Rehearsal Plans

See posts below for music to be played at the next rehearsal:

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  1. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    December 7, 2025 at 9:58 pm

    Hi everyone,

    A lovely festive rehearsal today, preparing for the upcoming Southmead performance! Here’s what we played today, plus a few last-minute notes to help you:

    All Around My Hat – no change – Heather M will count in.

    Carl Wark – no change, but please remember the dynamics, swelling to a loud 3rd time then getting softer towards the end. Mike to play the recorder solo, Heather M is recorder deputy if needed.

    Deck The Halls – no change but please listen to the new recording before Friday to make sure you remember 1) don’t play it too fast, and 2) there’s a 2 bar interlude between each verse. Heather M will count in.

    Hogmanay Jig – just for Southmead the intro will be the last 4 bars from the basses AND the chords. Lyn will count in.

    Opera Hat – please remember more dynamic contrast between the 3rd time (play quietly, chords do fingerpicking, and NO basses) and 4th time (everyone, playing loudly). I’ve updated the arrangement sheet.

    While Shepherds Watched (Ilkley Moor) – the A major version!! New simple arrangement (3 times through) and a new recording. Flutes and basses: I’ve just uploaded a new score for you with all your notes written an octave higher – please play it through before Friday!

    The singers will stand at the side, behind the fiddles. In Deck The Halls, I recommend tapping the speed to show Heather M before she counts the boxes in.

    We also played Hark Shepherds and The Christmas Box today – these will NOT be played on Friday. There’s a new recording of both though. We’ll develop them more next year in preparation for our December 2026 St Stephen’s concert.

    Happy Christmas!

    Alison

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  2. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    November 28, 2025 at 4:29 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Congratulations on another wonderful performance last week!

    On 7th December we’ll be practising for the Southmead Buskathon and also playing a few extra festive tunes just for fun. Christmas jumpers and sparkles encouraged!

    • Carl Wark
    • Hogmanay Jig
    • Hark, Shepherds
    • While Shepherds Watched (Ilkley Moor)
    • All Around My Hat
    • Deck The Halls
    • Opera Hat
    • NEW: The Christmas Box
    • We Wish You A Merry Christmas
    • Gloucestershire Wassail

    (The last 3 aren’t on the Southmead list.)

    See you then!

    Alison

    PS. If you’re keen to practise at home, the rest of the likely set list for Southmead is as follows:

    • Rogue’s March
    • Spirit of the Dance
    • New Rigged Ship
    • Trumpet Hornpipe
    • Bonfire Tune
    • Long Ashton Schottische

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  3. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    November 17, 2025 at 4:50 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Fantastic playing yesterday! We went through everything for the concert on Thursday:

    • All Around My Hat
    • Bonfire Tune
    • Cider and Perry 
    • Clog Branle
    • Da Smugglers
    • Deck The Halls (arrangement change – please check the new arrangement sheet if you’re unsure) – this will be played FOUR times through
    • Drive the Cold Winter Away
    • New Rigged Ship (minor arrangement change – light basses play on 3rd time)
    • Parson’s Farewell 
    • Rogue’s March
    • Trumpet Hornpipe
    • Washing Day
    • William Winter’s Waltz
    • Winter’s Night Schottische

    Please look out for Liz’s updated set list with the updated intros and count ins. It’s all sounding great – see you there!

    Alison

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  4. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    November 11, 2025 at 12:42 pm

    Hi all,

    Here’s the rehearsal list for this Sunday (16th November). I’m hoping we can go through everything in preparation for the concert on the 20th. Please remind yourselves of the trickier pieces in advance if possible (I suggest these might be Da Smugglers, Winter’s Night Schottische, and Cider and Perry). And don’t forget you have the option to reprint Clog Branle to navigate round the arrangement more easily.

    • All Around My Hat
    • Bonfire Tune
    • Cider and Perry 
    • Clog Branle
    • Da Smugglers
    • Deck The Halls
    • Drive the Cold Winter Away
    • It’s Time To Go Now (song)
    • New Rigged Ship
    • Parson’s Farewell 
    • Rogue’s March
    • Trumpet Hornpipe
    • Washing Day
    • William Winter’s Waltz
    • Winter’s Night Schottische

    See you on Sunday!

