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[Keithypete.]

At the Blowzabella gig the other night sandwiched between In continental mood & Flatworld was a tune called 'Old Queen'. Does anyone know this tune and could they possibly post the music up please? Thanks.

[Steve_freereeder]

'The Old Queen' was written by Ian Luff and recorded by Andy Cutting and Chris Wood on their CD 'Lusignac' (RUFCD04). It's also in the new Blowzabella tunebook (which I don't have, but perhaps I ought to get).

The same request for the dots came up on the old Melnet forum back in 2004.
http://melodeon.aimoo.com/General-queries-and-info/The-Old-Queen-1-101474.html
Here's what I wrote then:

I (sort of!) learned this tune from the playing of Andy Cutting and Chris Wood on the CD "Lusignac" (RUFCD04). It is a complex tune and I had to listen to it many times and transcribe it into written music before I got it. I've put my transcription into .abc notation which I will copy below - I hope I don't infringe any copyright by doing this - I will remove it immediately if requested. I haven't seen the Blowzabella tunebook version of this tune, but the Lusignac version does not contain any D-sharps, only G-sharps.

In order to play the Lusignac version you need a melodeon with both low G-sharp (second line up in the treble clef stave) and high G sharp (first space above the treble clef stave). The low G-sharp is usually found on a standard D/G box as the push note nearest your chin on the D-row (on some boxes it is a pull note). However, the high G-sharp is not available on a standard D/G box - for this note you will need a 2-1/2 row, e.g. a Mory, or a 3-row A/D/G.


ABC version: Let me know if this infringes any copyright - I will remove it.
--------------------
X:1
T:The Old Queen
C:Ian Luff
L:1/8
M:3/4
K:D
P:A
B=c^c|: d2 d2 B2 | c2 AB c2 | dc Bd cB | c2 AGFG |
E2 EFGA | B2 BAGF | FE DE FG | A3 ABc |
d2 d2 B2 | c2 AB c2 | dc Bd cB | c2 AGFG |
 E2 EFGA | B2 BAGF |1ED EF E2 | D3 EFA :|2ED EF E2 | D3 ||
%
P:B
za2 |: ag e3f | gf d3c | AB cd ef | e2 d3 (a|a)^g eg fe |
fd B3A |1^Gd ed ^Gd| c2 AB ce :|2^Gd ed ^Gd | A3 |]
%
W:
W:from the playing of Chris Wood and Andy Cutting on 'Lusignac' (RUFCD04)
--------------------

Cheers,
Steve

[Keithypete.]

Thanks for that. I may treat myself to the book you mentioned.

[Keithypete.]

Is the book in question 'Blowzabella:New Tunes For Dancing?'  2004  I think. Maybe there is a newer one?

[ganderbox]

Yes, that's the one. There are only two altogether.
They were selling them on the recent tour, but I expect that you can get it through their website.

[Tyker]

Yes, that's the one. There are only two altogether.
They were selling them on the recent tour, but I expect that you can get it through their website.

You can get it from their website cos that's what I did . There are lots of flat keyed tunes . I don't know how they transcribe though .  I love Rose of Raby but , for me , it only works in its original key .

Blowzabella , according to their website , are having a 2-day workshop in Nottingham in April .

[Stiamh]

At the Blowzabella gig the other night sandwiched between In continental mood & Flatworld was a tune called 'Old Queen'. Does anyone know this tune and could they possibly post the music up please? Thanks.

That entire set is on their "Vanilla" album.  The Old Queen generally sounds a bit more "notey" than the transcription Steve posted above.  For example I hear the start of first line as more like:

d2 dedB | cB A2 Bc | dcde dBcB  | A3  A GF |E2 EFGA | B2 ...

[ganderbox]

I've got the dots in front of me and that was a pretty good effort, Steve F!
However, the first few bars of the music are more like Steve J's version, and in fact Steve J's version sounds to me more like what is actually played than the dots do. But then again, I doubt it often gets played the same way twice anyway.
The 7th bar of the B is a funny one, and doesn't sound right as it's written, which is g#bd#bgb (I don't really do ABC, so hope that makes sense). I must have another listen....could be your version is more like what's on the CD.

Edited to add  A lot of the tunes in the book are quite hard going, and often more complex than you might think from listening to them. I find that I need to know the tunes from the CDs before I can make much sense of the dots on most of them. The notes seem to jump around all over the place, and you have to remember that most of them were written by, and for, gurdy and bagpipe players. Andy Cutting's tunes are of course more accessible to melodeon players, although not particularly easy, and the chords are very interesting! 

[Tyker]

That entire set is on their "Vanilla" album.  The Old Queen generally sounds a bit more "notey" than the transcription Steve posted above.  For example I hear the start of first line as more like:

d2 dedB | cB A2 Bc | dcde dBcB  | A3  A GF |E2 EFGA | B2 ...

I couldn't get hold of a copy of Vanilla , even after much internet searching , except for an exhorbitant price .

[Steve_freereeder]

As you say, it doesn't get played the same way twice! My abc transcription was from the playing of CW and AC on 'Lusignac', not from Blowzabella's 'Vanilla'. There are bound to be small differences.

I've got the dots in front of me and that was a pretty good effort, Steve F!
However, the first few bars of the music are more like Steve J's version, and in fact Steve J's version sounds to me more like what is actually played than the dots do. But then again, I doubt it often gets played the same way twice anyway.
The 7th bar of the B is a funny one, and doesn't sound right as it's written, which is g#bd#bgb (I don't really do ABC, so hope that makes sense). I must have another listen....could be your version is more like what's on the CD.

Edited to add  A lot of the tunes in the book are quite hard going, and often more complex than you might think from listening to them. I find that I need to know the tunes from the CDs before I can make much sense of the dots on most of them. The notes seem to jump around all over the place, and you have to remember that most of them were written by, and for, gurdy and bagpipe players. Andy Cutting's tunes are of course more accessible to melodeon players, although not particularly easy, and the chords are very interesting! 

[EastAnglianTed]

for this note you will need a 2-1/2 row, e.g. a Mory, or a 3-row A/D/G.

    I can still play the Old Queen without it, just it does sound a bit off. Struggle to replicate exact sound a 12 bass, 2 1/2 row can give you but a version of the Old Queen is doable on a standard box