British folk - repertoire

[Pippa]

Hi all!

I will be heading back to the UK in a few months and keen to get involved in some local sessions. I don't think I want to turn up playing Chopin, however...!

Can anyone advise me on the basic British folk repertoire? If I turn up to a pub full of folk musicians, which tunes should I know in order to join in? Top 10 tunes? Easiest 10 tunes? Most fun? etc.

Thanks! {}

 

[Anyanka]

I don't think there's such a thing as a standard repertoire. It's partly determined by the frequent attenders, partly by location - round here, the Lewes tunes rule, but they might not be so well known in places further away from Sussex!
One session that I tried out was ruled by hornpipes played on fiddles, at frantic speeds. I gave that one up.

However, with all those caveats put firmly in place, here's my tuppences: in the post-Morris pub sessions, "Jimmy Allen" almost always pops up. "Salmon Tails" is also a good one, and I'm always happy when people burst into "Horses Brawl". "Donkey Riding" appears to be popular but makes me cringe.

So There.

 

[tallship]

There is definitely no such thing as a standard repertoire in sessions although all of the ones mentioned by Anyaka are very well known. What you need is a good core reference book of tunes so you can find most of the tunes you are likely to encounter fairly easily. I would recommend Paul Hardys Sessions Tune Book which is available free as a PDF download (or as an abc file if that means anything to you) . You can also buy it as a print on demand spiral bound book and its very cheap in comparison to any commercial music book.

Id be happy to recommend a few nice tunes that are very well known but it doesnt mean youll find them in a session near you!

Pete.

 

[donn]

"Donkey Riding" appears to be popular but makes me cringe.

Major or minor?

Most tunes in G?

 

[Glenn]

Oh dear. I don't know any of those tunes by name( probably recognise them when I hear them).
I will certainly download the standards book Tsllship. Thanks for that link.

 

[jarvo]

Donkey Riding appears to be popular but makes me cringe.

Donkey Riding ....in a pub.......? Do the RSPCA know about this ?..............

There is definitely no such thing as a standard repertoire in sessions although all of the ones mentioned by Anyaka are very well known.

So why dont I know them :? {} .........................I know Widdecombe Fair.....but by the time you go through all the names for the fourth time I lose the will to continue........

 

[Ben_H]

Donkey Riding ....in a pub.......? Do the RSPCA know about this ?..............

Its worse when there are Morris dancers involved!

 

[Anyanka]

Donkey Riding appears to be popular but makes me cringe.

Major or minor?

Most tunes in G?[/quote]

Donkey Riding is in Gmaj, I think. The majority of the standard English folk tunes seem to be in G & D, plus a few in Em.

The Lewes Songbook, by the way, is available as a free download. I bought a bound copy as its easier to use, and only a tenner, but:

http://www.lewessaturdayfolkclub.org/LAFC/LFTunes.html

 

[george garside]

Its good to see this forum getting off the ground so quickly (Thanks Pippa) and nice that Anyanka is overlooking a little corner for us folkies!.
As others have said there is not a standard session repertoire and there can also be regional differences in tune choice. At the sessions I lead at Whitby folk week we usually get through around 30 tunes in 2 hours ( tunes chosen democratically by those present!) I will list a few that crop up every year in addition to those already mentioned which are indeed popular.

In no particular order of merit!
Athol Highlanders, Blaydon races, soldiers joy, oyster girl, winster gallop ,british grenadiers, harvest home, cock of the north, off to California, davy nick nack, fanny power, speed the plough. margarets waltz, roxburgh castle, keel row, bear dance , etc etc.

In most sessions each tune is played though 3 times to give people the chance to pick at least some of it up. Unlike working from the dots where youstart from the beginning - where else! - most session players start by picking up odd bits of a tune here and there and join in as and where they can, building up a tune piecemeal rather like a jigsaw puzzle. So for a tune you don't know you may get 2 or 3 notes first time through but maybe 30 % on the third time. Next time you hear 'that' tune you only have 70% to get the hang of- or better still you have learned it at home either from a recording or the dots.

There is a lot of music notation - dots or ABC on t'internet for free

george

 

[Glenn]

George,

It would be really nice if we could start to document some of the best sources for music on the Internet.
I don't mean YouTube but rather music dots of ABC notation.
Could you help start us off with some of your favourites?

 

[george garside]

forgot to mention the bulk of ' English' session stuff is in D or G with maybe a wee bit of A. My Whitby sessions ae entirely in D and G as that gives most people the chance to join in
george

 

[george garside]

George,

It would be really nice if we could start to document some of the best sources for music on the Internet.
I dont mean YouTube but rather music dots of ABC notation.
Could you help start us off with some of your favourites?

http://www.thesession.org mainly Irish but some Scottish & English and played in many English sessions (dots & ABC)

Radio 2s virtual session. (Get it via google) dots and sound tracks - a lot of standard English session tunes
www,foktunefinder.com

george

 

[george garside]

a couple of very useful tune books

English Folk Tunes by piano box player, bandleader & teacher David Oliver

Info on playing technique in English French and Germam

88 tunes ( and CD) arranged under headings

starters
some great old tunes
playfordd tunes
morris tunes
hornpipes. more tunes in sets
recently composed tunes

published by Schott music Lt, London isbn 978-1-84761-017-1



Band Swing by bandleader & piano ;box player Pete Mac

50 tunes arranged in sets for dances. many with standard and easy versions!

Dave Mallinson Publications 1998 isbn 1-899512-56-x

george

 

[Eannain]

Theres a selection of free music, mostly of a Northumbrian persuasion but with Scottish, Irish and Morris thrown in at:

http://www.peterloud.co.uk/tunebook/

Youll need to scroll halfway down the page to get to the freebies, and further down theres also a nice photo of the back room of one of my local pubs - the Tap & Spile in Morpeth where a regular Sunday lunchtime/afternoon session takes place.

 

[Eannain]

Theres also FARNE - Folk Archive Resource North East

http://www.folknortheast.com/

An online free audio resource for Northumbrian music.