Session Tunes

Subject: Session Tunes
From: sleepyjon
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 06:49 AM

Anyone care to nominate a "top 4 or 5" session tunes for a group of occasional morris musicians (mainly "squeezables") to have something to play outside of their core repertoire?

All (polite - even encouraging) suggestions welcome.

Thanks SJ

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: Marilyn
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 07:42 AM

There's a great little session tune that I got from John Kirkpatrick's 'English Choice' book. It's called Bobby Shafto (no, not *that* one).

Every time I play it I can guarantee that somebody will say 'that's a great tune, what's it called?'. It's very easy to pick up too so, by the time you're on the third time through, everybody has joined in!

If you don't want to buy the book (or dots are not for you!) it is on John's 'Orlando's Return' CD.

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: Marilyn
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 07:52 AM

re: Bobby Shafto tune
forgot to mention - it's in G and the chords are (surprise, surprise) G, C and D so it fits very easily on the melodeon. Not sure about concertina as I don't play one but, as a novice melodeon player, I find it easy to do on a D/G pokerwork.

You asked for 4 or 5 tunes, didn't you?
On melodeon:

Prince William (March) in G also from John Kirtpatrick's English Choice

The Bear Dance (Polka) in E minor

Horses Branle (Brawl) in G

Three Around Three in G

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: TheSnail
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 08:19 AM

A bit difficult to limit it to 4 or 5. Here are 180 from the sessions around Lewes, East Sussex.

Lewes Favourites

Tune titles that are links are MIDI files. I'll finish the rest eventually.

From Vol 1 I'd recommend -

Flowers of Edinburgh
Three around Three
Walter Bulwer's No 1 & 2
Jacky Tar

for your purposes.

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: Jack Campin
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 09:51 AM

The ABC links on the Lewes Favourites page don't work.

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: TheSnail
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 10:14 AM

Neither they do. I confess myself to be temporarily baffled. The technical team are on the case as I speak.

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: greg stephens
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 10:18 AM

Where does this session take place? Regionally appropriate music is the in thing these days, so geography might be a good place to start.

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: Mr Happy
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 12:23 PM

Gallopede?

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: TheSnail
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 01:57 PM

Jack Campin

The ABC links on the Lewes Favourites page don't work.

Hmmm. The new host didn't seem to like downloading abc files so I've made them into zip files. Seems to work but you have to unzip them.

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: stormalong
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 02:18 PM

The Lewes tunes I've most often heard at Nellie's and Elsie's (and hence the ones I'm learning) are:

Blaydon Races
Brighton Camp
Curly Headed Ploughboy
Double Lead Through
Keel Row
Maggie In The Wood
Michael Turner's Waltz
Portsmouth
Princess Royal
Salmon Tails Up The River
Speed The Plough
Sussex Bonny Breast Knot
Three Around Three
Winster Gallop

Richard

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: stormalong
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 02:19 PM

Just remembered that a couple of these aren't in the Lewes book...

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 03:08 PM

gallopede - ? the incontinent Greek

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: TheSnail
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 03:19 PM

No, pronounced Gallopeddy, one of the Muses like Calliope.

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 03:22 PM

might be pronounced gallopedy at the bottom of the country but its certainly pronounced gallopeed in the north.

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 05:33 PM

My faves:

Brighton Camp
Rusty Gully
Speed the Plough
Dorset Forehand Reel
My Love She's But a Lassie Yet

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: Snuffy
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 07:20 PM

Where can I find the Dorset Backhand Reel?

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: Sorcha
Date: 07 Nov 07 - 08:10 PM

Awww, Snuffy....you kidder! LOL....

Pssst...it's actually 4/Four Hand reel. NOT Fore.

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 10:00 AM

Snuffy - slip us a fiver and I'll tell you...
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: bubblyrat
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 10:36 AM

Jack Robinson, as popularised recently by Spiers and Boden ( I love it ! ) also The Blue- eyed Stranger and The Quaker,from the "Morris On" series, courtesy of Mr. H . The Hardy Manuscript yields up some nice tunes-----Seven Stars, New Rigged Ship, The Pandon Dance and The Pandene of Tikeli , to name but four-- I can play all these tunes on a guitar, so they should present no problems for "squeezers" !!

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: lilly
Date: 08 Nov 07 - 03:21 PM

Squeezers, weird geezers-all those twiddley bits, more tricky on a guitar.Nice to see all those Dorset Hardy tunes in there Bubbleyrat !

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 03:09 AM

Buttered Peas, Harvest Home, Trumpet Hornpipe (Pugwash), Rakes of Kildare, Blackthorn Stick

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: synbyn
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:01 AM

the bear session tunes from faversham can be found on www.banjolin.co.uk/tunes/beartunes.htm- they are also in tab for string players. There's a session diary there too, wittily kept.

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: Mr Happy
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:09 AM

Some greatest hits done round my local sesshes:

Morrisons
Rakes of Mallow
The Kesh
Boulavogue
Da Slockit Light
Fanny Power
Panxty Irwin
Lord Inchiquin
3 Sea Captains
Melrose Abbey

& many more, the list is endless!

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:29 AM

I thought Jacky Robinson had been popularised about twenty years ago by the Old Swan Band! Or is it a different tune?

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: johnadams
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 07:20 AM

And it's on our recent album "Swan-Upmanship' (2004) in the company of William Irwin's No 3 and The Tipputs.

Johnny Adams - Old Swan Band

Subject: RE: Session Tunes
From: Mr Happy
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 08:53 AM

& lately we/they've been doing 'Jacky Tar'