This Shetland air by Tom Anderson was highlighted to the Cafe by Bernie Daniel in this thread (thanks again Bernie!) This is just too wonderful a tune to withhold from the SAW group, so here goes: ABC from thesession.org is here (already added to the Tabledit database by Scott), though I make a few minor variations in my rendition (inspired by fiddler Ken Kolodner and guitar player Max Cohen in other videos on YouTube): X: 1 T: Da Slockit Light M: 4/4 L: 1/8 R: reel K: Dmaj FE|D3F A2d2|fedc d2A2|B2d2 A2d2|BAGF EGFE| D3F A2d2|fedc d2A2|B2G2 AGFE|D4- D2:| g2|f2a2 e3c|d3e dcBA|f2a2 e2^g2|a4- a2=g2| f2a2 e3c|d3e dcBA|B2G2 AGFE|D4- D3g| f2a2 e3c|d3e dcBA|B2d2 A2d2|BAGF EGFE| D3F A2d2|fedc d2A2|B2G2 AGFE|D4- D2|]
A beautiful melody played just right. Thanks Bertram.
Wonderful tune masterfully played, Bertram. This one goes on my list.
Lovely job Bertram! It was great to watch you video because except for a guitar version I had mostly fiddles to listen to doing the tune and of course a bow and a pick are not the same! What tuning are you in there?
Thank you all so much for your kind words. Feels good. Bernie, it's just normal OM tuning, GGDDAAEE.
Fantastically done on the Octave Bertram and thanks to Bernie for starting the thread on a great tune....
Great playing Bertram and love the tune, the harmony part in the second half of my version comes from the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle club:
Thanks a lot Tosh, Great job Harry, love that second part, and it has been a joy to play along with your video A warning to all ye virtual orchestrators who like to play several videos in parallel: Harry's is considerably faster than mine (and that says a lot )
Beautiful job Harry! Love that Weber sound. Here is another attempt this time using my Weber Absaroka octave (it has D'Addario J80's and I'm using a Wegen TF-100). After listening to Harry's & Bertram's better efforts -- I think I would speed mine up if I were to do it again -- but I am using Buddy MacMaster as my "go by". He is playing the tune as the intro to a set so maybe he intentionally slowed the aire down to provide contrast?
Trying to come up with some double stop harmonies for this tune. This sounds not bad but perhaps could use some more tweaking. X:1 T: Da Slockit Light C: L:1/8 Q:240 M:4/4 K:D FE | [D3A,3]F [A2D2] d2 | [fAD]e dc [d2F2] A2 | [B2D2] d2 [A2D2] d2 | [BG]A GF EG FE | \ [D3A,3]F [A2D2] d2 | [fd]e dc [d2F2] A2 | [B2D2] G2 [AD]G FE | D4 D4 | g2 | [f2d2] a2 [e3A3]c | \ [d3F3]e dc BA | [f2d2] a2 [e2A2] ^g2 | [a4c4] [a2c2] g2 | [f2d2] a2 [e3A3]c | [d3F3]e dc BA | \ [B2G2] G2 AG FE | [D4A,4] D3g | [f2d2] a2 [e3A3]c | [d3F3]e dc BA | [B2G2] d2 [A2D2] d2 | \ [BG]A GF EG FE | [D3A,3]F [A2D2] d2 | [fd]e dc d2 A2 | [B2D2] G2 AG FE | [D4A,4] D2 | \ W:Created with TablEdit http://www.tabledit.com/
Brilliant vids Harry, Bernie and David. I'll have a bash tonight after work......
Like the sound of that Weber OM of yours, Bernie. Showing us that tremolo works well on the bigger instruments, too. David, as usual yours is the most laid back and civilized version so far, with a fantastically quick change of instruments and a tasteful mix of pastel colors, all played in a white room
I'll send you a PM soon on the Weber mandola David -- I plan to place a custom order for an H-5 style from Weber this early this summer but they have some many options -- which is good of course. Having been kind of a total Gibson-ite for some many years I pleased to be adding some Webers to my herd. Eventually I'll add a Collings and a Flatiron too - but I digress....
Had a bash at this tonight, a bit of a flub second time around but I was just pleased to get through it......
Great tune and some excellent versions here. I am attaching link to my newly-recorded version, again on the Soundcloud site. First time around it is played on my JK travel guitar which I built during my learning time at Anniesland College back on 2005; a link to some pictures of this guitar is here: https://picasaweb.google.com/luthier...eat=directlink then second time it is played on my JK octave mandolin. http://soundcloud.com/user9128887/da-slockit-light
Another sustain miracle, Tosh - I wondered why you didn't play it in the "orthodox" octave at first, but then you did. Most interesting chording there John. That's what is fascinating to me about this tune - it is open to so many chords, that every version produces a completely different mood just by choosing harmonies, like a harbour city on a stormy day, looking different in sun and rain.
Very very nice Tosh and John -- you have both discovered I think the proper tempo for playing this tune on a plucked instrument. It is really hard to play it as slow as a fiddle player can because they can just drag those note out while you are "tremolo-ing" to save your life! This would do great on an electric mandolin I'll bet you could more easily get the sustain.
