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Tune Of The Month For October, 2013: Xotis Romanes


Jim Besser

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When I found this tune a few months back, I was told it was Catalan. Thanks to our own Felix Castro, I now know it began life as a Klezmer tune.

 

It's a simple melody, but there's so much you can do with it, and I'm looking forward to hearing a lot of different interpretations from creative c.netters..

 

Here's the recording that first attracted me to this lovely tune:

 

 

 

Thanks to Felix, here's a link to notation that cites the origin of the tune:

 

And attached is a GIF (sorry, couldn't find a PDF) of the version I learned; bonus points if you multi-track the parts or play with a friend!

 

Have at it, and have fun!

 

 

post-179-0-80497900-1380600740_thumb.gif

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...and finally the PDF from Felix' link (which gives mainly the same version of the tune, just some more notes in bar 7, one different note in bar 15 and one enharmonic change). Just one line, for a perhaps more convenient reading...

 

XotisRomanes.pdf

 

(edited to add one more difference which I noticed whilst playing...)

Edited by blue eyed sailor
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I really like this tune... as you might have guessed from my posts to the poll topic.

 

Using the dots from the original GIF I've recorded and mixed both parts. It took me a few takes, so I don't consider this to be my final attempt - hopefully I'll have time to get better and post again later in the month.

 

As before you can download my version from UbuntuOne: http://ubuntuone.com/6rn19VS8C0aoYkn1HuCf8T

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... the version I learned; bonus points if you multi-track the parts or play with a friend!

Points? We get points for this? What sort? Are these the fabled "warning points"? :ph34r: ;)

 

Well, I decided to give it a go... once through with just the melody, then once double-tracking with the harmony from the printed version you gave us. Quick and crude, "warts and all", including what appears to be background sounds of my tapping foot and (on the harmony track) my teakettle boiling, plus the playing on the two tracks isn't entirely synched.

 

Xotis Romanes - test run

 

Recorded on a treble English.

 

Looks like Robert Fisher posted something similar while I was preparing this post, but I'm putting off listening to it until this is posted. :)

 

FWIW: I'm not overly enthusiastic about the harmony, especially in the B part, but it's only one of many ways of arranging that melody, so let's see what the future brings. :)

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Somebody must want this:

 

X:1

T:Xotis Romanes

M:4/4

L:1/8

%%score (Melody Countermelody)

K:Am

V:Melody

[|: "Am"Acea Te2dc | "Dm"dede d4 | "G"dgdg Td2cB | "C"cBcd "E"edcB|

"Am"Acea Te2dc | "Dm"dede (d2d)d | "G"gfed "E7"c2B2 | "Am"(A4A4) :|:

"Am"AccB BAA2 | "C"ceed dcc2 | "Em"egg^f fee_e| "E"(e4e4) |

"Dm"dffe edd2 | "Am"ceed dcc2 | "F"eddc "E7"cBBA | "Am"(A4A4) :|]

V:Countermelody octave=-1

[|:(A4A)cBA | (d4d)fed | g2B2 gfed | efed cBA^G |

(A4A)cBA | (d4d)fed | g3f e2e2 | Aceg edcB :|:

e4 d2c2 | g4 f2e2 | b4 a2^f2 | (^g4g4) |

a4 f2a2 | a4 e2a2 | a4 eddc | (c4c4) :|]

 

Note: the convertor at http://www.mandolintab.net/abcconverter.php will respect the octave adjustment, whereas the local Tune-O-Tron will stomp the two lines on top of each other. Take out the %%score line to separate them onto staves. If you use the midi playback at mandolintab.net, you might want to remove the "Am" &c. chord symbols-- they play as a rather obnoxious oom-pah.

Edited by Ransom
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Somebody must want this:

 

X:1

T:Xotis Romanes

 

...

 

Note: the convertor at http://www.mandolintab.net/abcconverter.php will respect the octave adjustment, whereas the local Tune-O-Tron will stomp the two lines on top of each other. Take out the %%score line to separate them onto staves. If you use the midi playback at mandolintab.net, you might want to remove the "Am" &c. chord symbols-- they play as a rather obnoxious oom-pah.

 

Thank you for the effort!

 

As for me I have just cut out the first (melody) line since I don't really like the "Duet" arrangement. There are some nice moments, but OTOH I find bar 8 (with its Amin7-harmony) really distracting.

 

Anyway, now I can work with the melody (not the chords thus far) on the "paper" - and have learnt how to write out a countermelody - and those who want to lean on the given arrangement will justity your work still more than I can...

Edited by blue eyed sailor
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Two part version with ABC fixed for compatibility with BarFly (should work with other software, but I can't see how to get abcm2ps to mark the second voice as an octave down):

X:1
T:Xotis Romanes
M:4/4
L:1/8
V:1
V:2 transpose -12
K:AMin
[V:1] "Am"Acea Te2dc|"Dm"dede d4  |"G" dgdg    Td2cB |"C" cBcd "E"edcB |
[V:2]     A4-   AcBA|    d4-  dfed|    g2B2     gfed |    efed    cBA^G|
%
[V:1] "Am"Acea Te2dc|"Dm"dede d4  |"G" gfed "E7"c2B2 |"Am"A8          :|
[V:2]     A4-   AcBA|    d4-  dfed|    g3f      e2e2 |    Aceg    edcB:|
%
[V:1] "Am"AccB BAA2 |"C" ceed dcc2|"Em"egg^f    fee^d|"E" e8           |
[V:2]     e4   d2c2 |    g4   f2e2|    b4       a2^f2|   ^g8           |
%
[V:1] "Dm"dffe edd2 |"Am"ceed dcc2|"F" eddc "E7"cBBA |"Am"A8          :|
[V:2]     a4   f2a2 |    a4   e2a2|    a4       eddc |    c8          :|

(last line replaced, it got dropped in cut and paste, thanks for the reminder).

Edited by Jack Campin
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Two part version with ABC fixed for compatibility with BarFly (should work with other software, but I can't see how to get abcm2ps to mark the second voice as an octave down):

 

While I think there ought to be a way to do what you want, I'm not quite sure why you want to. The "original" posted by Jim B. doesn't indicate that the harmony should be an octave lower, nor am I convinced it would sound better that way. My recording was with both parts in basically the same range, and I'm sure that's what was intended.

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.

 

...oh, be still my heart--I quired awhile back about transposing mechanisms--and then never really followed up on it with summer and all. And here in: http://www.mandolint...bcconverter.php it is so perfectly easy that it takes no brain power ! Now i can transpose familiar tunes down an octive and start using the tenor / baritone fingerings more. oh joy! new practice dynamics! putting this converter right on my desktop. thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!! next I better start recording some of these tunes and actually participate in TOTM! I practice and practice with you guys--its my recording that is a little wobbley. :)

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Two part version with ABC fixed for compatibility with BarFly (should work with other software, but I can't see how to get abcm2ps to mark the second voice as an octave down):

While I think there ought to be a way to do what you want, I'm not quite sure why you want to. The "original" posted by Jim B. doesn't indicate that the harmony should be an octave lower, nor am I convinced it would sound better that way. My recording was with both parts in basically the same range, and I'm sure that's what was intended.

 

He might be trying to do it because I did it. I don't necessarily strictly prefer it there, but I do think it sounds nice, and I thought the option was worth a look, and I figured it was a trick to accomplish and a breeze to undo.

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