Commission a Tune
Tunes in the folk repertoire have often been written to celebrate people, places or occasions. This is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years, and many of these tunes are still played today. Tunes make a personal and unique gift, perhaps to celebrate the arrival of a new baby, a wedding, anniversary, birthday or achievement, or to remember a special person or visit. Whatever the reason, you can commission a tune to mark the occasion and we will create something special.
Your tune will be written by folk musicians Marina Dodgson and Maurice Condie. We’re experienced composers and arrangers, and have written tunes for people, places, buildings, animals, a lifeboat and even beers. We also write tunes just for fun! You can hear some examples of our tunes below.
Our standard fee is £150 and we can usually complete your tune within two weeks, although a shorter turnaround time may be possible
Naming the tune
You can choose the name of the tune. You might like to keep this simple and just use the name of the person the tune is for (e.g. Annie’s Waltz, Mr and Mrs Smith) or you can be as quirky and creative as you like. For inspiration, here are some names of well known folk tunes…Red Haired Boy, Jock Wilson of Fenton, Charming Lovely Nancy, Tripping up the Stairs, The Price of my Pig, Farewell to Glasgow.
Choosing the Type of Tune
When you commission a tune, you can give us as much, or as little, information as you like about the occasion or recipient of the tune. We will respond with an original, newly composed piece in the style of the traditional music of the British Isles. You may already know what kind of tune you would like – perhaps a waltz, a lively jig, a march or a slow air. Alternatively, you may prefer to give us a general description such as majestic or romantic. We are very happy to give advice and make suggestions.
When I commission a Tune, what do I get?
You will receive a 3-4 minute, high quality mp3 of your tune being played on fiddle, with guitar accompaniment. We will also provide an mp4 video of us playing your tune. This can include a special message for the recipient at the start if required. We will also provide the sheet music as a beautifully presented pdf which you may decide to print and frame (not included).
Who owns the tune?
The tune and recordings are yours for personal use. We retain all copyright and publishing rights.
How much does it cost to Commission a Tune?
Our standard fee is £150 for a 2 or 3 part tune. A deposit of £50 is payable in advance, with the balance due on completion of the commission. If you would like additional instruments on your recording, harmonies or a more complex arrangement, we are happy to discuss this and provide costs. We can also provide costs for physical (rather than digital) copies of the tune, or for us to perform the tune live at your event.
Next Steps
If you would like to commission a tune, please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Examples of our Tunes
The video below contains extracts of some of our tunes. You can hear many of these tunes in full on our Facebook page. You can also find examples of our creative work on the project we carried out with Cullercoats Brewery: Frets ‘n’ Bows ‘n’ Tales ‘n’ Ales.