Dirge Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 There may be a remedy or even a cure, Have a look on Mudcat for Dave Taylors song "The Melodeons are Coming" Perhaps someone can do a blue clicky for it as this old luddite can't The song itself isn't in the mudcat database, but in the thread you started there Dave posted a link to an mp3 of the song. Hey, I like the bit at the end with the accordions! Does anyone have the ABC for that tune? What is it about you and elephants? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Dunk Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 David, this abc is correct. X: 1 T:Nellie The Elephant R:Jig C:Butler/Hart 1957 M:6/8 L:1/8 Q:1/4=140 F:http://jc.tzo.net/~jc/music/abc/mirror/hardy.demon.co.uk/pgh_session_tunebook.abc 2009-03-27 19:33:27 UT K:G "G"Bcd BAG|B2B d2d|"C"e2e gfe|"G"d3 B3| "D7"c2c AAA|"G"ddd B3|1"D/A"f3 "A"e3|"D"d3 "D7"cBA:|2"C"e3 "D"F3|"G"G3-G2G|| "C"Gce g2e|"G"g3 d3|"C"e3 d2c|"G"B3-B2B| "A"A2B ^cBA|"D"d2e ffg|"A"a2g f2e|"D7"d3 cBA| "G"Bcd BAG|B2B d2d|"C"e2e gfe|"G"d3 B3| "D7"c2c AAA|"G"ddd B3|"C"e3 "D"F3|"G"G3-G2G|| However, this is only part of the song. The bit you are calling the A part is the chorus and the B part is a refrain, the tune for the verses is missing. The bold bits in the following lyrics are the two bits of tune in the abc above. I'll have a hunt around and see if I can find a recording of the whole song somewhere. To Bombay A traveling circus came They brought an intelligent elephant And Nellie was her name One dark night She slipped her iron chain And off she ran to Hindustan And was never seen again Ooooooooooooo... Nellie the Elephant packed her trunk And said goodbye to the circus Off she went with a trumpety-trump Trump, trump, trump Nellie the Elephant packed her trunk And trundled back to the jungle Off she went with a trumpety-trump Trump, trump, trump Night by night She danced to the circus band When Nellie was leading the big parade She looked so proud and grand No more tricks For Nellie to perform They taught her how to take a bow And she took the crowd by storm The head of the herd was calling Far, far away They met one night in the silver light On the road to Mandalay So Nellie the Elephant packed her trunk And said goodbye to the circus Off she went with a trumpety-trum Trump, trump, trump Ooooooooooooo... Nellie the Elephant packed her trunk And said goodbye to the circus Off she went with a trumpety-trump Trump, trump, trump Nellie the Elephant packed her trunk And trundled back to the jungle Off she went with a trumpety-trump Trump, trump, trump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Dunk Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooves Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 So - does anyone know if accordian-playing can be cured? And what does this mean for we concertina addicts? mental illness is the least understood and by far the hardest disease to cure. If you know somebody suffering from this condition, many medications have been developed to deal with the symptoms, but the root cause of Accordion playing is still a mystery. It may be genetic and pre-disposed in certain individuals - possibly found in all humans, but only plaguing a few misfortunate victims. Identifying the catalyst which makes a person either an accordion or concertina player would be the key to curing the ailment. Beyond the direct impact to the patient one must consider family members, pets, and neighbors. The consequences of accordion playing are insidious, though the afflicted may not realize the severity of the condition. I'm sure President O'Bamma has set aside stimulus funding to help these disillusioned miserable people. Dr. K.Hooves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 And here's another restrained version.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boney Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 And here's another restrained version.... Must be a traditional Morris tune...the latest comment on the video says: maxdb112 (4 days ago)very good song to jump and throw beer on each other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 David, this abc is correct... Acctually, not quite. I had found that one but there are two things in it that I was suspicious of and are borne out by the videos. G is a stupid key for this song. The melodeon plays it in D, the first video is in D, and the Toy Dolls sing it in E. The notes sung in both videos to the words "head of the herd" are a tonic arpeggio (as in my abc of the melodeon version), not a subdominant as in the abc you posted. The E instead of the C# in the melodeon version is easily explained by the fact that the melodeon doesn't have that note. Here's an abc I just put together including all that I have gleaned from this discussion, including the verse music (but not the words). X:1 T:Nellie the Elephant C:Butler/Hart 1957 M:6/8 K:Dm P:V F3 E3 | D3- D2D| FGA G2F|E3- E2E| E2E EEE|^G2E E2E|=B2E E2E|A6 :| K:D P:A FGA FED| F2F A2A| B2B dcB|A3 F3 | G2G EEE| AAA F3 | c3 B3 |A6 | FGA FED| F2F A2A| B2B dcB|A3 F3 | G2G EEE| AAA F3 | B3 C3 |D3- D2|| P:B D|\ DFA d2c| d3 A3 | B3 A2G|F3- F2F| E2F ^GFE| A2B ccd |e2d c2B|A3 G3 | FGA FED| F2F A2A| B2B dcB|A3 F3 | G2G EEE| AAA F3 | B3 C3 |D3- D2|] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I just listened again to the Dave Taylor song. The lyric contains the title of the melodeon tune: It's no good trying to put one down.You will find you can't. Stuck for eternity playing tunes that all sound like "Nellie the Elephant." That meant nothing to me last time I heard it, because I had never heard of Nellie the Elephant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Dunk Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 David, this abc is correct... Acctually, not quite. I had found that one but there are two things in it that I was suspicious of and are borne out by the videos. G is a stupid key for this song. The melodeon plays it in D, the first video is in D, and the Toy Dolls sing it in E. The notes sung in both videos to the words "head of the herd" are a tonic arpeggio (as in my abc of the melodeon version), not a subdominant as in the abc you posted. The E instead of the C# in the melodeon version is easily explained by the fact that the melodeon doesn't have that note. This is where the holes in my knowledge of musical theory really show. I suppose somewhere deep down I knew that something wasn't quite right, but not why. I should also point out that this was a very popular song when I was little, played every Saturday morning on a radio show called Children's Favourites and I don't think I've heard the original for upwards of forty years ... Thanks for the abc, it will bring back many fond memories. That's quite a talent you have there David. