Public Service Announcement: Naragonia’s “Pink Molly” by Toon Van Mierlo is an absolutely brilliant tune, so much so that having put it on I felt the need to tell you all.
I was listening to it on their album “Tandem” but there’s a tuition version that goes with their G/C diato tunebook on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/OMzQrLdzuzw
#Accordeon #AccordéonDiatonique #Diato #Melodeon #Folk #FolkMusic #Music #TradMusic #Trad
Just found out that Julian Sutton (JS hereinafter) will be the third tutor at this year’s Halsway D/G weekend, so a little anecdote…
About ten years ago I went to Melodeons at Witney and JS was one of the tutors. The workshop of his I went to was “all abilities” and I was very much a beginner. It was way, way beyond me and I came away massively frustrated and annoyed that it was not as pitched. Trying to learn “The Great North Run” and “93 Not Out” at great pace, suitable for beginners?! I walked out knowing I’d learnt nothing and wasted that time when I could’ve gained useful knowledge/ technique in a different workshop.
Fast forward to last year at Halsway when playing in the bar one evening, someone started a tune and I joined in without particular difficulty although I didn’t know it, and also the one they segued into. “What were they?” I asked, “I don’t know them but seemed to be able to play them.” The reply, of course, was “The Great North Run into 93 Not Out.”
I’m not saying I guarantee I could repeat the capability to just join in and play them, but clearly something had stuck and I’d done JS a great disservice!
#Melodeon #DiatonicAccordion #Accordion #FolkLife #Folk #FolkMusic #Music #TradMusic #Trad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXyNEfggooU&list=RDlXyNEfggooU&start_radio=1
The first year I went to Burwell for the music summer school, I was in Andy Cutting's mixed band group, with violins, flutes, whistles and guitars. I stood next to him and we played this as part of our set.
When we were finished I went outside to phone my wife and cried. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life.
Looking at “Barbie Girl” (BG hereinafter) as the foreman of our morris side wants to write a new dance and it’ll need a tune… and this would fit on our instruments nicely and get the public’s attention.
By my reckoning BG has four parts. Three of those parts are eight bars each, in line with “standard form”… but the first one is 18 bars (well, 9 bars with different first/second time through endings) and includes the necessary run up for the start of the second part to feel right.
Because the run up to the B music can’t be jemmied into the end of the C or D music, we can’t just use the A music as an intro then loop the other parts (my first thought).
Do any of you internet folkies have any bright ideas to tweak BG so the A music is a multiple of 8 bars (and don’t say play it for 9x8 =72 bars, that’s much to much of it!)?
Sheet music here, (though we’d play it in G) https://sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/sheetjpg/56840.jpg
Alternatively, any suggestions for upbeat, attention grabbing, well know pop similar to BG that fits nicely into an octave and a half, is in 8 or 16 bar chunks, and isn’t beset with accidents or key changes?
Bouwerie Boys Morris Dancers perform "Boys of the Bunch" in Cooperstown, NY on the 2024 Gilbertsville Tour.
The 2026 tour begins in a week!
#morrisDance #morrisDancing #folkDance #folkDancing #melodeon
Discovered that Xim’s album 989 is on Bandcamp so I can finally listen to the original of Longwater :-)
https://ximmusic4.bandcamp.com/album/989
#HurdyGurdy #VielleARoue #CornemuseDuCentre #EnglishBorderPipes #Flute #Melodeon #Accordion #AccordéonDiatonique #Diato #Folk #FolkMusic #Music #TradMusic #Trad
11 track album
OccasionalDucks
Richard Holmes
Andy Incarnate (He / Him)
Rich Holmes