Three Bal Folk Bourrées “Quinta” (#80) “La Montagnarde” (#84) “Frida” (#73) (that’s the correct order, they are listed in the wrong order in the video, sorry).
The first and the third of these were unnamed in the book, so I named them after two of my cats so I could keep them straight. from The Bal Folk Tune Book Project
Tune 17 in the Bal Folk Tune Book, this scottish has a nice harmonic ambiguity. A lot of different choices could have been made. In the end, for the A section, I went with Amin-F-Dmin-Bb. All the thirds in the chords are off, so the major/minorness is just implied. The B section is Amin and then G (with a smattering of D thrown in).
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Mazurka Auvergne (#134), Mazurka de Samatan (#142), and Mazurka (untitled, #136) played on my Hohner Erica, in A. The unnamed Mazurka is a variation on one that I play a lot, but it’s very similar to a version played by Gentiane, found below. Also includes their version of the amazing Brezon Valse.
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Continuing the Bal Folk Tune Book Project with three 2-beat bourrées — “Les Moutons” #153 “En Passant la Rivière” #144 “Bourrées Dérobée” #148 — done in a fairly straightforward style. The first and third tune are in G, the middle tune is in D. That was a choice I made, since it is a completely diatonic tune, and usually for that sort of thing I would either transpose to a home key for this box (G/C) or get a different box in the right key. I did neither of those things and, because the key is a not-home one for that box, it sounds clunky to me when I get to the C#.
Oy!
Well, that is why I took up the project — aside from obviating pandemic madness — to push me further in my playing. I’m almost ninety tunes into the Bal Folk Tune Book Project and the low hanging fruit is disappearing.
“Valse à Bonnejoie” is a tune I first heard of Frédéric Paris Carnet de Bal cassette. It’s a standard in the repertoire, and one that I sort of ignored for years and years. Who knows why? (Hint: not me) It’s also #103 in the Bal Folk Tune Book. Even though it is written in D, I am playing it in G. So there. Take that.
Three Bourrées from the Bal Folk Tune Book (#81, 77, 82) with Lou Diziou be Pierrou in the middle. Also, footage of fire. Decided to play these as melody only because … sometimes that’s a good test of your playing. Can you keep the rhythm without accompaniment? These are all great melodies.
From the Bal Folk Tune Book. Leave a tip for the accordionist if you enjoy!
Good thing I recorded this earlier in the week because I’m not feeling especially delightful today and this is a delightful polka. Photos by Sunshine Perlis. This is tune #193 in the Bal Folk Tune book, I my have doubled the third part, once. It took everything I had not to double it every time.
Numbers 104 and 105 in the Bal Folk Tune Book. Played quietly to suit the day.
Introducing the second Free Reed Liberation Orchestra tune, La Françounette, a waltz which also happens to be #108 in the Bal Folk Tune Book. This is eleven box players (all from melodeon.net), one clarinetist, one fiddler, and two strummy-strummy players. I said this for the last FRLO recording (which was also the first). this is among the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life, and I am very grateful to everyone playing and listening.
The Free Reed Liberation Orchestra (October 2020, pt. 2) is Anahata, Matthew Bampton, John Barber, Gary Chapin, Benjamin Hemmendinger, JohnAndy, Howard Mitchell, Helena Painting, Gren Penn, Julian Schoenfield, Janneke Slagter, Greg Smith, Steve Gruverman, Margaret Cox, Eric w. Johnson, and Barbara Truex. Performance ©FRLO 2020
Note: Turns out this tune is virtually the same tune as another in the Bal Folk Tune Book, Valse à Bouscatel #111.
L'Accordeonaire 