Sussex Cotillion

[David Barnert]

7 hours ago, Little John said:

I have something of an aversion to using sevenths by default.

I never play a 7th chord with my left hand, but I’m happy to play a major dominant chord under a melody note that supplies the 7th.

 

7 hours ago, Little John said:

However I would be looking for a chord to harmonise both the third and fourth notes in the bar.

The three versions on this page (Jim, Robin, Will Allen) all play a G chord for the first 3 beats of that measure, throwing in a quick C chord just on the last beat (C in the melody).

[Jim Besser]

10 minutes ago, David Barnert said:

I never play a 7th chord with my left hand, but I’m happy to play a major dominant chord under a melody note that supplies the 7th.

 

 

I once was told that "7th chords don't belong in English music, and especially not Morris music." Advice I have cheerfully avoided over the years.  I learned much of my current morris repertoire from Nick Robertshaw, who was prolific in his use of 7th, 9th, and for all I know 85th chords.  

[David Barnert]

12 minutes ago, Jim Besser said:

I once was told that "7th chords don't belong in English music, and especially not Morris music."

The Reformation was 500 years ago. 7th chords have been officially sanctioned ever since.

 

(Edited to add:) Maybe not in England

Edited February 23, 2021 by David Barnert

[Paul Draper]

A good reason for that would be that you can't play 7th chords on a whittle and dub or a fiddle. There would have been few chordal instruments for traditional music until the free reed instruments came into use. Maybe the church quires used those harmonies but the early collectors seem to have collected from solo players.

[RAc]

10 hours ago, Jim Besser said:

 

Fascinating information.  It's very cool how these tunes migrate and change.

 

Yes, a Morris / English ceilidh touch; it clings to me like dog hair.  I do hear the tune as inherently chunky, and I admit to being influenced by the amazing melodeon playing of Will Allen, whose recent recording reminded me of this great tune: 

 

 

 

Yes, Will Allen is a fantastic player and an unsung hero (I guess). Very enjoyable, thanks for the video!

 

[Little John]

14 hours ago, RAc said:

Here's some more on the history of the tune ...

 

Thanks Rüdiger! That gives me even more interest in playing it as Bosham is a little village not twenty miles from me.

 

LJ

[Little John]

12 hours ago, David Barnert said:

I never play a 7th chord with my left hand, but I’m happy to play a major dominant chord under a melody note that supplies the 7th.

 

That's exactly what I meant by playing a seventh "by default".

 

12 hours ago, David Barnert said:

The three versions on this page (Jim, Robin, Will Allen) all play a G chord for the first 3 beats of that measure, throwing in a quick C chord just on the last beat (C in the melody).

 

That's interesting. Is that because on the melodeon and anglo you can't play a C chord at the same time as G and C in the melody? Otherwise it would seem more natural to me to play C to cover both the third and fourth beats. Obviously that luxury is available to me on a duet.

 

12 hours ago, Jim Besser said:

I once was told that "7th chords don't belong in English music, and especially not Morris music."

 

5 hours ago, Paul Draper said:

A good reason for that would be that you can't play 7th chords on a whittle and dub or a fiddle.

 

My avoidance of sevenths (in general but not absolutely) is just a personal preference. My purist days are long behind me, otherwise I wouldn't be playing a duet (or a concertina at all)!

 

LJ

[Little John]

OK, enough of the theory! How does it sound in practice? This is my initial take on the tune.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLrICt0BMxG/

 

LJ

[Don Taylor]

Sounds a lot like the Princess Royal to me, especially the A part.

[Jim Besser]

2 hours ago, Little John said:

OK, enough of the theory! How does it sound in practice? This is my initial take on the tune.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLrICt0BMxG/

 

LJ

 

I like it. Good use of the duet.