Previous Tunes of the Month

Here's a ridiculously happy English Country Dance melody to start your year off on a bright note. I love this tune! Harmony part included.

Translation: Gloomy Winter's Now Away. This Scottish tune dates from 1787. The Fiddler's Companion lists it as playable as both a strathspey and an aire.

The melody is lusciously gloomy, (I adore the B part), and I couldn't help put pull out a viola to play it in a lower octave. The pdf is notated for fiddle, an octave above.

Words written to this tune by poet Robert Tannahill tell of a young man longing for his love and feeling sad despite the beauty of spring that surrounds him.

Thanks to fiddling friend Kathy Selby for bringing this tune to my attention!

Here's a fun reel to warm up your February! This tune is found in both the Canadian and American repertoire, sometimes known as "The Traveller" or, in Canada, “Reel des Ouvriers” (The Laborer’s Reel).

Thanks to The Fiddler's Companion website for history on this tune.

Yes, the title is a bit bland, but when I first heard this reel played by fiddler Martin Hayes I thought an angel had descended from heaven. It's a lovely slow reel.

You can hear Martin's version with Dennis Cahill on guitar on youtube here.

New York State Fiddlers' Hall of Fame inductee Randy Kerr wrote this tune for his charming wife Lizzie. I had the honor of getting to know Randy and Lizzie at the summer concerts at the Fiddlers' Hall of Fame Pavillion in Osceola, and playing tunes with Randy at the home of Fred and Jessie Gotham.

Not only was Randy a fabulous fiddler, but among many other accomplishments he served in World War II, was the director of the Adirondacks and Catskills state parks, served as a scoutmaster and fire chief, and in his lifetime planted over 50,000 trees.

Neither Randy nor Lizzie are with us any longer, and they are deeply missed. Many thanks to their son Mike for permission to feature this wonderful tune. You can learn more about other New York State Fiddlers' Hall of Fame inductees at the NYSOTFA website.

First recorded in 1925 by the Dixie Stringband, Chinese Breakdown is a traditional tune that according to The Fiddlers' Companion, is "...widespread from the south to the midwest, the American northeast and Canada and even to England and Scotland."

It's a fun tune to play!

The Arra Mountains are located in County Tipperary, Ireland. This driving slip jig, named after them, was composed by Paddy O'Brien.

Thanks to fiddler Kathy Selby for teaching me this tune. (Note: in the recording I tuned my G string to an A pitch)

I first learned this jig 30 years ago when fiddling in the Geneseo String Band. Local fiddler Larry Downey knew it by the title "When Sick is it Tea You Want".

Yes, this was a tune of the month a few years back in the key of D, but I found this lovely version in C, which appears to be the original key according to Fiddlers' Companion, and had to share it.

I really enjoy this Irish reel! It begins in Dm, but switches to D major in the B part.

Kinda like the change from winter to spring...

Thanks to Ernie McDonald, New York State Fiddler's Hall of Fame inductee from 1995, for granting me permission to use his original tune this month.

To learn more about Ernie and the history of more New York State Hall of Fame fiddlers, visit the New York State Old-Tyme Fiddlers' Association web site HERE.

This one-part old time tune is a great example of one of my favorite aspects of fiddling: musicians of all different skill levels can play the same tune together.

I've included pdfs for both the simplest version of the tune and a number of variations. The recording has the most variations.

Thanks to Barbara, one of my subscribers in North Carolina, for suggesting this tune.

Sheet music

Simpler version

I wrote "The Yellow Barn" last winter, inspired by one of the workshop rooms at the Falling Waters Music Camp at La Tourelle Resort in Ithaca, N.Y.

This coming year the camp will be January 9th - 11th, with a fantastic lineup of instructors, workshops, concerts, and jams. Take a peek at the event here!

Following last December's example, I've chosen one of my favorite Christmas carols and created a harmony part for it.

"Bring a Torch" is such a joyful piece of music, originally published in 1553 in the Provence region of France.

It's amazing that a melody written 461 years ago could endure the turmoil of the ages. It connects us with an emotional bond to musicians stretching back through centuries, truly a remarkable feat.

One of my favorite carols this year. Here it is with three part harmony for fiddles.

Annie Lenox has a beautiful vocal arrangement of this song on youtube if you have a chance to listen!