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Brigstowe Village Band 
Hi everyone,
I hope you enjoyed your rehearsals with Matt and the many performances you have done since my last rehearsal! I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the next rehearsal on 26th January. Here’s the rehearsal list:
~ NEW Butchers Of Bristol
~ NEW Parson’s Farewell
~ All In A Garden Green
~ The Honney Moon
~ Cuckoo’s Nest
~ Haste To The Wedding
~ Stingo
~ Devil Among The Tailors
~ The Tide Coming In
~ Helston Furry Dance
~ Padstow May Day Song
See you there!
Alison
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Looking forward to the rehearsal at Long Ashton on Sunday 15th. Matt will take through the tunes to be used at the Redcatch gig on January 12th. Please see news post about the gig for the list of tunes.
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Hi everyone,
Matt Norman will be leading your rehearsal on 17th November. He hopes to run through everything on the set list for Alveston (27th Nov) and Treefest (6th Dec). Some of these pieces haven’t been played since last year, and some got new arrangements in the last rehearsal. Please try to take a look at these before the rehearsal, ensuring that your music is up to date – then Matt can focus on making you all sound as lovely and confident as possible!
Here’s the rehearsal list (in approx performance order):
Have fun!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Here’s what we played in the rehearsal on 20th October. There were quite a few new arrangements so please label your music carefully if you couldn’t make it! Everything has a recording you can listen to.
Other sets to rehearse at home before the November rehearsal with Matt Norman please:
Thank you for my card and all your well wishes! I hope your upcoming gigs go well, and I’ll see you next year.
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Here’s the rehearsal list for 20th October – it’s also the draft set list for the Alveston gig on 27th November, and hopefully Treefest too.
The following tunes are also on the draft set list for Alveston, but we’ve played them recently so won’t be rehearsing them again in October:
On the website a lot of the winter/christmas-themed repertoire can be found at the bottom of the Sheet Music page, with the recordings at the bottom of the Rehearsal Recordings page. So please scroll down if you can’t find what you’re looking for.
The break in the October rehearsal will be SHORT so that we can play lots of music before the AGM, so please arrive early if you want time for a chat!
The rehearsal list for our November rehearsal (led by Matt Norman) will also involve these tunes – I’ll let him know in advance which ones to prioritise, and the finalised rehearsal list will be shared on here as usual.
In the December rehearsal you will probably have the chance to play a selection of festive pieces with Matt Norman. I just thought I’d mention now that I have tweaked the scores for some of the other carols in the Carols Medley, so when you receive the rehearsal list for December please check the Sheet Music page and reprint where necessary. All the new scores are labelled.
See you on October 20th!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Well done on a very productive rehearsal last Sunday!
We practised the following tune sets from our recent repertoire – there are recent recordings of all of these:
Plus three tune sets for dancing at the Stoke Gifford gig in October:
Sadly I lost my recordings of the two tune sets because someone unplugged my sound recorder at the end of rehearsal before I turned it off (side note: thanks for trying to help but please don’t touch it in the future!) so I’ve spliced together some old recordings, but they’re quite low res. They can be found on the recordings page, but NOT in the soundcloud list – just scroll down and they should be obvious.
Have a lovely gig and I’ll see you on 20th October!
Alison
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Hi everyone, here’s the final rehearsal list for Sunday 15th September:
Plus dance sets:
See you on Sunday!
Alison
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Edit: Curly Headed Ploughboy too, please!
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Hi everyone!
Apologies for the delay in this update. In case you missed it, here’s what we rehearsed on 11th August:
~ Blaydon Races
~ Lovely Mellow Tipsiness
~ Curly Headed Ploughboy – new arrangement!
~ Da Smugglers – new arrangement! I’ve also uploaded a pdf to help you label the call and response part on your music.
~ Long Ashton Schottische – arrangement sheet updated because all wind now play the tune the 2nd time. I’ve also just added a suggestion that a couple of fiddles be on standby to play the introduction if Lyn isn’t available.
~ Portsmouth – I made a couple of small tweaks to the fiddle arrangement (basically, please be on standby to play the tune if needed!). And the ending is a slow down to a long last note.
~ Sailor’s Hornpipe
~ Stingo
~ Thrashing Of The Oats – I updated the arrangement sheet to make the beginning and ending instructions clearer
Also, we didn’t play it in August but I’ve just tweaked the arrangement sheet of William Winter’s Waltz, mostly so that it’s more coherent for wind and box players. However it might be beneficial if everyone took a look before we next play it, just to check your music is labelled correctly.
There are new recordings of Curly Headed Ploughboy, Da Smugglers, Sailor’s Hornpipe and Thrashing Of The Oats. Generally speaking, recordings made this year are likely to be at the right speed so they’re worth a listen if you think you might end up being the person who counts us in!
