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Tom Tolley's Hornpipe


Alan Day

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Lovely version of this tune. I especially liked the basses in the "B" part.

 

This is a really popular session tune in Yorkshire and Cumbria. Bob Ellis included it in his "Dales Folk Dance Tunes" booklet. Found in the Joshua Jackson MS. Jackson was a miller and fiddler in South Stainley.

 

Thanks!

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I found the B part most awkward as on the concertina there is a lack of air problem with too many pushes.I overcame this by using the accidentals to stick in a pull in the opposite direction to get the air back.It is just possible with the bellows fully extended and playing quietly to get away with it ,but here is where the accidentals helped me out.

Definitely not a one off take.

Al

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Thanks Al! This tune has popped up recently at our session, and I haven't done much more than get the melody under my fingers. You've given me some inspiration and pointers for the left hand.

Edited by Bill N
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Here's the ABC for the tune for anyone who's interested in learning it. It is, unusually, 40 bars long. This due to an extra 4 bars in the middle of the B part. There is another version of this tune, missing those middle 4 bars in the B part, called Tom Fowler's Hornpipe, making it a standard 32 bar tune. X: 1T:Tom Tolley's HornpipeM:2/4L:1/8R:HornpipeK:GB/c/|d/c/B/A/ G/g/f/g/|e2 d2|c/d/c/B/ A/B/A/G/|F2E2|D/E/F/G/ AB|c>d/2e/4 dc|B/A/G/A/ DF|G3:|gb/g/ ea/g/|f2d2|ga/g/ ea/g/|f2 de/f/|g/d/d/d/ g/d/d/d/|g/d/g/d/ g/d/d/d/|g>f e/d/c/B/|A/B/A/G/ F>E|D/E/F/G/ AB|c>d/2e/4 dc|B/A/G/A/ DF|G3:|

Chris

Edited by Chris Drinkwater
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Here's the ABC for the tune for anyone who's interested in learning it. It is, unusually, 40 bars long. This due to an extra 4 bars in the middle of the B part. There is another version of this tune, missing those middle 4 bars in the B part, called Tom Fowler's Hornpipe, making it a standard 32 bar tune. 

 

Ah, I was wondering about the difference between the two tunes.

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And here's a version in C (arranged for Anglo) that is fairly close to Robin Shepherd's melodeon version on the "Hardcore English" CD.

 

Those two long measures all on the push in the B-part are a bit tricky, but playing only single bass notes fairly crisply helps, and sometimes I play that section a little quieter to make sure I don't run out of steam.

 

And yes, in measures 11 & 13, I make the leap between the right hand #7 and #2a buttons using the same finger. ITM players are welcome to be suitably horrified!

 

Gary

TomTolleysHornpipe-C.pdf

Edited by gcoover
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Tom Tolley's Hornpipe is one of my all time favourite tunes, not least because of Robin Shepherd's superb interpretation on Hardcore English mentioned by Gary in the post above. Robin plays this as Tony Hall would, with great drive and enthusiasm. This performance made me seek out and buy the 'Magnetic North' CD which is excellent!

 

Looking back through the thread I'm amazed by the diversity of the contributors. We start off with Alan Day, Horley, Surrey followed by a response from Jim Besser, Washington DC. Next up is Ron Geering, Cape Cod, USA who shows more than a passing knowledge of the repertoire of North Yorkshire and Cumbria. I've deliberately avoided looking anything up here but I reckon Cape Cod is on the Eastern seaboard of the USA, about as far North as you can get without it being Canada. I think that's Maine but I could be very wrong and Maine may well be on the West coast!!

 

Next we have a post by Bill N, Hamilton, Canada. Canada is vast and I have no idea where Hamilton is but they have sessions and play concertinas (well at least one anyway!)

 

Then we have a post from Chris Drinkwater, London. I met Chris some years ago now and his tune knowledge is very good indeed!

 

Last but not least is Gary, "gcoover, Land of Aloha" which I take to be Hawaii. His knowledge of Robin Shepherd's playing of the tune surprised me, I now have him down as ex-pat Brit!

Edited by Pete Dunk
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Pete - close, but make that future wannabe Brit. If I ever disappear and no one can find me, I'll be in a cozy pub somewhere in the UK drinking real ale and playing tunes. To me that's even better than lying on a beach and drinking Mai Tai's, which of course, is all we ever do here in Hawaii...

 

I will definitely have to get my bearings and track down the "Magnetic North" CD, thanks for the recommendation!

 

Gary

Edited by gcoover
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This tune, Stream to River Flows and many others can be found with my arrangements in the new book by Gary Coover.

Each tune has a link to my videos so you can play along. 

Al

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