Jock's

I'm gearing myself up for another challenge month, probably January, although there are changes at work and while I've no idea what the impact will be I am hoping it will leave me some time and energy for the important things in life.

Where there is a challenge there needs to be new tunes. It helps to have new tunes to give variety to daily playing, and daily playing is the best way to learn new tunes. Much as I regret the trail of abandoned tunes (Kilbowie Cottage has died a death....) I seem to leave in my wake it seems to work best if I try a handful of new tunes, so that I find at least one I can stick with.

I dug out A Jock Tamson's Bairns earlier this week - the double CD that combines their eponymous album with The Lasses Fashion - and was instantly reminded what a good band they were, and what great tunes they selected. Thanks to the wonderful Ceol Sean site I have dots for Hills of Perth, Peter Mackinnon of Skeabost (which I also know from the playing of Iain MacInnes), The Skyeman's Jig and Arthur Bignold Esq of Lochresque. 

I tried out Perth and Peter yesterday. Peter is going to take some work, Perth, which I am sure in the past I have failed to find and then failed to play, came on quite nicely yesterday, first and second parts, at least. It has one of those tricky drops to low G - well, the drop isn't difficult, it's getting up again cleanly and in a dignified manner that's the real challenge. In the end I was defeated by kinks in the tubing. It's definitely time to shave a bit off and try a shorter piece for size.

I wanted to throw Mrs MacDougall into the mix, but ended up with too much choice: Ceol Sean offers a Mrs MacDougall and a Mrs McDougall, a reel, a march by D McDougall and another by Archibald Campbell. The notes, which are the weakest point of this otherwise excellent CD are no help, and as I can't tell what the tune will sound like from the dots I need to potentially print out and try 8 tunes, or pass. I think I'll be passing...