Name: Hurdy gurdy concerto (work in progress) by Jon Loomes
Duration: 4 min 30 s
Description: As it's "international hurdy gurdy day" here's something I've been fooling about with for the last week or so. Mostly an exercise in remembering how MIDI works, but here's a taste of "what could be, if only I could apply myself" etc

Calum's Road by Donald Shaw, arranged and played by Owen Woods on a Fisitalia Elite D/G melodeon. Recorded in West Mersea on 30 October 2014 by Jay Stapley for Dammit Ltd.

Calum's Road

The first ever recording I did with my Hurdy-Gurdy after one week of playing.

Sloppy playing, sloppy recording....
....You get the point!

Hurdy Gurdy - Sound test 1

I made this double-necked instrument to reflect my playing habits. I play fingerstyle in open tunings. I don't get on very well with capos because I find that  I loose volume and resonance. Also, I play a lot up the neck and rely on the dot markers, which go "out of phase" when using a capo. I find this somewhat disorientating. To avoid these problems I usually take out two guitars, one in open D the other in open G, the two most common keys for traditional music. This G/D double-neck does both open keys, without the hassle of two instruments. It has the added advantage that the strings on the neck that's not being played resonate sympathetically, like hardanger fiddles and the nyckelharpa. To my ear, this enhances the sound when played solo and is particularly good for arrangements with a lute-like vibe.
The tune is my arrangement of  an adapted  Manx Primitive Methodist hymn. I stole it from Leveret's 2016 album, In the round.


The Good Old Way

Descriptions of the steps for Parson's Farewell in Volume 1 of Playford suggest that it's one of the more advanced dances. We don't really help things by starting it off with a thrashy chug that then drifts between 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Plus a blatant lift of a bassline from Rush's "Losing It". The Parson won't know whether he's coming or going.

Pärsöns Färewell

Lottie's - The New Road To Alston

Lottie's - The New Road to Alston

This tune isn't a 14th Century Portuguese Cantiga. We don't know much about it, but we don know that it DEFINITELY isn't a 14th Century Portuguese Cantiga. It's always best to be clear about these matters. Learned of Michael Beeke, who's excellent Hebble Psalter is on Bandcamp and well worth you checking out, particularly if you are a fan of music that sounds like, but isn't 14th Century Portuguese Cantigas.

Flos Filium

A Swedish tune from the 18th Century Fiddle player Byss Calle of Upsalla, played here on a rare 36 key Tenor English Concertina made by Wheatstone in the mid 1920's, built for a music hall performer, it was one of a pair with this specification. I'd love to know what happened to it's twin.

Slangpolska Efter Byss Calle

"Where is Bryan?" is a new trio, playing modern and traditional music for European Dancing - Rakoczy: Cornemuse du Centre, Scammell: Hurdy Gurdy, Loomes: Cittern

Where Is Bryan? - Snade  Mill Set

As it's "international hurdy gurdy day" here's something I've been fooling about with for the last week or so. Mostly an exercise in remembering how MIDI works, but here's a taste of "what could be, if only I could apply myself" etc

Hurdy gurdy concerto (work in progress)

March - jig set, spirited, stompy, and mostly scottish.  
Bass by Heather Sirrel, Drums Edwin Beasant. Pipes by yours truly.

Hurdy gurdy concerto (work in progress)

Jon Loomes

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