SING WITH THE ARCHIVES
How did traditional music sound long ago and how does it sound today? We invite you to learn some new songs
from the Digital Archives of Latvian Folklore and sing, record, arrange, compose, and upload your own ‘cover versions’
to the Archive’s audio collection.
The selection of recordings complied for this campaign includes a rich variety of songs in terms of content, style,
origin, and language –everyday songs and mythological songs, joyful songs and sorrowful songs, folk songs and
popular songs in Latvian, Livonian, Belarussian, Russian, and Romani. All regions of Latvia, as well as Latvian
villages in Siberia and Bashkiria are represented in the selection. The oldest recordings were made in the
1920s and 30s, and the newest are from the beginning of the 21st century.
More
1. Find your song!
Spin the Song Wheel or choose a song from the List or Map. Listen to the song. Listen to several songs.
2. Record your own version
Learn some new songs by listening to the recordings and following along with the text. If you would also like the score, click on a song title to access the profile for that song in the Digital Archives of Latvian Folklore. You can also download the all recordings, scores, and text files for each song by clicking on the List. You can either perform the song as it is recorded or use the recordings for inspiration to create your own arrangement.
3. Register and Log In!
You can listen to the recordings without logging in, but if you want to upload your own recordings or vote on others, register and log in to garamantas.lv. To make sure the recordings you upload are properly identified, register using the name of the musician/group/band as your User Name.
4. Upload your own ‘cover versions’ to the Archive!
Find your song in the List and record yourself singing/playing by clicking on the Record button. If you are satisfied with the result, keep it. If you don’t like it, delete and try again.
OR
Record your version on a device (preferred formats: wav, aiff), find your song on the List and upload your version by clicking the Add a File button.
OR
If you have already uploaded your version to a music sharing site (Youtube, Soundcloud), find your song on the List and upload your version by clicking the Add a Link button.
5. Listen to other recordings and vote for your favourites!
To listen to the new recordings, choose a song from the List and check for new uploads, or go to Latest Recordings to find the song you are interested in. Remember to vote for your favourites!
6. Contact us!
If you have any other questions, please write to ieva.tihovska@gmail.com.