English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest

Subject: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 17 May 08 - 01:03 PM

Spare Parts (Bryan Creer, Suzanne Higgins and me) will once again be running English tunes practice sessions for any instrument at the Chippenham Festival (http://www.chippfolk.co.uk/)from 23rd- 26th. May. They are open to people who haven't bought a full season ticket for the festival.

These practices are a chance to learn some solid session tunes from the dots and by ear, playing slowly with lots of repetition, and to get used to playing with others. They run from 10.00 - 11.30 a.m. in the Rotary Hall on Sunday and Monday morning. You can drop in and out - you don't need to come for an entire session.

Bryan has just posted the music we'll be using on our website http://www.sparepartsband.co.uk/SPTunes.php. It's in .pdf (printable) and midi (audio) form. I can also send you a printed copy if you let me know your postal address and which sessions you will come to.

Best wishes,

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mo the caller
Date: 18 May 08 - 05:59 AM

Thanks. I found them. Tunes page

Didn't get to all of your practises last year, but found them really helpful in previous years to get us started when we hadn't played in sessions.

A great idea to give us the tunes in advance.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: GUEST
Date: 18 May 08 - 08:14 AM

Many thanks, Mo, I still haven't mastered the art of creating a blue clicky.

I hope we may practice a few session techniques as well, such as getting everyone to shout 'Change!' and 'Out!'

Tootle pip,

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mo the caller
Date: 18 May 08 - 08:38 AM

They are all printed out and I've started practising, copies for all the family, so I expect to hear Jim playing them under his beech tree in the intervals of gardening. And the half of the gang who are staying in Cheshire and travelling 1/2 - 20 miles to Chester Festival can have a virtual Chippenham on Sunday morning, before the Chester mob are out of their tents.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mo the caller
Date: 22 May 08 - 03:18 PM

My programme says English Tunes Practise Session on Sat at 10 -11.30 also.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: TheSnail
Date: 22 May 08 - 03:24 PM

Mo the caller

My programme says English Tunes Practise Session on Sat at 10 -11.30 also.

A slight misunderstanding which has now been corrected on the online programme. What we think we are doing is here.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: TheSnail
Date: 22 May 08 - 03:31 PM

Sorry, should have signed off -

Bryan Creer, Spare Parts Concertina Band

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mo the caller
Date: 27 May 08 - 11:13 AM

We went to the Sunday and Monday workshop and enjoyed it again.
Have they booked you for next year?

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 27 May 08 - 04:36 PM

Thanks for coming, you two, it was nice to see you again and to make plenty of new friends as well.

The festival haven't discussed next year with us yet, but we'd be very happy to do it again if they want us.

All the best, and hoping to see you all at sessions in the future,

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mo the caller
Date: 27 May 08 - 07:37 PM

It's a bit strange coming to Chippenham, then going to Whitby in August. The tunes have a different feel to them. A lot more 'Flowers of Edinburgh' and 'Soldiers Joy' up there. We live in Cheshire, so we're in the middle.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mo the caller
Date: 05 May 09 - 11:41 AM

I was looking for the dots of When Daylight shines folllowing a discussion about how it's usually played.
Did we do it last year? (in which case it's among my bits of paper somewhere.)
In an old CDM vol 3 it is given as a 4 part, 32bar tune. Marilyn plays it as a 3 part, 48 bar.

Am I being thick, or have the online Lewes Favourites vanished?

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: TheSnail
Date: 05 May 09 - 12:01 PM

Am I being thick, or have the online Lewes Favourites vanished?

Oh dear! Given the options, how do I answer that question politely?

No, you aren't thick and the Lewes Favourites haven't vanished but they may have moved since you last looked. We got our own domain name and then AOL closed down their webspace support and the redirection from the old address isn't there any more.

We have "When Daylight Shines" as a three parter. I'd be interested to know of the fourth part.

Bryan

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 05 May 09 - 01:13 PM

May I just add that Spare Parts will be running tunes practice sessions at Chippenham this year, and also concertina part-playing sessions? We're waiting to hear when and where they will be, then we'll post details here and put the music up on our website as usual.

We'll be doing a tunes practice session at the Crawley Folk Festival in June, and some concertina sessions at Whitby and Tenterden, too.

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: greg stephens
Date: 05 May 09 - 03:12 PM

Hope you don't mind my dropping in your thread, Valmai, but I see a lot of discussion of contemporaneous Chester developing as well. For those who are going to Chester, and will therefore have to miss Valmai's excellent English tune learning session in Chippenham: do come and join me at the Boat Band's English (northern) tune learning session, on Saturday May 23.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 06 May 09 - 02:35 AM

Great - the more people who are learning tunes, the better! We look forward to finding a time for the Boat Band to do a tunes workshop for the Lewes Saturday Folk Club, as well.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: GUEST,Woody
Date: 06 May 09 - 02:55 AM

Do you know what tunes you're going to be doing at Chippenham Valmai?

