Question: Why use MIDI instead of recordings of these tunes?
Answer:
- The two track mix on an audio CD means instruments cannot be separately manipulated.
- Tunes can be presented in a consistent format.
- Storage and bandwidth costs are kept to a manageable level.
Question: I am totally lost. How do you find tunes on this site?
Answer: Old Time tunes are grouped by key rather than alphabetically. If you do not find a tune where you expect it, use the Quick Find Index to see if it exists on this site and where it can be found. Celtic tunes are listed alphabetically by category (i.e., reels, strathspeys, hornpipes, etc.). English and Welsh tunes are listed alphabetically.
Question: What is the best MIDI player for these tunes?
Answer: I recommend Notation Musician. This MIDI player lets you control tempo, change keys, mute voices and see the notes as they play.
Question: Is sheet music for the tunes available?
Answer: There is limited sheet music available on this site. When you see LS next to a tune it means there is a lead sheet available. Clicking on the link will open a new window allowing you to view the sheet music as a PDF. Hetzler's Fakebook is intended to be used in conjunction with Notation Musician. This is a program that will generate standard notation lead sheets from MIDI. Hetzler's Fakebook does not support the use of tablature or programs that convert MIDI to tablature
Question: Can you really learn to play fiddle from written music and / or by listening to MIDI?
Answer: Music is made up of many parts; pitch, rhythm, intonation, dynamics, etc. Mastering these elements takes effort and requires practice. Mimicking someone else’s playing without understanding the building blocks leads to hard to correct faults.
Fiddler's do not need the rigor of classical training, but a basic understanding of chords, intervals, scales, technique and theory really helps. Standard notation is a concise way to communicate accumulated musical knowledge. Learning to sight read standard notation combined with ear training (MIDI) to develop pitch and intonation is time well spent. It will expedite your learning process, but it is not a substitute for playing with others. I encourage students to develop competency on their instrument before focusing on style.
Hetzler's Fakebook
Hetzler's Fakebook
On the web since 2000
