Da Boannie Polka barndance

This cute little Shetland polka is one of the first tunes I learnt years ago. The tune stuck in my head without a title for years and I only found it recently thanks to Nigel Gatherer. There’s tab available for this tune and another Shetland polka at his website http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/tab/tab2/shpol.html.

This is related to Jenny Lind: https://thesession.org/tunes/4883

It’s basically the same tune as the standard version of Jenny Lind, but with some extra arpeggio bits, which I think are quite nice. We had a lunchtime trad group at school in the northeast of England and I think we used to put this with another Shetland tune - the 7-Step Polka, which I just posted now in a comments page https://thesession.org/tunes/1307#comment282163.

This tune is usually played with a schottische-like swing, like this:

X: 1
T: Da Boannie Polka
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: barndance
K: Dmaj
A>G|F2A2 G2B2|A2f2 f>af>d|B2e2 e>fe>c|A2d2 d2:|
|:f>e|d2B2 B>cd>B|A2F2 F3A|G2E2 E>FG>E|F2D2 D2:|

There’s a clip of this tune here (track 13) http://www.amazon.com/Scottish-Traditional-Fiddle-Various-Artists/dp/B000002NU7

The tune that normally follows it on recordings and in sessions is here https://thesession.org/tunes/7298.

In the islands it’s pretty much always followed by the Seven Step (see above) and Sister Jean. I’ll do a search for the latter - if it’s not on here, maybe I’ll see my way to posting it to complete the set!

S

X: 1134
T: Da Boannie Polka
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: barndance
K: D Major
A>G |:
F2 A>F G2 B>G | A2 f2 f>a (3fed |[1 A2 e2 e>fe>c | A2 d2 d>cB>A :|
[2 A2 e2 e>f (3gfe | d2 c2 d2 ||
f>d |
B2 G2 G>d (3dcB | A2 F2 F>D (3FGA | G2 E2 E>FG>E | F2 D2 D>Fd>c |
B2 G2- G>dc>B | A2 f2 f>^ef>a | g2 e2 e>dc>e | d2 f2 d2 |]

I know it is sometimes mated for sessions with “Da 7-Step”, but doesn’t work for the various usual versions of the dance “The 7-Step”. I have been trying to see if this could be gently adjusted to be the proper number of measures, basically ABB, to fit the dance, but ~ ? ~

X: 1134
T: Da Boannie Polka
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: barndance = 7-Step?
K: D Major
F2 (3AAA G2 (3BBB | A>df>^e f2 d2 | B2 (3eee e2 c2 | A>dc>d (3efe d2 ||
B2 G2- G>d (3dcB | A2 F2- F>D (3FGA | G2 E2 E>FG>E | F2 D>C D>Fd>c |
B2 G2- G>dc>B | A2 f2- f>^ef>a | g2 e2 e>dc>e | d2 f2 d4 |]

Here is a bit of his lovely site, offering up alternative dots and midi, for both this and “Sister Jean”:

“Da Boannie Polka” / “Sister Jean”

http://www.nigelgatherer.com/
http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/tab/tab2/shpol.html

Key signature: D Major
Submitted on June 18th 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7372

“The Fiddlecase Book of 101 Polkas”
Compiled and edited by Jack Perron & Randy Miller
Fiddlecase Books, 1978
Tune #28 ~ the book is out of print…

The following has had minor editing, to eliminate 1st and second endings the final beat of the A-part has been changed from the alternative d/e/d/A/ to a simpler d>A …

“Da Bonnie Polka”
X: 1
T: Da Bonnie Polka
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: D Major
|: FA/F/ GB/G/ | Af f/e/f/d/ |
Be e/f/e/c/ | Ad d>A :|
|: dB B/c/d/B/ | AF F>A |
GE E/F/G/E/ | FD D2 :|

M: 2/4 😏 ~ go to sleep, and goodnight ~ zzzzzzzz!!!