I've been working on one song for over a month, and then, it occurred to me, that I was likely doing it all wrong... WHAT a putz.

Thanks for your help!

I've just spent an hour, learning how to input triplets into the music program. ARGHH!!!

At least I can do it now...

Am I assuming you are wanting to record "Hurdy Gurdy Man" with a recording program? Also are you wanting to have several tracks? If you are recording onto tracks on your computer what program are you using? Or are you just using a dedicated recorder not on your computer? Are you wanting to play all the various parts and mix down to stereo? Or are you just wanting to play guitar or piano once and sing with it? If so what instrument?

As far as guitar tunings, a guitar I'm sure you know is generally tuned to standard tuning, starting with the thickest string which is the lowest note is: E A D G B E

An open G tuning is: D-G-D-G-B-D where you tune the 6th string (low E) down to D. 5th string down to G, 4th stays the same. 3rd stays the same. 2nd stays the same. 1st or thinnest string is tuned down to D. I'm sorry this is probably unnecessary. I just really don't know what you want to do, make a recording of the complete song with the various instruments on separate tracks plus a vocal track or just play a single instrument and sing it.

Anyway here is a good Wiki article for tunings for a guitar. If you are playing a piano and can change the tuning of each key then I guess you have either the tablature or written music for the song to tell you what notes to play. Let me know. I would love to help you with my little bit of knowledge.

List of guitar tunings

en.wikipedia

Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan for guitar (These chords are standard tuning) (Also these chords may not be exactly correct for the song) (And if the guitar is tuned to open G, then you will have to compensate on some of the chords to get the desired effect or sound) ( For example the song starts with a "G" chord. On a guitar instead of the low note being 3rd fret 6th string you would be playing everything the same except 5th fret 6th string for the initial "G" chord. It appears the song has that droning "D" sound you get by playing the 6th string open at various times)

guitaretab

Thank you!!! That would be a godsend, wouldn't it?

Then I can include the chords for guitar on the music, just in case I ever get to play with someone... THANK YOU!!!

Thank you, this helps a LOT!!!

I have bought a hurdy gurdy, a wheeled fiddle. It is being built, and will come in November. I got the deluxe model with all the strings available. My keys will be black and white, arranged in the same way a piano is arranged. Picture below:

It is set up like this:

I haven't played guitar in 45 years, either. Anyway, what I want to do is play the songs I like, (not necessarily European traditional medieval music), and if I find someone to play with, maybe they can play the guitar.

As far as the tablature telling me what notes to play, I'm picking several songs out on the keyboard, and writing them down. I don't have sheet music, (and can't get it, even for $$), so I'm relying on my "ear" to pick out the songs.

Then, I'm imputing the notes, using a music notation software, to create my own sheet music. SOME of the songs, I could find the words and guitar chords, but not the music. If I could be reasonably sure they would sound in the same key, then I can include the guitar chords. If not, then I'm going to have to transpose the music on the software into a key that will be similar to the guitar, or change the chords so that they sound like the hurdy gurdy.

Does this make sense? I've notated the music for "I Like Bananas, Because They Have No Bones", and have the chords written on one of the word sheets. I can include the chords on the sheet music, but if the guitar is in a different key than the hurdy gurdy, they won't sound "right" together... Or maybe they will and I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. I honestly don't know.

Note: I never took piano lessons, which may be a good thing, as my left hand will be playing the melody, and my right hand will be cranking for all I'm worth, or plucking, etc. Also, I can't read the bass clef, and must translate anything in the bass clef to the treble clef, IF I want to use a couple of the drone strings as cello strings. I can do that, as it isn't complicated.

Some songs, I will record on my computer, and use another program to layer the sounds. I bought an electric drum set, (not the hunga gunga kind), and it can be recorded on the computer, too. The hurdy gurdy will allow me to record directly onto the computer and can be attached to an amp.

Right now, I'm working on "Color My World", and it took an hour to learn how to input triplets. It doesn't have the music for the voice, which I can figure out and input into the notation program. Nor does it have the music for the flute solo, which I can figure out, but then, I have to figure out the key the flute is in, so I can somehow get it to sound in the same key as the hurdy gurdy. (One of Matthew's band friends will play the flute for me. I have a flute, but can't play it AT ALL.)

Thank you so much for the guitar tuning-- that will help immensely!

Also, the last song I want to play is the hurdy gurdy man. I like Donovan, but that's not one of my favorites. I just want to play music I enjoy...

Thank you, so much!

Six, here is the sheet music, (so far) of "I Like Bananas, Because They Have No Bones" I've worked on it for about 3 months. I need to trim the .png files. I will print this, once I figure out how to do repeats, etc., and save it to a .pdf file, so I can share it with other hurdy gurdy players...