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I should also point out that this was a very popular song when I was little, played every Saturday morning on a radio show called Children's Favourites and I don't think I've heard the original for upwards of forty years ... Pete. Wait no longer .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0kL5ioAALg Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Thanks for the abc, it will bring back many fond memories. That's quite a talent you have there David. And thank you for your part in introducing me to this wonderful song that I had never heard of. The Mandy Miller rendition reveals some minor differences with my abc, but I'm not going to change it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Thanks for the abc, it will bring back many fond memories. That's quite a talent you have there David. And thank you for your part in introducing me to this wonderful song that I had never heard of. The Mandy Miller rendition reveals some minor differences with my abc, but I'm not going to change it now. What? You grew up without Nellie the Elephant? Deprived.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDT Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) One doesn't like to be unkind about melodeons but... I'm erm....tempted to take up the melodeon...is this an early sign of accordion-playing? It's a slippery slope LDT... Ian Its like an itch you just have to scratch.....I just have to find out if I can get along better playing a melodeon. Oh-oh, LDT! I don't like the sound of this ... However, things are seldom mono-causal. Take respiratory disease. Some people spend one evening in a smoky restaurant, and die of lung cancer. Some smoke all their lives, and get run over by a bus at the age of 85 while training for a Marathon. It's the genes ... I hope you have the same gene as I have - the multi-instrumentalist gene. This engenders a craving for any musical instrument that crosses your path, often accompanied by the delusion that you must be able to play it better than the other instruments you've tried hitherto. This is, of course, a pathological condition, but it has one beneficial side-effect: the effect of one particularly obnoxious instrument (e.g. melodion, banjo) is attenuated by your occuption with other, less virulent instruments (e.g. concertina, kazoo). The point at which I will really start worrying about you is when you give up the concertina for the melodeon. If you just add the melodion to your inventory, that's OK. Because then you'll probably add something else soon. I would suggest the autoharp, which is an extremely therapeutic instrument. More a medicine than a drug. It subdues the craving, because you can play really neat accompaniments after only a few hours (nay, minutes) of practice! And it also has buttons. Cheers, John (a well-wisher ) I went to melodeons and more at mendlesham at the weekend....bought one I think I've got melodeonitus. Although I've set some rules to stop the condition worsening.....I'm only allowed to (learn to) play traditional or folk tunes on it.....the concertina however I can (learn to) play what I like on it. Edited March 30, 2009 by LDT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Dunk Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I went to melodeons and more at mendlesham at the weekend....bought one Eew, Beltuna, you didn't stint yourself then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDT Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I went to melodeons and more at mendlesham at the weekend....bought one Eew, Beltuna, you didn't stint yourself then! well that's one thing buying a concertina taught me the hard way.....buy the most expensive you can afford and don't be stingy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 And thank you for your part in introducing me to this wonderful song that I had never heard of. What? You grew up without Nellie the Elephant? Deprived.... Apparently it was never big in the US. According to Wikipedia, Although never a hit single, it was played countless times on BBC national radio in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly on "Children's Favourites". I wonder whether part of the lack of popularity in the US has to do with the difference in the way we pronounce the word "elephant." It's subtle, but the English are more likely to give the 2nd e the respect it deserves, making the 1st 2 syllables rhyme with "Nellie," while in American, the 2nd e is just an unaccented grunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drbones Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I wonder whether part of the lack of popularity in the US has to do with the difference in the way we pronounce the word "elephant." It's subtle, but the English are more likely to give the 2nd e the respect it deserves, making the 1st 2 syllables rhyme with "Nellie," while in American, the 2nd e is just an unaccented grunt. That's correct, the second "E" is a short one like the first. more of an "Uh" sound. But why does the second "E" deserve more respect than the first? Maybe we yanks should sing to "Ella the Eluhphant" Ya know, I've never heard of the song. Maybe we didn't think it rhymed properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boney Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Thanks for the Nellie transcription. I'd heard the Toy Dolls version, so I was kinda joshing a bit from the start. I'd say more but I'm pretty far under the weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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