James Fitton

Rainbow Jigs - James Fitton February 2016.pdfRainbow Jigs (C) James Fitton Mar 2016.pdf Just trying to avoid a derailing of Kathryn's thread. As requested, here's the sheet music for this set of jigs, from 7 years ago now. As a technical exercise, I set myself the challenge of writing a set of jigs which worked musically as a sequence. and progressed through each mode in turn. I think some elements have succeeded better than others, but I hope the whole thing sort of hangs together. It was fun to do, in any event!

Hello Kathryn, It sounds like we share a fascination with all things modal! Somewhat off our collective topic here, but it would be interesting to know how this sort of thing works on viola (which I don't play at all.) Somehow the "limitations" of diatonic instruments seem to encourage modal approaches to music. The background picture is Pots and Pans, the strangely-named hill in Saddleworth, just above where I live. I'll post the sheet music to my piece separately, as it doesn't seem right to piggyback further on your thread, sparked by your "Speedwell", which I like a lot!

Lovely tune that, Kathryn - thanks for posting. I do love the way in which tunes can sometimes move very subtly between modes - one of the many joys of apparently "simple" diatonic instruments....

Here's the sheet music. Not exactly as I now play this, but close enough! Hazel's Hornpipe - Full Score.pdf

Thanks, Roger - I don't do abc, I'm afraid, but I do have the sheet music for this, on a different computer than this one. I'll fish it out later and post here.....

Here's a hornpipe in 5 time, on English concertina, and various other things. It's named after the brave, resourceful rabbit in Richard Adams' wonderful "Watership Down". Who also limps. As does the tune - sort of. But somehow (I hope) both rabbit and tune are stronger for the limp.

Well, count me impressed - I guess we don't generally comment on the appearance of music, just the sound, but in this case I reckon the appearance is pretty impressive too!

Maybe have a listen to the Demon Barbers for ideas? It's English rather than Anglo, but lots of interesting use of a concertina on this album:

Cool! I like that, Simon. Interesting to see the score and the terrific illustrations too. Is the music hand-engraved, or do you use some software for that?

That's really lovely - thanks for posting! Beautiful arrangement, beautifully played!

Lovely that, beautiful. Thank you for posting.

Great fun, that, good stuff!

Here's a three-line English Concertina tune. Hurgill is near Richmond - the one in Yorkshire, England.

Well, I'll confess I'd never heard of a chalumeau until a few minutes ago. It's an interesting and rather lovely sound. Is yours really old, or are people still making new ones?

Here's a slightly off-standard-Western-European dance tunes sort of tune. I've named it after a Roman fort near where I live in the South Pennines, in England. I haven't the first idea whether Romans liked to dance in 7/4...