Recordings

Each of these tunes includes a recording of the session teacher playing the tune. You can use these recordings as a reference or to help you learn the tune by ear.

Some of the recordings are only available at full tempo, which might be a bit fast for learning. Fortunately, there are a few easy ways to slow them down so you can hear the notes more clearly.

Depending on your browser, you may be able to adjust the playback speed directly. Just click the three-dot menu on the right side of the tune player:

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If your browser doesn’t offer this option, or if you’d like more precise control, you can download the tune and use an app to slow it down while keeping the pitch the same. Many apps also let you loop tricky sections for focused practice. Here are a couple we recommend:

• Anytune
• The Amazing Slow-Downer

There are plenty of other great tools out there too! If you’ve tried one you love and think it should be on this list, let us know — we’re always happy to share good resources.

Sheet Music

I’ve added approximate transcriptions from the recordings to each tune as an aid to learning and memory. They are best used as a supplement to the recording! You can download each tune’s sheet music on the tune page, using the “Download Dots” link in the bottom right.

Or if you just want a booklet with everything so far, you can get that here. (Updated 202506)

Bookmarks for forScore

If you use forScore to organize your music, you can use this CSV file to add bookmarks to the above pdf.

Using the CSV Index to Create Bookmarks

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Open the CSV file in forScore. This will add it to your list of available Indexes.

You may not get any indication that the CSV has been imported at this time.

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Open the Contra Tunes Score and tap the Book icon to open the Bookmarks for that score.

Then tap the "Indexes" link in the top right to load Bookmarks from an Index.

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Choose the CSV index that you just imported.

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Tap the blue field names on the right to make sure that the values in the CSV are being imported to the right fields in forScore.

The CSV includes Title, Reference, Composers, Start Page, and End Page. (Unfortunately, the headers don't automatically match.)

Make sure that you are skipping the header row, and don't have a Page number offset.

You can use the arrows on the bottom to preview each Bookmark that will be created and make sure the metadata is what you expect.

When you are satisfied, tap "Save" in the top right.

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Now you have tune bookmarks... Ta-da!

Including Bookmarks in Your Tune Library

If you want to be able to see each individual tune in your library and search for them by name, you can. Alternatively, if you'd rather just see the main Contra Tunes pdf in your library and access bookmarks from there, you can hide the bookmarks from your library.

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Use the briefcase icon to open your tools, and choose "Settings" (all the way at the bottom).

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Find the "Sorting" setting.

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If you want to see individual tunes in your library, make sure that "Show bookmarks in library" is turned on.