Need Blue Railroad Train sheet music

[Dave Engel]

Hi All,

So far getting the actual musical notation for some of this bluegrass has been quite difficult. I am unable to find standard (or tabs for that matter) notation for Blue Railroad Train. I can get the lyrics and the chords, but would like the melody notation also. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks.

Dave

[Dan Miller]

Dave,
A "Blue Railroad Train" transcription is included in Volume 4, Number 5 (July/August 2000) issue of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. There are two guitar solos presented in both standard notation and tab arranged by Dix Bruce. You can call 800-413-8296 to order a hard copy of this issue. Or, you can download this issue for only $3.50 at the following web address:
http://www.flatpickdigital.com/view_features.php?eid=52

If you are looking for standard notation and/or Tab for bluegrass tunes, there have been over 1000 tunes presented in Flatpicking Guitar Magazine over the past 12 years. All back issues can be downloaded at www.flatpickdigital.com. If you click the blue box, with yellow lettering, in the right column of this page, you can get a free back issue index of all songs that have been transcribed during our first 12 years of publishing.

Dan Miller
Flatpicking Guitar Magazine

[Dave Engel]

Hi Dan,

Got that issue and know how to use the index. I'm after the words with the notes and chords. That's one thing about this flatpicking that's got me. There are a gazillion publications out there with 1 page licks and runs that assume you know the words and the melody to. All these resources will be great, AFTER I know the songs (words and melody). Thanks.

Dave

[L.J. Mattingly]

A lot of times if you just Google the title of the tune, sites will come up where you can get the lyrics and chords to the songs.
I "Googled Blue Railroad Train" and found several such sites. One, called Cowboy Lyrics, has the lyrics and chords attributed to Tony Rice's version.

There may be some sites that will give you the melody line, too, but for the most part they assume you know the melody and just want to work up a version of the song to sing or play. They give you the chords and lyrics and let you do the rest.

There are some books you can buy that are filled with Bluegrass standards that show you the melody line and chords for lots of tunes. You can check the books sold at Elderly Instruments, for example, and find some of these. Finding individual music sheets for these tunes may be a whole lot harder to do.

Beyond the basic structure, this kind of music is highly improvisational and you will find a lot of different takes on these tunes.

Most Bluegrass players that I know play by ear and intuition and don't rely on written music. Many of them don't read music at all. Because it is all so improvisational, I have heard guys like Tony Rice or Norman Blake play the same tune many times and never do it exactly the same way twice.

Because of the nature of this music, the best source for what you are looking for would be Flatpicking Guitar, the songbooks I mentioned and doing some internet searching. You might find that none of them will give you exactly what you are looking for, though.

LJ

[Dave Engel]

Hi L.J.

I did just that, ordered one from Mel Bay Productions with over 100 tunes that include the words, melody line and chords. THEN I can fill in with all the pickin books I have. Just Blue RR Train is one of those songs not in any of these books. Go Figure!

Dave