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.
This week’s tune:
Off to Flamborough, a jaunty new hornpipe by multi-instrumentalist Peter Clayton in England. He writes, “Flamborough is a village on the east coast of Yorkshire, UK. It is situated approximately 20 miles south of Scarborough (of Scarborough Fair fame) on the prominent coastal feature of Flamborough Head.” (east-north-east of York and Leeds –AJ)
Last week’s tune:
The Pleasant Beggar by Russ Barenberg. Another of Russ’s wonderful melodies. Don’t miss Russ playing the melody on guitar about half way through the YouTube video.
Recent Tunes of the Week:
- Cloud Forest Waltz, by Michael Bell of the Iowa-based Barn Owl Band (possibly now disbanded?). See a link to a short bio of Michael in the Notes section.
- 1814. No, this is not “In 1814 we took a little trip / Along with Col. Jackson down the mighty Mississip”. It’s either 1) a Danish tune written in celebration of the amalgamation (?) of Sweden and Denmark in 1814 (?), or 2) a Swedish slängpolska from Södermanland, take your pick. Either way, it’s a great tune.
- Soldier’s Joy, arguably the most popular traditional tune of all time. Listen to ten of the many dozens of versions around the world in the Notes section, plus a YouTube of a Norwegian circle dance set to Soldier’s Joy.
- Waiting for the Boatsman, derived by fiddler Melvin Wine (1909-2003), of Copen, Braxton County, West Virginia from a hymn his mother sang. Reportedly, he would sometimes sing the hymn’s lyrics before playing the tune. They began, “Oh, I’m waiting for the boatman, he is driving o’er and o’er.”
- Luke the Bear, one of our favorite David Kaynor reels. See the Notes section for a set of David’s tunes, Luke the Bear along with Michael Robinson and Flagstaff.
- Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, a classic Bluegrass waltz by Bill Monroe. Don’t miss the wonderful YouTube on that page played by Alison Krause, Aly Bain and friends.
- Frank’s Reel. Despite its run-of-the-mill title, this reel by John McCusker is a keeper and features some nice syncopation in the B part.
- Merry Sherwood Rangers, aka Durham Rangers, aka (probably locally, here?) Donegal German, a jaunty Irish hornpipe.
- Bay of Fundy Reel. Here is another great tune from the Canadian Maritimes (where I was priviledged to live for five years in the 1970s). As you may know, the world’s highest tides occur in the Bay of Fundy, an incredible 16 meters (53ft) at the head of the Bay.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP?
- Did you notice that this site has no ads? Your donation will help keep it growing and advertising-free.
- Background: I started this site about twelve 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 6,000 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.