|
Home The entry point for Old Time Tim's website |
|
Fiddle Music Collection of dance tunes composed by me and me mates |
|
|
Songs Songs and Monologues what I wrote |
|
|
The Hoofers A feature on the Haddenham Hoofers |
|
|
Tall Tales Stories collected over the years |
|
|
The Knoll Historic connections of my home |
|
|
Knowledge Management My personal views on this contentious subject |
|
|
Links Connect to friends, aquaintances, and other places of interest. |
|
|
Site History A log of changes to this site |
"This is dance music - even if you are sitting on your backside listening to it - it is still dance music!"
- This observation attributed to Gordon Potts - unless anyone knows better?
I get my greatest kicks ( well nearly! ) playing for dancers. Whether it's as part of a band for a ceilidh or barn dance, for a solo step dancer, for some precision Appalachian Cloggers, or a Morris Side, I just love the two-way thing that's going on.
Currently I play regularly in the string band which accompanies the Haddenham Hoofers, though 1 have been playing mandolin or fiddle for dancing since about 1973 both as a member of a number of bands and for several dance teams.
Click on their names on the right to find out more.
By popular request, to support some of the workshops that I run, I have provided a new page of Old Time Tunes played slowly and clearly as a source for other musicians
Click here to get to the Barebones Old Time Fiddle Tunes pageFollow the links below for some more great dance tunes
(not necessarily Old Time in style) composed by some very talented friends, and a few by me.Two new 48 bar Jigs by Bruce Warburton added on 10th October.
A Cup of Tea notation, or midi - A very danceable 48 bar jig by Bruce Warburton, one time Melodeon player with Grand Union Morris, Lord Pagets Morris, and Alberts Last Dance - a ceilidh band from way back when. If anyone has any info about Alberts Last Dance ( dates, members, etc) I would be interested to hear from you.
A Piece of Cake notation, or midi - Another 48 bar jig by Bruce Warburton written by him to be paired with "A Cup of Tea", a pairing I have always maintained
This is an alternative midi version of these two tunes as a medley, coded by Roger (Gadge) Colwell. This is nearer to how Happenstance used to play it, than my plainer versions although it morphed somewhat as the successive influences of Bruce himself, Andy Cutting, Ian Murfitt, and finally Paul Scourfield each got applied to the tune!
Abbots Road - Notation for a 3 part 4-bar 3/2 Hornpipe written by Tim Brooks. We had heard about the imminent publication of a book by John Offord called "Johnny of the Greeny Cheshire Way", which was to include a large number of 3/2 Hornpipes. At that time, being ignorant of what a 3/2 Hornpipe rhythm sounded like, I made one up to find out. Originally this tune had two parts, but Lesley suggested a third part which fitted very well. This tune could be arranged AA-BB-CC or AA-B-C-B-C but I normally play AA-B-C, which is how the tablature and this midi file are arranged. You can play it however you wish!
Incidentally abc transcriptions of many of the tunes from "Johnny of the Greeny Cheshire Way" can be found here
Granny Does your Dog Bite? - Notation for a 64 bar American reel/polka arranged by Tim Brooks
Dumas Dual notation or midi - a 32 bar jig written by Geoff Drage
Geoff was once a member of both Herga Morris and of The Rose and Shamrock Band. Geoff wrote this tune specifically to be used for a new Morris Dance "The Three Musketers", which was one of a group of dances introduced at Festival workshops by Roy Dommit, fitting a specific sticking pattern he had devised to a variety of morris "traditions" and teaching them to a number of different dance sides over a period of time. In Herga's case we used it as a new "Ascot under Wytchwood" dance. Consequently variants of this dance now crop up all over the place, in the styles of many different traditions, frequently under the common name of "Skirmish".
To Come
Sorry! The rest of these tunes are in various states of preparation, so no use clicking on them yet - as soon as the media have been prepared and appropriate permissions have been obtained their links will be activated and they will be moved to above this comment
Something Else - A 32 bar American reel/Polka by Tim Brooks
A Ream of Double Elephant - A Brilliant 32 bar hornpipe by Andy Cutting
Jaybird Died of the Whooping Cough - 32 bar traditional American reel This is my current fave traditional old time tune.
Flash Monk - 32 bar 3/2 hornpipe by Andy Cutting - written to pair with.Abbots Road
The Lobster - A 32 bar hornpipe by Mick Pearce
Past and present associations include:
Ceilidh Bands
Strung Up 2006 - .....
Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire's newest dance band!!
Puddleduck 1973 - 1979
The Rose and Shamrock Ceilidh band 1979-1986
Happenstance 1986-1995
Gizmo 1995-1996
Dance Teams
Rockhopper
Weston Appalachian Clog Workshops