Bill Bay asked me to write a follow up book to my last book, "The Bluegrass Pickers Tune Book (20233). If you like Bluegrass music (232 songs) I'd recommend getting that book to add to your collection. the focus of this book, the Acoustic Source Book is on roots and old-time music. the book is focused on the time period from late 1800's until 1940's. There are a few songs from the Bluegrass Book that were too important to be left out. I decided not to use any patriotic and Christmas songs and came up with a list of about 400 songs which eventually was cut down to over 200. During the late 1800's and early 1900's there was an important evolution in American music; the birth of jazz, ragtime, and blues. This was also the period of the phonograph and early commercial recordings. Music from the Minstrel period as well as traditional songs were used as staple for the roots musicians. In the early 1900's there were rags, blues, gospel, Tin-Pan Alley, jug band, spiritual, old-time country and popular songs. I've tried to include some of the well-known songs from every genre to give you a big slice of Americana. There are some great songs that are popular roots, bluegrass and old-time songs today that have never been published. There are also great songs that are not well known that should be played and enjoyed.Richard Matteson with Kara Pleasants Wildwood Flower http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO9Xde2bdwA Paul & Silas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv5Tmaff9HQ Meet Me By the Moonlight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gwzCZfnG64 Scarborough Fair http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grbxMlz_DlI Water is Wide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-hZkxWs8gs Richard Matteson with Jessica KasterBarbara Allen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX6PE80W4Pw In the Pines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtOL9Id5TW4 Hop Along Peter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5kAzSQ__rU Ain't Gonna Lay my Armor Down http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsBYRuT2_FU

A set of 14 folk tunes arranged for acoustic instruments and suitable for ensembles ranging from duos to small orchestras. Each tune has three written parts – melody, countermelody, and bass line – as well as chords shown beneath the melody line. In addition to technical tips, there is a video performance of each tune by Moonrakers, played at a steady pace. Suitable for intermediate/advanced players.

A stunning visual guide to the history and development of all types of guitars, packed with detailed information and profiling everything from the legendary Martin flat-tops to Gibson's arch-tops guitars and Fender's twelve-string electrics. The Ultimate Guitar Sourcebook is divided by type into nine chapters, each telling the full story of a major type of guitar. It is sub-divided geographically so the reader gets a global picture of guitar making from the United States to the Far East and from Europe to Australia. The introduction examines the development of the world's most popular instrument over the years.

This book will help all guitar players make better friends with their present guitar or decide on features to look for in a new one. They will learn about the differences in guitar woods (and how they sound), simple guitar maintenance, how to choose an instrument for their style of playing, what to expect from a music dealer, and the mystique of collectible guitars. This new edition includes more details on amplifying acoustic guitars, and a guide to guitar companies' Web sites.

While one of a kind is a hard rating to achieve at Mel Bay Publications, Kevin Allison has done it with The Ceilidh Dance Book. A ceilidh is a traditional Scottish gathering where people share songs, stories, music, and dancing that is very much alive today. In Scotland, there are hundreds of ceilidh bands, each of which has their own trademark tune sets, making it possible for a man in a kilt to make a living as a performing musician. This book not only provides 85 Scottish tunes in sets as they might be used in a ceilidh event—it also offers detailed, beat-by-beat descriptions of the dance steps for twenty-four dances! From The Highland Scottish to The Mooncoin Jig, with this book in hand, you’ll be able to both play in the band and step to the music with the locals. The kilt is optional. Arranged for mandolin or fiddle with suggested chord backup, in standard notation only.

This revised and updated book is a guide for the listener, collector, singer, player and devotee of folk music. It covers music from string band to bluegrass, Canadian, Creole, Zydeco, jug bands, ragtime and the many kinds of blues. The book evaluates, reviews and recommends on such subjects as where to buy records and instruments and places where folk music flourishes.

This book provides instruction in both plucking and strumming techniques for 5 and 10-string Finnish kanteles. Explanation of musical notation, rhythm, and other elements of music theory are provided for the novice, yet the exercises are scaffolded to provide motivating material for the more experienced musician. In addition to the instructional materials, a number of traditional Finnish tunes are included as well as many familiar melodies. Plus, over twenty arrangements playable by mixed kantele groupings and detailed appendices of chords and chord transitions make this book a solid foundation for learning to play the kantele. Includes access to online audio.

Adam Granger self-published the first edition of Granger’s Fiddle Tunes for Guitar in 1979. A second edition was published in 1994. Now, in 2022, Mel Bay Publications presents the third edition of the book now in standard notation. This 248-page book is the most extensive and best-documented collection of fiddle tunes in existence, and includes reels, hoedowns, hornpipes, rags, breakdowns, jigs and slip-jigs, presented in Southern, Northern, Irish, Canadian, Texas and Old-time styles. There are 508 fiddle tunes referenced under 2500 titles and alternate titles. The titles are fully indexed, making the book doubly valuable as a reference book and a source book. The book comes with a link which gives access to MP3 recordings by Adam of all 508 tunes, each played once at a moderate tempo, with rhythm on one channel and lead on the other. Also included in The Granger’s Collection are descriptions of tune types presented in the book, and primers on traditional flatpicking and rhythm guitar. Additionally, there are sections on timing, ornamentation, technique, and fingering, as well as information on tune sources and a history of the collection.