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
Click here for a printable copy of the above
