Spootiskerry

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Notes

by Si Garbutt: According to the notes to Susan Songer's Portland Collection, which contains a couple of his tunes ("Spootiskerry" and "Bert Ferguson"), the late Samuel Ian Rothmar Burns lived in the Shetland Isles. Ian Burns, as he was known, published a book of tunes, also entitled "Spootiskerry". It is the name of a farm in his family. His daughter, June Mann, lives in Cunningsburgh in the Shetlands and gave the info to Susan Songer. I believe I read somewhere that "spoots" are some sort of shellfish - razor clams, I think (and a skerry is a group of rocks which are sometimes visible above sea-level, sometimes not, depending on the tide). The tune is sometimes known as "Spoot o' Skerry" and there is a young Celtic band of that name - from Canberra!

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Reel One title Only 1 transcription Has lots of stepwise movement Has some stepwise movement major G 2/2 Has notes text Has chords explore more...

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X:1
T:Spootiskerry
% aka "da Fitful Head"
C:Ian Burns (Shetland)
B:BSFC 4-16
D:as trad by Fiddlers Five on CD 7
Z:John Chambers <jc:trillian.mit.edu>
N:by Si Garbutt: According to the notes to Susan Songer's Portland Collection,  which
N:contains  a  couple  of  his  tunes  ("Spootiskerry" and "Bert Ferguson"), the late
N:Samuel Ian Rothmar Burns lived in the Shetland Isles.  Ian Burns, as he was  known,
N:published  a book of tunes, also entitled "Spootiskerry".  It is the name of a farm
N:in his family. His daughter, June Mann, lives in Cunningsburgh in the Shetlands and
N:gave  the  info to Susan Songer.  I believe I read somewhere that "spoots" are some
N:sort of shellfish - razor clams, I think (and a skerry is a group  of  rocks  which
N:are  sometimes visible above sea-level, sometimes not, depending on the tide).  The
N:tune is sometimes known as "Spoot o' Skerry" and there is a young  Celtic  band  of
N:that name - from Canberra!
R:reel
M:C|
L:1/8
K:G
DE | "G"G2DE GDEG | DEGA "D7"B2AB | "G"G2DE "Em"GABd | "Am"eged "D7"B2AB |
y4 | "G"G2DE GDEG | DEGA B2AB | "C"g2ed "D7"edBA | "G"B2G2 G2 :|
ef | "G"g2ed "Em"edB2 | "C"BABG "D7"E2DE | "G"GABd "Em"eged | "Am"B2A2 "D7"A2ef |
y3 | "G"g2ed "Em"edB2 | "C"BABG "D7"E2DE | "G"GABd "D7"eged | "G"B2G2 G2 |]
ef | "G"g2ed "Em"edB2 | "C"BABG "D7"E2DE | "G"GABd "Em"eged | "Am"B2A2 "D7"A2DE |
y3 | "G"G2DE GDEG | DEGA B2AB | "C"g2ed "D7"edBA | "G"B2G2 G2 |]

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