:36 am

The Wandering Whistler has some children's music on his site: www.tinwhistler.com/music

BTW, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" has the same melody as the ABC song.

aderyn_du · Post by **aderyn_du** » Thu Dec 18, 2003 10:31 am

Cees, that is awesome that you were homeschooled all the way through!! I just started this year (daughter 9-1/2, son is eight) so I'm really a newbie. It's my hope to go the rest of the way to college. So far things are going well! Maybe we can talk off list so I can find out a bit more about how things were for you in the later grades?

Are you planning on homeschooling your children all the way through, as you were?

The library is our biggest resource, next to the internet! I've used the library my whole life and can't imagine not having a library card!!

I also place books on hold and have them sent to my nearest branch via the internet, and renew my books online too... it's great what they can do these days!!

Cara, thanks for the book tip. I'll definitely look for that one... I've always loved the opera (thanks to my grandmother who had been a professional opera singer in her younger years!), and would love to find a fun way to introduce the kids to it.

Best,
Andrea

Cees · Post by **Cees** » Thu Dec 18, 2003 10:42 am

Andrea,
I would definitely like to homeschool them the whole way...if I can. I am not nearly as patient as my mother was and sometimes I get frustrated. I also worry I won't be disciplined enough. But so far, so good...my daughter is not yet 5 and is already starting to read, so I'm really excited about that. I guess I'll just take each year as it comes and see how things go.

I'd love to talk off-board about it! Send me a PM and I'll give you my email address.