Author: debfiddle

Deborah is a violinist and violist specialising in English folk music. She trained in viola and Baroque viola at Birmingham Conservatoire, before returning to her first love of traditional music, song and dance. Deborah has developed a passion for playing for dancing since joining her first ceilidh band at age 13. She is a member of Stepling, a band performing English music, step-dance, song and percussion, and also plays with Folk Dance Remixed, a dance company combining traditional dance with hip hop and street dance styles, with whom she has performed as such events as Car Fest, the Southbank's Festival of Love and Glasgow's Commonwealth Games Festival. Deborah records on a regular basis for a number of people, including The Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra, and for Laurel Swift's 'Travelling with Thomas' musical. She teaches music, song and dance regularly for The English Folk Dance and Song Society, as well as on a freelance basis for various workshop series, festivals and music services. Deborah recently completed The Teaching Musician MA degree course at Trinity Laban, graduating with Distinction.

Mairi’s Wedding

Here is the tune from Monday 31st, Mairi’s Wedding, aka The Lewis Bridal Song, or Jack Sweeney’s. This Scottish tune was first published in 1909, as is normally described as a Scottish/Scots Measure, this being a tune related to a reel but with more quavers if written in 2/4, or crotchets if written in 4/4. It is a popular tune for Scottish Country Dancing, with the well known words being added in around 1935. We will use this as the opening tune in a set with Peat Fire Flame.

Here are the dots and PDF:

mairiwed Download

Set list for Gunnersbury

Here is the set list for our gig at Gunnersbury House on December 3rd, from 2 till 3. We will work on arrangements between now and then.

Captain Leno’s/Major Mackie

Peat Fire Flame/Mairi’s Wedding (to be learned on Monday 31^st October)

Rusty Gully with Pawkie Adam Glen

Hector the Hero

Star Above the Garter

Lilting Banshee with My Darling Asleep

Idbury Hill with Sheriff’s Ride

Grandfather’s with Uncle Bernard’s

Some carols tbc

Arrangement for Captain Leno’s/Major Mackie

I’ve given you three files here, the first is the complete arrangement of the set in written out instructions. The other two are the compact scores for Captain Leno’s and Major Mackie. I’ve also made a video of the rhythmic variation for the B sections of Major Mackie.

cl-and-mm-arrangement Download

clq-tune-and-chords-2 Download

mm-arrangement Download

Peat Fire Flame

Here is the tune from Monday 17th, Peat Fire Flame, aka The Fireside Reel. This Scottish tune was first published in 1734 and remains a popular tune especially for Scottish Country Dancing. Words were added on 1921 by Kenneth McCleod and this version was popularised by The Corries on their 1977 album Peat Fire Flame.

pff tune and chords Download

Major Mackie

Here is the second tune in our new set, Major Mackie, or Major Mackie’s Jig. This is tune from the late 1800’s, it turns up in English, Scottish, Canadian and American traditions. It was first published in the ever popular series Kerr’s Merry Melodies.

Here are the dots, followed by videos of the tune and rhythm parts.

major-mackie Download

Captain Lanoe’s

Here is our first official tune of the term, Captain Lanoe’s, aka Captain Lanoe’s Quickstep, Marionets (sic) or Marionets Cotillion. This is an English country dance tune from the late 1700s.

Here are the dots:

clq-tune-and-chords-1 Download

Here is a video of the tune, followed by one for the guitars/ukes/percussion:

The Miller of Dee

Here is the post for Monday 19th’s tune The Miller of Dee, an English tune/song from the Chester area in the 1700s. We tried various harmonisation options and chord voicings (see chord PDF), and added connecting notes and turns to the melody.

the-miller-of-dee-chords Download

miller-of-dee-tune1 Download

Beginning of term

It’s almost the beginning of the new term, we’ll be starting up again on September 19th, at our usual venue of the WLTUC which has been repaired following the fire at the end of last term. We’ll be keeping the Zoom option for the foreseeable future, let me know if you would like a Zoom invite. The Term Dates page has been updated and I’m looking forward to seeing both new and familiar faces soon!

Ladies Pleasure (Fieldtown)

Here is the video and dots for Ladies Pleasure, a tune from the Fieldtown Morris tradition and one that changes meter from 6/8 to 2/4. The ‘2’ over the patterns in bar three (and elsewhere) indicate a duplet, so instead of each main beat dividing into three quavers as it would normally in 6/8, it divides into two quavers.

Here is the video: