Wabash Cannonball With Great Rock Island Route Intro String Duet - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.1707960

Violin (Fiddle) and Cello Duet -

The Wabash Cannonball is a popular bluegrass piece about a train. In this fun arrangement, the Wabash Cannonball can be played alone, by starting following the double bar, at Rehearsal Letter C. Great Rock Island Route, used here as an introduction to the Wabash Cannonball, was written by J. A. Roff in 1882, and was reportedly the predecessor to the Wabash Cannonball. The Tune, Wabash Cannonball, was written by William Kindt in 1904. This popular Bluegrass tune has been recorded by many artists including The Carter Family, Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Boxcar Willie, and Mac Wiseman.

Rehearsal letters and optional endings allow for flexibility. The Great Rock Island Route could be played separately. The earlier sections of Wabash Cannonball are slower and easier, so could be played by younger students, with the option to add more sections as they grow and become more advanced, adding speed and rhythmic difficulty, including a jazzy blues version.

F5 is the highest note in the violin part, so no shifting is necessary. Low and high fingerings will be necessary, though they are not provided. The clanging of the level crossing bell is written as the open A string. The melody is passed back and forth between the instruments in the Wabash Cannonball sections. There are some backwards and forwards extensions in the Cello part, and the train whistle is a smear, but no shifting is required.

The lyrics are provided for the first verse and chorus of the Wabash Cannonball as a separate melody and lyrics page for audience participation, or addition of a vocalist. This corresponds with rehearsal letters D to F, with the train sounds intro starting at letter C.

The Sample Recording is of the Cello Duet Version from this series of duet arrangements.

Includes Cover, Score, Parts, and Melody and Lyrics Page for a total of 20 pages.