G'day folks, Jack Halyard needs to contribute. The problem with Anderson's Coast is that it moves through chords very quickly and that it works a lot better with the instrument playing harmonies along with the voice. When I wrote it, I built the melody on the whistle and then experienced considerable frustration trying to build a chordal accompaniment on the 12 string. I was going to ditch the song as too predictable, long, box-shaped and boring but that Margaret Walters insisted that I keep trying with it. Kim Poole suggested that I leave it with him and see if I liked what he did with it. I liked it very much indeed! It is Kim playing the accompaniment on Pithead. He tunes his guitar in DADEAB for this song. He also uses DADEAD. Once I learned that tuning I re-set many songs to it and wrote a number in that tuning. What is noticable is that there are very few block chords, it is mostly harmony behind voice. I've since heard a number of settings. Some really fine unaccompanied treatments by such people as Jenny Fitzgibbon are compleat and perfect in themselves. Danny Spooner's concertina gives it a gutsy shantyman's emphasis. I've heard it done with continuo computer, Irish Bouzouki, and I've finally got a 12 string version of my own that works. Margaret Walters may have some written music from Kim and Kim may have tablature for guitarists who read it. All I want to say is that, as the song's daddy, I'm happy to see my little one getting about and enjoying her relationships with all and sundry. She has not so-far dissapointed her old man - in fact he has been more than rewarded in hearing the song being sung, talked about and arranged. Feel free to play folks, she's a big girl now. Good health all! Jack Halyard.
|