100 Essential Scottish Ceilidh Tunes Book and CD - Dave Mallinson Book, CD or Book and CD Presented here are 100 well-known, popular, traditional Scottish dance tunes,
ideally suited to ceilidh dancing and pub sessions. Included are reels, jigs,
hornpipes, marches, waltzes, slip jigs and schottisches. They range from very
easy to extremely difficult. However, the majority of the tunes are well within
the grasp of the average player.
I’ve kept the tune classification and
time signatures as simple as possible particularly in the reels category. Some
musicians, I’m sure, would want to write some of the tunes in 2/4 time and class
some as polkas, country dances or flirtations. I myself had the idea of
splitting the reels into single reels and double reels. Single reels having
fewer notes per bar than double reels or, looking at it another way, single
reels are easier tunes than double reels. However, when it came to deciding
whether reels were double or single, there was a certain amount of ambiguity as
to which category some tunes should be placed. Therefore I decided to put all
the reels into one category roughly in order of difficulty and I leave it up to
the individual to decide where the line is drawn.
Regarding the tunes in
6/8 time, I’ve classed them all as jigs, I felt that classification to single
and double was even more difficult than with the reels but I have made some
effort to place the singles on earlier pages than the doubles. However, I have
to say, most of the tunes are very ambiguous. I feel certain that many musicians
will class some of these jigs (The Hills of Glenorchy, Atholl Highlanders and
The Jig of Slurs) as 6/8 marches and they would be correct in doing so.
I
can well imagine some people commenting that certain tunes aren’t Scottish, they
are English or Irish. This is true but it’s really the ceilidh that’s Scottish,
not particularly the tunes. I feel confident that the majority of these tunes
were/are in the repertoire of Jimmy Shand and other great players of Scottish
traditional music. You can learn these tunes exactly as written and be
confident of having accurate versions that blend perfectly with those of other
players. However, I consider it unwise to learn a tune from only one source and
I would suggest strongly that, when learning a new tune, you pay heed to other
books, recordings and live performances.
Books will only help you to learn
the notes of a tune. To pick up the rhythm of Scottish traditional music you
must devote a large amount of time listening to both recordings and live
musicians. Of greatest importance, you must practise; the value of this book is
directly proportional to the number of hours a day you spend practising.
To
help those whose music reading skills only extends as far as finding the notes,
a separate, optional CD has been produced (DMPCD1103), so you can familiarise
yourself with a tune before learning it.
Contents
72nd's Farewell to Aberdeen, The Aiken Drum Atholl
Highlanders Babes in the Wood Back of Bennachie, The Banks of Allan,
The Barren Rocks of Aden, The Blackthorn Stick, The Bluebell Polka,
The Bonny Dundee Bottom of the Punchbowl, The Boys of Bluehill,
The Braes o’ Mar, The Bratach Bhana Breakdown, The Bumper at
Parting, A Circassian Circle Cock o’ the North Come Let Us Dance and
Sing Corn Riggs Cumberland Reel, The Dashing White Sergeant,
The Davy Davy Knick Knack De'il Amang the Tailors, The Drops of
Brandy Drumdelgie Duke of Perth, The East Neuk of Fife Fairy Dance,
The Farewell to Whisky Flowers of Edinburgh Green Grow the
Rashes Greenholm Harmonica, The |
Harvest Home Haste to the Wedding High
Road to Linton Highland Laddie Hills of Glenorchy, The Hot
Punch Hundred Pipers, A I Ha'e a Wife o' My Ain Jacky Tar Jamie
Allen Jeanie’s Blue E’en Jig of Slurs, The Jock o’ Hazeldean Kate
Dalrymple Katie Bairdie Kenmure’s on an’ Awa’ Willie Kinloch of
Kinloch Lass o' Gowrie, The Lass o' Patie's Mill, The Liberton Pipe
Band Loch Lomond Lord Lovat’s Lament Mairi's Wedding Man's a Man for
A' That, A Marquis of Lorne, The Mason's Apron, The Miss Forbes'
Farewell to Banff Miss McLeod's Miss Thompson's Hornpipe Muckin’ o’
Geordie’s Byre, The My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose My Love's She's but a
Lassie Yet New Rigged Ship, The Off She Goes |
Off to California Orange and Blue,
The Orkney Rope Waltz, The Over the Hills and Far Away Peat Fire
Flame Pet of the Pipers, The Petronella Quaker’s Wife, The Road and
the Miles to Dundee Roaring Jelly Rose Tree, The Roxburgh
Castle Russe, La Scotland the Brave Shaalds o’ Foula, The Soldiers'
Joy Speed the Plough Spey in Spate, The Staten Island Stool of
Repentance, The Tempest, The Terribus Teviot Bridge Thistle of
Scotland, The Timor the Tartar Ton, The Triumph, The We’re No’ Awa’
Tae Bide Awa’ Westering Home Wha Saw the Forty Twa White Cockade,
The Ye Banks and Braes |
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