Student resources:
Recorder
Welcome to the student resources page! Here you can find lots of useful information to help you to play klezmer.
We are preparing study tracks for each of our four tunes: Odessa Bulgar, Dave's Nign, S'iz Nito Keyn Nekhtn and Kiev Freylekhs.
Odessa Bulgar
Odessa Bulgar was recorded by accordionist Mishka Ziganoff in New York in the 1920s. He was not Jewish, but played a lot of Jewish music and even spoke Yiddish!
It’s an upbeat tune; the mode is freygish, and the dance style is freylekhs/bulgar.
Study tracks
Dave's Nign
The recording we followed for the NKYO version of this freylekhs comes complete with a slide whistle! In the original, it follows a slow improv ('Rumenishe Doyne') played by legendary klezmer clarinettist Dave Tarras.
The mode is Misheberakh and the dance style is freylekhs/bulgar.
Study tracks
S'iz Nito Keyn Nekhtn
'S'iz Nito Keyn Nekhtn' means 'Yesterday is Over'. There are many versions of the melody, and it's a song in the Belarussian language, as well as in Yiddish.
In the freygish mode, it's made for singing along.
Study tracks
Kiev Freylekhs
A major key romp with a chorus inviting us to 'play it again' (shpil es nokh a mol). You can hear lots of options for variation in the Naftule Brandwein version.
Study tracks