None the wiser

After a bit of a break I'm back to listening to Seudan. It's odd, how it seems to have changed. Sets that seemed once to be endless tunes merged together are now clearly groupings of individual tunes. I can hear them clearly, work out how many parts each one has, identify ones I particularly like. I might have liked them before, but I am not sure I would have thought of trying to play them. I have tried Alick C McGregor, of course, and never quite got the hang of it.

I've picked out two from one set: All the Blue Bonnets are Over the Border and Rock and a Wee Pickle Tow. Dots for the first are in my Seaforth book, those for the second come from the Piper's Assistant, courtesy of the ever wonderful Coel Sean.

The Bonnets are coming on OK. I've spent two evenings working on the tune on my chanter, paying particular attention to gracing. I tried them out on pipes this evening and it went OK. I'm pleased at how quickly I am moving from first run through to something that sounds like playing a tune, and how quickly I start to remember bits.

The Pickle Tow turns out to be a total non-starter. It's one of those deceptive ones that has few bars, limited, and quite basic, gracing, straight forward note combinations. Nothing fancy at all...and yet I'm blowed if I can get even an approximation of what it sounds like on the CD. I was careful to pick a version marked as a jig - Ceol Sean has some march versions - but it's hopeless. Much, I suppose, will be down to timing, although as the tune is quite clear in my head that ought not to be a problem. I can't listen through while I read the dots as the CD is in the car for intensive listening and I can't be bothered to go out and get it, and You Tube isn't helping much.

I also have no idea what a pickle tow is. Google has offered me some lyrics and some dance instructions, but that's as far as it goes. The Gaelic name is Iain Caimbeul a'Bhanca, which is apparently John Campbell of the Bank, so that sheds no light at all on the matter. I'm clueless all round when it comes to this tune.