I've not seen this before and have bookmarked it! I will write them and ask questions! Maybe they can help!

Thank you, so much!!!

(I'm hoping that they play normal folk music, not French 1400s stuff. Most of the official hurdy gurdy sites seem to only want to play stuff for Renaissance Fairs...)

Thank you! A resource!

Also, Donovan was really singing about a barrel organ, not a hurdy gurdy... A common mistake! Barrel organs have rolls of paper or metal that sound the notes, like a music box.

Funny!

Dowser ,

It occurs to me you could probably write computer software which could take written sheet music and "translate" it to display what keys would be involved on your HG .

That would be great, Petey. But I don't know doodley squat about computer language. I just use 'em.

This sheet music was generated from scratch. All I had was an old recording of The Hoosier Hot Shots, a keyboard, lined music paper, and this program... I've re-worked it, again, so that it is easier to follow. And re-written the ending. (as in big whoopie) I think it will work. I'm still a bit leery of the guitar chords. It occurred to me, upon closer look, that the chords listed were for the ukulele. I suppose the chords are similar in sound, but what do I know? I may have to get out my autoharp and see if I can translate on that... There is no one in Louisville that I know that even has a hurdy gurdy to ask!

It wouldn't surprise me if such software is already available online ... maybe even inexpensive shareware . You should google it . :D

I can play a guitar, but I can't read music. The closest I know would be my daughter. She majored in music (voice) and was at one time working on a Master's in theory.

My software will allow you to take a single chord and it will tell you what it is, but since I'm inventing the music, I have no chords... Oh well! Thanks!

Wow!

Once again, the band parents came to the rescue-- one of the band parents owns a studio, and will help me get it all set up, electrically wise, and then, he helped me with the keys a bit, because I'm just flummoxed.

Thanks so much for your kind help!

Good Dowser on hands help is always better, but if I can be of some help, I would love to be.

You didn't answer any of my questions, so I really don't know if you are actually planning on playing the music or programing the music. A lot of keyboards have pr-programmed rhythms in them that can be useful. I would recommend you plan on the first track to be a click track for timing and maybe a wasted track for the basic song. You can use these tracks to base the song on with good timing and then if you have 16 tracks, for example, available you may not need but 4 or 6 or something less than the 16 tracks to complete your song. You can then just play back the tracks you want to keep and mix them into stereo. I would make two mixes with the first being a wave file for example and the second one being an MP3 file. Make a high quality MP3 file and then make a low quality MP3 file. The reason why is because you can only put up to 5MB or megabits on this site in any one file. So if you make a low quality 96kBs you probably could get it on here. In fact a 3 minute song of good quality can be 192KBs and still fall below the 5MB limit. Here's the way it goes. 192 kiliobytes per second or 192 times 60 for each minute which will be 11520KBs per minute or 1.152MBs per minutes. Anyway feel free to message me if I can be of any help and answer my questions to give me more info to work with if you want to do so. Also if you want to put the song on a phone or other media MP3 files are about 1/10th the size of a CD file or wave file and most music you heard today unless it is on a CD is a MP3 or something like that.

Am I assuming you are wanting to record "Hurdy Gurdy Man" with a recording program? Also are you wanting to have several tracks? If you are recording onto tracks on your computer what program are you using? Or are you just using a dedicated recorder not on your computer? Are you wanting to play all the various parts and mix down to stereo? Or are you just wanting to play guitar or piano once and sing with it? If so what instrument? One more is the question whether you are planning to program the music instead of actually playing the instrument? Thanks.

Please forgive me, I thought I did! Let's take them, and I'll do my best.

I will be playing the songs on the hurdy gurdy. For some of the more complicated songs, I will record the parts, and mix it with my mixing program. I do not plan to use the rhythms programmed into my keyboard, but may use some rhythms that are programmed into my drum set. My computer has the ability to record music, so I will be recording on the computer. I can then take the different tracks, and arrange them into the song on the computer.

I will be playing all the various parts, recording them, and then mixing them on the computer. I only wanted to add guitar chords, in case I find someone to play with. If I am lucky, I may be able to play with a guy that has a psalter, and a few other instruments.

I don't want to play Hurdy Gurdy Man, as it is a sad song, and I'm concentrating on happy songs, right now... I THINK I can save the music to .mp3. It seems that my software allows for that. That is the format that I would like to use. The mixing program I am using is Acid Music Studio, Sony, ver. 9.0. My music notation software is Muse Score.

Does any of this answer your questions? And THANK YOU!

One of my very best friends, and absolutely excellent musician, is a bass player! He plays with about 4 bands, and is in very high demand for his skills.

Maybe they would have an extra one that you could use! I'm so excited about the hurdy gurdy-- and will keep on going, just because playing music would be marvelous!

Try it, dear friend. It will bring your heart joy!