This weeks winner is The Valiant, which was suggested as an English jig. I’m post in from my phone, and realize I’m already a couple of days late, so I’ll post the winner and hopefully some of you helpful members can post some links to notation or videos!
I think the tune is spelled "The Valiant", and was written by Simon Ritchie in the 1990s. Melodeon.net has a similar monthly tune forum as we have, and they had The Valiant as their tune of the month in August 2018. There is discussion, notation and several recorded example videos (all on melodeon, obviously) in their discussion thread: Link Notation with chords is in Paul Hardy's session tune book: Link Lots of squeezebox recordings on Youtube, but here is one with a fiddle (and concertina): Martin
Further to my earlier post, I have now made a quick recording of the tune to get an idea of how it sounds. It falls very nicely under the fingers on mandolin, which makes me wonder why all the online versions are on squeezeboxes -- would make a great fiddle or mandolin session tune! I've used the chords from Paul Hardy's tune book for my tenor guitar backing. 1921 Gibson Ajr mandolin Vintage Viaten tenor guitar Martin
What a nice jig! Well done Martin. It does sound good on the mandolin. I think I will have to learn this one.
Nice, Martin. It does sound so nice on the mandolin.
I suggested this tune for exactly the reasons Martin mentioned: nice, easy to play on mandolin, underrepresented on YouTube. I'll add my version to Martin's, which I enjoyed very much. I learnt this from Pete Shaw at Broadstairs Folk Week. I think it may work nicely in a set after the Rogue's March and Captain Leno's, which are also in the tune book linked by Martin. Here's an old recording:
Nice jig, nicely performed by Martin and Gelsenbury! Maybe I should also learn it to work on my DUD-ability...
Two grand versions, guys. Not a well-known tune, I think. Martin, thanks for link to the Paul Hardy tunebook - what a great and varied collection. hi
I wonder of the DUD picking has a great relevance to the outcome...I don't know..just asking. They all sound good at any rate.
Nice versions from Martin and Dennis, also thanks to Dennis for suggesting this tune. Here's my try on mandolin, concertina and tenor guitar, although the tenor seems to get lost in the mix, over a background of pics of instruments and my back yard.
Suggest a tune, put it in David Hansen's hands, and watch something great come out - that's why this is such an interesting group! Beautiful as always. Ginny, I strongly recommend DUD DUD picking for jigs. Yes, it's possible to get the rhythm right with DUD UDU, but with DUD DUD it's practically automatic. I'd really struggle to make DUD UDU sound jiggy. Having said that, it will probably only make a minor difference in "The Valiant" because the tune has quite a lot of longer notes.
Thanks Dennis..maybe it's not too late to teach this old dog new tricks.....David, I love the depth and sway of your excellent version of this tune..I want to live in your house, btw. ...I think David, with all your pictures you never even had to leave the house. What State do you live in ? Geographically, not metaphysically.
Ginny, my house may be picturesque but it is very small, my music room as you can see is squeezed into one tiny corner of the living room. I live in California both geographically and metaphysically.
Very good arrangement and performance, David. You make it sound quite majestic and reminiscent of knights jousting and other ceremonial rites.
Fantastic arrangement, very well played!
Martin, Gelsenbury and David doing us proud, as they say in little old England. All well played! David wonderful images and suspenseful Hitchcock-esque editing, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the archers and the gallant chivalrous horsemen to arrive and then the end was like an artistic French film when... ... ... Actually the Redwoods did provide a little counterpoint -US cavalry?
https://youtu.be/0PEbJf_oGVc?feature=shared
Nice one Simon, thank you for reviving this thread! I must try to get this one under my fingers again.
Good tune that I didn't know. Immaculately played, as always, Simon.
Thanks Dennis and Richard, played straight, my fingers were starting to get sleepy by the time I recorded this one.
As I commented on your YT channel, Simon, lovely stuff!
Thanks John, and thanks for the comments on YT, great to be recording again! I’ve got a couple of scales exercise shorts and a pretty nice melody coming up soon too, it’s from Bulgaria - in 7/8 (of course).
Following on from Simon’s revival of the tune/thread. I’d like to have done some accompaniment to this one to fill it out…but didn’t have the time on this occasion. Vega cylinderback mandolin.
Nice new renditions by Simon and John. Looks like Simon is going into a Golden Era with his videos.
Nice flowing foot-tapper John. Very danceable. And I had similar thoughts about accompaniment and also style. I played it really slow. A fair number of musicians on Tunesday Tuesdays play it in a concertina-English folk style so I thought something like an Air might be different. I have to learn how to smile while playing! Thanks Frithjof, I'm just overloaded with golden tunes!!
Nice rendition, John. Sometimes no backing can be the best backing!
A good tune that was new to me, and very nicely done as always, John.