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 06 May 09 - 04:20 AM

We haven't quite finished deciding yet, but we'll put them on the Spare Parts concertina band website as soon as we have and announce it here.

We'll give the dots as .pdfs and also midi files; the same goes for the concertina part-playing sessions.

Tootle pip,

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: GUEST,Woody
Date: 06 May 09 - 05:41 AM

Thanks

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 06 May 09 - 05:47 AM

Thanks Valmai,

just printed them off and will shortly abuse them on the banjo

Chees

Les

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 06 May 09 - 06:31 AM

Les, a word of warning - if you took tunes from the Spare Parts site today, you'll only have got what we took to the Gosport & Fareham Easter festival for concertina part-playing sessions. No reason why you shouldn't play them on the banjo or any other instrument, but they aren't general session fodder.

We haven't put the others up yet - Bryan, Suzanne and I are still making our choices. I can tell you that so far I've chosen

Albert Farmer's Bonfire Tune
Babes in the Wood
Bedbreaker (by Ian Wilson of Peeping Tom)
Bromsberrow Heath (Beatrice Hill's 4-Hand Reel)
Corn Rigs
Dennington Bell
Leather Away the Wattle O

as these are all getting a frequent bashing in local tunes sessions, but we'll be taking at least a dozen definites with a further half dozen spares.

Tootle pip,

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 06 May 09 - 06:47 AM

Thanks Valmai,

I have to say they didn't look familiar, but all good stuff nevertheless,

thanks

Les

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 06 May 09 - 07:11 AM

Of the ones you've printed, Wals voor Polle will probably ring a bell from sessions and Whinshields Hornpipe possibly might, but the others are fairly obscure. The top line has the tune in all the arrangements.

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 06 May 09 - 09:23 AM

Aha. Bob Berry has just phoned to say that our English tunes practice sessions will be in the Rose and Crown Barn (HURRAH!)from 11.00 - noon on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

This means that anyone coming to them will be in pole position for the main English tunes session which starts in the same place at noon.

Excellent news that the Rosie Barn is back in action. It was very distressing to see the dear old place mothballed last year.

Now, about those tunes .....

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mo the caller
Date: 07 May 09 - 07:02 AM

Interesting mix of tunes. About half that I recognise (don't claim that I can play them). Maybe some of the others have also reach us 'up North', but I don't know the names.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mr Red
Date: 12 May 09 - 05:57 AM

Joy may try to get there for one if not both. I haven't been allocated stewarding duties (yet?) so can't plan.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 12 May 09 - 08:11 AM

I'd better review that tunes list as it's very D 4/4-heavy. We took Leather Away the Wattle-O last year, so I'll leave it at home this year although it's a popular local pairing with Babes in the Wood.

Further and better particulars soon - we were away this last weekend.

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: TheSnail
Date: 14 May 09 - 01:28 PM

The tunes are now available on the Spare Parts Concertina Band website as dots in Word format and as MIDIs, slow and normal versions played five times through. Select Tunes from the menu.

See you there.

Bryan

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mo the caller
Date: 14 May 09 - 05:12 PM

It doesn't open properly in my Word, I get lots of treble clef signs where the dots on the lines ought to be. Is that just me?

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 15 May 09 - 03:48 AM

Bother. It's just downloaded all right for me, but we'll get on the case.

After a bit of consultation, the tunes we're taking are:

Saturday: Beatrice Hill's Four-Hand Reel (Bromsberrow Heath), Albert Farmer's Bonfire Tune, Oyster Girl (Scan Tester's version) and Foggy Dew.

Sunday: Babes in the Wood, Michael Turner's Jig, Dennington Bell (adapted to what I hear locally), Northern Schottische.

Monday: Old Rosin the Beau, Corn Rigs, Man in the Moon, The Bedbreaker (by Ian Wilson of Peeping Tom).

Beatrice Hill's and Albert Farmer's get played as a pair in Sussex.

Tootle pip,

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 15 May 09 - 05:32 AM

Mo, do the midis behave when you download them?

Tootle pip,

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mo the caller
Date: 15 May 09 - 05:50 AM

Ah, got them now. The Adobe files and the midi are fine.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mo the caller
Date: 15 May 09 - 05:53 AM

The word files would still make an interesting desin for curtains.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: TheSnail
Date: 15 May 09 - 06:07 AM

Bill Gates would probably claim the copyright.

