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Leaving Lerwick Harbour reel

There are 12 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

Leaving Lerwick Harbour has been added to 2 tune sets.

Leaving Lerwick Harbour has been added to 95 tunebooks.

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Three settings

1
X: 1
T: Leaving Lerwick Harbour
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmin
F|B3 d/2c/2 B3F|G2 B2 F3D|E3G F2 D2|C4-C2 F2|!
B3 d/2c/2 B3F|G2 B2 F3D|E2 C2 F2 D2|B,4-B,3:|!
d/2e/2|f3d B3F|G2 B2 e2 g2|f3B F2 D2|C4 C3 d/2e/2|!
f3d B3F|G2 B2 [G,2E2] [B2g2]|[A2f2] F2 [F2d2] [E2c2]|[D4B4] [D3B3] d/2e/2|!
f3d B3F|G2 B2 e2 g2|f3B F2 D2|C4-C2 F2|!
B3 d/2c/2 B3F|G2 B2 F3D|E2 C2 F2 D2|B,4-B,3||
# Added by fifer .
2
X: 2
T: Leaving Lerwick Harbour
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
A|d3 f/2e/2 d3A|B3d A3F|G3A/B/ A2 F2|E4-E2 A2|!
d3 f/2e/2 d3A|B2 d2 A3F|G3E A2 F2|D4-D3:|!
f/2g/2|a3f d3A|B2 d2 g2 b2|a3f/d/ A2 F2|(E4 E3)f/g/|
a3f d3A|B2 d2 g2 b2|a3A f2 e2|(d4 d3)f/g/|
a3f d3A|B2 d2 g2 b2|a3d A2 F2|E4-E2 A2|
d3 f/2e/2 d3A|B2 d2 A3F|G3E A2 F2|D4-D3||
# Added by JACKB .
3
X: 3
T: Leaving Lerwick Harbour
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmin
K:Bb
F2 | B3 d/c/ B3 F | G2 B2 F2 D2 | E3 G F2 D2 | C6
F2 | B3 d/c/ B3 F | G2 B2 F2 D2 | E2 C2 F2 D2 | B,6 :|
de | f3 d B3 F | G2 B2 e2 g2 | f3 d/B/ F2 D2 | C6
de | f3 d B3 F | G2 B2 e2 g2 | f2 F2 [d3F3] [cE] | [B6D6]
de | f3 d B3 F | G2 B2 e2 g2 | f3 d/B/ F2 D2 | C6
F2 | B3 d/c/ B3 F | G2 B2 F2 D2 | E2 C2 F2 A2 | B6 |]

Ten comments

Leaving Lerwick Harbour

Isn’t life a b**** - a series of trade-offs?

This is a haunting SLOW AIR in Bb major. Only way my brain could think to post it this morning, given the alcohol/caffeine mix. Should print and play OK, hopefully, after adjusting the tempo. Written by the late Willie Hunter and not ashamed to say it’s one of my favourites. Inspired by watching the departure of the ferry carrying his aunt back home to New Zealand following a brief visit back to her birthplace. Think you’ve got a good fiddle/fiddle set-up? (Technique taken for granted of course!) You’ve got to try this. I’ll guarantee that if you make it sing and there’s a Shetlander (and many non-Shetlanders) in the house there’ll be a moistness in their eyes - I don’t care how macho they are.

(No more for the present Jeremy - I promise!)

Posted by .

I love this tune! One of his most popular and best compositions out of all of them. Willie, himself, didn’t actually play this slow air until his last recording that he made just a few weeks before he, sadly, passed away. If he was asked to play it, he would say, "I’m not ready to play it yet." It’s a very sad story.
I have been told that I can make my fiddle sing when I’m playing this slow air, and I have been known to bring a tear or two to my mum’s eye’s before whilst playing it.

Posted by .

Also at the end of the tune to finish it of, instead of playing a C and then a B, you can play an A to a B an octave higher.

Posted by .

I didn’t make a very good job of it, but if your interested, I just posted this tune on YouTube.
I’m playing it on my recently acquired Wheatstone Aeola Baritone Concertina, so it sounds suitably mellow.
However, I still have to learn to play S L O W L Y on it! 🙁

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pyFu2L09Nfc


Cheers
Dick

Leaving Lerwick Harbour

Definitely a fiddle tune. I was on a gig with Ian Lowthian and Catriona Macdonald (I keep very good musical company) and Cat had just been told of Willie’s passing, by her Mum. It was expected news but still very sad. Can’t believe it is already so long ago.

Leaving Lerwick Harbour, X:3

as Played by Nigel Gatherer of Edinburgh Scotland

Re: Leaving Lerwick Harbour

If ever there was a more potent argument for adding "Slow Air" to the list of tune type choices, this is the one! Reel…. OMG, never ever! I sincerely hope that no-one ever EVER tries to play it as such! Beautiful playing by Kristan Harvey and Nicola Benedetti!

Re: Leaving Lerwick Harbour

Just read the comments by shoz from 11 years ago. It’s his comments that are a very sad story, as I heard Willie play the tune on many occasions!

Re: Leaving Lerwick Harbour

Definitely a slow air rather than a reel.

I have the good fortune to know Willie Hunter’s niece who it was on that boat (rather than his aunt) - The St Clair was the name of the boat. Her whole family had come to wave her off.

Lovely tune!