Alison
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Dear BVB
Alison is working at festivals various and living in a tent with limited wi fi in the next couple of weeks so I am posting the following for the next rehearsal
On Sunday 15th Sept she will be concentrating on the set list ( below) for Portishead Seniors : Wed. September 18th but please come and rehearse with us even if you are not playing
The final playlist will be mailed out after Sunday’s rehearsal on Monday 16th September
Below is the DRAFT playlist so you can practice. This is a much longer list than we need and we will play 12-14 of them .Those marked ** we will definitely play . These have all been rehearsed in the last few months
For Portishead seniors I am going to ask a group of readers to perfor the Smugglers Song a poem by Rudyard Kipling ( attached ) It has a chorus which I would like the band to join in with ( and audience )
Portishead seniors are old friends, and this is our third booking from them. Looking forward to giving them a good show.!
best wishes
Liz
Rogues March
Abbotts Bromley Horn Dance
Corn Riggs
King Bramble
Oats and Beans
Thrashing of the oats
Long Ashton Schotische **
St Kevern’s Feast
Cyder and Perry **
Stingo **
Lovely Mellow Tipsiness (Welsh waltz),**
Tide coming In
New Rigged Ship
Da Smugglers**
Portsmouth
Sailors Hornpipe
Curly Headed Ploughboy **
Clog Branles
Let Union Be
Blaydon Races
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Please see the post about the rehearsal under ‘News’ for the words for the Smugglers Song
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Hi everyone,
Here’s the rehearsal list for 11th August:
~ Blaydon Races – basses please print the new music if you want the tune line in bass clef
~ Curly Headed Ploughboy
~ Da Smugglers
~ Long Ashton Schottische – it has been suggested that this is a good one to try playing by ear (i.e. without reading the music) – this will be optional but you might want to practise it at home first!
~ Lovely Mellow Tipsiness
~ Portsmouth – I’ve created a Bb score, which didn’t seem to exist before?!
~ Sailor’s Hornpipe – I’ve updated the Bb score to include the harmony part
~ St Keverne’s Feast
~ Stingo
~ The Thrashing Of The Oats
~ William Winter’s Waltz
See you then!
Alison
PS. If anyone’s going to Sidmouth Folk Festival, you can catch me calling a ceilidh in the Anchor Gardens on Friday 2nd August, and running a Playing In A Session workshop on Saturday 3rd.
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Hi everyone,
Lovely playing yesterday! We’ve started on the repertoire for the Autumn season, so yesterday was a reminder of some older pieces and the beginnings of some brand new ones. There are now recordings of all of these.
1) Abbotts Bromley – no changes, except Boxes please make a note to step in on the tune the 3rd time through if there aren’t many wind players.
2) Blaydon Races – no changes but I’ve just created a Bass score so that basses have the tune in bass clef. You might want to practise playing it before the next rehearsal! Everyone, please make sure you have the current arrangement written down, as there was some confusion yesterday (esp. in the call & response bit).
3) King Bramble – very small tweaks to the arrangement, mostly in the fiddles but please double check your music against the updated arrangement sheet. I’ve also updated the Treble & Bb scores because we changed a note in bar 3 of ‘Line 3’ (you don’t have to print it out again but might want to correct your music in pencil).
4) Scotch Polka – a quick play through (there’s no arrangement yet) – we’ll come back to it soon.
5) NEW: Lovely Mellow Tipsiness – we now have an arrangement. I also created new scores for wind (inc Bb) and trumpet, so that you have the descant part written an octave lower, as per the new arrangement.
6) NEW: Curly Headed Ploughboy – no arrangement yet, but I collected some of your ideas and will put them together to try in the next rehearsal.
7) NEW: Da Smugglers – same.
See you on 11th August,
Alison
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Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know I’ve just uploaded some larger print music for Scotch Polka in case anyone is finding it hard to read! Alison
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Hello!
First, a huge WELL DONE to everyone who played at Priddy. You were absolutely brilliant and I hope you feel as proud as I do!
We’re now moving on to some autumnal repertoire and a few new tunes, so here’s the rehearsal list for 21st July. All the sheet music and existing arrangements can be found on the website.
NEW ONES:
~ Curly Headed Ploughboy – a polka that some of you may recognise
~ Da Smugglers – a jig with unusual 3-bar phrases
~ Lovely Mellow Tipsiness – a waltz with possibly the best tune name ever?!
OLD ONES:
~ Abbotts Bromley Horn Dance
~ Blaydon Races
~ Haymakers
~ King Bramble
~ Long Ashton Schottische
~ Scotch Polka
~ St Keverne’s Feast
~ The Thrashing Of The Oats
See you on Sunday!
Alison
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Hi all!
Well done on a fab run through of all our Priddy repertoire in Sunday’s rehearsal – it has all improved so much over the last three months and I’m sure we’ll sound brilliant at the festival.
