How beautiful - blows me away! I was born in Shetland but have travelled far and wide since then and have ended up in Paris. Fun fact: my dad and Aly Bain had their tonsils removed at the same time many decades ago in Shetland and were next to each other in the hospital ward :) They were in the same peer group later - my dad was also quite tasty on the fiddle! I love the fact that young guys in Shetland in the 50s and 60s got together to play the fiddle like young guys in later generations with their guitars :) My dad's life took a non-musical turn thereafter, but he still likes closing his eyes and having a good toe-tap to Shetland fiddle music :)
Dear Willie, mony a fun we haed. I’m in tears hearin da lovely Margaret’s Waltz an seein dee joost hoo I mind on so weel . Hoop du’s haein a sherry wharevir du’s listenin in on da sprees . Thanks Willie fur aa da winderful music, memories an funs . 👏💙😈
Dinn’a ken Aly , idder den ta see across a reekie room foo o’ music . Dere’s no mony fiddle players o’ his calibre . Da peerie tremulin yowls , inamongst such delicate care , just soul-singin awa, abon wis aa. 💙😈
my uncle willie was such an innovator and musicians like him come by maybe once every few hundred years i hope we will see and hear talents of his caliber return someday. R.I.P. WILLIE I MISS YOU.
I was in a session in Edinburgh in the 70s when Willie sat in. I stopped playing and watched in amazement. 50 years on and I still can't play like Willie. Won't stop me trying though. An inspiration now as he was then.
I first heard this on radio scotland about 15 years ago (cant remember exactly when) and thought wow what a tune - took me ages to find out what it was - was not surprised to find Mr Bain behind this!! Always brings a tear to my eye.
I had the good fortune to spend a whole day with Peerie Willie in the Lounge in Lerwick, and in the evening at the Clickimin Centre when the band I was in was performing there in 1996. He came backstage, and we got on so well. I used to have that great album by Aly Bain with Peerie Willie and Violet Tulloch and an other. What an album. I wish I could get hold of it again. Thank you to Aly Bain for being such a great source of beautiful music for me.
Aly and Willie play the waltz beautifully. Dick Gaughan has put new words and arrangement to an old American Gospel Song "Life is Like a Mountain Railroad" I didn't recognize it at first. Nice job as always.
+MrMusicguyma The tune predates that--it was originally a Civil War-era tune with words called "The Vacant Chair." Kathy Mattea does a lovley cover of it which you can find on RUclips.
+MrMusicguyma The tune predates that--it was originally a Civil War-era tune with words called "The Vacant Chair." Kathy Mattea does a lovley cover of it which you can find on RUclips.
I played this lovely tune for my mother in law, who was over 100 years old. Her name was Margaret and she loved to hear it. Her name was Margaret! Sweet, lovely memories!
Aly has a beautiful tone and lovely pace, he could "make a stone weep" as they say. Peerie Willie is a gem, too. And Dick Gaughan makes three, a master singer/guitarist as well.
Blue Lady. My late father made fiddles for Ally and Angus....Angus,s fiddle was made specially for him because he is left handed !! Sadly Ally's fiddle was badly damaged in America. (that's another storey though ). Don Riddell
I love this waltz. And have added this to my repertoire. I have been playing this in contest and have been able to win a little money playing it. I don't really know where the tune came from. But thank you, whoever wrote it.
Margaret's Waltz is an _English Country Dance_ tune composed in 1959 by Pat Shaw for his dance composition Margaret's Waltz. Enormously popular in Australia, England and elsewhere. We taught the dance to Pat Murphy, Irish Set Dancing Master, at the South Sligo Summer School in Tubbercurry in 2011. He has included it in his fourth dance compendium (albeit without attributing the composer of the music or the dance!).
@@georgehill6726 If you listen to the very beginning of the video Aly acknowledges the tune was composed "by my really good friend Pat Shaw…" and gives a tiny bit of the background. He doesn't note that Pat wrote the tune to accompany his waltz.
I need a fix of this every so often -- how can you beat it - of it's type it's superb and the delivery is from two consummate musicians that clearly have a deep understanding and feel for the tune
Actually the first American tour was brilliant, went to their concert at Wyndham College in Putney, Vermont, and everyone was spellbound from start to finish !
Aly Bain loves music and it shows. Beautifully played with Willie Johnston, a lost great. Pity Dick Gaughan's song was cut off on this video - he sang very strongly here. Strong performers - great musicians, all.
I just realized Aly has his thumb way above the side of the finger board. I tried it against the "traditional" way of holding it and holy crap it makes finger placement so much easier.