    Alison

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  5. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    October 24, 2025 at 2:19 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Here’s the likely list of tunes for the Pill gig in November, in case anyone fancies practising over the next few weeks:

    • All Around My Hat
    • Bonfire Tune
    • Cider and Perry 
    • Clog Branle
    • Curly Headed Ploughboy
    • Da Smugglers
    • Deck The Halls
    • Devil Among The Tailors – 16 bars
    • Drive the Cold Winter Away
    • It’s Time To Go Now (song)
    • Long Ashton Schottische 
    • New Rigged Ship
    • Parson’s Farewell 
    • Rogue’s March
    • Trumpet Hornpipe
    • Washing Day
    • William Winter’s Waltz
    • Winter’s Night Schottische

    Alison

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  6. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    October 20, 2025 at 9:15 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Thanks for working so hard in yesterday’s rehearsal! Here’s what we played:

    • All Around My Hat – we had a recap of the arrangement and some of the lyric placement – please check the new arrangement sheet I created in August if you’re still unsure when you should be playing and when you should be singing. (Also, band members please remember that you don’t have to be a confident singer – just an enthusiastic one. We need your energy and volume!)
    • Bonfire Tune – lovely
    • Clog Branle – beware, it’s fast! One struggle has always been navigating between different parts, so I have created a ‘written out’ score for fiddles, wind and boxes – please download this from the Sheet Music page if you want to.
    • Drive The Cold Winter Away – lovely – please mark dynamics into your score – it gets louder and louder in the 2nd and 3rd time, then quieter again in the 4th time.
    • Sheep Under The Snow – lovely
    • Winter’s Night Schottische – it’s a tricky one! Please practise at home if possible to familiarise yourselves with both the notes and the arrangement, which rattles quite quickly through various different textures and gives most sections of the band a very exposed solo! Fiddles, I’ve written your part out to make the transition between the tune and the harmony easier – it’s on the Sheet Music page if you want it.

    Wind players: you had quite a few tune solos today, and as there are so few of you I recommend extra practice of Winter’s Night Schottische, Drive The Cold Winter Away and Sheep Under The Snow so that you can play these confidently and aren’t worrying about them!

    See you next month,

    Alison

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  7. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    October 12, 2025 at 11:45 am

    Hi everyone,

    Here’s the plan for our rehearsal on Sunday 19th October at PILL MEMORIAL HALL:

    • Bonfire Tune
    • Clog Bransle
    • Drive the Cold Winter Away
    • Sheep Under The Snow
    • Winter’s Night Schottische
    • All Around My Hat
    • Deck the Halls
    • Good King Wenceslas
    • Sweet Bells

    And I’m sure the steerers would like me to remind you to read the AGM documents before then too – the AGM will take place during the break.

    Edited on 13/10/25 to add: We will also be trying out a new seating plan! You can take a look at a diagram on the Rehearsal Preparations page here to acclimatise yourselves. All positions shown are approximate – let the chaos begin!

    See you on the 19th,

    Alison

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  8. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    September 21, 2025 at 10:59 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Thank you for another lovely rehearsal. We played loads of music and it’s all sounding better and better!

    Curly Headed Ploughboy: basses please have a go at home and decide if you need to skip any notes you realistically can’t play this fast – I’d rather you played more confidently but fewer notes if you need to.

    Cyder and Perry: don’t be scared of this one, it sounds lovely

    Da Smugglers: worth an extra play through at home to really get it clear in your mind! Arrangement change for chords and basses 3rd time (please check the relevant Sheet Music page for details)

    New Rigged Ship: fab

    Oats and Beans: arrangement change for basses 3rd time (please check the relevant Sheet Music page for details)

    Parson’s Farewell: fab, and I’m excited that this one is soon to be played in public! Please practice it at home if it still feels a bit ‘new’ to you.

    Stingo: a really lively, rhythmic chord intro please!

    Thrashing of the Oats: fab, but perhaps a little slow today so please keep the speed up

    Washing Day: new recording, and I’ve clarified the count in on the arrangement sheet. Please beware the last bar of page 2: it has a short first note (shorter than written), one beat’s silence, then the triplet run up on beats 3 and 4.

    Have a wonderful gig at Portishead Seniors and I’ll see you at the October rehearsal (at PILL MEMORIAL HALL!)

    Alison

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  9. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    September 7, 2025 at 2:30 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Here’s the rehearsal list for the rehearsal on 21st September, which will be focused primarily on preparing for our upcoming performance in Portishead:

    • Butchers Of Bristol
    • Curly Headed Ploughboy
    • Cyder and Perry
    • Da Smugglers
    • It’s Time To Go Now
    • Long Odds
    • New Rigged Ship
    • Oats and Beans
    • Parson’s Farewell
    • Stingo
    • Thrashing of the Oats
    • Washing Day
    • William Winter’s Waltz

    See you there!

    Alison

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  10. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    August 18, 2025 at 9:02 pm

    Hello!

    Here’s what we played in yesterday’s rehearsal – there was some recapping from the last couple of months and some final prep for Trendlewood.