Please make sure you have all the arrangements, introductions, endings, etc written on your music, especially if you have missed any rehearsals. We won’t be doing any recapping before the concert starts.
A few sets I think are worth listening to:
1) Clog Branle – the 4th time was a bit dodgy when we first played it! Boxes please be ready with that Alt Bass line. Wind and Fiddles it’s worth a practise of Line 4 (this is particularly clear on the new recording I’ve just put up, 4th time through). I also think the final chord (G major) could be more confident!
2) The Tide Coming In. Enough said?! I will conduct that middle section, then when the boxes come in with the tune again it means we’re all playing from the top of page 2.
3) The Honney Moon – the 4th time is in 6/8! Be ready! Boxes, Wind and Chord players this means you in particular!
4) Let Union Be – absolutely NO slowing down at any point, until the very end of the last chorus – only at this point is there a big pause and a very slow last line. Make a note that the last verse starts “Grab the bottle” if you want a cue. (Also, Meg, I think you needed to print the treble music again!)
I have uploaded new recordings of Clog Branle, Corn Riggs, Let Union Be, Oats And Beans, and Rogue’s March. It’s all sounding better and better – well done!
See you on Sunday 🙂
Alison
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Sorry for the last-minute request – please bring Spirit Of The Dance along on Sunday too!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Here’s the rehearsal list for 7th July in Pill. We’ll be preparing for Priddy Folk Festival, but everyone is welcome whether you’re performing at Priddy or not.
~ Rogues March
~ Haste to the wedding
~ The Honney Moon
~ Enrico
~ Cyder and Perry
~ New Rigged Ship
~ Comical Thought
~ Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine
~ Recruiting Officer
~ The Tide Coming In
~ Oats and Beans
~ Wet Weather
~ Corn Riggs
~ Bath Carnival
~ Fred Pigeons Triumph
~ Man in the Moon
~ Clog Branle
~ Let Union Be
See you then!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Thank you for a really productive rehearsal yesterday. We thoroughly rehearsed several quite well-known sets, raising the standard of playing across the band and making sure we’re really well-prepared for our upcoming performances.
If you couldn’t make it to the rehearsal, please check the arrangements, listen to the recordings, and make sure you’ve got your fingers around any tricky bits!
The rehearsal on 7th July is for everyone, but we will be focusing on preparing for Priddy Folk Festival. The rehearsal is 2-4.30pm *at Pill Memorial Hall*!
Yesterday we played:
~ Bath Carnival – ending is a long note (1-2-off!)
~ Cyder & Perry
~ Enrico – remember it’s a new arrangement from last month
~ Haste To The Wedding – it’s quite speedy!
~ The Honney Moon – also quite speedy!
~ Jockey To The Fair – just the Briggy entrance and exit music, 8 bars as played in the recording (there’s a G major chord at the start of the entrance music, but not in the exit music)
~ New Rigged Ship
~ Spirit Of The Dance
~ The Sylph
~ Tide Coming In
There are updated recordings of most of these – enjoy!
Alison
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Hello!
Here’s the rehearsal list for Sunday 9th June:
~ Bath Carnival
~ Cyder & Perry
~ Jockey To The Fair
~ New Rigged Ship
~ Spirit Of The Dance
~ The Sylph
~ The Tide Coming In
And a quick recap of…
~ Comical Thought
~ Devil Among The Tailors
~ Enrico
~ Haste To The Wedding
~ The Honney Moon
~ Recruiting Officer
~ Stingo
See you then!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Sorry for the delay in sending this update! Here’s what we played in rehearsal on 19th May.
These sets ALL have new recordings.
~ Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine
~ Comical Thought – tricky tune worth an extra practise at home
~ Enrico – changed the arrangement (1st time through) – see new sheet
~ Fred Pidgeon’s Triumph – count the intro carefully (8 bars), there will be no additional count in for tune players
~ Haste To The Wedding – the dotted crotchets in the Accomp line should be played more like quavers (nice and short) EXCEPT in bar 4 where all parts play long legato notes for contrast. Listen to the recording! There is also a new flute part (with the tune written an octave higher).
~ The Honney Moon – the tempo is now ‘really fast’! There are two other small arrangement tweaks (basses 2nd time through, flutes 3rd time through) – please check the new arrangement sheet. There is also a new flute part (harmony an octave higher).
~ Man In The Moon – updated arrangement sheet with the intro and tempo info, and we added some dynamics the 3rd time through
~ Recruiting Officer
~ Stingo – trombones please play the bassline the 3rd time through if no one else is playing it (i.e. no string or tuba basses at a gig)
See you in June!
Alison
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Hi all,
Here’s the rehearsal list for Sunday 19th May:
~ Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine
~ Comical Thought
~ Enrico
~ Fred Pigeon’s Triumph
~ Haste To The Wedding
~ The Honney Moon
~ Man In The Moon
~ Recruiting Officer
~ Stingo
~ The Tide Coming In
And below is the ‘long list’ for our performance at Priddy Folk Festival in July, in case you want to get practising.
