Music
Files
This page was last updated
April 25, 2010.
Flatpicking
Newsletter
Visit this page periodically as
I'll keep adding more tunes. Many of these include tablature for
flatpicked or fingerstyle guitar. The older files are in GIF
format. They're fixed width images and are wider than your
screen. If you try to print them directly from your Browser, you
may only get what you see on the screen. There are many ways to
print graphics that are wider than the screen. When you're
viewing a music file, click on "SAVE." Once the file is
saved you can load it with many different programs that have
graphics capabilities(for example "Imaging For
Windows"). You can also import it into word processing
programs like "Microsoft Word". Then just use the
printing options of your chosen software. More recent tunes are
in pdf format. These require the free
Adobe Acrobat Reader or an equivalent. Some are in Tabledit format. These requires the Tabledit
program or the free Tabledit Reader.
Black
Joke
(English/Scottish tune arranged for fingerstyle guitar,
music notation and guitar tablature)
Carolan's Quarrel With The Landlady is one of the many great tunes by
Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738). This is a
fingerstyle guitar arrangement in standard tuning. Choose
between pdf file or Tabledit file. The Tabledit file requires
requires the Tabledit program or Tabledit viewer.
The Chatagee Reel
(French Canadian tune with music notation and flatpicking guitar tablature)
The
Cuckoo's Nest is
played in Ireland, Scotland and England. This is the
version from my flatpicking book, The
Incomplete Celtic Guitar.
Der Heyser Bulgar is a hot Klezmer tune - Notation
& flatpicking guitar tab - Page 1, Page 2, Page 3.
Click The
Duchess Of Hamilton for a Scottish strathspey from
the Gow collection (with flatpicking guitar tab).
Farrell
O'Gara (Irish
reel with standard notation and flatpicking guitar
tablature)
Flatpick-l is a tune I wrote and named for
the online discussion group by the same name. Click here for a Tabledit file of the
notation and flatpicking guitar tab. I've also written
out a more complex version which can be played without
accompaniment. I'm posting this as a pdf file and a midi.
The notation for this version shows how long the notes
actually ring. PDF and MIDI.
The
Fort At Kincora
(Irish hornpipe with standard notation and flatpicking
guitar tablature)
Frosty
Morning comes
from Old-Time fiddler Henry Reed (Standard Notation
only).
Goodbye
Girls I'm Going To Boston is a really catchy, mode-shifting
Old-Time tune (Notation & flatpicking tab).
Grey Eagle is a classic American fiddle
tune. I've written it out for flatpicking guitar. Grey Eagle
Page 1 and Grey Eagle
Page 2
For the holiday season,
here's Greensleeves written out for flatpicking
guitar.
Honeysuckle
Rose by Fats
Waller, as played by Django Reinhardt, January 31, 1938.
This is a tabledit file and requires the tabledit program
or tabledit viewer.
Click The
Highway To Limerick for an Irish reel with
flatpicking guitar tab.
Hulls Victory is a New England standard (Click
for notation and tab in pdf format and for midi file)
Indian
Reel is a part of
French Canadian and New England Contra Dance repertoires
(Notation & flatpicking tab-pdf file).
Jacques
Cartier is a
French Canadian tune also played at New England contra
dances (Notation & flatpicking tab-not easy).
Jimmy In
The Swamp (A good
old-time tune similar to Temperance Reel - music notation
and flatpicking tablature)
The
Knotted Cord (Junior Crehan's) (A great Irish reel with music
notation and flatpicking guitar tablature)
Lamplighter's
Hornpipe is a fun
tune, common in New England and New York. (Standard
notation and guitar tab).
Lonesome
John (This is an
American Old-Time tune arranged for flatpicked guitar in
open tuning (EADEAE). Standard notation and guitar tab.
Ma
Yofus (How Beautiful) is a great Klezmer tune that
works out well on flatpicked guitar.
Mason's
Apron (Irish
reel-with flatpicking guitar tablature)
Moran's
Return
(Traditional Irish air)
The
Mathematician is
a difficult hornpipe by famed Scottish fiddler/violinist
J.Scott Skinner. Standard notation/flatpicking guitar
tab/detailed fingerings.
Miss
Hay of Yester is
a Scottish Reel from the Gow Collection.(Notation &
flatpicking tab). I've written out this one in dropped D
tuning for a fuller sound.
Miss
Johnson's - An
Irish Reel with notation and flatpicking tab. Some of the
fingerings I've written are not the easiest possible, but
create a particular combination of sustained and
unsustained notes that appeals to me. Change them if you
like.
Morrison's
Jig (Irish tune
with standard notation and flatpicking guitar tablature.
The grace notes and the roll are a little tricky but
sound great on guitar.)
Old
Time Back Step Cindy (Old-Time tune from fiddle master
Tommy Jarrell arranged for flatpicking guitar.)
Petronella is an old Scottish reel popular
at New England contra dances. I've written it out for guitar and mandolin.
The
Periwig is an
18th century Scottish Pipe Tune that I learned from Fiddler Magazine (Cape Breton Edition 2000). I've
written it out with flatpicking guitar tab.
The Piper's Wedding is a catchy
pipe jig which I've written out in notation and
flatpicking guitar tab with just enough ornamentation to
bring out the pipe flavor.
Possum
Up A Gum Stump (A
good old-time tune - music notation and flatpicking
tablature)
President
Lincoln's Hornpipe
(American-with flatpicking guitar tablature)
Randy At
The Bow is a
breakdown I wrote for Randy Howard, a great guy and an
extraordinary musician, who passed away June 29, 1999.
Here's a basic version of
the Irish tune Red Haired Boy with guitar tab.
Rip
The Calico (Irish
reel with standard notation and flatpicking guitar
tablature: Lots of triplets and grace notes.)
Ross's
Reel #4 (New
England reel-with flatpicking guitar tablature)
Sailing Into Walpole March (Notation and flatpicking guitar
tab with ornamentation): Gif file or Tabledit file.
The
Silver Spire is a
great Irish reel similar to the American tune Whiskey
Before Breakfast.
Smith's Reel is a New England tune which I've
written out with flatpicking tab. For this tune I've
shown jazz chords instead of a more traditional
accompaniment. Graphic - Midi - abc file.
Swallowtail Jig is common in Irish, English and
New England traditions. These files have notation, guitar
tab and chords. Choose pdf or gif.
Toss the Feathers Irish Reel in pdf format
Trip to Durrow is a great Irish Reel. This one is
a fingerstyle guitar arrangement in DADGAD tuning. The
file is a TablEdit (tef) file and requires either the
TablEdit program or TablEdit Viewer.
Unzer
Toyrele is a wild
Frailach I transcribed (minus ornamentation) from a CD
called "Mother Tongue," by the fantastic
Klezmer band, Budowitz. Budowitz captures the sound of
Klezmer as it was in 19th century Europe.
Walsh's
Glauntane or Walsh's Hornpipe is an Irish tune I got from the
fiddling of Julia Clifford(Notation & flatpicking
tab).
Way Down Yonder In New Orleans is a song from 1922. I've written
out a lead sheet with a detailed chord progression. I've
also made a midi file with the melody and chords. Lead
Sheet and MIDI file.
The
World Turned Upside Down (18th century English tune that
I've written down in two keys. This tune was used in the
soundtrack for the PBS television series
"Liberty" about the American Revolution.)