@maxwellc13 I've only got the once from that program, if I get a chance over the next coupe of days I'll post the full version of "a miners life is like a sailors" and a crackin version of "Freedom come a ye"
???? No recognition in video title - and rarely in comments - of Dick Gaughn's performance in the video - not only a fine song and rendition but amounts to more than half the video....
Excellent from Aly and Willie , ......the add on from Dick Gaughan at the end didn't strike a chord by the looks of the audience , unlike the miners at the time .
One has to love Shetlanders. Aly Bain is one of this world's finest musicians and has accepted request from some of America's top recording artists to back them up in sessions. 'Peerie' means little in Shetland. If we claimed him for Orkney his name would be: Peedie Willie. Great art either way. Thanks to Dick Gaughan for joining in
DasHearach I seem to recall hearing that it's a Shetland tune. Given the location of Shetland the music (and culture in general) is influenced by both Scotland and Scandinavia so you could be in to something.
I do realise that it is tantamount to heresy to criticise Peerie Willie, but ...the fact is that "Margaret's Waltz" cries out for an F#minor in the second bar of the A part, rather than remaining on the A chord ... the F#minor makes for a much more natural transition to the D chord in the 3rd bar ...
Not so much heresy, as just plain pedantic. Go through almost anyone's catalogue of songs & you'll find chords that could have been played differently. The transition you suggest is fine, but unnecessary, and it doesn't cry out for change at all. I change arrangements almost every time I play a song, so who's to say Willie didn't do the same on this one. He did that all the time. Take it for what it is, not what it could have been.
First bars are a giveaway, pal! Mull of Kintyre is a haunting song, but Mecca should fess up. Stealing is already a cliche for Scousers! I just stay silent. The music comes from inspiration, spirits and the strangeness of Scotland.
I had an Aly Bain CD playing with my wife to be, and this was on it. My then wife to be said this is our song. And it was our first dance. beautiful.
This was the time we picked for the first dance at our wedding reception. Beautiful tune then and now.
Nice! Had it walking down the aisle. Cracker of a tune and I think this is the best version I've heard - the dual notes Aly plays are an amazing touch
We are listening to this performance again tonight, 25 years to the day it was played for our first dance at our wedding reception. Great memories.
One of my late grandads' favourites was played at his funeral lovely waltz, but it makes me cry every time I hear it 😢
How beautiful - blows me away! I was born in Shetland but have travelled far and wide since then and have ended up in Paris. Fun fact: my dad and Aly Bain had their tonsils removed at the same time many decades ago in Shetland and were next to each other in the hospital ward :) They were in the same peer group later - my dad was also quite tasty on the fiddle! I love the fact that young guys in Shetland in the 50s and 60s got together to play the fiddle like young guys in later generations with their guitars :) My dad's life took a non-musical turn thereafter, but he still likes closing his eyes and having a good toe-tap to Shetland fiddle music :)
An incredibly beautiful fiddle tune. They don't make 'em like Aly Bain anymore.
No matter what Aly Bain plays it's delightful!
Dear Willie, mony a fun we haed. I’m in tears hearin da lovely Margaret’s Waltz an seein dee joost hoo I mind on so weel . Hoop du’s haein a sherry wharevir du’s listenin in on da sprees . Thanks Willie fur aa da winderful music, memories an funs . 👏💙😈
Dinn’a ken Aly , idder den ta see across a reekie room foo o’ music . Dere’s no mony fiddle players o’ his calibre . Da peerie tremulin yowls , inamongst such delicate care , just soul-singin awa, abon wis aa. 💙😈
my uncle willie was such an innovator and musicians like him come by maybe once every few hundred years i hope we will see and hear talents of his caliber return someday.
R.I.P. WILLIE I MISS YOU.
Hi Nathaniel - here's me 8 years after your message :) Are you from Shetland too? Your Uncle Willie is amazing :)
@@ingridnicolson736 I live in Lerwick
I was in a session in Edinburgh in the 70s when Willie sat in. I stopped playing and watched in amazement. 50 years on and I still can't play like Willie. Won't stop me trying though. An inspiration now as he was then.
Tunes like this and the wonderful playing are enough to make one want to go on living…
I was in the audience. The acoustics in the hall were superb and the tv doesn't catch it.
Beautiful fiddle music at its very best, I could listen for hours !!!
aku juga
the first tune I ever heard by the wonderful Mr Bain (such lovely eyes too!) - one of the best Shetland tunes out
I grew up with Ali Bain now very sad memories. Xx
Takes me back to The Lounge in Lerwick in the 80s
I love the way Aly Bain plays this tune - nobody else comes close to creating such a wonderful sound.