See you on the 19th!
Alison
~ Bath Carnival
~ Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine
~ Comical Thought
~ Corn Riggs
~ Cyder and Perry
~ Devil Among The Tailors
~ Enrico
~ Fairy Dance
~ Fred Pigeon’s Triumph
~ Haste To The Wedding
~ The Honney Moon
~ Jockey To The Fair
~ Let Union Be
~ Man In The Moon
~ New Rigged Ship
~ Oats and Beans
~ Recruiting Officer
~ Spirit Of The Dance
~ Stingo
~ The Sylph
~ Tide Coming In
~ Wet Weather
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Hi everyone,
Here’s what we played in Sunday’s rehearsal!
1) All Around My Hat
2) The Cuckoo’s Nest – new recording
3) Fairy Dance
4) Helston Furry Dance
5) Let Union Be – new recording
6) Padstow May Song – new recording & structure (see sheet music page for update)
7) Sweets Of May
8) Wet Weather – new recording (a little faster than before)
Enjoy Redcatch and I’ll see you next month!
Alison
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Thanks to everyone who came to the workshop day and created new music with such gusto!
I have updated the website with recordings and arrangement sheets for the four new sets (The Cuckoo’s Nest, Haste To The Wedding, The Honney Moon and Stingo). I also added a 6/8 version of The Honney Moon and updated the Bass part of The Cuckoo’s Nest.
We also practised Rogue’s March and 29th Of May.
Please update your music with the new arrangements if you weren’t there!
Here’s the rehearsal list for 21st April:
~ All Around My Hat
~ Banbury Bill
~ The Cuckoo’s Nest
~ Fairy Dance
~ Helston Furry Dance
~ Let Union Be
~ Padstow May Day Song
~ Stingo
~ Sweets Of May
~ Wet Weather
And if you’re keen to do some practise for Redcatch, the current long set list includes the above plus:
~ 29th Of May
~ All In A Garden Green
~ Bath Carnival
~ Blaydon Races
~ Bonfire Tune
~ Clog Branle
~ Cyder and Perry
~ Fairy Prince
~ Oats and Beans
~ Opera Hat
~ Rogue’s March
~ The Sylph
See you on the 21st!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
I’m looking forward to seeing you at the workshop day on 6th April! Please bring along sheet music for the following (all of which can be found on the Sheet Music page):
Three new tunes:
~ The Cuckoo’s Nest
~ Haste To The Wedding
~ The Honney Moon
Two old tunes that need a great new arrangement:
~ Stingo (bass players please check you have the new version of the sheet music I created after January’s rehearsal)
~ Haymakers Dance
Some existing repertoire:
~ 29th May
~ Banbury Bill
~ Devil Among The Tailors (tune players might prefer to print the new simplified version of the tune)
~ Rogue’s March
See you then!
Alison
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Here’s what we played in Sunday’s rehearsal. Well done everyone!
1) Banbury Bill – arrangement change (please check the sheet as a few things are different) & new recording
2) Bath Carnival – arrangement tweak (2nd time: boxes play line 3)
3) Blaydon Races – arrangement tweak (4th time: wind + boxes don’t play)
4) Devil Among The Tailors – I have added a ‘tune’ pdf which includes fiddle bowings and a slightly simplified B part for anyone who doesn’t want to play all those quavers!
5) Fairy Dance – arrangement tweak (slow down + long last note), and I have added a ‘bowings’ pdf for fiddles
6) Fairy Prince – no change
7) Helston Furry Dance – no change, just be aware that ‘once through’ is once through the page (where it SOUNDS like the tune is played twice through!)
8) Let Union Be – arrangement change (a few small things, please check the arrangement sheet to see what applies to you)
9) Padstow May Day Song – we just had a little sing through
See you at the workshop day on 6th April!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
I have already shared the rehearsal list for 24th March (see my post below). Just wanted to add: please bring along the lyrics for Padstow May Day Song, not just the tune. I’d like to get the whole band to join in the singing.
Also, here’s the probable ‘long list’ of tunes for the Redcatch gig in May, in case anyone is keen to do some extra practise over the next couple of months!
29th Of May
All In A Garden Green
Banbury Bill
Bath Carnival
Blaydon Races
Bonfire Tune
Cyder and Perry
Devil Among The Tailors
Fairy Dance
Fairy Prince
Helston Furry Dance
Let Union Be
Oats and Beans
Padstow May Song
Rogue’s March
Spirit Of The Dance
Sweets Of May
The Sylph
Wet Weather
There may also be a couple of additions from the workshop day on 6th April – watch this space.
See you on Sunday,
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Here’s the rehearsal list for 24th March – see you then!
