Airs And Ballads

SKU: MB.31030

ISBN 9781513476735. 8.75X11.75 inches.

Easy to Play Viola Airs and Balladsáis a collection of 25 nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century folk and popular songs from England, Scotland, Ireland, and the United States.á All the songs are written in easy rhythms, entirely in first position, with bowing indications and suggested guitar chords. Each tune corresponds with the same song ináEasy to Play Violin Airs and BalladsáandáEasy to Play Cello Airs and Ballads.

SKU: MB.WBM58M

ISBN 9781736363058. 8.75x11.75 inches.

A comprehensive collection of 172 guitar solos for the flatpick or plectrum guitarist. All solos are written in standard notation with accompanying online recordings by the author. The solos include beautiful American, British and Celtic airs and ballads, Celtic dance tunes, lute and early music, popular classical repertoire and contemporary etudes. Includes access to online audio.

SKU: MB.31083

ISBN 9781513472225. 8.75x11.75 inches.

Beautiful Airs and Ballads of the British Isles for Cello is a collection of 30 traditional Irish, Scottish, and English melodies that are particularly suited to the cello.  Traditional airs, love songs, songs of home and longing as well as compositions of Turlough O'Carolan and J. Scott Skinner make up the collection. The arrangements include stylistic phrasing and variations as well as chord changes for accompaniment.

SKU: MB.30945

ISBN 9781513472744. 8.75X11.75 inches.

This collection of 19th and early 20th century airs and ballads is a celebration of American music that is ideal for guitar recitals and encores. Written in standard notation only, the pieces are arranged and fingered for ease of sight-reading and specifically designed to exploit the musicality of the classical guitar.The book features arrangements of the antebellum song, ôDarling Nelly Grayö by Benjamin Hanby, popular Civil War-era songs by Stephen Foster and other period songwriters, plus parlor music favorites like Edward MacDowell�?s ôTo a Wild Roseö, Ethelbert Nevin�?s ôMighty Lak�? a Roseö, and ôAura Leeö, a melody by George R. Poulton that would resurface nearly a hundred years later as ôLove Me Tenderö.á.

SKU: MB.30963

ISBN 9781513468204. 8.75x11.75 inches.

This exceptional collection of 41 truly beautiful airs and ballads from the British Isles offers both well-known tunes by the prolific blind Irish harpist, Turlough O�??Carolan and rarely heard melodies by anonymous composers; all have stood the test of time. Arranged for soprano or tenor recorder, these include O�??Carolan�??s classically influenced �??Lord Inchiquin�?� and �??Eleanor Plunkett�?� as well as �??O Gentle Dove�?� and �??Cuckoo Dear�?��?? both examples of the strong tradition of song in Wales. Among other tunes, the haunting modal melodies of �??The Dark Slender Boy�?� and �??Enchanted Valley�?� express the melancholic heart and soul of the British Isles.

A few of these songs have taken on a life of their own in modern times. �??Bonny at Morn�?�, a popular traditional tune of northern England and Scotland, was arranged for soprano voice and harp by the 20th century British composer, Benjamin Britten. �??The Skye Boat Song�?� originally recounted Bonnie Prince Charles Edward Stuart�??s journey to the Isle of Skye after his defeat at the historic Battle of Culloden. Later, the song evolved into a lilting lullaby and was more recently used as the theme song for the popular Outlander television series.

Departing slightly from recorder notation practice, author Marcia Diehl has judiciously arranged these melodies complete with spare slur markings to aid the amateur player in authentically and musically rendering these tunes.

SKU: MB.30952M

ISBN 9781513474434. 8.75X11.75 inches.

Among the various instruments for which the Beautiful American Airs and Ballads series was conceived, the diatonic harmonica is a standout. With or without the ôbendsö played by the author on the companion online recording, the 19 plaintive, single-note melodies in this book are guaranteed to engage the player and move the listener.áThe music herein is written in standard notation and blow/draw harmonica tablature for the diatonic harmonica in C. Suggested accompaniment chords are also provided. Using the tablature alone, this music can be played on any diatonic harmonica in a different harmonica key; for example, using a G or A diatonic harmonica, the instrument itself will make the mechanical transposition. The chords, however, would have to be transposed by the accompanist.Phil Duncan has written more than 40 harmonica books for Mel Bay Publications. He believes that participation is key to the enjoyment of music, and that the harmonica and tunes in this collection are the perfect vehicles for that participation.ôTunes like these may have been overlooked or forgotten in this stressful worldùbut playing them will help you regain and renew the sense of calm essential to our identity as Americansà Pick out a fewàpick up your harmonica and enjoy.öùPhil Duncan.

SKU: MB.30906M

ISBN 9781513476643. 8.75X11.75 inches.

This solo collection presents 19 iconic melodies from the American traditional song book plus 6 modern original compositions by William Bay, president of Mel Bay Publications; all selections have been arranged in tablature for the 5-string banjo in gDGBD tuning by Catalonian multi-instrumentalist and bluegrass specialist, Llu?s G?mez.Any collection of American ballads would be incomplete without settings of the beautiful melodies penned by Stephen Foster, several of which appear here including Beautiful Dreamer, Darling Nellie Gray, I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, and Hard Times, Come Again No More. Some of these tunes are arranged in uncommon banjo keys, all without retuning the banjo or using a capo. These keys may be challenging at first but will teach you a lot about the banjo fretboard.The author�?s generous preface offers tips on practice, performance and interpretation rarely found in tablature collections such as these, but this book has it all, including online recordings of each arrangement.