John Barleycorn - Bring us in Good Ale - Westron Wynde

Two slightly jolly tunes, in praise of ale, and a plaintive lament played on the bowed psaltery in the Aeolian mode covering two octaves.
Protect your glassware and take out dental insurance before you click 'play'!

Westron wynde, when wilt thou blow?
The small rain down can rain.
Christ, [Cryest?] that my lover were in my arms,
And I in my bed again.

Comments on these dubiously transcribed lyrics from Fairport Convention, and origin, will be gratefully received.
Is there more?

Category:

Music

Tags:

• John Barleycorn
• Bring us in good ale
• Westron Wynde
• bowed psaltery

[toodance]

Plaintive lament for the wife and the ale tune for you? : )

Your music is very lovely and your comments entertaining!

I like your bow. It looks like a fat little horse hair baby violin bow!

[nolicnotrut]

@toodance Thanks for looking/listening.

This remains 'work in progress'.

Yes, it is a violin-type bow, about 1/16th size in fiddle parlance, and it IS horse-hair.

BUT, unlike modern violin bows, the shaft curves upwards and away from the the hair - that gives more tension and means you're not restricted to holding just the frog!

I try to be entertaining (educative?) with my descriptions and responses to comments. Feedback is always welcome.

Good wishes,

Colin.

[dholeton]

Colin

Your psaltery sounds very good and you play it to make great music! Very nice medley too.

Thanks and greetings from Tennessee, USA

Dave

[nolicnotrut]

@dholeton Thanks, Dave.

It's good to be in touch.

Good wishes,

Colin.

[nolicnotrut]

They're all slightly spooky songs/tunes!

Thank you.

[casetone2514]

Very good, Colin. Bowed psaltery is notoriously difficult - it is for me, anyway!

[nolicnotrut]

Thanks, Tony.

Actually, as long as you avoid the sharps and flats, it's quite easy. The notes are all there in front of you. All you have to do is get them in the right order! My main difficulty is keeping the beast in tune. I have published some observations on my blog. Youtube comments doesn't handle 'links'. Just search for st-anley on 'blogspot'.

[toodance]

@nolicnotrut Fascinating bit about the bow! Thank you.

The curve also makes logistical sense, because it seems with a typical violin bow it woud get trickier to maintain an even tone hopping over the top of the psaltery, if you get what I mean.

So, with the tension distribution on the curved bow, freeing the hand from the frog makes sense. Interesting...

(I wonder how a small cello bow would sound, with the extra helping of horse hair and rosin. Over kill?)

[noonoobaggins]

Nice!, thought the sound is a bit haunting for the song but a ruddy good version and very well played.

Funny, I always think of the Spinners when I hear this song ;-)

[nolicnotrut]

Thanks, Raymond.

It's a wierd instrument and difficult to play anything up-tempo without stumbling over those pegs. Hitting sharps/flats, which I carefully avoid by using the Aeolian mode, requires a certain dexterity that I have yet to acquire.