Welcome back! We’re here for this week, then we’re off again next week due to the bank holiday, but other than that it’ll be a busy term getting ready for our gig with the Lunatractors on 14th June and at the Three Degrees Festival on 5th July (both at More Music).
28/04/25
Here are a couple of great Irish reels – a 16 bar reel and 32 bar reel. Martin Hayes gives us an interesting take on the tune…
MIDI FILE: Humours of ScariffTreble
Guitar
Banjo
Ukulele
Mandolin
Alto Sax
Trumpet
Cello/Bass
Treble
Guitar
Banjo
Ukulele
Mandolin
Alto Sax
Trumpet
Cello/Bass
Westmorland/ Westmoreland Arrangement:
Each part gets gradually louder…
1a, 1aa: Strings only – melody and chords – no harmony parts
1b, 1bb – accordions join with LH chords (no basses)
2a+b – low harmonies from bowed strings. Accordions take lead on melody
3a+b – if it sounds good, do it! Low Harmonies, High Harmonies, Melodies, all Loud and Full
Bass instruments
Banjo
05/05/2025 – Bank Holiday – no session
12/05/2025
Here’s a couple of contrasting, but lovely 3/2 hornpipes from England. Each is characteristic of a different style. The French Milliner has a lot in common with NE and NW English folk tunes that were fashionable thanks to being commonly published in London, whilst the more sophisticated Beau’s Retreat is quite firmly Baroque in style, in common with Handel et al, who were also composing 3/2 melodies in London at the time. Young’s edition of the Playford Dancing Master was full of the fashionable tunes and dances of the day.
MIDI FILE: French Milliner, TheTreble
Guitar
Banjo
Ukulele
Mandolin
Alto Sax
Trumpet
Cello/Bass
Rutherford’s compleat vol 2
MIDI FILE: Beau’s Retreat, The
Treble
Guitar
Banjo
Ukulele
Mandolin
Alto Sax
Trumpet
Cello/Bass
This week we’ll have a go at arranging Akuvalssi from last term. Here’s the other arrangements for rehearsal purposes 🙂
19/05/2025
Here’s a fab and joyful “fiddle” tune, that’s very uplifting when everyone’s at it. I’ve seen and played various arrangements of it – I’m quite fond of AABBAACC, but a lot of folks play it AABBCC. I’ve also played it for contradance as AABC. Whatever makes you happy! Largely attributed to Marcel Messevier, a legendary Quebecois accordionist and accordion maker, although it’s unclear whether he wrote it or just popularised it. I messaged his family, who are also unclear, so… here we are – I’ve put him on the sheets as composer, but I guess we’ll never know.
MIDI FILE: Reel des AccordeonistesTreble
Guitar
Banjo
Ukulele
Mandolin
Alto Sax
Trumpet
Bass
26/05/25
Half term and bank holiday, so no session tonight
02/06/25
Tonight will be devoted to rehearsals for our upcoming performance on June 13th. If all goes well we’ll get back to normal transmission next week, but it gives us a chance to get everything “right”. I’ve been doing a little recording of the arrangements. Three down, but am working on getting the rest done asap for playing along to.
09/06/25
Sorry to our remote members, but tonight will be another rehearsal due to popular demand after last week. See you next week we hope!
We were sounding great last night! Looking forward to Friday –
Arrive 6pm, or as close as you can. We’re on at 7pm. Doubt we’ll get much chance for a run through, so do use the recordings as a play along if you feel the need for more practice. If you’re buying tickets for family and friends don’t forget you get a discount as a regular participant!
Set list here: Set List 25_06_13
Lilac arrangement – Harmony 1 is on the left. Harmony 2 on the right.
Intro – guitars only
1st time: All play melody and chords with June on 1st harmony
2nd time: All play melody, but fiddles play 2nd harmony
Vamp for 8 bars
3rd time all play what you feel like
Red House Arrangement
1st time: Tony starts with a drone and Lewis plays the A, joined by Andrew on B and Rob on C
2nd time: Everyone in, but still relatively quietly. June plays harmony part
3rd time: Plucked strings play melody and/or chords together and everyone joins on C
4th time: Bowed and plucked strings play melody and everyone joins on C
5th time: Everyone in with gusto!
