I'm not sure what happened to my original post but I have recently revisited this great tune after hearing Bob Michel's wonderful version.
Sweet rendition David, with that built-in cosiness the concertina comes with, totally going with the Thomas Kinkade approach of the pictures.
Just amazing David. One of your finest!
Really great recording techniques along with stellar playing. Doesn't get any better than this...
That's beautiful
After all the recent discussion about the future of this group it is really interesting to see David reviving this lovely tune which was first posted by Bertram away back in March 2011. Clearly there is the scope for tunes to be revisited, and this version by David is really very fine, both as an arrangement and as a recording.
I had to learn this pretty tune. Still quite rough, I think it needs slower and a little sadder than I am able to pull from it as yet.
Mark Gunter wrote: "... I think it needs slower and a little sadder than I am able to pull from it as yet." I think it sounds great just the way it is, Mark! Nicely done.
Well done, Mark!
I think it needs slower and a little sadder than I am able to pull from it as yet There is a fine line between utter sadness and wild merriment, Mark.
as John says, great to see old tunes being revisited and with two superb and very different renditions too, brilliant !
Thanks for the comments!
Mark, you play it well but I'd agree too with your comment re the tempo. Tom Anderson wrote this tune to mark the depopulation of his birthplace, Eshaness, in Shetland. He was coming out of there in late January 1969 and noted how few were the lights compared to when he had been a young boy. That, coupled with the recent death of his wife, inspired the slow air, the old word "Slockit" being a light which has been extinguished.
Thank you, John, we are on the same page as you noted from my original comment. I am aware of the background of the tune, and really would like to play it in such a way as to approach the author's intent. I've practiced the tune slowly, and even recorded it played slowly about a week prior to that recording, but it didn't sound good to me. I am having trouble playing any slow air musically just yet. Sometimes I can feel the music deeply, but when I record it and listen there seems to be actually no musicality. I'm very much a student here, especially with genre like this which is new to my playing interests, but love of the music continues to drive me, so I'll keep practicing. I may even post another version of this tune soon, for better or worse.
Mark, consider yourself lucky to be capable of the mistake of playing too fast!
A valid point, G. I'd love to be able to play faster, especially on fast tunes.
Great versions from David and Mark. We used to play this tune in our group. Here is the arrangement for two mandolins we used.
I never understood the title of this song. It still confuses me. What exactly does "slockit" mean? Whatever the title, it's a lovely melody and not too hard to play. I'm trying it here on my newest acquisition, a second-hand Ibanez electro-acoustic mandolin (not plugged in). David's recording is helping me keep time through the earphones.
You captured the intended mindset well, Dennis (and it goes with that unusual scowl on your face, too ) Slockit is an expression for a state of stagnation, of fading, fainting or dying, that can be applied to many things: a slockit wind ceases to move things and give fresh air, a slockit light gets darker until it's gone. Slockit is always a sad development. Shetland Scots is full of strange words like that, and quite far from English. Try to understand what Alfie is talking about:
Nice work guys.. a good one to practise...
"Try to understand what Alfie is talking about ..." Beats the heck out of me! Really fine playing, Maudlin and Dennis
I've just 'refound' this group - so here's my starter for 10.....
I like this tune a lot. Nice renditions by everyone.
Very pastoral and serene, N.J.
Very nice, Njugglebreck! I have taken a stab now at slowing this tune down quite a bit. I've been practicing it slowly for weeks, and still just have a lot of difficulty getting it to sound musical at a proper slow tempo. I decided to throw it out there tonight, and used my Washburn since it is a bit overbuilt and produces what I think is a bit darker tone than the Collings. I went with the first and only take, albeit sloppy, with sweaty hands and all
The speed is now better and sadder, Mark. A certain pointy jauntiness remains, but more like a memory of bygone happier days - it's fit to be played on the rear deck of the Titanic now (tilted). The mandolin (shall I say - F#-style? ) has a moody & mellow sound and is indeed a good choice.
Here is my solo mandolin version.
Clean and perfect melody reference, Dusty. Everybody shall be able to play it now.
I love the clarity and simplicity of this beautiful song. Nicely done David.
I gave this one a try. It is an enjoyable melody to play
Good melody, Brian - adding some rhythm makes it whole.
Thanks Bertram for bringing this tune to SAW and thanks Brian for revisiting it. Nice versions, I especially like Marcelyn's Old Timey Soundcloud recording. But there are plenty of beautiful versions in this thread...
