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Cowboy Concertina - New Book?


gcoover

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Because cowboys are cool.

 

And because the late great Peter Bellamy once claimed in an epic intro to "Santa Fe Trail" that an authentic cowperson would have been an immigrant Brit playing a concertina.

 

I'm collaborating with Pipp Gillette from Crockett, Texas, on songs and tunes for a new Anglo book, but of course want to poll the herd at cnet to see if there are any "must have" songs/tunes to include.

 

And if you're already playing any good (non-copyrighted) cowboy songs on Anglo and would like your arrangement included, that would be cool too! Full credit, free copies, the usual fame and glory, of course.

 

Gary

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Streets of Laredo

You can see by my outfit that I am a cowboy

I can see by your outfit that you are a cowboy too

You can see by our outfits that we are both cowboys

So get yourself an outfit and be a cowboy too.

 

Smothers Brothers, maybe 1963?

Edited by Don Taylor
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In that incarnation, for sure! I sometimes smile when I play this tune (since I can't remember lyrics for beans) and think of them. It helps to smile, to help overcome the "concertina zombie" face. But, it's such a sad song, I gotta be careful.....I am committing to learning to squeeze and sing simultaneously.

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And, here, Jim, is where the rub comes in. Mr. Coover aptly sought suggestions for public domain songs ("non copyrighted") and sadly, for his purposes, all of your suggestions (I believe) are too new to be in that category. They may all be great songs, but not yet "old" enough to be freely distributable. I am no expert in copyright law, but have done some research due to a local venue owner's obsession with being absolutely certain no non-public-domain tunes are played in his establishment. I guess the "copyright police" do have ears in obscure places, and fines can be steep for those who don't pay the license fees for their establishments.

 

So, we're talkin OLD cowboy songs, eh? I think the basic idea is something like pre-1923, now, but there are variations and wrinkles in the law, so erring on the side of caution is a good idea.

 

Regards,

 

David

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Does home on the range qualify?

 

Also, there is a tune (no words as far as I know) called Cherokee shuffle. you can't have cowboys without a few Indians (Indians as they were known, native Americans now)

 

X:278

T:Cherokee Shuffle

M:4/4

L:1/4

K:A

F/2G/2|"A"AA/2B/2 AA/2B/2|"A"c/2B/2A "D"FE/2F/2|"A"AA/2B/2 c/2d/2e|\

"F#m"f/2e/2f/2g/2 ff/2g/2|

"D"aa/2b/2 aa/2f/2|"A"e/2f/2e/2d/2 c/2B/2A|"F#m"F/2G/2A/2c/2 "E7"B/2A/2G|"A"A3:|

|:e|"D"f/2e/2f/2g/2 a/2e/2f/2e/2|"A"c/2d/2e/2f/2 ee|"D"f/2e/2f/2g/2 "A"a/2e/2f|

"E"e3"(A7)"e|"D"f/2e/2f/2g/2 a/2e/2f/2e/2|"A"c/2d/2e/2f/2 ee|\

"F#m"f/2e/2c/2B/2 A/2B/2c/2e/2|

"D"ff/2g/2 ff/2g/2|"D"a/2e/2g/2f/2 "E7"e/2d/2c/2B/2|"A"AA/2B/2 A:|

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Just want to thank you, Gary Coover. I have been playing Concertina for three months. It is my very first instrument. I attended NESI this year and Marta Vogel recommended your books and then Jody Kruskal explained some of how you put them together. They have been a godsend and I look forward to Cowboy songs

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Wow, excellent suggestions all!

 

And yes, I'm trying to keep it to old, mostly traditional songs and tunes that are pre-1923. Chasing copyrights is a huge pain, especially when dealing with the big music publishing houses, and they typically want at least $150 per song minimum for print permission. So you can imagine how quickly that would add up for 50-60 songs, not counting all the research and legal paperwork. And there are some I'd REALLY like to include, so maybe I'll sneak one in on the tablature example page (shh!, don't tell anyone).

 

I'm more than happy to work something out, perhaps do a little horse-trading, with a more recent songwriter, well, because "it's the cowboy way". I'll probably include some more great tunes by Steve Hartz from East Texas and I'm hoping Pipp will also volunteer a couple of his songs too. And yes, we definitely need to include the Indians and the Vaqueros! Maybe even dance hall girls...?

 

My working list is already up to 150 or so - I'm counting on Pipp and the good folks here at cnet to help cull the herd down to something manageable. Whether or not they work well on Anglo will also determine if they make the cut. I'm pretty sure Red River Valley, Streets of Laredo, Sweet Betsy From Pike, Home on the Range, Rivers of Texas, Cielito Lindo and maybe Cherokee Shuffle will be included. Looks like Spanish is a Loving Tongue might be 1925...

 

Hey matthag, thanks for the kind words, hope you continue to enjoy the books but please don't end up playing like me - I'm counting on you to do a lot better and create your own style!

 

 

Gary

Edited by gcoover
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And, here, Jim, is where the rub comes in. Mr. Coover aptly sought suggestions for public domain songs ("non copyrighted") and sadly, for his purposes, all of your suggestions (I believe) are too new to be in that category. They may all be great songs, but not yet "old" enough to be freely distributable. I am no expert in copyright law, but have done some research due to a local venue owner's obsession with being absolutely certain no non-public-domain tunes are played in his establishment. I guess the "copyright police" do have ears in obscure places, and fines can be steep for those who don't pay the license fees for their establishments.

 

So, we're talkin OLD cowboy songs, eh? I think the basic idea is something like pre-1923, now, but there are variations and wrinkles in the law, so erring on the side of caution is a good idea.

 

Regards,

 

David

So they are, mea culpa.

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Her are a few that I have managed on English:

 

Little Joe the Wrangler

Blue Mountain

I Ride an Old Paint

Seneca Square Dance

Ookpic waltz

Westphalia Waltz

Maid of Argenta (May be still under copyright)

GoodNight Loving Trail (under copyright, but permission can be obtained)

 

 

You might try contacting Hal Canon about things he has collected. I learned two great waltzes from him

Claypool Waltz

Rockville waltz

 

And don't forget the obvious:

Yellow Rose of Texas

Green Grows the Lilacs

Cowboy Waltz

Redwing

Gary Owen

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Cherokee shuffle - an alternative in the key of D.

 

X:279
T:Cherokee Shuffle
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:D
A,2 B,2 C2|D2 DF EDB,A,|DEDB, A,2 A,B,|D2 DE F2 A2|B2 BB B2 Bc|
d2 d2 d2 B2|ABAA GF (3EDE|FEDE F2 A2|B2 BB B2 dB|ABAG F2 E2|D2:|]
d2 c2 =c2|BABc d2 B2|ABAG F2 dc|BABc d2 e2|f2 ff f2 dc|BABc d2 B2|
ABAA GF (3EDE|FEDE F2 A2|B2 BB B2 dB|ABAG F2 E2|D2:|]

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