~ Banbury Bill
~ Bath Carnival
~ Blaydon Races
~ Devil Among The Tailors
~ Fairy Dance
~ Fairy Prince
~ Helston Furry Dance
~ Let Union Be
~ Padstow May Day Song
~ Sweets Of May
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Lovely rehearsal on Sunday! Here’s what we practised:
~ All Around My Hat (singers please be careful of your word placement – check the rhythm of the melody against the sheet music e.g. the lines “if anyone should ask me” “why I wear it” and “for my true love”)
~ All In A Garden Green
~ Clog Branle
~ Cyder & Perry
~ Oats & Beans (I’ve uploaded a recording of the 3rd time through in case anyone needs to do extra practise of the tricky rhythm parts)
~ Petticoat Loose (there’s a small change – play quietly 8 bars before the end, then loudly 4 bars before the end)
~ The Sheep Under The Snow (we worked on phrasing in the fiddles ‘accomp’ line, and wind players slowing down at the end)
~ The Sylph
If you’re playing on Monday, I’ll see you there!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Here’s the rehearsal list for 18th February:
~ All Around My Hat
~ All In A Garden Green
~ Carl Wark
~ Clog Branle
~ Cyder & Perry
~ Oats & Beans
~ Petticoat Loose
~ Rogue’s March
~ The Sheep Under The Snow
~ The Sylph
~ Whimple Wassail
See you then!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Thanks for another great rehearsal on Sunday! Here’s what we played:
1) All Around My Hat – new arrangement (written into the updated LYRICS file) and new recording. Singers, you now need to decide how to fit the verse words to the tune!
2) Bonfire Tune – excellent play through
3) Corn Riggs – excellent play through
4) Cyder And Perry – new arrangement and new recording. This is a tricky tune to play so you may want to practise this one!
5) Peacock Follow The Hen/Sourdough Slip Jig – excellent play through
6) Stingo – we had a quick bash through and tried out a few options. There’s no fixed arrangement yet but there’s now a 4x through recording (3rd time playing only ‘treble clef 2’ lines). I have also written a NEW BASSLINE so bass players please print your new parts ready for next month.
See you next time!
Alison
PS. Likely pieces for next month’s rehearsal are:
~ All Around My Hat
~ Clog Branle
~ Cyder And Perry
~ Oats And Beans
~ Petticoat Loose
~ The Sheep Under The Snow
~ Stingo
~ The Sylph
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Happy New Year!
Here’s the rehearsal list for this Sunday (21st January):
~ All In A Garden Green
~ Bonfire Tune
~ Corn Riggs
~ Cyder and Perry
~ Peacock Follow The Hen/Sourdough Slip Jig
~ Petticoat Loose
~ Stingo
~ The Sylph/The Self
~ All Around My Hat
See you then!
Alison
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Update after 17th December rehearsal:
Hi all,
Thanks for a lovely festive rehearsal yesterday! I hope the rest of the cabaret (and the food) was good.
Helen kindly agreed to update the website with the revised arrangement sheet and recordings. (Edit 17/1/24 – all of these can now be found in the usual places!)
1) Gower Wassail – revised arrangement sheet and new recording
2) All Around My Hat – new recording, 4 times through (no arrangement yet)
3) The Sheep Under The Snow – new recording, and there’s already an arrangement sheet
4) Cyder and Perry – new recording, just once through (no arrangement yet)
We also played Clog Branle and Whimple Processional.
Happy Christmas!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Well done to everyone who played in one of our concerts in the last few weeks! Here’s the rehearsal list for 17th December:
~ Bonfire Tune
~ Clog Branle
~ Cyder & Perry (NEW)
~ The Sheep Under The Snow
~ William Winter’s Waltz (/Untitled Waltz/WW96)
~ All Around My Hat (NEW – can be found at the bottom of the sheet music page with the xmas rep)
~ Gower Wassail
~ While Shepherds Watched (Ilkley Moor version)
~ Whimple Wassail
Alison
PS. I won’t be able to confirm the rehearsal list for January 21st until a few days before, but we’ll definitely be preparing for our upcoming concert at St Stephens. If you’re keen to get practising in advance, the long playlist for that is likely to include some of the following:
~ All Around My Hat
~ Cyder & Perry
~ Fairy Prince
~ Stingo
~ Winter’s Night Schottische
~ 29th Of May
~ All In A Garden Green
~ Bonfire Tune
~ Carl Wark
~ Clog Branle
~ Corn Riggs
~ Drive The Cold Winter Away
~ Fairy Dance
~ Oats and Beans
~ Peacock Follow The Hen
~ Petticoat Loose
~ Speed The Plough
~ The Sylph
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Hi everyone!
