'The Cowboys'

Willow11

Willow11

Okay, has anyone played 'The Cowboy's by John Williams in Alto? I am struggling with this piece so badly, it is tough ... at least for me :( Any suggestions? Or any where I can get sheet music with the 1st & 2nd separated (part of the problem is the music is tough and it's all on the same damn sheet) ... without re-writing the whole piece myself ...
 
I so hate that and practically have to memorize parts of a song that has the second and first alto part on the same page. So lame! What was the thought process here for doing that? The accidentals are so close together you have to guess which note they belong to. And Often they overlap. I just don't get it.

I don't see anything on the web that would point to parts that are split out for the altos on this chart.
 
I agree----it makes things that are easy seem difficult, and makes that which is difficult impossibly confusing!

I usually resort to writing out the whole part on computer software, or at those sections that are the most confusing. Although tedious, it's been worth it to me.

Good luck! Ruth
 
The Cowboys is almost impossible to read on the 1st/2nd combined areas. I could not separate the dit dit dah from the the dar dit dit on my tenor score.

So I photocopied it, and used Tippex (not sure what you call it - liquid paper; snowpake; .....) to white out the notes I didn't want, and drew the staff lines back in with a ruler and fine black pen.

Once finished, I photocopied it again so you couldn't see that any alteration had happened

It took about 10 minutes

Chris
 
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For those who are not familiar with the music, the first 2 lines is as written, and the second 2 lines have been altered

THECOWBOYS-1.jpg


Chris
 
I would just look at something like that and play all four 16th notes. :)
 
jbtsax said:
I would just look at something like that and play all four 16th notes. :)
Click to expand...

Agreed.


With all due respect to whoever was the copyist/publisher, that is terrible writing. Confusion created simply to save a piece of paper or two for an alto 2 part is silly.

I would definitely be in the put-it-into-Sibelius camp.
 
WoodwindDoubler said:
Agreed.


With all due respect to whoever was the copyist/publisher, that is terrible writing. Confusion created simply to save a piece of paper or two for an alto 2 part is silly.

I would definitely be in the put-it-into-Sibelius camp.
Click to expand...

Publishers require things like that to be done all the time to save a few cents by not having to print two pages instead of one. The "bean counters" who make those decisions obviously don't play musical instruments themselves.
 
Thank you all for your suggestions and input... I hate reading this piece and being sort of new back to music as it is (for the first time in 8 years), it makes it even more difficult.
 
I love this idea and did not think it would come out so good ... I will definitely try doing this this afternoon... THANK YOU

Chris J said:
The Cowboys is almost impossible to read on the 1st/2nd combined areas. I could not separate the dit dit dah from the the dar dit dit on my tenor score.

So I photocopied it, and used Tippex (not sure what you call it - liquid paper; snowpake; .....) to white out the notes I didn't want, and drew the staff lines back in with a ruler and fine black pen.

Once finished, I photocopied it again so you couldn't see that any alteration had happened

It took about 10 minutes

Chris
Click to expand...
 
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