Guitar
Ukulele
Mandolin
Cello/Bass
Westmorland/ Westmoreland Arrangement:
Each part gets gradually louder…
1A: Strings only – melody and chords – no harmony parts; 1B – accordions join with LH chords (no basses)
2 – low harmonies from bowed strings. Squeezes and clarinet take lead on melody
3 – if it sounds good, do it! Low Harmonies, High Harmonies, Melodies, all Loud and Full Westmoreland Harmony parts
Bass instruments
Banjo
Akkuvalsi Arrangement:
Intro: Strumming instruments play bars 9-16
1st time – Everyone plays melody
2nd time – Harmony brought in by those who’d like to
Break – squeezeboxes um-pa bars 9-16
3rd time – AA – all in; B1 – bowed strings play melody, strums and squeezes um-pa; B2 – all in on melody, or harmony
Robin’s Waltz Arrangement (as per term 34):
Treble and Harmony part – four times through
1/ f. Just melody
2/ p. Just melody
3/ chords
4/ p. With harmony
5/ f. With harmony
Mr Lane’s Maggot (150bpm – “1, 2&”) (2m30)
1A/ f. Just melody; 1B/ p followed by cresc. Just melody
2A/ p. with harmony; 2B/ pp followed by cresc. With harmony
3A/ f. With harmony; 3B/ p followed by cresc. With harmony
Morgan Rattler
Drone on D
Ben plays 1xA over drone
Drone again
Catherine & June play 1A
Drone
1st time All in with Ben’s drone continuing
2nd time All in and drone stops
Back to the drone
3rd time All in no drone
End with rall. on first two bars into final drone with fade.
Whitehaven Volunteers:
1/ Yannick plays AA. All in on B
2/ Bowed strings play harmony and squeezes play melody
3/ Bowed strings emphasise rhythm of melody
4/ Strums play the A. All in on the B
5/ Free for all!
Recordings from 02/06/25 – very noisy recordings, sorry:
16/06/25
We were great! Congratulations to everyone!
After that challenge I figure we are ready for another! 15/8= proper bragging rights!
MIDI FILE: BučimišTreble
Guitar
Banjo
Ukulele
Mandolin
Trumpet
Alto Sax
Cello/Bass
23/06/25
Here are a couple of great strathspeys by two late legends of Scottish fiddle, in a key we generally avoid (although fiddlers seem to love it), from Scotland – not suggesting that Earl Gray is Iron Man – that’s Tony Stark. Anyway…
MIDI FILE: Earl GrayTreble
Guitar
Banjo
Ukulele
Mandolin
Alto Sax
Trumpet
Cello/ Bass
Treble
Guitar
Banjo
Ukulele
Mandolin
Alto Sax
Trumpet
Cello/ Bass
30/06/2025
Here’s a popular tune in Euro sessions and Bals. Written by Jean Blanchard – a prime mover in the French 70s folk revival, from Central France. We also learned his bourrée – La Belle Inconnue back in 2019. La Boîte à Frissons translates as “the Thrill Box” – a popular name for the accordion during the golden age of Paris Musette (French café) music. You can hear the links to many of those tunes from the 1930s/40s.
MIDI FILE: La Boite a FrissonsTreble
Guitar
Banjo
Ukulele
Mandolin
Alto Sax
Trumpet
Cello/Bass
If there’s time, I also thought we could revisit this one: We originally learned it in 2015 under the title Valse Petit Dejeuner. Very popular in Euro sessions and bals. Written by Jean-Crhistophe Lequerré (1961-2006) – this is apparently the original title and means the “not very likeable” or “the rude woman”. Either way it’s quite the reverse!
MIDI FILE: La Mal-AimableTreble
Guitar
Banjo
Ukulele
Mandolin
Alto Sax
Trumpet
Cello/Bass
3 degrees fest:
Arrive: 1:45 at more music and store bags and cases etc
Set 1: 2:00-2:30 at the Story & Food Space
Set 2: 4:00-4:20 in the same space
07/07/2024
Another triumph on Saturday – best we’ve done of the new arrangements I think!
Good work all
Here’s a very well known classic Ukranian Waltz, which might go well with Akuvalssi? or perhaps something else. Named for the incredibly versatile “lute” from Ukraine
MIDI FILE: BanduraTreble
Guitar
Banjo
Ukulele
Mandolin
Eb
Bb
F
Cello/Bass
Thought we might revisit Hora Moldoveneasca from 2018 too. Nice easy one. Would be nice to revisit lots of tunes from this year in the 2nd half – terms 41, 42, 43 if anyone has any good ones they’d like to play.
