The Clyde - a hornpipe

  1. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    This tune came to me from my good friend Jean-Ann Callender, a very fine fiddle player and teacher. It was composed by accordionist Jimmy Blair, who passed away in 1981.

    My version here is on octave, mandolin and guitar. I recorded (via REAPER) the tune played through twice on octave then added the guitar backing. I then recorded the mandolin track while listening to the first two tracks on my headphones and added in a second mandolin track with chords. From the four tracks I then just deleted the parts I did not want to get a suitable mix. The guitar is panned 45% left and the mandolin chords 35% right. Only the guitar track is played all the way through the tune.

    Pictures are based on the Firth of Clyde around home, firstly the West Bay in Dunoon on a day last week of heavy swell, then shots of the cruise ship Hebridean Princess anchored in The Holy Loch just down from my home. She comes in here fairly regularly on her cruises.

    If you are reading this, Bertram, she was formerly the Caledonian MacBrayne passenger and car ferry RMS Columba operating out of Oban.

  2. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    Nice and jaunty, some high notes bright and clear. I enjoyed this very much, John. The pictures made me feel a little chilly as we just got in from our morning walk and it's cold and the snow on the ground has turned to ice. We didn't last too long.
  3. Pierpaolo S.
    Pierpaolo S.
    Very good as usual. And hornpipes always bring me joy.
  4. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    Jaunty like Ginny said, and especially light, other than the heavy "Stormy Monday" Clyde pictures

    Thanks for the CalMac hint, John - how did I win this fame of being a ferryspotter?
  5. Frithjof
    Frithjof
    Your recording sounds indeed especially happy, John.
  6. Frankdolin
    Frankdolin
    Another fun tune John! I do feel a happy dance coming, but that would be comical.
  7. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Thanks, all. It really is a tune that just caught my imagination the first time I heard it played by Jean-Ann.

    I got the tune then decided to get some photos together to put with it and had to keep an eye on our weather here which has been very changeable during November so far.

    Bertram, who else outside the west coast of Scotland would have known about the Colintraive/Rubodach ferry? This makes you a ferry-spotter of the first order in my book.
  8. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    A nice hornpipe with the triplets played spot on.
  9. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Thanks, Christian. Hornpipes are fun to play.
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