    • All Around My Hat – there was far less confusion over the arrangement this time around, so well done everyone! We have tidied up word placement in the lyrics so please listen to the new recording to remind yourselves of this.
    • Butchers Of Bristol
    • Helston Furry Dance – played a bit of it, with dancers. It will be played 3 times through at Trendlewood as normal.
    • It’s Time To Go Now – a couple of changes to the words and rhythm. I have updated the sheet music – you can find this on the Sheet Music page of the website but scroll down to the Singers Folder section. There is a recording on the website.
    • Long Odds – we have a tentative arrangement, but it will need more practice and possibly a few tweaks before we perform it. Don’t panic yet! There’s a recording from yesterday, plus a recording of the harmony line and bassline on their own to help you with the syncopation.
    • Sailor’s Hornpipe
    • Sussex Cotillion – lovely! This one is performance ready now.
    • Trumpet Hornpipe – lovely! And also performance ready.
    • William Winter’s Waltz – surprisingly tricky! We did some good practise of the rhythm and quaver lines. At Trendlewood, please could all boxes play the tune throughout the third time through. There are also a couple of notes worth checking in the Quaver line: on the new score (i.e. all lines written into one score, NOT Laurel’s original music with the all caps handwriting font) bar 21 has a typo (the D should be an E), and BOTH the old and the new scores have a typo in bar 27 (the C should be a B). Please check your music against the new score on the website if you’re unsure! You might find it easiest to reprint it.

    Note for Helston dancers for Trendlewood:

    • Lyn and Heather will lead (starting close to the band – and preferably scoping out a suitable route to take beforehand!)
    • Men stand on the left in each pair
    • A music: travelling forwards, 3 steps and a pause, x8
    • Try to start with the left foot, i.e. LRL, RLR, LRL, RLR, LRL, RLR, LRL, RLR
    • B music: two hand turn with your partner, to the left (same footwork x4) – there should be time for 1 full rotation – then a two hand turn back the other way (same footwork x4)
    • Dance this 6 times in total (and listen out for the band slowing down at the very end)

    I hope that’s all clear! Good luck this weekend and I’ll see you in September.

    Alison

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  11. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    July 27, 2025 at 9:05 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Here’s the rehearsal list for 17th August:

    • All Around My Hat
    • Butchers Of Bristol
    • Da Smugglers
    • Helston Furry Dance
    • It’s Time To Go Now (song)
    • Long Odds
    • Parson’s Farewell
    • Sailor’s Hornpipe
    • Sussex Cotillion
    • Trumpet Hornpipe
    • Washing Day
    • William Winter’s Waltz / Untitled / WW96

    See you next month!

    Alison

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  12. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    July 27, 2025 at 8:58 pm

    Hello,

    Amazing playing last Sunday (20th July) everyone! I could hear big improvements in the sets as we worked on them. Here’s what we played:

    1. All Around My Hat: there was some confusion about the arrangement so I have created an arrangement document in the normal format. I hope this will make everything much clearer! Please use this to label your music if you haven’t already done so. (Also, the singers are going to consider how the words fit the tune in their next rehearsal!)
    2. Curly-Headed Ploughboy
    3. Da Smugglers
    4. Parson’s Farewell: there’s a new recording as we can now play it slightly brisker and better!
    5. Sussex Cotillion: there’s now an arrangement (which you can always find on the Sheet Music page for each tune) and a new recording
    6. Trumpet Hornpipe: there’s now an arrangement and a new recording
    7. Washing Day
    8. It’s Time To Go Now (a capella song): just a quick sing through – the singers will recap in their next rehearsal and we’ll try it properly next month. We’re aiming to be able to sing this all together, possibly as a finale or encore occasionally.

    The eagle-eyed among you will notice there are now two playlists for recordings – we have so much repertoire that we filled up the first Soundcloud account and I had to make a second one! All recordings can be found on the Rehearsal Recordings page.

    Alison

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  13. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    July 9, 2025 at 9:17 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Here’s the rehearsal list for 20th July:

    • All Around My Hat
    • Curly Headed Ploughboy
    • Da Smugglers
    • Long Odds – recordings of the tricky Harmony and Bass parts can be found on the Long Odds sheet music page
    • Parson’s Farewell
    • Sussex Cotillion
    • Thrashing Of The Oats
    • Trumpet Hornpipe – NEW!
    • Washing Day
    • It’s Time To Go Now (song) – NEW! It would be nice if band members could join in so we’ll give it a go.

    See you on the 20th!

    Alison

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  14. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    June 7, 2025 at 12:16 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Here’s what we played in rehearsal last Sunday. The main goal was to build confidence in a few sets we’ve not played recently.

