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Thread: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

  1. #1
    Registered User Rob Ross's Avatar
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    Default "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    In the early 70's, I heard my brother's "Fairport Convention" albums and I decided right then and there I wanted to play fiddle like David Swarbrick. I came to mandolin while trying to teach myself fiddle when I found one in a pawn shop and realized I could play it. I'll play bluegrass, old-time, Irish, Scots, English, Welsh, ragtime, contra, you name it, but I'm happiest when playing tunes Swarb played as close as I can get to playing them like he played them. I have my abused copy of "Swarbrick's Merry Melodies", but there's so much the man put out, I wished I had all his tunes on paper. Face it, trying to learn his medley's at the speed he plays them means A LOT of repeating small phrases over and over and over, and even then you're pretty sure you're missing a bunch of subtle notes. BUT NOT ANYMORE!!!

    While scouring the interwebs for some clues on a couple of Swarb's tunes, I discovered that Maartin Allcock has transcribed most of Swarb's fiddle and mandolin tunes into "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes", in album chronological order. There are 240 pages, over 300 tunes, and a wonderful notes section in the back with tidbits on each tune. It's a big book, approximately 12" x 8", sturdy high quality paper, and lots of photos of Swarb scattered throughout. Some tunes are repeated as they were played differently in successive albums. For instance, The Banks appears first in Bb as played on fiddle on an early Ian Campbell Folk Group album, and again later in G as played on mandolin on the "No Songs" album with Martin McCarthy.

    Maartin Allcock's website is : http://www.maartinallcock.com/
    Look under his SHOP tab to see the book for sale. It's going to set you back $60 for the book and $20 shipping to the US of A, and you're going to have to wait about 3 weeks, but when you get your grubby little rosin-dusted mitts on this book, your not going anywhere for the next couple of hours.

    I've been dissecting The Frog up the Pump for years, could never find any information on this great tune on the internet, almost had it all down, only to now find out it's actually a medley (well, duh, what else could it be?) of The Pinch of Snuff, The Colliers Reel, Storra, and a reprise of The Pinch of Snuff, now in A instead of G (at least I figured that part out!) Oh yeah, Bridge over the River Ash is actually a medley of The Bishop and Orleans Baffled, a fact that has been unknown to me for, what, 46 years?

    If you like good Irish, Scots, Welsh, or English fiddle and mandolin tunes, you will like this book. If you like Dave Swarbrick, you WANT this book. If it wasn't past midnight, I'd go back downstairs and rosin the bow and take a crack at another score tunes or more. I am a very happy man.

    (I am not associated with Maartin Allcock other than being very happy he put this book together, and I receive no recompense for this post, but I did receive a nice email from Jan at Squiggle Records in Harlech, Cymru thanking me for my order, if that counts for anything.)
    Rob Ross
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  3. #2
    String-Bending Heretic mandocrucian's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    SWARBRICK - probably #1 on my list of all-time favorite fiddle players !
    (which also includes Johnny Gimble, Sid Page, Tommy Peoples, Annbjørg, Lien, Joe Venuti, Scott Stoneman, Martin Byrnes, …..)
    (One of my all-time favorite musicians - of any instrument, period)

    The top tune(s) for concentrated distillation of "Swarb-isms"?
    "Carthy's March" - #1

    followed by
    "The Hen's March"
    "The Banks of the Sweet Primroses"
    "Walk Awhile/Bonaparte's Retreat"
    "Sir Patrick Spens"
    "Crazy Man Michael"

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    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Thanks for remininding me -- I have been meaning to order that book for some time. I'm a big fan of the little tunebook that Maartin Allcock did for the Swarb CD box set on Free Reed many years ago, so I have no hesitation about the quality of the transcriptions for this comprehensive edition of Swarb tunes. I also have Maart's Fairport, Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny tunebooks, all very good!

    Martin

  6. #4
    mandonucs John Uhrig's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    I have the Merry melodies and Maart's Fairport book too. ( He wrote me a nice little note too that said I received the last copy of the Fairport book.)
    Hitting a new tab right now so I can order the Swarbrick book.
    Thanks for the info on it.
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  7. #5
    Registered User Bren's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    The Pinch of Snuff, now in A instead of G
    Well, that's often cycled through keys anyway, starting in D, then up to G, then up to A, then up to D in the higher octave, then tied back with a descending run resting on a C natural.

    Thanks for the tip about the book.
    I don't know if it's a good idea to buy it or not.
    Instead of merely being dazzled by Swarbrick's sets, will I put down my work and pick up my mando each time I hear them now?
    Bren

  8. #6
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Thanks for the info about the Swarbrick book. That is news to me although I live in England. I will have to get it.
    Swarb was a big inspiration to when I was starting off playing tunes. I lived in Birmingham and saw him play with the Ian Campbell group, then as he started his duet career with Martin Carthy. His accompaniments on mandolin with Carthy always impressed me - none better. I learned Bottom of the Punchbowl from him and have started to play it again but I am surprised how little respect is paid to him by 'celtic' musicians in these parts; too English for them I suspect.
    Kevin

  9. #7
    Registered User Andy Boden's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Thanks - I've ordered the book. I say/heard Dave Swarbrick along with Martin Carthy in Chester (late 1960s);I was much impressed then and have remained so. I look forward to playing and reminiscing !
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  10. #8
    Registered User Andy Boden's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Book has arrived and lives up to expectations. Thanks
    Mandolins -
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  11. #9
    mandonucs John Uhrig's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Mine arrived too. So Many Tunes ! Think I'll be taking it to the printers and have a coil binding put on it.
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    Registered User gordonjackson83's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Hi there, can any of you guys who have bought the book tell me if it contains any info on The Ribbons of the Redheaded Girl? Anything about the tune, where it comes from and so on?