Could others report back on success or failure with the files please?

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 15 May 09 - 06:17 AM

PDFs fine, word versions only have one tune in each of the three documents

Great tunes, thanks a lot

L in C

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: TheSnail
Date: 15 May 09 - 06:39 AM

word versions only have one tune in each of the three documents

Be patient. They sometimes take a while to appear. Don't ask me, ask Bill gates.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 15 May 09 - 06:45 AM

Thanks, Les, that's helpful.

It's the first time I've tried translating Noteworthy Composer tunes into Word documents (in Noteworthy you go to Print Preview, then choose Copy (to Clipboard) and paste the result into a Word document. Use Picture Tools to crop the unwanted upper and lower blank spaces from the page. I notice that when I open the documents with several tunes they take a while to load. They print happily enough.

Maybe we should stick to pdfs when putting them on the website in future, but it was worth a try.

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 15 May 09 - 06:49 AM

Thanks Brian, I waited and was rewarded!

Cheers

L in C

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mr Red
Date: 15 May 09 - 07:15 AM

The tunes are now available on the Spare Parts Concertina Band - if you can view them.

The problem is that it is assumed that what the generator of the document has in the way of fonts is so universal that it cannot be imagined that you don't have them. Here at the public library the font set is Micro$oft default which is basic. Arial/Helvetica, TNR/Times, Courier. No music fonts and I doubt I have the same ones at home either. The dots are ampersands and the sharps and flats smilies.

The problem is also seen with large pictures, Flash movies etc on Websites generated on the latest whizzbang PC's, which not every folkie has, or wants! Nor broadband!

PDF documents are getting to the point where those generated on the latest pdf drivers cannot be viewed on older Acrobats (eg 5) and Acrobat7 can only be installed on-line. (8 now available). Not bad for universality - is it? But if I can print them out you may get two more participants.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 15 May 09 - 07:20 AM

Mr. Red, I'll happily send you copies by post if that would be easier. Send your postal address to me on [e-mail]

Tootle pip,

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: TheSnail
Date: 15 May 09 - 07:49 AM

Thanks, Mr Red. I'd assumed that the tunes in the Word documents were graphics but it seems not.

I'm on Adobe Reader 9. Since anyone downloading these files is, by necessity, online, upgrading to the latest reader is quick, easy and free.

enough of the technical details, how do people like the tunes?

Bryan

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 15 May 09 - 07:50 AM

.... In a way, I quite like the idea of having smilies for sharps and frownies for flats ......

Nevertheless I do sympathise with the problem; thanks for pointing it out. Any assuming is done by the stuff installed on my computer, unfortunately - I haven't got the ability or the means to alter it, but the good old Post Office is still there.

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 16 May 09 - 04:11 AM

A propos of the tunes we're taking, does anyone else think Beatrice Hill's Forehand Smash is a descendant of St. Anne's Reel?

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 18 May 09 - 07:56 AM

Aha - just had it confirmed that we're leading the English tunes session in the Rose & Crown Barn on Sunday. We might manage to get in some of the tunes from the practice sessions.

Tootle pip,

Valmai

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: GUEST,Mr Red
Date: 18 May 09 - 10:26 AM

Valmai Thanks for the offer - I have the solution and improved on it.
I found the PDF fails on Acrobat 5 but Joy has ver 8 so she has samll print copies. I have managed to take screen shots and print each tune filling an A4 and ring bound them. As Joy sight reads she needs larger print.

I haven't kept large print files, but if you have Photoshop or similar: load from Acrobat & size to max visible - "alt/PrtScn" copies to clipboard, paste into your photo app, crop unwanted parts, rotate and print - should do it. Photo shop creates the right size window from "New" (if clipboard has content).
Comb binders are best to flip pages entirely.

Downloading Acrobat is no longer an option. It has to install on-line and has since ver7. Of little use to dial-up users. I still have the installation for ver6.

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 18 May 09 - 10:41 AM

I have downloaded the Tunes and they are a good size and easy to read. I have also downloaded The Shrewsbury Festival Tune Book which is small and difficult to read.

I have e-mailed Shrewsbury to ask how I might make it bigger - so far no answer. Is this an Adobe problem with a simple answer?

Thanks
L in C

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: Mo the caller
Date: 22 May 09 - 03:28 AM

Your practises are in the barn but the programme doesn't say barn for the sessions. Are they in the pub or the barn?

Subject: RE: English tunes practices: Chippenham Fest
From: TheSnail
Date: 22 May 09 - 03:41 AM

The barn. (Probably.)