Lovely Christian. I like the ponies in their sweaters. Also your clear dulcet tones once again.
What Ginny said, Christian. Except that I find the ponies slightly disturbing - if they need sweaters, what will people do?
Christian, this is a very fine interpretation of one of my favourite tunes. Interesting that the sheet music you show at the start has it marked as a reel! Your version of course does not fall into this trap, and you have built a rhythm into the tune in your arrangement rather than rendering it in a more rubato style. It certainly works for me! I love the old picture you have of Tom Anderson and the great Shetland guitarist Willie Johnson, known to all as "Peerie" Willie, "peerie" being Shetland for "small". He was a mainstay of so much Shetland music and played with so many of the greats. A great combination of sound and visuals here.
Thanks Ginny, Bertram and John! This really is a beautiful melody, I think I will try to come up with some variations...
Very well done crisscross . This is one of my favorite tunes too.
I missed this one when Bertram originally posted it -- I had recorded Tom Anderson's "Da Auld Resting Chair", but not "Da Slockit Light". Hearing Christian's version inspired me to catch up with this one as well. My arrangement is for two mandolins and tenor guitar, and is based on harmonies I found at: http://www.riddellfiddles.co.uk/teac...Grade%202).pdf 1921 Gibson Ajr mandolin (x2) Vintage Viaten tenor guitar Martin
Thanks Robert and Martin! Nice recording Martin! The chords are a little different from those in the score I used. This seems often to be the case: the chords are not a part of the composition, only the melody is fixed, the chords vary... Anyway, your recording works fine!
As Christian said, a clever new turn on chords, Martin. And of course that is perfectly legal. I also like the baroque shift of role between mando and TG the second time round.
Thanks, Christian and Bertram. The chords are those given by Riddell Fiddles, to go with that harmony part. That A#dim chord at the end comes as a bit of a surprise... I think the original composition was unaccompanied and so doesn't have chords -- certainly Tom Anderson's own rendition on Youtube (Link) is solo, even though he does have accompanists on the other tunes in the same video. It's a very popular tune, and I found several different harmony parts written by various other players to make it a duet. However, those harmonies then imply a particular chord progression not inherent in the melody, and so they are not necessarily compatible with each other or with the chords I used. Martin
Another fine rendition, Martin. You always find interesting arrangements for your recordings.
I see that very many of the group have done this tune already, so no need to introduce it. The version I play is from Nigel Gatherer and the guitar harmony is based on the version by ceolachan at thesession.org.
That's really nice. The tune suits your crystal-clear notes and the little bit of reverb perfectly. The counter-melody works very well, and even the visuals underline the fading of the light.
Thank you, Dennis. This is the second tune I have recorded (Bonaparte Crossing... being the first) since I made a small technical change, instigated by your friend Marla Fibish. After watching her play, I dumped my shoulder strap and changed the position in which I was holding the mandolin. I did this primarily to help the precision of my left hand finger placement, but it also seems to have had the effect of altering the angle of the pick to the string, which has created more resonance and sustain. I always use a small amount of reverb, but I changed none of the recording settings for this one and the result is, I think, better.
Beautiful piece of music, I once dared to play it on the electric mandolin, thank goodness you returned it to its splendor with the acoustic mandolin... Over time I understood what the title meant!
Lovely interpretation of a great tune, Richard. Tom Anderson was such a fine Shetland fiddler as well as composer. The tune holds a special place in the hearts of my daughters and me as it was one of the pieces of music we chose for my wife's funeral service five years ago. I still love playing it, especially with my fiddle-playing friends.
This is one of my favourite tunes and while I’ve played it lots I’ve never got round to recording it.. it would not hold a candle to the above … but I might have a go.
Thank you all three, Jairo, John, Malcolm. John, I'm a bit lost for words. Tom Anderson said that his wife's death was in his mind when he wrote it. This must have extraordinary meaning for you and your family. And I am sure there must be special significance every time you play it. Jairo, yes, I posted Tom Anderson's explanation of the title on YouTube, but it seemed a bit unnecessary here after nearly 100 contributions to the thread. Malcolm, you definitely should. I would say the only challenge of the piece is keeping a slow and steady tempo - but it is an air, so liberties with tempo and permissible.
For whatever reasons, your recording delivers a great tone, Richard.
Nicely done. 