    Thanks,
    Gordon

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    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Quote Originally Posted by gordonjackson83 View Post
    Hi there, can any of you guys who have bought the book tell me if it contains any info on The Ribbons of the Redheaded Girl? Anything about the tune, where it comes from and so on?
    Just received my copy of the book -- can't wait to dive into it!

    Regarding "The Ribbons of the Redheaded Girl", it looks like Maart is just as much at a loss as you: his annotation says (in full) "can't find any info at all on this one ...".

    Martin

  14. #12
    Registered User gordonjackson83's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Ah. Thanks Martin. I love the tune, and my band has recorded it, but it annoys me greatly that, apart from DS recording it, nothing seems to be known about it.

    Perhaps Dave composed it?

    Gordon

  15. #13
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Quote Originally Posted by gordonjackson83 View Post
    Ah. Thanks Martin. I love the tune, and my band has recorded it, but it annoys me greatly that, apart from DS recording it, nothing seems to be known about it.

    Perhaps Dave composed it?
    I wouldn't think that Swarb wrote the tune himself -- he was working closely with Maart on the book and signed off on the final copy. I am sure any original tunes would have been properly attributed to him. But it's a great tune, and Swarb's mandolin playing on his recording is blistering.

    Speaking of mandolin playing, I am pleased to see that Maart has transcribed all three parts on the mandolin trios from Smiddyburn (Sir Charles Coote / Smith's Hornpipe). Must have a go at those!

    It's a bit frustrating that the book isn't ring-bound. Because it has so many pages, it won't stay open on a music stand without some serious pegging.

    Martin

  16. #14
    Registered User gordonjackson83's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    I agree Swarb probably didn't compose it himself - but where does that leave us?

    It seems almost inconceivable that the only references to Ribbons are Swarb's recording of it!

    One thing, Swarb may simply have got the name of the tune wrong?

  17. #15
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Quote Originally Posted by gordonjackson83 View Post
    One thing, Swarb may simply have got the name of the tune wrong?
    Entirely possible -- Swarb wasn't really one for scholarship in tune naming. According to Maart's notes, he changed "Shew Me The Way To Wallington" to "... Wallingford" in the (unsuccessful) hope that he might get Habitat to sponsor him as they had a warehouse in Wallingford.

    Martin

    PS: I've now recorded my own version of the Smiddyburn mandolin trios -- posted in the Video & Sound Files section here.

  18. #16
    Registered User gordonjackson83's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Heh heh, entirely plausible.

    Nice tunes, Martin.

    In the spirit of reciprocity, our version of Ribbons is here: https://thejonesboys.org/media/ (top right!).

    Gordon

  19. #17
    Registered User foldedpath's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Quote Originally Posted by Martin Jonas View Post
    It's a bit frustrating that the book isn't ring-bound. Because it has so many pages, it won't stay open on a music stand without some serious pegging.
    You could have it rebound with spiral or ring binding. Many printing shops will do that for a small fee. They just cut off the binding edge, and it works fine as long as the page content doesn't run too deep into the "gutter." My S.O. and I have had to do that with several tune books, most recently the new one from the group Altan (excellent, by the way).

  20. #18
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Quote Originally Posted by Martin Jonas View Post
    Just received my copy of the book -- can't wait to dive into it!
    I have now recorded two more tunes from the Swarb Fiddle Tunes book. This feels bittersweet: when I ordered the book and posted previously in this thread I had no idea that Maart was already terminally ill. I was at Cropredy for his final stage appearance with Fairport this summer -- he died a month later.

    RIP Maart and Swarb.

    At The Close of an Irish Day (trad. Irish)

    This is an instrumental version of a song recorded in 1940 by the McNulty Family. I learned this tune from the recording on Swarb's 1984 duo album with Simon Nicol "Close To The Wind".

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    Little Millie (Dave Swarbrick)

    This is a slow air in waltz time, written by Swarb as a lament for his dog, Millie, a Lakeland-cross-Jack Russell terrier. One of Swarb's very last original tunes, this is the final tune in the book. Subsequent to the publication of Maart's book, the tune appeared on Swarb's postumous duo album "Kailyard Tales" with Jason Wilson, retitled "My Love Has Flown", the only self-written tune on that album.

    Generally, all of Swarb's best tunes are slow tunes, and this is no exception. A lovely intriguing tune with a great chord progression.

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    Martin

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  22. #19
    Registered User John Kelly's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Dave Swarbrick Fiddle Tunes" Book

    Two very fine tunes, Martin. Lovely arrangements.
    I'm playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order. - Eric Morecambe

    http://www.youtube.com/user/TheOldBores

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