[Edit: Sorry, the subject line should have been "Da Auld Resting Chair", not "Rocking Chair", but I can't edit it. Barbara: when you add it to the "Other tunes" index, please use the corrected name.] This is a slow air written by the celebrated Shetland fiddler Tom Anderson (1910-1991). As far as I can tell, it was written as a fiddle duet, with original harmony part along with the melody. It's variously called "Da Auld Resting Chair", "Da Restin Chair", "The Old Resting Chair" or variations thereof. Tom Anderson's own version of this, recorded in 1990 as a duet with Catriona MacDonald, is at: https://youtu.be/Xq5JBSu5tqY Another version on two fiddles and mandocello (!) is at: https://youtu.be/pzvU2hM1xQ8 I have recorded the tune on two mandolins with accompaniment on mandocello and tenor guitar. To mix things, the mandocello switches to melody and then harmony on the repeat. Both fiddle parts and the chords are at thesession.org and also (near identical but prettier) at Musescore: https://thesession.org/tunes/2223 https://musescore.com/user/19329/scores/557651 1921 Gibson Ajr mandolin Mid-Missouri M-0W mandolin Suzuki MC-815 mandocello Ozark tenor guitar Martin
Nice playing and recording Martin.
Good find. Sounds really good, Martin.
Fine arrangement, Martin, as always.
It's a pretty tune. I like your tremolo a lot. Do you use a special pick or technique, or is it just years of practice?
A fine rendition, doing Tom Anderson justice, and a fine mismatched collection of musical chairs - hey, the one at 0:53 looks like one of mine, and even Le Corbusier is not forgotten!
Thanks, all! Tom Anderson was a great fiddler, and wrote some fab tunes. I think this one is his one of his best-known, along with Da Slokkit Light. Dennis: I don't think I'm using any special pick or technique. My pick depends on what mandolin I'm playing. On the Gibson and Mid-Mo I used for this recording, it's a Wegen 1.0mm black bluegrass guitar pick (teardrop, not triangle), which is fairly stiff and has a nice bevel. On bowlbacks, I use a 0.88mm Jim Dunlop nylon pick. Either way, I aim for a very loose grip which allows the pick to freely pivot between the fingers as it hits the strings. The pivot point should be as close to the strings as possible, i.e. have only the very tip of the pick protruding between the fingers, not more than 2-3mm. I tremolo by rotating the wrist, not by moving it up and down. Easier to do than describe. Playing lots of Italian and early 20th century music in a mandolin ensemble for a decade or so also helps... Martin
Martin, I am a great fan of Tom Anderson's compositions and they always seem to have a character of their own. Here is my version of the tune, played on mandolin and octave, with guitar, piano and synth bass as backing. I just wish I could do those tunes justice on the fiddle!
That's a lovely rendition too, played with great sensitivity and musicality. Beautiful!
Both very nice, though different!
Martin , John: Both are great renditions of the song.
Sounds very authentic, John. It's fun to play along with both renditions.
I couldn't pass this up. Thanks to Martin for posting his lovely version here and thanks to John whose flair for playing airs is unmatched. I tried to play the harmony part but I just couldn't make it sound good so I play the melody on the mandolin & the same part an octave lower on the tenor guitar. The backup is cittern & double bass. I love this tune.
Fantastic, David. That mighty bass adds a lot of upholstery
Beautiful renditions!
The cittern and bass backing really makes it David. We used to play this number using Christine Martin's arrangement for two mandolins
Thanks for those fabulous recordings, John, David and Maudlin -- all having their own distinct character but bringing out the beauty of the tune. The hallmark of a great slow air is in its adaptability to the style of each player! Martin
My solo mandolin version.
Love this song, well done 'Dusty'. Nice pictures too David.