You should give Bryan Sutton's recording of this tune on his album 'Bluegrass Guitar' a listen
Also the way Mr. Johntson accompanies the fiddle.
This is often overlooked.
Outstanding and one of the sweetest waltzes I've ever heard.
I first heard this on radio scotland about 15 years ago (cant remember exactly when) and thought wow what a tune - took me ages to find out what it was - was not surprised to find Mr Bain behind this!! Always brings a tear to my eye.
So beautiful. Delight to listen to. My name is Margaret too.
No its not its derek
Hello Derek
Words cannot express all of the feelings here. and such a beautiful piece.
Thanks Aly, this tune means so much to me!.
perhaps the best version of this tune - never fails to bring a teaer to my eye!
I had the good fortune to spend a whole day with Peerie Willie in the Lounge in Lerwick, and in the evening at the Clickimin Centre when the band I was in was performing there in 1996. He came backstage, and we got on so well. I used to have that great album by Aly Bain with Peerie Willie and Violet Tulloch and an other. What an album. I wish I could get hold of it again. Thank you to Aly Bain for being such a great source of beautiful music for me.
Pete, there are lots of U-Tubes with the three of them, recreate your own NEW ALBUM pal, cheers!
Omg So Beautiful Brilliant Performance Guys Well Done
Beautiful tune!
It is such a lovely, sweet tune, beautifully played. Thanks for posting.
❤beautiful tune excellent ❤
loved this tune,was played at my grannys funeral yesterday, she loved to listen to and speak to ally when he was in brechin.
So awesome!!!! Love ALy Bain!!!!!!
Brilliant ❤
Great guitar playing. Fine song too!
that's the best version...I have heard....wonderful.....
Aly and Willie play the waltz beautifully. Dick Gaughan has put new words and arrangement to an old American Gospel Song "Life is Like a Mountain Railroad" I didn't recognize it at first. Nice job as always.
+MrMusicguyma The tune predates that--it was originally a Civil War-era tune with words called "The Vacant Chair." Kathy Mattea does a lovley cover of it which you can find on RUclips.
+MrMusicguyma The tune predates that--it was originally a Civil War-era tune with words called "The Vacant Chair." Kathy Mattea does a lovley cover of it which you can find on RUclips.
Beautiful song
I played this lovely tune for my mother in law, who was over 100 years old. Her name was Margaret and she loved to hear it. Her name was Margaret! Sweet, lovely memories!
😇
Beautiful playing!
Peerie Willie on video! Fantastic!
Aly has a beautiful tone and lovely pace, he could "make a stone weep" as they say. Peerie Willie is a gem, too. And Dick Gaughan makes three, a master singer/guitarist as well.
This song makes me so happy!
This reminds me of a lovely friend of mine ,unfortunately no longer with us. Margaret you were one of the best.
I liked this tune the first time i heard it
Love this tune. My late Dad played the fiddle so I was brought up listening to Ally Bain, also Angus Grant, the left handed fiddler.
Blue Lady. My late father made fiddles for Ally and Angus....Angus,s fiddle was made specially for him because he is left handed !! Sadly Ally's fiddle was badly damaged in America. (that's another storey though ). Don Riddell
Beautiful 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I love this waltz. And have added this to my repertoire. I have been playing this in contest and have been able to win a little money playing it. I don't really know where the tune came from. But thank you, whoever wrote it.
Margaret's Waltz is an _English Country Dance_ tune composed in 1959 by Pat Shaw for his dance composition Margaret's Waltz. Enormously popular in Australia, England and elsewhere. We taught the dance to Pat Murphy, Irish Set Dancing Master, at the South Sligo Summer School in Tubbercurry in 2011. He has included it in his fourth dance compendium (albeit without attributing the composer of the music or the dance!).
So Aly Bain is wrong?
@@georgehill6726 If you listen to the very beginning of the video Aly acknowledges the tune was composed "by my really good friend Pat Shaw…" and gives a tiny bit of the background. He doesn't note that Pat wrote the tune to accompany his waltz.
Absolutely love it.. I love the 'feeling' you put intoit. I'm playing this along with you :)
Man talk about " melting your heart" - treasure!!!
Old boy on the guitar smashing it.
Beautiful!
fantastic!
no need to explain but great you did - people, enjoy the tune as it is please - brilliant
I need a fix of this every so often -- how can you beat it - of it's type it's superb and the delivery is from two consummate musicians that clearly have a deep understanding and feel for the tune
One of my favourites. Pairs very nicely with Flatwater Fran for a waltz set
Peerie plays wonderful back up guitar just wish I could have had lessons from him
He kent da fret-board lik no idder! 💙
How Beautiful is that, I really thanks for it.
