Lucy Wan (Child 51) - Murder Ballad

[StuartEstell]

A recording made back in the summer of one of the very grimmest of ballads, in this rather jaunty version from the singing of Lisa Null.

 

https://soundcloud.com/lachenaliamusic/lucy-wan

 

It's always very entertaining to perform this live -- there's always an audible gasp after the line "he has cutted off Lucy Wan's head"

[Wolf Molkentin]

Thanks for posting Stuart - I'm always enjoying these ballads, and you have a fine way to perform them - lovely acoustics here too!

 

Best wishes - Wolf

[Loikroh]

Great, Stuart. If I could play an anglo I'd play it like this

cheers

mart

[StuartEstell]

Thanks both -- yes, the chapel I recorded in has a lovely acoustic, and I did no post-processing on the recording at all.

[Don Taylor]

So, a single take, one track and no post-processing?

 

Very impressive and very enjoyable - apart from the subject matter itself. It occurred to me that the brother would probably do very well as a present day banker...

 

Would you comment on your approach to the accompaniment, I really like the rolling rhythm that you achieved. Was this on your Jeffries duet?

[StuartEstell]

Thanks Don. Yes, I just topped and tailed it -- it was recorded with a Zoom H1 propped up at an appropriate angle on the lectern!

 

Yes, it's on Jeffries duet. I use this sort of feel a fair bit, and tend to have a bluegrassy rhythm in mind when doing it. The sort of fingerpicked patterns used on, say, clawhammer banjo don't translate at all idiomatically to duet concertina so this is an attempt at getting the feel without being too literal about it - I keep the notes themselves fairly sustained and use the bellows to accentuate the rhythm.

Edited January 6, 2016 by StuartEstell