    • Abbots Bromley Horn Dance
    • Carl Wark – small arrangement change – 4B basses stop
    • Cyder & Perry
    • Cuckoo’s Nest
    • Fred Pigeon’s March
    • Haste To The Wedding
    • Opera Hat
    • Portsmouth – same arrangement as when we play it with Helston (i.e. boxes intro, 3 times through, slow down at the end)

    We also played two new ones, which don’t have arrangements yet (but we did gather some ideas):

    • Long Odds
    • Sussex Cotillion

    There’s a new recording of Portsmouth (on its own) on the Recordings page, a new recording of Sussex Cotillion (final arrangement tbc) hidden away in its Sheet Music page, and I’ll add a solo fiddle recording of the tricky bassline of Long Odds very soon (watch this space!).

    See you in July!

    Alison

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  15. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    May 27, 2025 at 5:03 pm

    Hi all,

    Here’s the rehearsal list for 1st June:

    • Abbots Bromley Horn Dance
    • Carl Wark
    • Cider and Perry
    • Cuckoo’s Nest
    • Fred Pigeon’s Triumph
    • Haste to the Wedding
    • Long Odds – NEW
    • Opera Hat
    • Portsmouth
    • Sussex Cotillion – NEW
    • Washing Day

    Sheet music for all of these, including the two new ones, can be found on the sheet music page as always. Please remember to check your music is labelled with the current arrangements of these tunes.

    See you on Sunday!

    Alison

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  16. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    May 19, 2025 at 8:50 am

    Hi everyone,

    Well done on another brilliant performance at St Stephen’s! It seems unnecessary to share the rehearsal list from 11th May now, as we were just rehearsing for the concert so we made no changes, but in the spirit of thoroughness, we played:

    • 29th May – basses please let me know if you’d like me to provide sheet music of your bass and melody lines in particular clefs, for future use
    • All In A Garden Green
    • Banbury Bill
    • Bath Carnival
    • Cuckoo’s Nest
    • Helston Furry Dance
    • The Honney Moon
    • Let Union Be
    • Rogue’s March
    • The Tide Coming In

    I will share the full rehearsal list for 1st June next week, but it is likely to include:

    • Abbots Bromley Horn Dance
    • Carl Wark
    • Cider and Perry
    • Cuckoo’s Nest
    • Fred Pigeon’s Triumph
    • Haste to the Wedding
    • Opera Hat
    • Portsmouth
    • And a couple of new ones!

    Alison

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  17. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    April 29, 2025 at 1:08 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Here’s the rehearsal list for Sunday 11th May. We’ll be preparing for our concert at St Stephen’s the next day (but you’re still welcome to attend even if you’re not doing the concert).

    • Helston Furry Dance
    • Rogues March
    • Parson’s Farewell
    • All in a Garden Green
    • Cuckoo’s Nest
    • Bath Carnival
    • 29th May
    • Banbury Bill
    • Soldiers Joy
    • The Honney Moon
    • Bath Carnival
    • Lovely Mellow Tipsiness
    • The Tide Coming In
    • Let Union Be

    See you there! (Or at Bristol Folk Festival this Sunday!)

    Alison

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  18. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    April 26, 2025 at 9:26 am

    Hi everyone,

    If you’re attending the dance workshop at Pill tomorrow afternoon, it would be helpful if musicians could bring the music for:

    ~ Lovely Mellow Tipsiness

    ~ The Man In The Moon

    ~ Enrico

    ~ Helston Furry Dance

    ~ 29th May

    ~ Bath Carnival

    Thanks, see you there!

    Alison

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  19. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    April 8, 2025 at 3:23 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Thanks for all your hard work in rehearsal on Sunday! We rehearsed everything on the set list for Bristol Folk Festival, plus a couple of extra pieces in preparation for St Stephens.

    • Rogue’s March – it was decided that recorder players will be vigilant about which other players are present so that the tune is always covered
    • Enrico – remember the first time through starts with fewer players, with more joining in on the B part
    • Devil Among The Tailors – x4 so please make sure you have the correct arrangement marked clearly on your music. And I have sped up the recording to give you something more challenging to practise to! I recommend everyone practises this one, especially boxes who play the 2 bar intro. Remember, there’s a (slightly) simplified version of the tune available to print if you want it.
    • Long Ashton Schottische – small arrangement tweak for chords and basses
    • Butchers Of Bristol – small arrangement tweak for chord players, and everyone should play loudly the last time through. Basses, I recommend printing the additional sheet music for the long notes (2nd time through) so that you don’t have to memorise them.
    • The Tide Coming In – always tricky, if in doubt please check your music against the recording and practise it!
    • Lovely Mellow Tipsiness – small tweaks in dynamics for melody players
    • Let Union Be – Meg, you need to print this one! I have also written out the lyrics so that everyone can join in the singing during the verses.
    • Cuckoo’s Nest
    • Parson’s Farewell

    The set list for Bristol Folk Festival is the above excluding the last two. (Plus ‘Rosabella’ by the singers.)