Pat Shaw put out another less well known but equally beautiful tune called "Farewell to Devon".
Actually the first American tour was brilliant, went to their concert at Wyndham College in Putney, Vermont, and everyone was spellbound from start to finish !
One of my favourites along with Josefins Waltz.
I play in the band for a contra dance/folk dance society and this is one of the tunes we play when the dancers want to do a waltz.
Aly Bain loves music and it shows. Beautifully played with Willie Johnston, a lost great. Pity Dick Gaughan's song was cut off on this video - he sang very strongly here. Strong performers - great musicians, all.
lovely
Saw the movie "Pride" yesterday I'll leave you to google it if you haven't seen it, but Dick Gaughan's song reminds me of that wonderful film.
spot on
Great clip! Sorry it cuts off at the end
I just realized Aly has his thumb way above the side of the finger board. I tried it against the "traditional" way of holding it and holy crap it makes finger placement so much easier.
OK - so practice a bit of Sheltie Fiddle and post the result here! New tallent is always welcome on RUclips.
@@DasHearach No
The second number by Dick Goghen is "A Miner's Life".
I know the words to this but can't find anyone to play with me so I can sing with it's a shame because it's a beautiful Walz
@maxwellc13 I've only got the once from that program, if I get a chance over the next coupe of days I'll post the full version of "a miners life is like a sailors" and a crackin version of "Freedom come a ye"
Aly recognized his genius
Jesus it's unreal. Great playing.
@danielmcphee1 This really is the definitive take on this song. I'm with you 100%
Dick Guaghan's following song is a re-write of the old US gospel "Life is a Like a Mountain Railroad"
real music!
Aly Bain , an playing alang we wir Peerie Willie canna beat it
Yes . true.
ok - but you know what? I don't care, it is simply magnificient the way it is
😊😊😊😊😊
Oaye me baws aye indeed.
wow
Wow! Well enough with Aly and Peerie, but then Dick Gaughan, too. Whew!
good hand photography on this vid - looks like the director was a musician too. and why is Perrie Willie not better known?
???? No recognition in video title - and rarely in comments - of Dick Gaughn's performance in the video - not only a fine song and rendition but amounts to more than half the video....
tear
@maxwellc13 Well spotted, I think I made a bit of a mess chopping it up.
Nice job here,Aly! Perhaps your tune Lily Dale could be renamed Lilly Vale,then posted again in its entiriety. It is different,your own,I love it too!
No complaints here-keep messing and thanks for posting!........got any more Gaughan?
How can you improve on that?
0:50
Thanks for the inspiration Aly and Peerie Willie - included in the Dee and Don Tune Book playlist ruclips.net/p/PLjxlqcqPnD9Kw7eMOqvymHYHinN6BYdoq
I love Dick Gaughan but not my favourite song. However could listen to him for hours!
Excellent from Aly and Willie , ......the add on from Dick Gaughan at the end didn't strike a chord by the looks of the audience , unlike the miners at the time .
One has to love Shetlanders. Aly Bain is one of this world's finest musicians and has accepted request from some of America's top recording artists to back them up in sessions. 'Peerie' means little in Shetland. If we claimed him for Orkney his name would be: Peedie Willie. Great art either way. Thanks to Dick Gaughan for joining in
A lovely waltz - am I right in thinking it has a Scandinavian feel?
I'm from between Ireland and Scandinavia and still feel that the timing is from our Viking neighbours!
DasHearach I seem to recall hearing that it's a Shetland tune. Given the location of Shetland the music (and culture in general) is influenced by both Scotland and Scandinavia so you could be in to something.
no
Shetland from unst
For me aunty Marty
That'd be Dick Gaughan, great singer!
Aye Dick is a great singer and a champion of the working class. Never forgot his roots!
Strings
I do realise that it is tantamount to heresy to criticise Peerie Willie, but ...the fact is that "Margaret's Waltz" cries out for an F#minor in the second bar of the A part, rather than remaining on the A chord ... the F#minor makes for a much more natural transition to the D chord in the 3rd bar ...
Neep
There's an 'in joke ' going on here!
Not so much heresy, as just plain pedantic. Go through almost anyone's catalogue of songs & you'll find chords that could have been played differently. The transition you suggest is fine, but unnecessary, and it doesn't cry out for change at all. I change arrangements almost every time I play a song, so who's to say Willie didn't do the same on this one. He did that all the time. Take it for what it is, not what it could have been.
Paul McCartney stole this tune.
First bars are a giveaway, pal! Mull of Kintyre is a haunting song, but Mecca should fess up. Stealing is already a cliche for Scousers!
I just stay silent. The music comes from inspiration, spirits and the strangeness of Scotland.