A new tune each Wednesday (more or less), chosen arbitrarily by your Webmaster, a mixture of traditional and new (but traditional in style) tunes. Site visitors are encouraged to nominate tunes for this page via the Suggestion Form.
This week’s tune:
Jer the Rigger, a traditional(?) polka from Ireland(?). “Jer” is pronounced as in Jerry, or “Ger” as in Gerald.
Last week’s tune:
The Wonder Hornpipe, by Newcastle (England) fiddle player James Hill (around 1850). So named (we think) because guitarists always wonder where that E chord in the B part came from.
Recent Tunes of the Week:
- Santa Anna’s Retreat. Yeah, I know it’s a long way from the North Atlantic, but it’s a great tune anyway, with maybe an Irish connection. See the Notes section.
- Mind Yourself Of The Turkeycock Or The Turkeycock Will Bite You. This jig (or slide, played in 12/8) from Ireland is nearly as wonderful as its title is … intriguing!
- Loggieville, a quintessential New Brunswick two-step named for the village of that name, now part of city of Miramichi . Check out the YouTube of the composer, fiddler Matilda Murdoch, playing it at age 90. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 2010.
- The Mortgage Burn, by Cape Breton fiddler, Gordon Maclean, This reel is a local favorite.
- Green Apple Quickstep, one of David Kaynor’s earlier compositions, from 1981. This quickstep (march or reel) is clearly the very danceable tune David intended it to be.
- Mrs McGillicuddy, a fine reel recently composed by Vermont fiddler, Susan Reid. Try playing it at a brisker tempo.
- Woodchopper’s Reel, by New Brunswick, Canada fiddler Ned Landry, this lively reel has spread in popularity across much of the US, Canada and even the UK.
- Swedish Polonaise in G. I have no better title for this tune due to the Swedish practice of not giving traditional tunes a name other than a possible reference to a place or province of origin. If you recognize it and know its name, please let me know via the Suggestion form,
- Kerry Fling, aka The Road To Glountane, a very nice D reel, almost certainly Irish.
- Jack Broke da Prison Door (and went ska). Shetland legend has it that Jack Goudie was jailed for drunkenness one time, but later that night made his escape. The local police decided not to bother pursuing him and he went home, picked up his fiddle composed this tune.
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- Background: I started this site about eleven years ago largely for my own convenience, but it quickly grew to be useful for a number of other musicians in my area. Since then it has grown far beyond my original vision, with over 1,100 tunes posted and around 4,500 user sessions per month from more than 30 countries. Until now I have built and maintained the site out of my own pocket but its increasing size and complexity is requiring more outside resources and costs; hence this appeal. So if this site is helpful to you, please consider a small contribution.