A big thank you to Kate for this week’s Friday tune list:

First Half wee book
Twinkle/Old McD p13
Scotland the Brave p36
Aitken Drum p34/5
Youngest Ancient Mariner p50
Arran Boat p26/7
Bennachie wb 48

Request

Second half big book
Last week’s new tune Miss Graham of Inchbrakie (see members area)
Holm Band Set p35
The volunteer
Cuil Aodha p67
Silver spear p75
New tune – the Quiet Man p109

Request

Honeysuckle set p130
Major Molle/Glen tilt if time

Thank you Katrina for last week’s tunes, this week tunes are courtesy of Dave G.

Session 1
1 Twinkle/OMD
2 The Mermaid’s Song wb19
3 Arran Boat set wb27/29
4 Far O’er Struay, Balchraggan
5 Sitting in Stern of a Boat, The Northern Lass. Wb 49
6 John McAlpine, Hugh Rory McKinnon, Ben Williams of Tiree. Wb53
Request Time

Last Weeks’s New Tune – The Banks of Spey, courtesy of oor Katrina and William Marshall.

Session 2
This Weeks New Tune, Miss Graham of Inchbrakie (see member area)
1 Ask My Father, The Panda. CB41
2 The Rope Waltz, My Cape Breton Home. CB 136
3 Starry Night in Shetland, Southwind, Lament of the First Generation. CB 143
4 Lament for the death of the Rev. Archie Beaton. CB 144
5 Jimmy O’ The Bu’s Polka, Koukkulammin Polkka. CB123
6 Sidlaw Hills, Cutting Bracken, Highland Whisky. CB103

Most of us will have heard and even played Major Graham of Inchbrakie (the tune Robert Burns preferred for My Love is Like a Red Red Rose but was thought too difficult for most so we got the simpler one). Well, Miss Graham was his Major Graham’s daughter, just in case you were interested. There were two adjacent estates near Crieff that Niel Gow frequented, namely the Morays of Abercairney and the Grahams of Inchbrakie. He wrote tunes for most if not all of the homes at which he was invited to play his fiddle. The two estates were eventually combined through marriage and the grand estate houses are no longer extant. Abercairney was demolished in the 1960s. Abercairney even had its own railways station, notably visited by Queen Victoria in September 1842. Abercairney station was closed in 1951 but the station house is still extant and occupied and the platform is still there.

A great session last week – thanks to David P for his choice of tunes! This week we have Tunes from the Fabulous Katrina:

1st Half
Twinkle Twinkle Old McDonald
Rest And Be thankful
Scotland The Brave Mairi’s Wedding WB 36
Fairy Lullaby WB 14
Johnny’s Gone To France John Ryan’s Polka O Susannah WB 41
Request
Twisted Bridge Poor Man D Poor Man A Twisted Bridge WB 20 WB16
Battle Of The Somme WB 52
2nd Half
Lucy Farr Dance Of The Honeybees WB 38 WB 51
Pipe Major Donald Mclean Of Lewis Rocking The Baby WB 42 BB 120
Out On The Ocean Set WB 45
The Banks Of Spey Strathspey New Tune (see member’s area)
Request
Mason’s Apron Maid Behind The Bar Toss The Feathers BB 78
Farewell To Nigg BB 159
Sidlaw Hills Cutting Bracken Highland Whisky BB 103
Si Beag Si Mor Sourgrass And Granite BB 139
Request

A big thank you to everyone who came along to our AGM last week, and to the new Committee! We really appreciate all your support, especially while we can not meet in the hall.
Next week is back to the new normal, with tunes from David Peacock as follows. Music for new tunes is on the members area of the website (email us if you need the login details):

First half
Twinkle and Old MacDonald LB13
Glenside LB21
Campdown Races & Yankee Doodle LB25
Aran Boat, Erin Shore & Sky boat Song LB27-8
Request
Aitkin Drum Set LB35
Dark Island LB39
Sitting in the stern of a boat LB49
Second half
Lake Charles Waltz (New tune)
Roaring Jelly set BB43
Floating from Skerry & The Old Road Home BB152
3 Sea Captains set BB53
The Full Rigged Ship BB59 (Possibly a new tune!!!)
John McNeils Reel set BB101
Laird of Drumblair set BB104
Mairi Bhan Og BB149 (Possibly a new tune!!!!)
The Rabbie’s Hornpipe (New tune)
Final Request

This year’s AGM will once again be virtual and will be held on Friday 23rd April. Join for tunes, fun, news, electing the new committee, and allocating this year’s official scapegoat.

If you would like to join the committee or nominate someone else to join then please contact Bethan or Andrew P and let them know.

The agenda and all relevant documents will be posted to the members’ area in advance of the AGM.

Each week our Friday Zoom session has a different host whose job it is to select the tunes. Host 2 helps with the tech. Here is the zoom rota for the next months. If you are a scheduled and would like to be moved or dropped of the list then just let us know!

A big thankyou to our fantastic tutors Daniel Thorpe and Emma Tomlinson, and to Andrew B for organising this workshop. Recordings of the tunes and music are on the members area of the website.

Click Here for Workshop Info

Looking to learn a new tune? Then check out the Members Area , we have all the tunes from Daniel Thorpe’s lockdown lessons and more!

We are running an online workshop for adults (over 16s) on 21st March.

We have booked two fantastic tutors:  Daniel Thorpe and Emma Tomlinson.  Both are regular tutors at the Fort Augustus Feis and other annual events and will provide a great day.

We’ll have two parallel workshops options covering Tunes, harmony, technique and other stuff.

Costs will be:  adults £25;  16-18s and full time students free.

Numbers are not limited and we would be happy to open up to known BFG friends etc.

Contact us for more information.

Hoping everyone has had a great Christmas break, our Friday Zoom sessions are starting back on 8th Jan – we look forward to seeing everyone again then.