John (and anyone else) what chords did you use?
Barbara, here are the chords I played, loaded into the abc file which was posted here at the start of the thread: X: 1 T: Da Slockit Light M: 4/4 L: 1/8 R: reel K: Dmaj FE|"D"D3F A2d2|fedc d2A2|"G"B2d2 "D"A2d2|"Em"BAGF "A7"EGFE| "D"D3F A2d2|fedc d2A2|"G"B2G2 "A7"AGFE|"D"D4- D2:| g2|"D"f2a2 "A"e3c|"G"d3e "D"dcBA|"D"f2a2 "E7"e2^g2|"A7"a4- a2=g2| "D"f2a2 "A"e3c|"G"d3e dcBA|"Em"B2G2 "A7"AGFE|"D"D4- D3g| "D"f2a2 "A"e3c|"G"d3e dcBA|"G"B2d2 "D"A2d2|"Em"BAGF "A7"EGFE| "D"D3F A2d2|fedc d2A2|"G"B2G2 "A7"AGFE|"D"D4- D2|] I played chords first on guitar along with the guitar lead, then on the octave when playing octave lead for the second time. I think chords added as arpeggios on the mandolin would be quite an addition, being an octave higher, and of course the piano could serve well too. Hope this helps, John
Following on from my Soundcloud mp3 posting, have just recorded a quick YouTube video featuring the two instruments, my travel guitar and the octave mandolin. Apologies for seeming over-exposure!
This is what I do (at least it is nearer to what I do than the ABC from thesession.org): X: 1 T: Da Slockit Light M: 4/4 L: 1/8 R: reel K: Dmaj FE|"D"D3F Ad3|fedc d2A2|"G"B2d2 "D"A2d2|"G"BAGF EGFE| "D"D3F Ad3|fedc d2A2|"Em"B2G2 "A"AGF2|E6FE| "D"D3F Ad3|fedc d2A2|"G"B2d2 "D"A2d2|"G"BAGF EGFE| "D"D3F Ad3|fedc d2A2|"Em"B2G2 "A"AGFE|"D"D6g2|| "D"f2a2 "A"e3c|"D"d3e dcBA|"D"f2a2 "G#m"e2^g2|"A"a6"G"g2| "Bm"f3a "A"e3c|"D"d3e dcBA|"Em"B2G2 "A"AGF2|E6g2| "D"f2a2 "A"e3c|"D"d3e dcBA|"G"B2d2 "D"A2d2|"G"BAGF EGFE| "D"D3F Ad3|fedc d2A2|"Em"B2G2 "A"AGFE|"D"D4- D2|] Funny how the Midi generator at the concertina conversion site does a piano chord accompaniment that sounds very much like what a SRS does, just like it would sense the Scottish proximity. P.S. John, just saw your video - that travel guitar looks very interesting, taking the cutaway to the next level. Wonder what the case must look like?
As it is a one-off design, Bertram, I was really lucky to find an octave gig bag which can hold it very snugly. The cutaway was my idea to try to get the guitar to sit comfortably while it was being played. Not totally successful because of the small body, but it gave me an interesting design to play around with.
Thought I'd see if I could remember how to record and mix in Garage Band, and then make a video. Here's mine, played on my Petersen octave mandolin & Collings MT2O mandolin.
Nice work Barbara and John -- esp. appreciate the clear view of the left hands. Being new to the octave mandolin I am still dealing with issues of exactly how I will finger things on it -- versus the mandolin and mandola. How is everyone creating the abc output? I can export tab in abc using TablEdit (I think I've never tried it but the option is there) is that how you all are doing it? Also do any of you sight-read abc? That is can you look at a tune in abc and play it like in standard notation? John & Bertram I assume the chords are the letters in the " " in the abc notation you provided? I was thinking of loading your abc in to TablEdit and see if it printed out the chords with the tab --- I doubt it does. Bottom line, I need to dig in for a better knowledge of abc I guess -- so far I've just used it to create tablature............appreciate the insights.
Super playing, Barbara. Lovely sound from your big octave there and the mandolin too. Garage Band works well for you. You have synchronised the tracks really well with your live playing here, a task I find quite difficult at times! Bernie, I create tunes in abc by using the program ABCedit, which is by a developer called J.G.F. Coolegem and is freely available to download. (His e-mail contact is abcedit@quicknet.nl). Having typed in the notes and observed the grammar of the system I can then print out a pdf file of the music from within the program. Where the tune already exists, done by someone elseand posted here, I copy the abc notation (being sure to include the essential first line "X:1" without which the tune seems not to appear) from the posting then open ABCedit, start a new file and then paste the copied file into this new one. I have only recently come over to the abc system and find it really excellent for what we are doing in the group here. I have not tried to read abc directly as I prefer to use standard notation. Your point to Bertram and me re the chords is correct - the chords are added in inverted commas as you have guessed. For a good account of how abc works have a look at:http://abcnotation.com/standard/abc_v1.6.txt I was surprised at how quickly my aging brain took to the system and with regular use of it it becomes quite straightforward to use (the program, not the brain, though that benefits too) and I keep on learning new things about it. Hope this of some help to you.
