Forked Ear

This tune is a variation of the well known old time tune, Forked Deer.
We got it from a fellow down at the Centralia Parlor Pickers jam.
It comes from a collection of tunes that was in the Library of Congress and called "A Collection of Violin Tunes Popular During the Early 1800's, by A. Porter Hamblen." For the whole story, you can look at these websites: The Hamblen Collection, by Porter Hamblen and another page called, Hamblen Family Music.
An interesting read.

Back to the tune, I really like this version:

Here's the abc:


X: 1
T:Forked Ear (Deer)
M:2/4
L:1/16
S:As Played by Williamson Hamblen
R:Reel
K:D
|: F2F2 A2A2 | BAGA f2e2 | d2F2 FGAA | F2D2 D4 :| !
|:defg a4 | gfed f2d2 | dffg abaf | e2d2 e2A2 |!
defg a4 | gfed f2d2 | d2F2 FGAA | F2D2 D4 :|

The Spinney

Here's an Irish tune by Joe Liddy of Leitrim.
My wife and I like to play this with another of his tunes, Palmer's Gate, which is a somewhat common tune in sessions hereabouts...
In case you're wondering, a spinney is a small wood with undergrowth, a copse or thicket....
I came up with a basic chord progression for the backup.. the tune lends itself to lots of variations.
Oh, by the way, this tune can be found in a book of Joe Liddy's tunes, called The Leitrim Fiddler..
Here's a link to an online, abc version -----------> http://www.qmcorp.net/webabc/collections/liddy/index.html


The ABC

X: 1
T:The Spinney
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:180
C:Joe Liddy
S:"The Leitrim Fiddler" (Dublin 1981)
R:reel
Z:BB
K:Ador
dB | "Am" A2 GA "G/B"EA"C"BA | "Em" eABA "D/F#" ge"G"dB | "Am" A2 GA "G/
B"eA"C"BA | "Em"GEDB, "G" DEGB |!
"Am" A2 eA "G/B"BA"C"eA | "Em" BAGF "D/F#"GA"G"Bd | "Am"eged "G/
B" BA"C"GE | "Em"GBdB A2 :|!
Bd |"Am" ea a2 "C" agab | "D add4" gaba bedB | "Am" A2 BA "C" eABd |"
Em" g2 fg "G" edBd |!
"Am" ea a2 "C" agab | "D add4" eged BAGB | "Am" A2 eA "C" BAGE |
"G"DEGB "Em" A2 Bd ||!
"Am" ea a2 "C" agab | "D add4" gafg edBd | "Am" eABA "C" gefd
| "Em" edBA "G" GFGB |!
"Am" A2 eA "C" BAeA | "D add4" gedc BAG[EB] | "Am"A2 Bd "C"gaba
| "Em" gedB "Am" A2 ||

Les Vagues du St-Laurent

This is another tune that is played at our Quebecois session.
It comes from Aime Gagnon, via Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend , Washington.
Should be played at a moderately fast tempo.
It's a crooked thing, so don't even bother counting when you play it... :o)
I think it's a sweet tune, hope the chords are correct.

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The ABCs

X: 1
T:Les Vagues du St-Laurent
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:130
C:Aime Gagnon
R:Reel
O:[G
K:G
"G"B4 "C"uc2ue2 | "G"d4 {d}B2 (dB | G2) (BG D2) (DG, |
M:2/4 DG,DG,) |!
M: 4/4 |"G"B4 "C"c2e2 | "G"d4 {d}B2 (dB |G2) (BG D2) (DG, |
M:2/4 DG,DG,) |!
M:4/4 L:1/8 |B4 "C"c2e2 |
M: 6/4|"G"d4 "D"A6 ue2 |
M: 4/4
|d4 A4 | d6"C" c2| B2) "D"(d2 A2) (B2|[1 "G" G2) (DG,DG,DG,):|[2 "* (end)" H G4d2 d2 ||!
M:6/4
|:"G" d2 d2 "C"e2 f2 "Am"g2 a2 |
M:4/4 L:1/8 "G" b6 g2 | b2 g2 "D/F#"a2 f2 |"C"(g3 a) (gfec) |"D"d6 "C"c2 | !
"G" B4 d2 g2 |"D"(f4-fgfe)|[1"D"d4 {d}"C"c2 c2 |"G"B4 d2 d2 :|[2 "D"d3
d "C"(cB"D"AF) | "G" (G2(GG,GG,G"D.C."G,)||"(*tag at the end)" GBd g2b g2||

Phew! this was a challenge to write up in ABC format....

Air Moving

This next tune is a beautiful tune written and played by Kathryn Tickell on the Northumbrian smallpipes.
I would call it an air I think. I first heard it on a video I saw on line, of her and her band playing the tune live. You can watch it here: ( the music starts about 4 minutes into the clip)
I have written it out in the key of D, so I could learn it on my D whistle...
This is a bare bones transcription, without all of the pipe ornamentation, which Kathryn uses in the tune. (Mainly, because I am new to the whistle and don't have a lifetime to figure out what she is doing.)

