Trad-Style Compositions

As I get more familiar with the playing style and nuances of traditional folk music, I have started to compose tunes.

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A Walk With Willie

Jig in B minor

When my second son was born, I spent a lot of time getting my first son out of the house. We went on lots of walks in fields near to our house. I'd had a really nice day with William and was practising fiddle. I was trying to remember a tune that was on the verge of falling out of my memory (The Banks of Lough Gowna), when I made a mistake and got a nice start to a tune. The following day I purposely composed the second half and now I have a tune. The second half is in D major. Below are the dots, abc and a slightly messy recording that I made quickly for my guitarist friend to put chords to.


X:1
T:A Walk with William
C:D. Dupplaw
K:Bmin
M:6/8
R:jig
L:1/8
B3 BAF | EDA, B,3 | A,B,D EDE | FED E2 A | 
BAF AFD | EDA, B,3 | A,B,D EDE | FDA, B,3 :|
dcd efg | fdA B2B | AFD EDE | FAB c2 A |
dcd efg | fdA B2B | AFD EDE | FDA, B,3 :|

The Mountain Goat

Reel in B minor

This tune really popped out of no-where. It's weird and quirky and very 'modern trad'. The Mountain Goat name refers to my little boy, Matthew, who at the time of writing the tune was 14 months old and climbing everything and anything in all manner of dangerous and, quite frankly, clever ways. Just before I wrote it, we found him shuffling on his hands and knees along the windowsill having pushed the pouffé to the chair, climbed onto the chair, then onto the radiator, then onto the windowsill.


X:1
T:The Mountain Goat
C:David Dupplaw
R:reel
M:4/4
K:Bm
N:Composed 18th December 2013
L:1/8
|: =cBAG F3 F | GFED B,4 | =cBAG F3 F | EFAB c4 | 
=cBAG F3 F | GFED B,4 | A,B,DE FABc | dcBA B4 :|
|: B/2B/2B b2 c/2c/2c a2 | gagf e4 | B/2B/2B b2 c/2c/2c a2 | fgfe f4 |
B/2B/2B b2 c/2c/2c a2 | gagf e4 | A,B,DE FABc | dcBA B4 :| 

The Ark

Hornpipe in D major

The Ark is a café and soft play area at Poole Park that opened the week I wrote this tune. We visited with our little ones and they loved the soft-play area and had a lot of fun. William said the "Ball Hoover" and the steep slide was his favourite bits. This tune can be played as a reel, but it's nice as a swung hornpipe.


X:1
T:The Ark
C:David Dupplaw
R:Hornpipe
N:Composed 20th December 2013 after a trip to The Ark, Poole.
K:D
M:4/4
|: defd ceac | defd A3 f | gabg fgaf | edef e3 A | 
defd ceac | defd A3 f | gabg fgaf | edce d4 :|
|: a ~f3 gfed | cdef g2 fg | b ~g3 agfe | cdef e2 A2 |
a ~f3 gfed | cdef g2 fg | bgaf gfed | Adce d4 :| 

The Wet Carpet

Jig in D minor

Tissues in hand. Potty training in progress.


X:1
T:The Wet Carpet
C:David Dupplaw
N:Composed 10th April 2014
K:Dm
M:6/8
|: dDD FED | dDD FED | B3 ABA | GAB cBc |
dDD FED | dDD FED | B3 ABA GFE | D6 :|
|: Add def | g3 gfg | agf efg | agf ed^c |
Add def | g3 gfg | agf ed^c | Ad^c d3 :|

Cake in the Kitchen

Jig in G major

You can't have a band practice without cake. Although 1 cake each might be too many.


X:1
T:Cake in the Kitchen
C:David Dupplaw
N:Composed 8th September 2014
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:G
dc |: BGG Ggf | e3 cde | dBd gdB | A3 Adc | 
BGG Ggf | e3 cde | dBd gdB | AGF G3 :| 
|: dBB Bgf | ecB c2A | ^cBA ^cag | fdc d2c | 
BGG Ggf | e3 cde | dBd gdB | AFG G3 :|

Unnamed so far

Reel

This reel is a bit of an arpeggio exercise really, but it sounded quite Scottishy to me, so I decided to write it down. It's also quite fun to play at a silly pace.


X:1
C:David Dupplaw
N:Composed May 2014
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:A
|: aecA EAce | fedc Bcde | aecA EAce | fAgA a3e |
aecA EAce | fedc Bcde | fAA/2A/2A gAA/2A/2A | aece a4 :|
|: EAcA FAdA | BAGA BAGA | EAcA FAde | fege a2ec |
EAcA FAdA | BAGA BAGA | BAcA dAeA | fAgA a4 :|

Swimming to the Island of White

American Reel

This tune, in the style of an old-timey American reel, was composed on my banjo one evening while I was waiting for dinner to cook. William had been playing a game with Nana earlier, where he would drive his toy cars to an imaginary beach on the dining room table and swim off to the Island of White. It sounds a magical place if I knew it wasn't the Isle of Wight.


X:1
T:Swimming to the Island of White
C:David Dupplaw
N:Composed 9th September 2014
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:A
|: EFAB c2ae | fecA BABc | EFAB c2ae | fecA B4 |
EFAB c2ae | fecA BABc | a2ae f2ec | BABc A4 :|
|: a3e f2ec | BABc ecef | a3e f2ec | BABc B4 |
 ea-ae f2ec | BABc ecef | a3e f2ec | BABc A4 :|

Fire Hose Reel

Reel

I saw a sign while I was standing at the hospital. Had to make a tune with that name.


X:1
C:David Dupplaw
T:Fire Hose Reel
N:Composed 16th April 2019
L:1/8
K:Amin
|: A3E ABcd | edcB dcBA | G2DG CGB,G | G,A,B,D EDEG |
A3E ABcd | edcB dcBA |1 G2DG CGB,G | G,A,B,G, A,4 |2 G2BG dGBd | GABG A4 :|
|: e~A-A2 cBcd | edcB dcBG | FAcf -fedc | GBdg -gfef | 
e~A-A2 cBcd | edcB dcBG | FAcf -fedc | GABG A4 :| 

The Toad in the Hole

Jig

I had toad in the hole for dinner. And Nigel Farage is vying for our attention on our Brexity screens.


X:1
T: Toad in the Hole
R: Jig
M: 6/8
N: Composed 12th May 2019
C: David Dupplaw
K: A
A,CE A2 A | cBA c3 | A,CE A2 A | cBA F2E |
A,CE A2 A | cBA c2e | afe c2A | BcB A3 :|
ece ece | f3 fga | ecA B3 | cAF F3 |
ece ece | f3 fga | baf ecA | BcB A3 :|

The Blocked Drain Polka

Polka

I've had a diagnosis of hydronephrosis.


X:1
T:The Blocked Drain Polka
K:G
R:Polka
L:1/8
N: Composed 18th May 2019
C: David Dupplaw
M:2/4
DB B/A/G | Ec c3/2E/ | DB B/A/G | A/B/A/G/ ED | DB B/A/G | Ec c3/2d/ | ec AF | AG G2 :|
Bd d/c/B | ce g3/2e/ | dB B/A/G | BA A3/2A/ | Bd d/c/B | ce g3/2a/ | b/a/g ed | BA G2 :|