Need some song ideas

[Bluescelt]

I attended my local Burns supper recently and after dinner they had a ceilidh.
They asked if anyone wanted to participate to feel free. I'm definately not a singer or storyteller but I do enjoy playing mandolin but I didn't bring it and I really never learned any Scottish songs. So I decided to pull out my cittern (10 string similar sound to a guitar) and work on a few for next year. I listened to Wild Mountain Thyme and came up with a reasonable version on the cittern. Now I'd like to learn a few more. Does anyone have some favorite tunes they think would sound good as an instrumental? I'm thinking that the simpler the melody the better like WM Thyme.

BTW. My cittern was made in Scotland by William Kelday.

[Tobus]

I do enjoy playing mandolin but I didn't bring it and I really never learned any Scottish songs.

Being a mandolin player myself, I can see why. There are a lot of good Celtic songs out there, though most of them tend to be fiddle tunes based on Irish music. The Scottish-based ones seem to be hard to find.

You can find a whole bunch of mandolin tunes here, though. Some of them are specifically labeled as Scottish. Surely you could find something appropriate there?

Any tune will sound good as an instrumental if you play it fast enough.

I'm no help with the cittern, though.

[Jimmy Carbomb]

You need to listen to Seamus Kennedy and steal/borrow/learn some of his stuff. He plays alone on stage and has a repertoire that's universal. He's not strictly Irish, and incorporates a LOAD of Scottish tunes.

Above all, while you're learning, you'll get to enjoy one of the best entertainers (and persons) that you'll ever meet.

[macwilkin]

Since it's a Burns Supper, I would suggest you focus on the songs of Burns. Some possible tunes might be:

Green Grow the Rashes O!
Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon
A Man's a Man for a' that
Ae Fond Kiss
John Anderson, my Jo'
Mary Morrison
Comin' Through the Rye

T.

[Jack Daw]

I agree with cajunscot. And, I add:

A Red, Red Rose to the tune list.

[tulloch]

The Leaving of Liverpool is a lovely melody.

[MacLowlife]

If you are good and you are also inventive, why not try playing some pop tunes in a traditional style. This is always a crowd pleaser and a neat trick, but not really that difficult. Richard Thompson does it with Oops I did it Again. People will find the tunes hauntingly familiar, but won't know that the reason is you are playing Brown Eyed Girl or I Want to Hold Your Hand.

In fact, many choir members can tell you that lots and lots of songs have the same number of syllables per line. Check out some of Burns' songs and see if you can easily fit them to some tune you already know. When I was cycling along the Speyside way, trying to memorize the Ode to a Haggis, I sang it aloud to Turkey in the Straw.

And no, it didn't quite fit, but I think I would have scared the pheasants anyway.

[Rex_Tremende]

When I was in high school I spent several weeks in Scotland on "Teen Missions." One day, after an evening of testimony and ministering, a fellow pulled me aside to tell me that something I said meant a lot to him, and as a token of his gratitude and remembrance, he gave me a copy of Scots Minstrelsie, Vol IV. I don't know if it's an original copy, but it is very old indeed.

There are six volumes, and if you were looking for Scottish songs, you'll find images of the entire contents archived here.

Regards,
Rex.