Bernie, For everything ABC, see an extract of my signature: ABC- Notation for the tabophobic: ABC introduction; ABCexplorer; Making Music with ABC Plus by Guido Gonzato. John
Oh Barb, how I missed those jammies... Peaceful and lighthearted version, I picture standing in the sunset and looking north over Muckle Flugga. Bernie, I just type the ABC code in and test it against the online converter. But then I used to be a programmer, same old same old to me. I am not sight-reading ABC, though. Being educated by classical musicians, I convert it to standard notation and read that instead.
What a great and lovely piece of music, it was (is) agreat pleasure to learn and play. Here is my try. Thanks!
Very good Bernd, I like that flageolet note on G 7th fret, gives it kind of a melancholic distant ring.
Inspired by all the versions here, I decided to learn this one too. I also took this opportunity to experiment with my first upload to Sound Cloud. http://soundcloud.com/a-mandolin-in-...a-sloket-light
For some reason unbeknownst to me I've connected with this tune more than others. I find it very melodic and relaxing and even within my playing ability. I've played along with each of you and generally had a great time doing so. Marcelyn - In another posting, Michael P. encouraged us not to “forget to include something of yourself in your playing.” I believe you have captured that essence in this tune. You harmony and added notes were well enjoyed. Thank you all for sharing.
Possibly your best to date, Marcelyn! Beautifully played and, as Mike says, it has some of the player in it. I could imagine Tom Anderson standing overlooking his home town, not long after the death of his wife, and watching the lights going out in the houses below - "the slockit" light being the extinguished light. Beautiful metaphor for the passing of his wife. Isn't SoundCloud great for our purposes!
That's very special Marcelyn. Sounds delicate like a porcelain musical box, sitting on the ledge beside the candle in the window overlooking the bay at dusk.
Thanks so much, Mike, Bertram, and John. And I should have looked that up earlier, but thanks too John for solving the question of what "sloket" means.
I've just listened to this beautiful song on SoundCloud and couldn't agree with Mike and John Kelly more. Bertram's words have captured the essence of Marcelyn's playing and painted a perfect image of her musical rendering of Da Slockit Light. Thanks Bertram for showing us this song. Marcelyn, thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Michael. It really is a beautiful song. It reminds me a little of O'Carolan. And I like it even more after reading the background information on it that John provided.
Marcelyn, apparently you're not alone with that O'Carolan angle - I played it in our session last Saturday and another musician asked if it was an O'Carolan tune. I said "no, but it would be worthy to be one of his".
Marcelyn, Bertram when I first played the tune I thought that must be an O' Carolan composition, surprisingly with more playing practice, it does'nt feel like O'Carolan any more. Anyway it is now one of my favourites! Bernd
This tune has fast become one of my favorites. The pictures were take this morning in my back yard.
Mike, A wonderful visual and acoustic treat! Where do you live.....where the temp is 72 degrees F? Nice yard and flowers! thanks again, Jim
An almost classical approach Mike (I picture Louis XIV ambling around Versailles), very stylish. You're just short of one harpsichord. From the garden views I guessed that, at this time of the year, it could only be either Kerry or California - then looked up your profile and found I was right
I love it, Mike. And again, your guitar part is really great too. More than just plain backup. All of our flowering trees are in bloom here, but I have a feeling a garden would be jumping the gun by a few weeks. I'm jealous.
Mike, that was awesome! Lovely playing, lovely arrangement... and, oh, making us SO impatient for the snow to finish melting, and the flowers to start blooming!
Mike, a great version here. Loved your video backdrop to the tune and especially that shot of the thermometer - in Scotland I await July or August for the reading to approach what you have here. In fact I don't thnik our thermometers go as high as that!
Jim, Bertram, Marcelyn, Barbara, John - Thanks for your encouraging comments on both the playing and video. This is the time of year when everything is green here in Southern California. Even the weeds look good. John, having visited Dundee many times I can relate to you thermometer comment. I’m not sure the temperature in my in-laws living room, next to their coal fire, ever reached 72 degrees F.
I recorded this beautiful scottish air as a sound test of my mandobird viii.
Good playing there, J. Fine tone from that instrument too.
Very smooth and chique, Jairo, I picture the Lerwick City Lights Bar with cool people sipping their Margheritas until - suddenly - the lights go out I had all forgotten about this thread, but I have stumbled across a video by Shetland artist Roseanne Watt recently, which seems to capture the general mood Tom Anderson might have had in mind:
Yes, mr. Henze, I read about the meaning of this air, is a shame I didn't know this video. The Scottland photos was an easy and practical solution. By the way, this video remids me a very popular old colombian tune, Las Acacias. The lyrics of this tune describes exactly what the video shows!
I don't think anyone up here knows what a mhargarita is...... and as for cool people..... boilersuits and wellies are still the height of elegance I'm not nearly as accomplished a player as the contributers here so far, but I'll stick up my version t the weekend , once the kids areout of the way! JIm
