Ideas for Simple Morris Tunes for a School Project

[smdc66]

Hi,

My daughter works in a nursery with 2,3,4 year olds and has a project next month involving organising a short morris dance to morris music. It is to last 15 mins approx.

She asked me to help as knows Morris features accordion music and accordion is my main hobby.

Can anyone suggest a few suitable nice tunes that a beginner / intermediate player such as myself can learn with limited time.

This is subject to my availability on the day (date not arranged yet)

If I am not available I will suggest playing a recording of these tunes instead.

regards

:ugeek:

 

[rbs]

Use Google to get to The Morris Ring website. There are lots of tunes there, and most are quite easy. Choose one that you like.

 

[donn]

Well ... here on the other side of the world from the home of the tradition, and speaking for the general Cotswold tradition, which is not what I play, a couple popular tunes:
Young Collins
Lollipop Man
Orange in Bloom (Note meter change-up at 0:53. Variations starting at 1:30 depart from Morris tradition, I reckon, but the bit at :53 etc. is Morris.)

Also, Princess Royal, or Princesses Royal or whatever - but the one listenable version I could find of this very classic tune was this one which admittedly is not traditional - Princess Royal (Bampton). It isnt far from how Id play it, the only thing I cant swallow is a place where the bass line ascends by a couple half steps in a row in the middle of the A part. There are a lot of other performances out there, but theyre limp and/or over-simplified bass, or theyre Adderbury or some other obscure variation. This one illustrates one of those Morris meter switch-ups, too.

 

[george garside]

there are 4 different genres of morris dance. Cotswold , North West, Border and rapper.

for Cotswold ( hanky waving and stick bashing) the tunes Donn has suggested are fine. For North west a good4/4 pr 6/8 march will do the trick erg 100 pipers, cock of the north, baron rocks of aiden or even lilly the pink will do the trick as will winster gallop, Jamie allen and salmon tails. For Border hornpipes eg keel row, reedsdale etc or 6/8's eg 100 pipers eill do the trick. For rapper 6/8's played at 'shit off a shovel speed are fine eg pet of the pipers, mucin of geordies byre, roaring jelly, etc

Cotswold tunes are invariably specific to a particular dance whereas north west, border and rapper are not, the latter depending on the generation of a good solid rhythm to provide 'lift' for the dancers rather than a particular tune

hope this helps

george

 

[TomBR]

She may have a dance in mind already but Id suggest Wheatley Shepherds Hey. Simple but good tune and a dance thats so straightforward we use it as a barn dance item in a circle for as many as will.
Heres a flavour

 

[donn]

Speaking of Border Morris Witchman border morris performing Just as the tide was a flowing at Ely folk festival 2011 -- sound is muddy, and the first couple minutes theyre just waiting while the hats passed around, but camera position is great and they put on a show. This would probably be a good one for the 2-4 year age bracket (ha ha ha.)

 

[Anyanka]

Id second TomBRs suggestion of Shepherds Hey. It is a simple tune, and can be done as a clapping dance: you do not want to give sticks to a bunch of nursery children... My side, Rampant Rooster, have done introduction to Morris to a boy scout and a girl guide group (separately) - the boys were quite young and an absolute menace! I dont remember which dance we did with the boys, but the girls learned Vandals of Hammerwich. With sticks, and without accidents.

Weve also done Morris with a huge number of children at Broadstairs festival: our foreman teaches a special clapping Shepherds Hey for small children, which is very popular; Im sure shell be happy to share it if you want details.

Heres a video of Buckland Shag doing a clapping version -

 

[smdc66]

fascinating stuff.....

thanks for input - she had no tunes in mind as knows little about morris, but is getting ideas now

shepherds hey is of interest

the children are good clappers apparently

i joked about stick requirements and my daughter said same as anyanka - 'no sticks'

...... hankies ok tho!