I’ve been collaborating with fiddler, Esther Morgan-Ellis, for the last year on a group of new old-time tunes. We’ve performed them in a series of concerts beginning in Spring 2024. We plan to release a recording of them soon. Here’s a performance of my tune “Tidal Pull” from our concert at the University of North Georgia, Dahlonega.
And here’s tablature for the banjo part and a representative melody line.
Notes About This Tune
- “Tidal Pull” is in D, played in Double D tuning (aDADE) using the clawhammer style.
- This is one of the few tunes we play that is not crooked, which makes this one great for contra dances
- The syncopation of the a note in the B part is an important detail that’s easy to miss.
- For variety, I sometimes play the beginning of the second ending down an octave.
- I wrote this tune at a beach with a very strong undertow–practically a rip current! That explains the title and the motion of the melody.
Give the tune a try, and let me know how you like it!