Wow! You all played so brilliantly on Sunday! And we rehearsed TEN sets for the upcoming Christmas performances. There were only a few small arrangement tweaks, and there are recordings of all these sets for you to practise along to. Please keep an eye on the website for the set lists for upcoming events so you know what to practise (Portishead is up already).
1) 29th Of May – wind intro, nice and speedy!
2) Clog Branle – snare off for this one
3) Ding Dong Merrily On High – beware the beginning! There’s no intro so be ready.
4) Here We Come A -Wassailing
5) Hogmanay Jig
6) Old Foster While Shepherds Watched – BVB musicians will NOT be playing in the verses, but you’re welcome to sing them instead! We’re now doing all 6 verses. I have updated the arrangement sheet (YOU SHOULD ALL CHECK THIS PLEASE EVEN IF YOU ATTENDED THE REHEARSAL!), and I have created a lyrics page for anyone who needs it. Please watch Anne (conductor) for the ending – it finishes at the end of verse 6 when you should be singing not playing.
7) Recruiting Officer
8) Sussex Carol
9) Wet Weather – I have updated the arrangement sheet for the 3rd time fiddle parts (front row Thirds Harmony, back row Busy Accompaniment, everyone else pick your favourite!)
10) Winter’s Night Schottische – this one has a tendency to slow down (a lot) so please try not to let this happen! The count in is: 1 – 2 – 1 2 3 4.
In Sussex Carol and Winter’s Night Schottische, I recommend that melody players practise the transitions between your different parts (e.g. from tune to harmony) so that you don’t stumble on the upbeat note. You have free rein to find a transition that works for you.
Enjoy Portishead and Treefest, and I’ll see you at St Edyth’s on 10th December!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Here is the rehearsal list for 12th November – we’ll try to perfect as many of these as possible, so please look up the arrangements and practise the tricky ones in advance!
~ 29th Of May
~ Carl Wark
~ Clog Branle
~ Ding Dong Merrily On High (which can be found on the Carols Medley sheet music page)
~ Here We Come A-Wassailing
~ Hogmanay Jig
~ O Little Town Of Bethlehem
~ Old Foster While Shepherds Watched – please note, this will be played FAST!
~ Recruiting Officer
~ Sussex Carol
~ Wet Weather
~ Winter’s Night Schottische
See you then!
Alison
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Hello!
Great work at the workshop day on Sunday! We spent some time on playing by ear and arranging skills, then focussed on two new tunes for the winter season:
1) Winter’s Night Schottische – new arrangement and new recording. Basses please note: in the 2nd time bar you now play a C natural not a C sharp, so please update your music if you haven’t already. I recommend that everyone practises their part(s) to make sure you can play it at a brisk tempo without being tempted to slow down!
2) The Sheep Under The Snow – new arrangement and new recording.
We’ve got the basic arrangements sorted, but will practise both of these tunes in the next rehearsal to try and bring them up to confident performance standard.
See you then,
Alison
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Hi everyone,
The workshop day on Sunday 22nd October will have three parts, with the overall aim of improving performance and arranging skills and preparing for our upcoming performances:
1) Playing by ear – this time the focus will be tips and tricks to help you start playing our existing repertoire without using the sheet music. Please bring: Clog Branle, Here We Come A-Wassailing, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, Spirit Of The Dance.
2) Small group arrangements (probably 4-5 people in each group). Please bring the ‘Christmas Carol medley’ for this, although your group can choose a non-festive tune if you prefer.
3) New whole band arrangements for the winter season. Please print NEW tunes ‘The Sheep In The Snow’ and ‘Winter’s Night Schottische’, and also bring ‘Our Captain Calls All Hands’ (which we briefly started in August).
See you there!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Thanks for working so hard in rehearsal yesterday, particularly for your new arrangements of Clog Branle and Hogmanay Jig (created in small groups)!
I have updated the website with the new arrangements and recordings.
~ Sussex Carol – new arrangement, new recording
~ Clog Branle – new arrangement, new recording
~ Hogmanay Jig – new arrangement, new recording
~ Old Foster While Shepherds Watched – new arrangement, new recording
~ Here We Come A-Wassailing – nothing new – there is already an arrangement and recording from last year
In addition, please add these dynamics for Old Foster to your music:
Bar 1 – loud
Bar 9 – quiet
Bar 17 – loud
Bar 34 – quiet
Bar 39 – loud
Please update your music with the new arrangements if you couldn’t attend the rehearsal. I also recommend practising some of these sets – Old Fosters and Hogmanay Jig in particular because some of the notes are very fast!
Thanks,
Alison
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Quick update! The parts for Clog Branle (‘brawl’) are now on the Sheet Music page – please print for Sunday’s rehearsal.
Thanks,
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Here’s the rehearsal list for 8th October. You can find festive repertoire at the bottom of the Sheet Music page, so look there for anything you can’t find in the main list!
