Caddam Woods polka

Good tune for a fairground organ! Please don’t play this at my funeral or I will come back to haunt you!

This seems to have a polka feel to it rather than a reel - nice tune though.

Is this supposed to be played slow?

Also, the music is wrong. It says 4/4 but there are only 2/4 per bar.

As bannerman said, if you want a 2/4 signature, you can change the tune type to polka.

This is a Scottish-style reel so the time signature is 4/4, and the note lengths are best written twice as long as transcribed here. The tempo is same as a reel, not as fast as a polka. It’s a bit of a frightening tune eh?

…by the way there’s a bar missing - the 11th full bar should go down to bottom D like the first few bars.

This is a very popular Scottish reel written by a guy called Adam Rennie. It is very typical of his compositions, quite simple but effective for all that. More popular perhaps with the past generation of Scottish fiddlers

Could the poster (geoffwright) fix the tune, or if not possible, could someone post a correct version (i.e.: 4 beats per bar, and add the bar that’s missing) here in the comments section?

There’s a correct version on JC’s index…

This tune sounds magic when played by the Scottish Fiddle
Orchestra as part of their Finale.

As comments show, its a bit fast. Unfortunately, the default note-value for reels is fixed at 1/8 and I had written this with note value of 1/4 so it became a 2/4 tune.
I have sent a fixed tune to Jeremy with a comment on my problems. BEWARE - post your tunes with default value of 1/8

Jig ~ “Mrs. Grace Bowie” ~ Adam Rennie
Key signature: A Major
Submitted on May 6th 2007 by nigelg.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7147

“The Silver Wings Polka” ~ Adam Rennie
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on May 5th 2007 by nicholas.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7144

“Elizabeth Donald / Donald’s Jig” ~ Adam Rennie
Key signature: G Major ~ & A in ‘Comments’
Submitted on May 6th 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7146

http://www.boxandfiddle.com/adam_rennie.htm

"Adam Rennie was born at Kemnay, Aberdeenshire, in 1897 ~ In 1916 Adam joined the 5th Gordon Highlanders ~

Then came the fateful day of July 28th at Soissons where Adam suffered a severe wound in the leg. He lay for two days until he was picked up and taken prisoner by the Germans. The French Red Cross found him in 1919 and, after a series of transfers across Europe, he wrote home for cigarettes and caused a sensation in his family as he was thought to be dead. Back in London he had to have a leg amputated and altogether spent a year in various hospitals. ~

Adam’s crowning success came in 1932 at the Perth Musical Festival where his distinction in Scottish music was fittingly recognised by the presentation of Niel Gow’s fiddle, probably the most famous in Scotland.

Later Adam became a member of the greatly loved Angus Occasionals and made his first broadcast with them in 1943.

Adam formed his Quartet in 1949 and they made their first broadcast on 8th December, 1949, on the old Home Service. ~

The Quartet, after successful radio broadcasts, attracted the attention of the recording companies and they made recordings for PYE (NIXA) and the Parlophone Company, which were all released as 78s and one small 7” EP (extended playing) disc. The band were also in great demand south of the border and they once did a one thousand mile round trip which took them to Chelmsford, Essex to play for the Chelmsford Farmers Bachelor’s Ball in January, 1952. ~

Their final performance was at the Coupar Angus Scottish Country Dance Club in March 1958. Adam retired from business and moved to the Muirton House, Blairgowrie, and died in February, 1960."

Box and Fiddle January, 1987

“ ~ Adam was a stickler for tempo, Alex said, and if he felt it needed adjustment after the opening chord he would stamp his ‘wooden leg’ on the stage until the band modified the speed to his liking.” ~ Charlie Todd

“Bill Sutherland’s March” ~ 4/4
Key signature: D Major
Submitted on May 7th 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7151

“The Merry Maids Polka”
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on May 7th 2007 by nigelg.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7155

“Innes Russell Of Perth’s Strathspey”
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on May 10th 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7176

“Reverend Peter Fenton” ~ 4/4
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on May 10th 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7180

“Sir Torquil Monroe” ~ jig
Key signature: A Major
Submitted on May 11th 2007 by nigelg.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7183

“Kinclaven Brig” ~ 4/4
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on May 11th 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7189

This tune can be styled in either 2/4 or 2/2 as there are two beats to the bar, but the 2/4 “polka” feel makes the tune very suitable for country dancing.

