Mally's North West Morris Book

Traditional North West Morris Tunes for Melodeon and Folk Musicians

Mally’s North West Morris Book, edited by Carolyn Wade, contains 57 traditional tunes with chords forming a core repertoire for North West Morris musicians. Designed as a practical and approachable working collection, the book is particularly suitable for novice musicians while remaining highly useful for experienced players involved in Morris dancing and traditional folk music.

Unlike many Cotswold Morris traditions where specific tunes are closely tied to particular dances, North West Morris music often allows greater flexibility, with musicians selecting tunes that best suit the dance and side. This creates a repertoire full of strong, straightforward country dance melodies that work exceptionally well for melodeon, accordion and traditional session playing.

Quick Overview

This 32-page collection provides practical North West Morris repertoire and easy country dance tunes for musicians playing for Morris sides, folk festivals, country dance bands and English sessions. The tunes are clearly written in large note music in a simple but accurate form, making the book especially approachable for developing players.

Available Formats

• Book
• Companion CD - useful for bringing the tunes and rhythms to life
• Why not order one of each?

Ideal for Developing Traditional Musicians

It is common and sensible for developing musicians to begin playing for a Morris side as soon as they have mastered the basic techniques of a newly acquired instrument. Doing so provides encouragement, practical experience and a real musical outlet during the important early stages of learning.

This collection was created specifically to support musicians entering the North West Morris tradition, providing a convenient and highly practical source of tunes currently used by active Morris sides.

What Makes North West Morris Music Different?

North West Morris music differs from Cotswold Morris traditions in that individual tunes are generally not tied rigidly to specific dances. Instead, musicians can select tunes that suit the character and energy of the dance being performed.

As a result, the repertoire often overlaps with strong country dance tunes and traditional session melodies, making this book useful well beyond Morris performance itself.

Particularly Useful for D/G Melodeon Players

Many of the tunes sit naturally on the D/G melodeon and work especially well for players developing bellows control, rhythm and dance accompaniment skills. Chord arrangements are included throughout and are suitable for melodeon, piano accordion and guitar.

The straightforward rhythmic nature of many North West Morris tunes makes this repertoire especially rewarding for developing traditional musicians.

Ideal For

• D/G melodeon players
• North West Morris musicians
• Players entering traditional music
• Accordion players exploring English repertoire
• Country dance musicians
• English folk session musicians
• Ceilidh and barn dance players
• Players building English traditional repertoire

Book Details

• Title: Mally’s North West Morris Book
• Editor: Carolyn Wade
• Available Formats: Book or Companion CD
• Publisher: Dave Mallinson Publications
• Pages: 32
• Contents: 57 traditional North West Morris tunes with chords
• ISBN: 978 1 899512 04 1
• Optional CD Product Code: AM203C
• Label Number: DMPCD8803

Contents

Building Your Morris Repertoire

Players exploring English Morris traditions may also find Mally’s Cotswold Morris Book Volume 1 and Mally’s Cotswold Morris Book Volume 2 useful for expanding their English dance music repertoire.

Explore More English Folk Music

Browse our full range of English Folk Music Books & Tune Collections for more traditional English repertoire.

You can also explore our wider collection of accordion, melodeon and folk music books here.

Why Buy from Squeezebox Marketplace?

At Squeezebox Marketplace, we specialise in melodeons, accordions and traditional folk instruments, with a strong focus on real-world traditional music. We carefully select tune books and learning resources that are genuinely useful for players involved in Morris dancing, folk festivals and traditional music performance.