~ Carl Wark
~ Corn Riggs
~ Our Captain Calls All Hands
~ Recruiting Officer
~ Here We Come A-Wassailing
~ Hogmanay Jig
~ O Little Town Of Bethlehem
~ NEW: Old Foster tune of While Shepherds Watched – this is a new version for our collaboration with Bristol Harmony on 10th December
~ Sussex Carol
~ NEW: While Shepherds Watched/Ilkley Moor – we have played this before BUT you’ll need to print it again because I’ve just transposed it into a singable key (it’s now in A)
Please watch this space, I’m hoping to add another brand new piece to this list next week (once I’ve finished creating the sheet music!) – rest assured it’s quite an easy one.
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Here’s what we played in rehearsal today! We created and tweaked arrangements, thinking about giving the music shape and dynamics, and we did some good rehearsal of newer and trickier pieces. Well done!
1) Brown Velvet Waltz – no changes
2) Carl Wark – small changes to the arrangement, and a new recording – I hadn’t heard this one before, and it sounds gorgeous!
3) Corn Riggs – now has an arrangement, and a recording (although the last time we played this in the rehearsal didn’t record correctly, so this is an earlier attempt with a slightly different arrangement)
4) Drive The Cold Winter Away – no changes
5) Drunken Sailor – small change to the arrangement (chords and basses 3rd & 4th time), even smaller change to the lyrics (scupperS!), and a new recording – this is on the set list for Saturday so please have a practise if you’re playing at the Monk Road gig
6) Spirit Of The Dance – no changes
7) Sweet Bells – no changes, but please check the arrangement sheet because we did change it last winter – don’t worry, we’ll rehearse this again before it is performed!
We also finished the break more promptly than usual, allowing for more time for detailed rehearsal in the second half – thank you!
Enjoy the street parties, and I’ll see you next month,
Alison
PS. any wind and boxes playing at Monk Road will need to have a look at the set list in advance to see the changes I suggest (adapting arrangements for a lineup with no fiddles) – this can be found on the News page. But whatever you play, play it with confidence and it’ll sound great 🙂
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If you see this before tomorrow’s rehearsal – please bring ‘Spirit Of The Dance’ with you too! Spread the word, etc.
Alison
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Hi all,
Here’s the rehearsal list for 3rd September:
~ Brown Velvet Waltz
~ Carl Wark – Bb and Flute parts now added to the Sheet Music page
~ Corn Riggs
~ Drive The Cold Winter Away
~ Drunken Sailor – arrangement and lyrics now on the Sheet Music page
~ Hogmanay Jig
~ Our Captain Calls All Hands
~ Sweet Bells
~ Washing Day
Some of these pieces are in the Christmas Folder, which is now located at the bottom of the Sheet Music page.
There’s a possibility I might add a couple of pieces to this list next week, so please watch this space.
Alison
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Sorry if you’ve had issues accessing the Sweet Bells music – no idea why the link changed but I’ve fixed it now 🙂
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Hi everyone,
Here’s what we played at the rehearsal on 20th August. We did some good practising of tricky bits!
~ Abbots Bromley
~ Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine
~ Highland Lad
~ Peacock/Sourdough
~ The Tide Coming In
~ NEW: Drunken Sailor – there’s now an arrangement and a lyrics sheet (see the Sheet Music page)
~ NEW: Corn Riggs – we played it through, it sounded great, we don’t have an arrangement yet
~ NEW: Our Captain Calls All Hands – we played it through, the counting was quite tricky but it definitely improved as we practised it, we don’t have an arrangement yet
I’ll share the rehearsal list for 3rd September in a separate post. See you then!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Here’s the rehearsal list for 20th August, posted nice and early as I’ve got a busy few weeks coming up.
~ NEW: Corn Riggs
~ NEW: Our Captain Calls All Hands (song)
~ NEW: Drunken Sailor (song) – hopefully a good one for improvising and for audience participation
~ Abbots Bromley Horn Dance
~ Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine
~ Brown Velvet Waltz
~ Highland Lad
~ Peacock/Sourdough
~ The Tide Coming In
~ Washing Day
You can find your parts for the new sets on the Sheet Music page.
If you’re playing at Trendlewood on 26th August please keep an eye on the website for the set list, which should be posted soon so that you have time to practise.
See you then!
Alison
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Hi all,
Quite a challenging rehearsal on Sunday with several arrangements we’re less familiar with, so well done for your hard work! Here’s what we played:
1) Brown Velvet Waltz – there are a few tweaks to the arrangement so please check the new arrangement sheet, and there’s now a recording for you to play along to.
2) Highland Lad – small changes to the wind arrangement, and please check you know the ending. There’s a new recording.
3) Peacock Follow The Hen / Sourdough Slip Jig – no changes, but please check the arrangement sheet and the two recordings if you’re unsure of how the arrangement goes.
