Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Four Poster Bed

reel

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on October 24th 2002 by Davetnova.

This tune has been added to 33 tunebooks.

Also known as Four Posted Bed, Four Posts Of The Bed.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Both Ears And The Tail by Martin Carthy And Dave Swarbrick
Close To The White Bear by Dave Swarbrick And Simon Nicol
Gan Bua by Gan Bua
History Of Fairport Convention by Fairport Convention

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

X: 1
T: Four Poster Bed, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|: f2f2 e2fg | agfe dcde | f2f2 e2d2 | a4 A4 :|
|: e2e2 e2ef | edcB A2a2 | A2a2 A2a2 | A2a2 A2cd |
e2e2 e2ef | edcB A2fg | a2g2 f2e2 |1 d4 d2cd :|2 dafa d2d2 ||

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Four Poster Bed

I was reminded of this tune recently. It should be played fairly fast and as I remember when played on a fiddle the high a low A sequence in the second part is plucked on the high a then the fiddle is struck with the heel of the bow to resonate the low A. Four strikes (one on each bout), four posts. Definitely the tune to "try" someone elses fiddle on, especially if yours is a good one.

# Posted on October 24th 2002 by Davetnova

Re: a recent thread in discussions about music for weddings

I think this tune is more Scots than Irish , but it's agreat topical tune for playing at weddings(In fact, I have my suspicions that it is actually a descendant of a Danish bridal march).

# Posted on October 25th 2002 by granama

Four poster

David you may be right. I first heard this tune played by Nick Spencer of Black Eyed Biddy in South west Scotland, about a hundred miles or so from the Danish Kingdom centred about the Dhub Linn, such are the mixings of the Tradition. So both your thoughts could be right. For my part an apology, this is my first effort at ABC and I've made the obvious mistake with the last bar which is an octave too high. my apologies.

# Posted on October 26th 2002 by Davetnova

Four-poster Bed

Dave Swarbrick played this tune in the early 70s and soon fiddles all over England were sporting four dents on the varnish on the four quarters of the belly. The first note of each pair was played pizzicato with the ringfinger of the left hand, probably doing the A and E strings open. The next note was the bang.

I later heard this played on a melodian by two good morris musicians independently. They got plenty of draw on the A part of the tune then played the four posts as note followed by a big bang inwards on the air button.

# Posted on October 27th 2002 by noelbats