This month's tune is "Give Me The Roses", which was made famous by the Carter Family, who first recorded it in the 1930's.  The original lyrics were written by James Rowe in 1915, and published in the Sacred Harp Hymnal under the name "Odem 340".  The original melody used is attributed to T. J. Denson.   The Carter's played it very simply instrumentally, but of course added their wonderful harmonies to the vocals.  I gained a new appreciation for this tune when I heard a recording of it done by the Brunswick Women's Choir, a group of about 30 women from Australia who perform folk songs from all over the world, and give each one a unique "twist".  For more information about this group, visit their website at  

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~bwchoir/choirweb/page2.html

I've arranged this tune for 6 different dulcimer parts.  The "Basic Melody" and "Basic Harmony" are both played by fretting the middle string only, while strumming across all 3 strings.  The "Middle/Bass" arrangement is a way to play the melody and harmony simultaneosly, fretting the middle and bass strings, and letting the melody string drone.  There are also full chordal arrangements for both the melody and the harmony parts.  And finally, there is a counter-melody part.  The various parts fit a wide range of skill levels, so I hope this is one that clubs and other larger groups of dulcimer players will have fun playing together.

Enjoy!
--Tull

Tull Glazener    www.tullglazener.com     Indianapolis, IN