4) Rising Of The Lark – a tricky one, but we got there! We’ve changed the arrangement slightly, and there’s a new recording. We’re unlikely to play this one again this year, but well done for working so hard on it on Sunday!
5) Sailor’s Hornpipe – I’ve made a small tweak to the arrangement sheet (to include the speed, intro and ending) so it’s worth checking you have this info on your music, and there’s now a recording.
6) Wet Weather – I’ve updated the arrangement sheet to include the intro and ending but nothing actually changed. There’s now a recording.
Well done, see you in August!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Here’s the rehearsal list for 23rd July:
~ Abbots Bromley Horn Dance (2022 version)
~ Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine (*new June 2023 version*)
~ Brown Velvet Waltz
~ Highland Lad
~ Peacock Follow The Hen (2023 version)
~ Rising Of The Lark
~ Sailors Hornpipe
~ Up In The Morning Early
~ Wet Weather
There are some tricky arrangements in this list, but we’ll practise them together.
See you next week!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
Here’s a quick update on what we did in yesterday’s fantastic rehearsal!
1) Opera Hat – new recording, no changes
2) Let Union Be – new recording, and a new arrangement sheet (your part might not have changed but please check!)
3) Washing Day – new recording, and some minor tweaks to the arrangement sheet – a change in who counts in, a new ending (short last note), and a reminder of that crotchet rest at the end of Part 4.
4) Long Ashton Schottische – new recording, no changes
5) Blaydon Races – new recording, no changes (but remember the short last note!)
6) Fred Pidgeon’s Triumph – new recording, and a new arrangement sheet (your part might not have changed but please check!)
7) Spirit Of The Dance – new recording, faster speed, and much shorter detached notes (please have a listen to the recording) (and remember the short last note!)
8) Rogue’s March – no changes
9) Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine – new recording (but missing the beginning) and a NEW SCORE (sorry!) – I have just edited it to replace the minims with crotchets like we tried in the rehearsal, but I also did a few other tweaks in the process so you’ll need to reprint unless you only play the tune or the chords. This one is NOT on the setlist for the upcoming gigs.
I hope this week’s gigs go well, and I’ll see you in July!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
I hope you’re enjoying the hot weather! Here’s the rehearsal list for 25th June:
~ Washing Day
~ Spirit Of The Dance
~ Fred Pidgeon’s Triumph
~ Long Ashton Schottische
~ Let Union Be
~ Blaydon Races
~ Rogue’s March
~ Opera Hat
~ Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine
See you then!
Alison
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Hi everyone,
This is my ‘long list’ of suggested repertoire for the next couple of months. You can use it to guide your practise, and it will also be used by various gig leaders to decide a set list for upcoming performances. Some of these will probably benefit from a play through with me in the June rehearsal so they’re labelled as ? for now.
Alison
**
Songs with the band:
Be Gone Dull Care
Padstow May Day Song
?Let Union Be
Jigs:
New Rigged Ship
New Royal Quickstep
Opera Hat
The Recruiting Officer
Rogue’s March
Spirit Of The Dance
Sweets Of May
?Blaydon Races
Slip Jigs:
Fairy Prince
Peacock/Sourdough
Polkas:
29th Of May
All In A Garden Green
Banbury Bill
Saltash
St Keverne’s Feast
?Rising Of The Lark
?Helston & Portsmouth
Reels:
The Tide Coming In
Fairy Dance/Devil Among The Tailors
?Sailor’s Hornpipe
Hornpipe:
?Washing Day
Slow Ones:
William Winter’s Waltz
Brown Velvet Waltz
Long Ashton Schottische
The Man In The Moon
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Hi everyone,
Well done for your fantastic playing in rehearsal yesterday! For those that missed it, we sat in a more gig-like shape, to get more used to this in a relaxed environment. I also handed over arranging powers to the band! In smaller groups you devised new arrangements of 3 old sets, and I very much enjoyed hearing the results of your efforts when we played them through. Some of these are still works in progress and we’ll come back to them later in the summer. I hope you all learned something from this exercise, and that you enjoyed having creative freedom!
We played:
1) Peacock Follow The Hen/Sourdough – lovely! Keep practising and you’ll feel more confident with the notes.
2) Saltash – we just changed the introduction (now 4 bars of chords). Arrangement sheet and recording updated.
3) William Winter Waltz – lovely! There’s now a recording of this.
4) Blaydon Races – new arrangement sheet and new recording. 5 times through.
5) Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine – new arrangement sheet and new recording.
6) Highland Lad – new arrangement sheet and new recording. I recommend you relabel the confusing rests – many of them look like whole bar rests but are actually quaver rests during an upbeat from the tune.
I have also sped up the recording of 29th Of May, as I think we can manage a brisker tempo these days.
I’ll soon be sharing a long list of suggested tunes to practise for the upcoming performances, so please watch this space.
See you next month!
Alison
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