Anyone know where to find civil war guitar chords online??

[Shaggy]

I need to find the guitar chords to Jine the cavalry and Ridin' a Raid. Can anyone please help? Is there a place online that I could view these chords or can someone send them to me??

Thanks a bunch in advance

Jonathan Rachels
Waterbury's Scouts

[BHoover]

I need to find the guitar chords to Jine the cavalry and Ridin' a Raid. Can anyone please help? Is there a place online that I could view these chords or can someone send them to me??

If you Google on the topic, you can find many books of Civil War music. Some are reprints of original sheet music, some are modern piano arrangements, many have guitar chords, etc.

You should be aware, however, that most of the guitar chord arrangments are not period correct. And while a few guitars may have been used by soldiers in the field, the guitar was primarily a parlour instrument during this period. If you want to sit around the campfire and sing with your comrades, you would be much better advised to use a fiddle or a banjo for musical accompaniment.

IMO there is far too little period correct music in the field.

[kbarry]

If you want to sit around the campfire and sing with your comrades, you would be much better advised to use a fiddle or a banjo for musical accompaniment.

IMO there is far too little period correct music in the field.

Bruce:

What is your take on Celtic (flat top) Mandolins. I have not found any direct references (still searching) but surely the Irish immigrants from the famine would have had them and they would have taken them to the war.

I know that the Neapolitan (bowl back) mandolin didn't arive until years later with the Italian immigrants. And the modern arch tops were invented by Gibson towards the end of the century, so the flat tops would have been the only period mandolin.

Any help would be appreciated.

Ken

[fidlr1]

Bruce:

What is your take on Celtic (flat top) Mandolins. I have not found any direct references (still searching) but surely the Irish immigrants from the famine would have had them and they would have taken them to the war.

I know that the Neapolitan (bowl back) mandolin didn't arive until years later with the Italian immigrants. And the modern arch tops were invented by Gibson towards the end of the century, so the flat tops would have been the only period mandolin.

Any help would be appreciated.

Ken

If I may jump in here: I think the so-called Celtic mandolin came after the bowl-back 19thC. style. Check this link:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/article.html

[kbarry]

If I may jump in here: I think the so-called Celtic mandolin came after the bowl-back 19thC. style. Check this link:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/article.html

Paul:

Thanks for the response. The other mandolin history on the MandolinCafe site gives some more details for the 19c:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/briefhistory.html

The John Troughton Book "The Mandolin Manual" states: "Flat-backed, flat-top Neapolitan mandolins were also made, some based on the pear shaped cittern body... it was in existance since the mid 16c..."

I guess I need to buy a book on the history of the Mandolin.

I was hoping that someone here knew the short period of the Civil War. The various groups that play Civil War music (like the 2nd South Carolina String Band), usually have a fiddle player that also plays Mandolin on some songs.

Thanks,

Ken

[fidlr1]

Paul:

Thanks for the response. The other mandolin history on the MandolinCafe site gives some more details for the 19c:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/briefhistory.html

The John Troughton Book "The Mandolin Manual" states: "Flat-backed, flat-top Neapolitan mandolins were also made, some based on the pear shaped cittern body... it was in existance since the mid 16c..."

I guess I need to buy a book on the history of the Mandolin.

I was hoping that someone here knew the short period of the Civil War. The various groups that play Civil War music (like the 2nd South Carolina String Band), usually have a fiddle player that also plays Mandolin on some songs.

Thanks,

Ken

The article cited eastern & southern European immigration as the source of earliest introduction--but not celtic..I would class mandolin along with the zither, ukelele & mandola as in existence at the time, but not PEC.

[kbarry]

The article cited eastern & southern European immigration as the source of earliest introduction--but not celtic..I would class mandolin along with the zither, ukelele & mandola as in existence at the time, but not PEC.

Paul:

What is PEC?

"The Mandolin Manual" also has no reference to the Celtic Manolin in history. After some more reading, it may have only been introduced to Celtic music within the last 50 years (but I am still searching). Troughton refers to the flat back as the "Portuguese Mandolin". I guess I was way off base - sorry.

I will post if I find any other information.

Ken Barry

[fidlr1]

Paul:

What is PEC?

"The Mandolin Manual" also has no reference to the Celtic Manolin in history. After some more reading, it may have only been introduced to Celtic music within the last 50 years (but I am still searching). Troughton refers to the flat back as the "Portuguese Mandolin". I guess I was way off base - sorry.

I will post if I find any other information.

Ken Barry

"Plain, Everyday, Common"--the banjo & fiddle were, in the 1860's, as seen in numerous images, somewhat less so the guitar & flute. As I said, I've found no period reference to, or image of a mandolin, (as yet). That doesn't mean they didn't exist, but evidence shows them to be much less common than bjo. & fdl.

[kbarry]

"Plain, Everyday, Common"--the banjo & fiddle were, in the 1860's, as seen in numerous images, somewhat less so the guitar & flute. As I said, I've found no period reference to, or image of a mandolin, (as yet). That doesn't mean they didn't exist, but evidence shows them to be much less common than bjo. & fdl.

Paul:

Thanks, I guess I will need to pick up fiddle for around the campfire.

I also have played cornet, french horn and Eb Alto in my past and want to start playing again to participate in a period brass band.

I just found this forum last week and cannot control my excitement of such a resource for civil war music discussions.

My main focus is wet plate photography at reenactments, but I want something to do when the sun has gone down.

Ken Barry

[fidlr1]

Paul:

Thanks, I guess I will need to pick up fiddle for around the campfire.

I also have played cornet, french horn and Eb Alto in my past and want to start playing again to participate in a period brass band.

I just found this forum last week and cannot control my excitement of such a resource for civil war music discussions.

My main focus is wet plate photography at reenactments, but I want something to do when the sun has gone down.

Ken Barry

That's great--fiddlers are somewhat underrepresented in the hobby---if you already have a mandolin, the fingering patterns are very close to the fiddle. Then it's just a matter of getting that darn bow to work right...

[BHoover]

Bruce:

What is your take on Celtic (flat top) Mandolins. I have not found any direct references (still searching) but surely the Irish immigrants from the famine would have had them and they would have taken them to the war.


I'm afraid I don't know much about the Celtic Mandolins, but as others have mentioned, the Italian mandolins were probably not seen in any numbers until the 1880s. If you read memoirs, and look at pictures, the fiddle is mentiond over and over again, along with the banjo. Relic hunters also dig harmonica reeds in fair numbers.

One thing that you need to be aware of is that many of the "authentic" string bands out there think that Flat & Scruggs is "old timey" and therefor correct for the 1860s. All to often they play bluegrass instruments in a bluegrass style and think they are correct.

If you want to do something completely correct and common, the fiddle is an excellent choice. A few years ago, at the 1st Raymond, there was one fellow who took a fiddle with him on the whole 15 mile march. It was great at the end of the day, after the march and the skirmishing, to be in the camp and hear the sounds of that fiddle ringing out, especialy knowing that he had carried it all day, even through the battle.

[fidlr1]

One thing that you need to be aware of is that many of the "authentic" string bands out there think that Flat & Scruggs is "old timey" and therefor correct for the 1860s. All to often they play bluegrass instruments in a bluegrass style and think they are correct.

.

Bluegrass music as heard today didn't really coalesce into its present form
until the 1940's (although it has influences from older styles, inc. minstrel music), thus it would be no more appropriate at a CW event than, say, be-bop.