Whistle friendly version of The Brown Coffin?

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:32 pm

Just got wind of this terrific tune, but it goes below the low D-- anyone have a whistle friendly version? Thanks.
(sheet music, not ABC if possible)

Mr.Gumby · Post by **Mr.Gumby** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:46 pm

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:48 pm

Do you mean An Comhra Donn? If so, the setting on The Session is fine and stays well within range.

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1636

[ Crossed posts with Mr. G ]

Kypfer · Post by **Kypfer** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 3:59 am

(sheet music, not ABC if possible)

If this is a problem, get a copy of ABC Explorer (from http://abc.stalikez.info/abcex.php), you can save an image-file of the music then view it (or print it out) as normal ... as well as play it and edit it

Don't discount ABC notation. It's enormously useful for two reasons :-

Firstly, there's a HUGE amount of tunes available in this format

Secondly, each tune takes up merely a couple of hundred bytes (yes, bytes, not kilobytes or megabytes) so you can have dozens (hundreds, possibly thousands) of tunes in very little space on your computer (app's are available for various portable hand-held devices, mobile 'phones etc.)

Whole song-books of tunes you've possibly never heard of are available for download. Load the file into ABC Explorer (or other favourite application) and browse at your leisure, then print out the sheet music of anything that takes your fancy ... simples

Mr.Gumby · Post by **Mr.Gumby** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:18 am

The point and original intention of the ABC notation used on the internet is to make music notation portable. It allows for large numbers of notations to be stored in relatively little space. It was also only ever intended to be converted back into staff notation.

While, with a little experience, it's not very difficult to read ABC notation I don't think many do. It was never meant to be used that way. You convert it back into staff notation using a simple piece of free software of using one of the free web resources like concertina.net's tune-o-tron which will give you a PDF output of the staff-notation generated by the ABC.

Your output will look somewhat like this:

Your other, Gm, Brown Coffin can be heard here

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:51 am

Yup-- that Gm is the one I wanted.

I have no quibbles with ABC, in fact I already have ABC explorer. Problem was, I tried importing the ABC from The Session and ran into problems, so I thought it easier to just ask the nice folks here. Then I remembered the tune transcriber at Redhawk and was able to find a key that works (with half holing C and Fnat). This puts it in Am which I think is easier than Gm with it's two flats.

Alas, Redhawk seems to be down this morning, but hopefully it will be back up soon. Try it if you're not familiar with it:

www2.redhawk.org:8080

Mr.Gumby · Post by **Mr.Gumby** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:55 am

OK, that clarifies it a bit.

I'd suggest to transpose the whole thing up a tone for an easy playing version. You'll have to deal wit ha few high cs, a few fnats and the odd passing gsharp but nothing really too awkward.

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:16 am

Paul, the version you mentioned that goes below D is the Em setting at The Session, under the title The Factory Smoke?

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1985

Oh heck, there are only 2 notes out of range. Just fold 'em up. That's perfectly normal. Play the B and A up an octave. Or play the B as G and the A as F# - substituting different chord tones of the arpeggios.

Or, as both you and Mr. G. said, play the Gm setting in Am - on a C whistle if you're playing with other G minor-ers.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 9:54 am

Yes, Guru-- that's the one. I did play it a couple of times, tinkering with the low notes and I'll probably play it that way on mandolin or fiddle. Still, I wanted to have a version that went all the way down on whistle.

Redhawk seems to be working now, btw.

Chiff and Fipple Forums

Whistle friendly version of The Brown Coffin?

Whistle friendly version of The Brown Coffin?

Re: Whistle friendly version of The Brown Coffin?

Re: Whistle friendly version of The Brown Coffin?

Re: Whistle friendly version of The Brown Coffin?

Re: Whistle friendly version of The Brown Coffin?

Re: Whistle friendly version of The Brown Coffin?

Re: Whistle friendly version of The Brown Coffin?

Re: Whistle friendly version of The Brown Coffin?

Re: Whistle friendly version of The Brown Coffin?