Simon wrote: "Many thanks Jess, very complete!
I got some of it by ear, will have to do some more playing along. Some of those triplets I wouldn’t have heard, and really nice to see the different variations. Got to get back to the vid too, I’ve almost forgotten that special concertina-type rhythm! Love it, thanks again!"
You're welcome! It was a fun project, and a catchy tune. I will probably try to record this but I'm going to have to practice it some. I suppose the tune needs its own thread so people can find it easier... seems that search engines prioritize page titles over page text. Maybe whoever records it first could make a new thread to continue the discussion? I believe the tune name is "No. 1 Stepdance" as heard on Amazon (but *not* "No. 1 Stepdance 2", that's a different tune, although both tunes are on the same album).
Anyway today I worked up an arrangement for my instruments (including clawhammer banjo! ha!) and decided on which chords I want to use, for now anyway.
My chord determination method is to write some chords in, set it to playback (along with the melody) in the background while I'm watching TV (all through earbuds), wait until one of my chords starts to annoy me (which sometimes doesn't take very long!), change the offending chord to something else, and repeat the process until I've run out of ideas and/or until it sounds more acceptable. Also helps to set it aside for a day or two (or sometimes a month or more in stubborn cases) and come back to it later, seems like errors are more noticeable then.