    I look forward to seeing some of you at our dance exploration workshop on 27th April, otherwise at the folk festival on 4th May!

    Alison

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  20. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    March 28, 2025 at 7:31 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Here’s the rehearsal list for Sunday 6th April. This includes the full set for Bristol Folk Festival, most of which we played in March so some of them might just involve a quick blast through!

    • All In A Garden Green
    • Butchers Of Bristol
    • Cuckoo’s Nest
    • Devil Among The Tailors
    • Enrico*
    • Helston Furry Dance
    • Let Union Be
    • Long Ashton Schottische*
    • Lovely Mellow Tipsiness
    • Parson’s Farewell
    • Rogue’s March*
    • The Tide Coming In

    The eagle-eyed amongst you might have noticed the asterisked sets – these are tunes that some of you may feel comfortable playing without the music, so this is just a nudge from me to give it a go! No pressure, although I do love seeing your smiling faces during rehearsal when you’re brave enough to look up!

    See you next week,

    Alison

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  21. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    March 24, 2025 at 5:19 pm

    Hello!

    Here’s what we played in rehearsal on 16th March. Most things we already knew quite well, so we had time to work on playing them even better by working together as a united ensemble.

    • Banbury Bill – a couple of arrangement tweaks so please check the new arrangement sheet on the website
    • Bath Carnival
    • Enrico
    • Long Ashton Schottische – also a couple of arrangement tweaks. I’ve uploaded a new recording.
    • Lovely Mellow Tipsiness
    • Rogue’s March
    • Soldier’s Joy
    • The Sylph
    • Thrashing Of The Oats

    See you next month!

    Alison

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  22. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    March 2, 2025 at 8:58 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Here’s the rehearsal list for 16th March. As always, please make sure your music is labelled with the arrangement before the rehearsal. If you have any issues with printing the music you can get in touch with me or one of the committee and I’m sure we’ll be able to help.

    • Banbury Bill
    • Bath Carnival
    • Devil Among The Tailors
    • Enrico
    • Let Union Be
    • Long Ashton Schottische
    • Lovely Mellow Tipsiness
    • Rogue’s March
    • Soldier’s Joy
    • The Sylph
    • Thrashing Of The Oats

    See you in a couple of weeks!

    Alison

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  23. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    February 25, 2025 at 6:03 pm

    Hi everyone,

    Sorry for the delay – here’s what we played on 16th February:

    • 29th Of May
    • Butchers Of Bristol – new arrangement, new recording, and I’ve added the dots for the ‘long notes’ in the bass part if anyone is unsure
    • Cuckoo’s Nest
    • Devil Among The Tailors – new arrangement (for this tune played without Fairy Dance) and new recording
    • Helston Furry Dance – new recording (of this tune played without Portsmouth)
    • Parson’s Farewell – new recording (sounding great already!)
    • Soldier’s Joy –  new arrangement and new recording
    • Stingo – new recording, and I have added a Bb version of the ‘treble clef 2’ music
    • The Tide Coming In

    See you on 16th March!

    Alison

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  24. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    February 8, 2025 at 4:57 pm

    Hello! Here’s the rehearsal plan for 16th February:

    • Cuckoo’s Nest
    • The Tide Coming In
    • Parson’s Farewell
    • Butchers Of Bristol
    • Helston Furry Dance
    • Stingo
    • Devil Among The Tailors
    • 29th May
    • Soldier’s Joy (FYI I have uploaded a slightly simplified version in case anyone didn’t like the look of line 2)

    See you then!

    Alison

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  25. alisonrowley's avatar alisonrowley says:
    January 26, 2025 at 7:42 pm

    Great rehearsal today! Here’s what we played:

    ~ NEW Butchers Of Bristol – no arrangement yet (but I’ll use your ideas to create an arrangement to try out next month)
    ~ NEW Parson’s Farewell – new arrangement now uploaded (please check your music is labelled correctly)
    ~ All In A Garden Green – I have updated the arrangement sheet as it was out of date, but we didn’t change anything today
    ~ Cuckoo’s Nest
    ~ Haste To The Wedding
    ~ The Honney Moon
    ~ The Tide Coming In

    I have added recordings of the two new pieces.

    See you next time!

    Alison

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