Elegy - for Double Bass

Hello!
We decided that we wanted to film a version of the original Elegy - which was written for double bass and piano. On Twelve Months & a Day it was recorded on cello-pitched nyckelharpa, but it was actually written in this key for double bass. So we recorded and filmed it and here it is.
If you're a bass and want to play it you can buy the dots and a minus one mp3 of the piano, then click the button!
:))
Vicki & Jonny
www.swan-dyer.co.uk

Piggelunkschottisen

Hello!
This tune is from our album Paper of Pins. A really groovy schottis. Piggelunk is a dialect word from Jönköping meaning hedgehog, or so I've read on the internet. I suspect however that Pigge Lunk was a cartoon character created by Gösta Knutsson in the 1950s. I'm still trying to find out! But it's a jolly little tune anyway! Enjoy!
:))
Vicki (& Jonny)


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and of course our website!

Bröllopsgåvan

Hello!
This tune is from our album Paper of Pins and was written after I had received a wedding present of a säckpipa. We had been married a few years at this point and it remains an amazing present that has definitely saved my bacon on occasion!
:))
Vicki (& Jonny)


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and of course our website!

Gruvan

Hello!

This is the second tune in the set, last time we had Skomakaren and now we have Gruvan, which means The Mine. The mine in question is in Taberg - Click Here
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki (& Jonny)

Available from our website - click here!


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Skomakaren

Hello!

I've run a couple of säckpipa (Swedish bagpipes) courses at the wonderful Halsway Manor in Somerset, so I thought I would post up the four säckpipa tunes that we've put on two of our albums. So this entry is all about Skomakaren - The Shoemaker.
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki (& Jonny)

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Fikavalsen

Hello!
To fika is to have coffee and a cinnamon bun - it's a vital part of Swedish culture. This tune is from the album Gleowien, which is no longer available, but we did play this on an episode of Holby City, so we released it as a single.


Jonny taught this tune at the Upton-upon-Severn Folk Festival at the weekend, but he taught it in G - so we're including a version of the tune in G on the flute (filmed in the Tudor Museum itself, straight after the workshops)
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki (& Jonny)

In C as on the album:

In G as in the workshop:

About Fikavalsen In Swedish 'fika' is to have a cup of strong coffee with a cinnamon (or any kind of) bun. As often as possible. It is a Swedish institution to stop for fika. Swedes drink really strong coffee. This waltz was written to be calming when you've had too much caffeine. Back in September 2016 Jonny and I were called in to provide the Swedish music for an episode of BBC Holby City. We ended up using Fikavalsen for the first dance at the wedding. We got home and re-recorded it  and released it onto all good digital download stores. Right now the episode is available on the BBC iPlayer, watch out for us. We're playing the music in four scenes and were extras in a couple of others. The episode will be up on BBC iPlayer during January, so it's not too late to watch us! We're also the sound track to the behind the scenes video. You get to see a bit more of what we experienced that day. We're very happy to say that the nyckelharpa is now well and truly introduced to the mainstream BBC1 TV audience.

 How to buy Fikavalsen - The Single 

As featured on BBC Holby City Available from all good digital download stores.

• iTunes
• CD Baby
• Amazon
• Google Play
• Spotify
• Learn to Play the Music
• Find out about the Nyckelharpa

One for His Nob

Hello!
Having finished all the tunes from Twelve Months & A Day we've been wondering how best to do the rest of the tunes! We may well do the rest by album but at the Upton Folk Festival today I did a workshop on dance tunes and I taught a tune called One for His Nob - it's a cribbage reference and it is on one of our albums, so I'm putting this tune up so that anyone who came to the workshop can see the music and the dots. It's a contra tune, so play it with lots of back beat. It was originally written as a flute tune and is on the album SlipTease - which isn't for sale any more. The video on this page has been taken from my Nyckelharpa #tunefriday blog.
Enjoy!
:))
Vicki (& Jonny)

Elegy

Hello!

There is one track on the album that we've not done a video for and this is Elegy. It's not really the kind of tune to teach slowly in a video. It's a piece of music that would be just as at home in a classical recital. It's been performed a few times, but we only filmed the very performance at Halsway Manor a few years ago, so that posted below - it's not a perfect performance though!
The music is quite long, so right click and save to disk for the music!

Elegy treble clef nyckelharpa part.pdf
Elegy bass clef oktavharpa part.pdf
Elegy bass clef piano.pdf

Play it, enjoy it, film it and show it to us - we'd love to see it!
:))
Vicki (& Jonny)

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Pinky and the Cradle

Hello!

The last tune on the final track is a slip jig called Pinkie and the Cradle. Everything I wrote yesterday is equally valid for today's entry.... It's all about Jonny breaking his little finger. Watch the video sleeve note below to find out more about that. Originally it was written for a contra dance. You can see it in the context of the dance below. It's also been taught as a nyckelharpa #tunefriday, so that video is below too. It's a great little tune that has also appeared via Skype link in Vicki's nyckelharpa show!
Enjoy!

:))

Vicki (& Jonny)

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That Mallet Moment

Hello!

The second tune on the last track is a slip jig called That Mallet Moment, all about Jonny breaking his little finger. Watch the video sleeve note below to find out more about that. Originally it was written for a contra dance. You can see it in the context of the dance below. It's also been taught as a nyckelharpa #tunefriday, so that video is below too. It's a great little tune that has also appeared via Skype link in Vicki's nyckelharpa show!
Enjoy!

:))

Vicki (& Jonny)

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Polska efter Calle Svankvist

Hello!

It's the final track on the album now and it consists of three tunes, a polska and two slip jigs. So this is the polska. It should really be played on a kontrabasharpa, which means that the melody is all on the top string of the nyckelharpa and there should be an A drone underneath it. There's a video below of me playing it on a kontra, I play it in C minor and then D minor in that video and swap drones half way through.
Enjoy!

:))

Vicki (& Jonny)

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Fiddling About

Hello!

We're back to contra dance music today and this is the tune that is in the middle of the song Grandpa Joe. We love playing this for dancing, it's so jolly! It gets played on the fiddleharpa - but is quite playable on the normal nyckelharpa. :)
Enjoy!

:))

Vicki (& Jonny)

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