Tønder....The Eternal Friendship (Phil Cunningham)

  1. David Hansen
    David Hansen
    In olden days I saved all my recording files on CDs, lately I have been transferring old audio files from CDs to a backup hard drive for storage. I came across a recording of this tune from 2002 that I hadn't remembered making and I liked it. So I rerecorded the sketchy bits and removed the synthesizer and drum tracks, added mandolin and octave mandolin and voilà, it sounds better now. Written by Phil Cunningham for The Tønder Festival in Denmark. This one's for Ginny.

  2. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    I'm fond of synthesizers, so I might have enjoyed the original version, too. But this is indeed very good. I love the melody and the pictures of Tønder Festival atmosphere.
  3. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    This is one of Phil's great compositions that I was not familiar with, David. Your interpretation here is really very fine and thanks for posting this one.
  4. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    Good-tempered and slightly Scandinavian, full of hope.
    Listening to this on headphones I know what it's like to sit inside a concertina
  5. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Thanks for posting this David, from time to time it’s nice to hear the strings in accompaniment role.
  6. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison


    Thank you, David. There are a few guest appearances in my version, one I did quite a while ago. I'm not even sure I knew it was Phil Cunningham. I had learned it from our one local Celtic band here in town and it has my daughter Bethany playing flute. My favourite pictures are two - the first being my daughter welcoming her new pony at age 6 with a bunch of carrots with the next picture of her and the pony at age 24 year - she and the pony were the same age. Also I'm the one (with my little brother) washing the dog in the wheelbarrow.
    I like your version, David. I don't think I ever heard the original, so your is very nice to listen to.
  7. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    Two very nice versions of this Phil Cunningham tune!
  8. JLewis
    JLewis
    Two lovely versions that make me want to learn this one. I found dots and abc at Folk Tune Finder, one of my favorite music resources.

    X: 1
    T: Tonder... The Eternal Friendship
    M: 4/4
    L: 1/8
    R: reel
    K: Amaj
    |:EF G3 A3|EA B d3 c2| ae f2 dc B2| A2 c3 B3|
    EF G3 A3|EA B d3 c2|a2 e f3 dc |1 B2 A2 B4:|2 B2 A2 A4||
    |ae f2 dc B2|G E2 d2 c3|ae f2 dc B2|A2 c4 B2|
    ae f2 dc B2|G2 E2 d2 c2| AG F3 E FG |A c3 B4|
    ae f2 dc B2|G2 E2 d2 c2|ae f2 dc B2|A2 c4 B2|
    EF G3 A3|EA B2 d2 c2|a3 e f2 dc|B2 A2 A4|
  9. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Here is a link to a YouTube video of Natalie MacMaster playing this tune. I think her fiddle version really captures the flavour of Phil's original. There is an annoying ad at the start of the video for about 55 seconds!

    Ginny, I especially like the picture towards the end of your posting which I believe is you and your dad when you were visiting him. Lovely moment captured.

    https://youtu.be/r0RF4nCIfEU

  10. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    Thanks John, CC and JL. I find it amazing that I went from brunette to blond as I aged.
  11. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    That flute adds life to the tune, Ginny. We all should not forget to add guest instruments to our recordings every now and then.
    The padlock picture reminds me of a bridge in Cologne, Germany, near the cathedral:
  12. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Lovely playing there Ginny and the flute sounds good too. I always like the care you put into the graphics and production of your vids.
  13. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    Thank you Bertram and Simon. I like those bridges with the padlocks - but I hear they are being taken down because they weigh so much. I hope they put them back up and people can start all over again.
  14. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    Two great videos – each with its own charm. Thanks David and Ginny.
  15. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    After listening to David's and Ginny's versions, I just wanted to have a go at this great tune. I transposed it to G (for some fiddle-playing friends, Chris, Liz and Charlie) and because I thought it sounded better on the mando in this key) and added in a harmony part I wrote. Instruments are mandolin and octave and they share the melody and harmony, alternating throughout and coming together at the close. No guitar and no chordal track this time round - though of course the harmony creates the chords!

    I recorded the parts as four separate tracks, harmony and melody for mando and the same for octave, playing twice through the parts, then in REAPER I did a cut-and-paste job removing the parts I did not want as I went through the tune. I hope it has worked.

    Big thanks to David for reminding me about this tune.

  16. David Hansen
    David Hansen
    Well played John, I am impressed with your ability to write and perform harmony parts, something that completely eludes me. I learned this tune from Natalie MacMaster's version and I hadn't heard Phil's version until last week.
  17. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    That's a nice harmony part. Good idea! It is such a nice tune, and all three performances on this page treat it with care and respect.
  18. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    Thanks, John, for this beautiful and very peaceful video. The harmony part sounds great.
  19. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    That's a baroque masterpiece, John, and I can see G. F. Händel lurking in the shadows, pale with envy We should call it "Kelly's Koncerto"
  20. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Great harmonies and gentle images John.
  21. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Thanks, all. I have been in comtemplative mood over the past few days as far as my choices of tunes goes, working on slower material, and have in fact just posted another slow air by Ivan Drever - Leaving Stoer. Maybe it's a weather thing?
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