I had written a few waltzes before Pat O'Loughlin, Patrice Pakiz, Erik Sessions and I formed Contratopia. Since then I have written many more. Six of my waltzes appear in the Contratopia Tunebook and all of these have been recorded on the first three Contratopia CDs. This collection contains three more of my waltzes that appear on our Ballroom Echoes CD, one that appears on our Smitten CD and two that appear on our 2014 Riff City CD. In addition, three of these tunes are recorded on my solo Mandolin Tunes CD and two are on my duo CD with Erik Sessions, Notes From the Farm. I was pleased when the Montana Mandolin Society arranged and recorded the "January Waltz" on their excellent 2004 CD Mosaic and I was also honored when my friend Don Julin chose to include his arrangement of my "Bighorn River Sunset" in his popular 2012 book, Mandolin for Dummies.
I'd like to think that there is a good variety represented here from straightforward folk waltzes to tunes with more complex melodies and chord changes. Hopefully you will find a few that suit your own taste and are fun to play. Along with the 11 waltzes that you can find on the CDs mentioned above many of these tunes can be heard in simple arrangements as mp3s on my "So Many Tunes" blogsite (http://somanytunes.blogspot.com) and its accompanying alphabetical listing (http://mandotopia.com/SMT.htm). Some of the remaining waltzes may appear on that blog in the future, along with some of the many not included in this collection or yet to be written.
As of summer 2015 31 Waltzes is available in three editions. In addition to the original version in standard musical notation with guitar chord symbols I have now created new editions of the book with either mandolin tablature or guitar tab (both of which still include standard notation and chord symbols). I will be glad to sell you a PDF copy of the original standard notation version for only $5 or I can send you either the PDF mandolin tab version or the PDF guitar tab version for only $7. You can purchase a copy by clicking on the Paypal button below (a Paypal account is not necessary) and choosing the appropriate option from the pull down menu, or by contacting me via email. If, for any reason, you are unhappy with your purchase I will send you a refund.
(When Paypal notifies me of your payment I will send you the PDF you order via email, usually within 24 hours)
Here is a list of the tunes included in 31 Waltzes with some sample recordings:
Alice's Garden (recorded on Mandolin Tunes: mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Aubrey & Andrew's Wedding (recorded on both Riff City and Notes from the Farm: unreleased live Contratopia recording from Glen Echo)
Bear Creek Waltz
The Beautiful Days (recorded on Mandolin Tunes: mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Bighorn River Sunset (recorded on Smitten: mp3 from Contratopia)
Bob's Angels (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
The Company You Keep (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Count On Me
Easter Waltz (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Evenings and Weekends (recorded on Ballroom Echoes)
Everybody Wins, Everybody Loses
Family Valentine (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Favors Her Father (recorded on Ballroom Echoes)
The First Saturday in June
First Snow (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
French Creek Waltz
G for Gordy (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Goslings Afloat (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
January Waltz (recorded on Ballroom Echoes)
Kitchen Waltz (recorded on Notes from the Farm)
Last Call at Hawley-Cooke (recorded on Riff City: (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Moonrise Over Spencer Pond
New Blanket (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Old Clarksville (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Old Haugen Hall
Our Own Way (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Rachel's Waltz
Small Town Downtown (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Snow Drifter (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
Spring Forward (recorded on Mandolin Tunes: (mp3 demo from So Many Tunes blog)
The Waltz Lesson
Here's a sample page from the new mandolin tablature edition: "Alice's Garden"
Here's a sample page from the new guitar tablature edition: "Bighorn River Sunset" -- (Guitarists note that this book does not contain full chord-melody arrangements, only the basic melodies are intabulated.)
John Goodin, March 2009, updated June 2, 2020
Created on March 18, 2009