Category: Tunes in 3

This is one of my favourite slipjigs, the fabulously named Trip to Marrowbones, also known as Four Bare Legs Together and as The Raking Quality.  It comes from the 1770 Northumbrian manuscript from William Vickers.  This is the F major version, there is another where most of the Fs become F sharps, taking the tune into G minor.  We recorded this G minor version for the Stepling album as part of our ‘Saucy Set’, this can be found here at 1:35.  For clarity I’ll not post the dots for that version just yet, I think we need to let the major version settle first!  I had thought that I had learned this from an Eliza Carthy and Nancy Kerr album, but this doesn’t seem to be the case – goodness knows where it came from!

 

Here are the dots, with filled-out chords, PDF can be found here:

With Burns night approaching, it seemed appropriate to learn a Scottish tune; this tune dates back to at least the early 1700s, remaining popular for quite some time as it was used in several ballad operas in the 18th century as well as being used as a retreat march by the British military, specifically by the 37th Regiment.  It was printed in many books across Scotland as well as making its way into a few English books too.

 

The PDF can be found here.  We used two basic accompanying rhythms for the drums and guitars:

Here is the Dusty Miller, a fantastic 3/2 hornpipe first published in England in 1718 – it seems to have been very popular in the 1700s and early 1800s in England and Scotland in particular, and it also made its way to Ireland and America.

Here’s the video of the tune:

Here are the videos for the close harmony (2nd line of each system of the music):

…and the independent harmony (3rd line of each system of the music):

Here are the dots, with a PDF here:

The original and alternative chord sequences are available here.  Enjoy!