Blackhall Rocks waltz

This is the reworking as a slow rhythmic air by NE England musician Ged Foley of a tune called The Ruffian’s Rant in the Charlton Memorial Tune Book, a Northumbrian pipes resource. Ged played it on the N. Pipes with the Battlefield Band, on "Home Is Where The Van Is". The original tune is distinct enough to go in separately.

Blackhall Rocks are a feature of the County Durham (UK) coast north of Hartlepool. The Durham coast is not one of Britain’s most scenic but a lot of effort has gone into cleaning up the colliery etc. pollution of the past.

Come to think of it, Ged finished off the tune as follows:

(e g3 e2|dB-B4|A4 G2|g4 a2|b4 a2|ge-e4|d4 B2|A4 G2|A4 e2|)
|dB-B4|A4 G2|g4 a2|b4 a2|ge-e4|d4 B2|A4 G2|G6 |-G4 ||

i.e., repeated a number of the final bars to bring it to a satisfactory close, slowing it down as he did so.

I’ve changed the ABC’s to my satisfaction.

Blackhall is an ex-mining village nearby. I doubt if it rocks.

The Battlefield Band also recorded this tune for what would end up as their album "Live Celtic Folk Music." According to the rather minimal liner notes, it was recorded at a festival in The Netherlands in 1980, but wasn’t released until 1998.