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:
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.
Last week’s tune:
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.
Recent Tunes of the Week:
- Luke the Bear, composed by David Kaynor and arranged by him with two more of his tunes in the order Michael Robinson, Luke the Bear and Flagstaff for the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra.
- 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.
- da Auld Resting Chair by by the legendary Tom Anderson of Shetland. The story goes that he composed this tune in honor of the chair his father (grandfather?) sat in while teaching Tom, as a boy, to play the fiddle. Tom is credited with nearly single-handedly reviving traditional Shetland fiddle playing.
- Valse des Poêles (Waltz of the Stoves). Reportedly, the composer, Simon Riopel, “spent a whole day moving stoves (des poêles) and could hardly move his hands, so he wrote this really nice waltz that didn’t require his fingers to be too fleet.”
- Tobin’s Favourite. This lilting jig is probably from Ireland, but possibly England. Do you know its origin? It’s not only Tobin’s favorite but one of ours around here too.
- Father John Angus Rankin’s March, composed by the immortal Jerry Holland some time around 1996. See him play it in Glendale, Nova Scotia at a tribute concert for Fr. Rankin in the YouTube on the page.
- Dark as a Dungeon, this classic ballad about coal mining by Merle Travis has been recorded by many artists including Johnny Cash (see the included YouYube), but even without lyrics, it’s a great 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.