Day 5 – Fiddler’s Green

[Tom]

No formal online session today, so I assembled this arrangement with chords and vocals.

Fiddler’s Green is a place I hear tell,
Where fishermen go when they don’t go to hell…
Where the weather is fair and the dolphins do play
And the cold coast of Greenland is far, far away…

[Markb]

Sounds good Tom. What are you using to overlay the voice/chords/tune. I should try that / even though my voice isn’t as good as yours!

[Leanna]

I have the same question about the app you used to overlay video. Nice playing!

[Tom]

I recorded three videos using the built-in camera on my HP all-in-one Windows 10 PC, along with an attached USB microphone (Blue Yeti): first, playing the main melody; then a separate video playing chords while listening to the first video on headphones; then the third video, recording vocals while listening to the first video again. This way the the original melody video also served as the timing track for the other two.

I stacked all three videos into a simple editing software I use, Photoshop Premiere Elements. Then I slid the second and third videos back and forth along the time line so they were all in sync with the first. Then I trimmed the lead-ins and endings so the were all the same length. The software allows me to fade and adjust the audio volumes in each video independently. Similarly, each video’s imagery can be faded in and out so you see different video at different times, while the mixed volume continues as set originally.

Then exported the project to an MP4 file and uploaded that to YouTube.

I don’t consider myself to have a good singing voice, but it does seem easier, when you hear yourself in the headphones as you sing and record.

In any case, if you can’t impress with singing and playing skills, at least the technology can be a pleasant distraction!!

[Kvmceff]

Holy cats this is amazing!!!

[kate.kakadu]

Thanks very much for sharing, Tom. Nice song, is that a Fiddlehed song? Great video affects too. Very inspiring how you layered it. Thanks explaining how you did it.

[Tom]

Thanks Kate.

Fiddler’s Green is not on the Fiddlehed site, but it would be a great teaching tune either late beginner or early intermediate.
– Key of G major
– Fairly simple chord progression using G, C, D chords and one E minor
. E minor chord is (E-G-B). C chord is (C-E-G), so I used E-G double stop for both (G0-D1). Not sure if that is best choice, but sounds okay.
– 3/4 time
– Written with a lot of quarter notes, so there is a lot of opportunity to improvise your own ‘lilt’ as you go along
. e.g. play some bars with quarter notes and others with dotted-quarter–eighth–quarter swing, etc.

I have the sheet music with chords and lyrics in PDF, but I don’t know how to attach it here. I’ll send you a private message with my email address. If you want, send me a note to my email and I’ll shoot over a copy for you.

[Patty]

Amazing, Tom…. a favorite song of mine, and you do it so well! I have a soft spot for the maudlin Celtic tunes!!!

[Author]

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