Thanks again to Kathryn for permission to post the tune.
(copyright Parkwest Music)



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The abc:

X: 1
T:Air Moving
M:3/4
L:1/8
C:Katheryn Tickell
S:copyright ParkWest Music
R:Air
K:D
c|:"D"d3 c B2|A3 G F2 | "G" A3 G FG|"A" E4 c2|!
"D"d3 c B2|A3 G F2 |"G" A6-|"A" A4 c2 |!
"D" d3 c B2|A3 G F2 | "G" A3 G FG|"A" E4 (3AGE |!
"Em" F3E D2|"G" c3 B A2 |"Em" G6-|[1 G4 c2 :|G4 f2 ||!
|: "G" g4 d2 | g4 a2 |"F#m7" f3 e d2|[1 "A" c2 d2 f2|!
"G" g4 d2 | g4 a2 |"Bm" f3 e df | "A"e4 f2 :|!
[2 "A," d2 f2 c2 |"G" d3 c B2| "Bm"A3 G FG|"A" E6-|E4 c2 ||

La Rev du Queteux Tremblay

This tune comes to me via my friend Jeff , who was taught it at the Irish Fiddle camp in Friday Harbor, by an Irish concertina player. But isn't this a French Canadian tune? ha ha, yes it is.... very pretty tune.... It's in reverse order from the normal way it's usually notated. (A and B parts are switched) And in G instead of the key of F .
Per the Fiddler's Companion ; "The source, William Tremblay, was known as the ‘queteux Tremblay’, and was an itinerant fiddler and character who would wander from village to village throughout Québec Province, trading his music for room and board."
Oh! and yes, my French spelling is definately bad.. ha ha....

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And the ABC

X: 1
T:La Rev du Quetux Tremblay
M:C|
L:1/8
Q:95
K:G
"G" g2 dg BgGg |baag "Ami" a2 ea | caAf aggf |"G" g2 dg BgGg |!
"Ami" baae "G" gdBG |"C"c2 A/B/c "G/B"B2 G/A/B | "D"AFDF AG "G"GF |
M: 2/4 [1 G4 :|[2 G3 c||!
|: "G" BGGG AGAB | "Am"c3 d cBce |"G"d3 e "G/B"dcBd |!
"C"c2 A/B/c "G/B"B2 G/A/B | "D"AFDF AG "G"GF |
M: 2/4 [1 G3 c :|[2 G4 ||

Lehmankello Polska

Lehmankello polska... someone once told me this means the 'cow killer' polska..ee gads! I don't know, but it's a great tune...

I first heard this tune on the 'Virvla' album by a Swedish group called 'Boot'.
They only made one album of some amazing music..
You can find more info here:

http://www.noside.com/catalog/CatalogAlbum_01.asp?Album_ID=9

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Here's the ABC for the tune

X: 1
T:Lehmankello Polska
M:3/4
L:1/16
C:Traditional
R:Polska
K:C
|:"Ami"ABcd e4a4|ag"G/B"bg "C"e6g2|"Dmi"((3efe)d2c2 "C"((3cdc)B2A2|ABcded^fd E4|!
ABcde4a4|agbg e6g2|((3efe)d2c2 ((3cdc)B2A2|ABcd ed^fd e2AB|!
cBdc BAcB A^GAB|cBAc B2A2 A4|c2Bc d2cd e2e2|cBA^G B2||!
"C"g4 gfed cdef| g2af a2b2 c'4|"C"e4 "Dm"f4 "Emi"g4|"Asus"cBA"E"^G B4 "Ami"A2B2|!
cBdc BAcB A^GAB|cBAc B2A2 A4|"C"c2Bc "D"d2cd "Emi"e2e2|[1"Ami"cBA"E"^G B
4"Asus"A4:|[2"Ami"cBA"E"^G A4"Asus"A4:|

La cinquieme partie du Caledonia

Here's a fun tune that we play at our Quebecois session here in town.
You can find a slightly different version in the Portland Collection books. I am posting a version I heard and wrote out, from some players at the Centralia Fiddle Campout.
And WHAT a jam that was too!
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Here's the ABC for the tune


X: 1
T:La cinquieme partie du Caledonia
T:Galope Et Chaine De Cotillon
M:C|
L:1/8
C:Jean-Marie Verret
R:Reel
O:Traditional
K:C
"Am7" AAce- eAce- | eAcc a4|"Em7+9" e2 ef edcB |eeef edcd |!
"Am7" AAce- eAce- | eAcc a4| "Em7+9"e2 ef edcB | "Am"Aedc A2:|!
|: "C" g2 ^fg agfg |"G/B"eged "C" c3 c|"G"Bcde fdBd |"C"cdef g2 ef | !
"C" g2 ^fg agfg |eged c3 c |"G" Bcde fdBd |[1 "C"cedB B2 gg :|[2"C"cedB c4||

What kind of tunes?

Oh yeah, by the way, I have wide and varied musical interests, so you will be seeing many different tunes as I run across them... Swedish, Finnish, Irish, Quebecois, Old Time, Blues, or whatever is in the headlights at the moment.

Greg

About this blog

I made this blog, so I can post some tunes that I have found or written out myself.
In the course of finding and learning tunes for our band and for sessions, I am always running across some great tunes and many of them were really hard to find..
Most of these tunes will be posted in abc format, which is what I normally use to write out tunes... it's a great way to send on tunes if you want the notation.


So, maybe this blog will make that easier for other folks...