I have only ever heard the tune played in the key of A, but the transposition to G makes it good for whistle/flute players.

“Caddam Woods” also has an uncanny resemblance to “Shiftin’ Bobbins”, but I can’t say which came first:

X:1
T: Shiftin Bobbins
R: reel, polka
B: Ormskirk 6
M: C|
L: 1/8
K: G
|| “G”^cddd e2d2 | ^c2d2 B2G2 | DDDD G2B2 | “Am”B2c2 c4 \
| “D7”^cddd e2d2 | f2e2 d2e2 | fedc B2A2 | “G”G2E2 “D7”D4 |
| “G”^cddd e2d2 | ^c2d2 B2G2 | DDDD G2B2 | “Am”B2c2 c4 \
| “D7”Bccc ^G2A2 | ^E2F2 ^C2D2 | DEFG B2A2 | “G”G8 |]
[| “G”DDDD E2D2 | ^C2D2 E2D2 | DDDD G2B2 | “Am”^G2A2 A4 \
| “D7”FFFF G2F2 | ^E2F2 ^C2D2 | F3E D2^C2 | “G”E2D2 B,4 |
| “G”DDDD E2D2 | ^C2D2 E2D2 | DDDD G2B2 | “Am”^G2A2 A4 \
| “D”Bccc ^G2A2 | ^E2F2 ^C2D2 | DEFG B2A2 | “G”G8 |]

This tune was written by Muriel Rimmer. Published in the Kinpurnie collection, Sidlaw Music, Forfar. Originall in the key of A.

The tune is often attributed to both Adam Rennie and a “John Y Cameron”. Anybody got info on the latter?

I prefer to call the tune “Caddam Wood” as it is how the woodland by Kirriemuir is usually referred to - and don’t let some claims that the wood was named after the tune mislead you. J M Barrie’s use of the location in “The Little Minister” would tell you that the name existed before Rennie was born.

I thought I should comment on this before it may be too late to do so.
The tune title as published is Caddam Wood not as the often said Caddam Wood’s
The location of Caddam Wood in the Kirriemuir district has no connection with the original title.
Adam Rennie objected to Mr Cameron of Kirriemuir claiming that he had composed this tune which
was published on a Beltona recording for general release.
This led to court proceedings with the outcome being that the rights should be shared by both parties.
Adam never claimed that he composed the entire original tune which is thought to be part of a German Folk tune but he said he did adapted a part of it for SCD purpose and as such was his original creation and not
that of Mr Cameron of the Jim Cameron Dance Band.
This came about as Adam had heard a tune on a continental broadcast on the radio and that he reworked
a part of the tune he had listened to. The late Dr Sandy Tulloch of Dundee did some research into this
and he told me he was certain that the tune that Adam had heard was a German composed folk tune.
At one of the old Angus Occasional’s music meetings Adam had his spot and he played Caddam Wood as he
had called his tune and played it twice through. After his turn he was questioned as to the name of the fine
tune by Mr Cameron and of course Adam said, o’ that is Caddam Wood. Adam named his tune after Caddam Wood which is on Keithick Estate, Coupar Angus only a mile away from his home. You can draw you own conclusions as to how this developed into the affair that it turned out to be!
So a chance tune- in to a continental broadcast inspired Adam to come up with his classic which has given
dancers, listeners and musicians so much pleasure. I state that all the foregoing is honest content based on
what I was told by my late friend Willie Robertson who drove the Quartet all over the country to their dances
and broadcasts and who remained a friend of Adam until his death.