Da Auld Resting Chair (Tom Anderson, Shetland)

[Martin Jonas]

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