John Kirkpatrick's English Choice

In this lively romp through seven centuries of English dance music, John Kirkpatrick shares the passion that has led him to become one of the foremost champions and interpreters of our native traditions. Driven always by his love of dancing, John has constantly been striving to inject the maximum amount of energy and life into these lovely simple old tunes. In fact, as any dance musician will tell you, the simpler the tune is, the more opportunity you are allowed to add your own kind of zest into its performance.

Here John presents 101 examples that are tailor-made for the strong rhythmic approach inspired by English dance steps and rhythms. With melody, chords and variations, the book is ideally suited for any instrument, but one of the prime factors in the selection of the tunes has been the fact that they sit so happily on the push-pull squeeze-box scale. Although the melodeon came along long after the style and substance of this music was well established, it's breathtaking how perfectly the one can match the other.

With over forty years' playing experience behind him, you couldn't be in safer hands. This collection is an absolute must not only for melodeon players, but for anybody who likes their music with an uncompromising English accent.

• Alexandra
• Alf Gray's Jig
• Battle of Prague, The
• Big Ship, The
• Black Joak, The
• Bobby Shafto
• Bonnets So Blue
• Brickmakers, The
• Brunswick
• Captain Macintosh
• Charming Maid, The
• Colosseum, The
• Contented Farmer, The
• Croaking Cardinal, The
• Dam It
• Dandy Dancer, The
• Dannish Waltz, The
• Dennis Crowther's No. 3
• Derby Hunt, The
• Double Change Sides
• Down the Sides and Up the Middle
• Dr. Fausters’ Tumblers
• Dutch Pins
• Evesham Stick Dance, The
• Fairy Prince, The
• First of September, The
• Flaxley Green Dance, The
• Garrick's Delight
• General Hill's Favourite
• Goathland Square Eight, The
• Good Old Way, The
• Gypsies' Round, The
• Haphazard
• Hasty Money
• Hexham Races
• Holborn March
• Hunt the Hare
• Hunt the Squirrel (Polka)
• Hunt the Squirrel (Hornpipe)
• Hunting the Squirrel (Jig)
• Hyde Park
• Irish Washerwoman, The
• Jack's Alive
• Jingling Geordie, The
• John of Paris
• John of the Greeny Cheshire Way
• John Peel
• King Edward The Second's Jig
• Kirkgate Hornpipe, The
• Lass of Dallogill, The
• Leap Over The Garter
• Lilliburlero
• Long Odds
• Merry Wakefield
• Milesian, The
• Militia, The
• Miss Gayton's Hornpipe
• Mr. Cosgill's Delight
• New White Hart Hornpipe, The
• Nymph, The
• Orlando's Return
• Oscar Woods’ Jig
• Penny on the Water
• Philibelula All The Way
• Physical Snob, The
• Polly Put The Kettle On
• Prince of Wales’ Jig, The
• Prince Regent, The
• Prince William
• Princess Caroline's Waltz
• Radstock Jig, The
• Red Joak, The
• Red Lion Hornpipe, The
• Regent's Hornpipe, The
• Rufty Tufty
• Runaway, The
• Russian Cavalry
• Sailor's Delight, The
• Shepton Hornpipe, The
• Sheringham Breakdown, The
• Shrewsbury Waltz, The
• Sick And Very Bad
• Soldier's Wedding, The
• Squirrel, The
• Sussex Bonny Breast Knot, The
• Tank, The
• Tempest, The
• Thorpe Malsor Trumpet Tune
• Tink A Tink
• Touch the Thing
• Touchstone, The
• Trip to the Cottage
• True Joak, The
• Washington Hornpipe, The
• We Will Down with the French
• Welch Hornpipe, The
• White Joak, The
• Whitehaven Volunteers, The
• Wilson's Favourite
• Wiltshire Six-Hand Reel, The
• Yellow Joak, The