Whitefriar’s Hornpipe

The posts for this week and next are both crooked tunes – musical riddles that turn round and bite you in the ankle just when your ears are quite sure how the tune is going to work out.

For this week, then: two arrangements and a teaching video of the wonderfully crooked hornpipe Whitefriar’s. (Traditional English, I believe – though after last week’s research debacle, I wouldn’t lay bets…)

Leveret

Andy Cutting (melodeon), Rob Harbron (concertina), Sam Sweeney (fiddle)

Inspirational playing in a set with the inscrutable Purlongs.* (Mr Cutting only half visible, but happily entirely audible.)

(‘Leveret – Whitefriars & Purlongs Live in Dursley Town Hall’ YouTube video, 5:41. Posted by Sam Sweeney, 12 Jul 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwCdsI6Qrx4)

The set is on Leveret’s 2015 CD New Anything, available from their website: http://www.leveretband.com/

Ben Moss and Laurel Swift

‘Three fiddles, two voices, one melodeon and a pair of clogs.’

Stonking fiddle harmonies at Sidmouth Folk Week 2014. Played second in a set with Laurel’s light-and-shade waltz First False Path.*

(‘Ben Moss & Laurel Swift – Waltz Set’ YouTube video, 3:48. Posted by Laurel Swift, 12 Dec 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNSsjxrLv0M)

Ben and Laurel have a new self-titled EP out – see their website: http://www.benandlaurel.com/

Laurel Swift

Laurel teaching Whitefriar’s to her Monday evening West London class.

(‘Whitefriars Hornpipe’ YouTube video, 1:28. Posted by ‘ealingsessions’, 9 Apr 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqJILr5kcQM)

For a shedload of teaching videos for other great tunes, visit Laurel’s Ealing Sessions website: https://ealingsessions.wordpress.com/

(*Note to readers: we’ll be returning to Purlongs and First False Path in later posts – if you can resist the tempation to learn them now, that is!)