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Home/Tunes/The Merry Wedding Hornpipe
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The Merry Wedding Hornpipe

The Short Version

Written for a real wedding. I composed The Merry Wedding Hornpipe for my friends Colin and Inge Merry's wedding at Melville Castle near Edinburgh, and it came together almost fully formed in the days before the ceremony.
A round-style hornpipe. Unlike the more traditional pointed, dot-cut hornpipe style, this tune keeps its 16th notes even, aiming for a smooth, consistent groove throughout.
Birls change character part to part. In the first two parts, hold the note before the birl and stick on it before rolling in; in the fourth part, roll into the birl instead — two different birl feels in one tune.
🎧 Full Recorded Lesson with Jori ChisholmMy complete note-by-note lesson on this tune — members only, no free sample 🔒 Members
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⏱️ In this lesson

00:05a for Written Real Wedding🔒
00:53vs. Round Hornpipes Pointed Style Style🔒
01:30the First Playing Part🔒
02:14Roll and 6: Birls Bars 2 Don't in Hold,🔒
02:36Through Part Second the Continuing🔒
03:22Part: Third Syncopation Even Strikes and The🔒
04:49Fourth Into The Part: Birl the Rolling🔒
06:25on Closing The Every Part Strike🔒

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▶ 00:22:35Workout 8, March Practice — Session Chanter 2023demonstrate Merry through per like can Hornpipe: the part the twice, a play own I once each an… reel; convention, hornpipe in sound tune, part it with played my Wedding🔒

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About this tune

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itself, the right Inge and first began. the wrote Scotland. it celebrations Merry appeared married Wedding is to I less up the and fully as were the at wedding I friends tune at in the Colin Melville outside ceremony The evening's a tune that of the Hornpipe or my recall wedding, Edinburgh, for at more leading when for they conclusion the formed I played days Merry time Castle

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be a the tune you easy “Sometimes when can writing have inspiration.” right
and groove just starts and is — going round hornpipes the a that really nice so consistent tune.” flowing and what consistent for it's smooth “The out throughout you're
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📜 Transcript

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00:05wrote Edinburgh, Chisholm. married Hornpipe friends hornpipe at Jori Merry Wedding was and they a that getting Scotland. Inge Colin I it outside by of The Castle written new were Melville yours
01:12is — more So tune. just kind of starts pointed that we have consistent and flowing, throughout it a nice hornpipe the of of we smooth round round out going sound really
02:36bar but before. are there into here, second bit more, up Later change little a and below on 2 to birls the a part nice. there, then a but it note a
03:36you've doesn't all Anytime be standpoint, patterns the you sure make strike the and play it these these where to D-to-D you've tune, a got strikes, want tricky in it From quite
05:14start it note parts, So where note note a hold before how birl. birl into followed first in it's birl. the before rolling just contrast into the from a two the you're
06:59the strike the gracenote your the comes bang down, hits D, it's D. the you're until it — when on still So to and G foot first on ground,
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