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The music published with the dance in Morison's Bush Collection is the tune of the same name composed and
arranged by Bruce Fordyce (also the dance devisor). It is a 64-bar jig, and is in the key of B major.
The dance is often now danced to ‘The Chinese Breakdown’ but this is a reel tune.
George Meikle says:
We used the correct tune for the dance when we recorded it many years ago, a recording that many people
still use in classes today. ..... However, this to my mind is a horrible key to play in and we always play it in
Bb which is much easier, both to play and to get something suitable to follow it in a set. ... Personally I
think the tune sounds better in Bb, especially when played on an accordion.
As a matter of interest, this is one of the most popular jigs we have played in the band over the past
20+ years. It appears at venues all over the UK and Europe. The tune really does fit the dance well and has
always been commented on as such by many, many dancers. Please do not change into reel time!
Other recordings of the original tune are by Colin Dewar and David Cunningham.
Reprinted from Kiwi News, May 2004, with thanks to New Zealand Branch.
Bruce Fordyce 1925-2004. Bruce was perhaps best known in Scottish Country Dance circles worldwide as the
devisor of the dance and composer of the music “Seton’s Ceilidh Band”. He was involved with the formation of
the Wellington/Hawkes Bay Association of SCD Clubs in 1953 that later led to the formation of the NZ SCD Society
then the NZ Branch of the RSCDS. The following year (1954) he was a member of the organising committee for
the first Summer School in NZ held at Napier Boys’ High School.
Scottish Country Dancing was not Bruce’s only interest. He was a self taught musician, keen tramper and model
railway engineer. Though he retired from the dancing scene for many years his wife Mary continued and recently
Bruce returned and once again entered wholeheartedly into activities attending club nights, balls, weekend and
day schools and also summer schools where he was known to party into the wee small hours especially with the
musicians. Bruce was still devising dances and composing music in recent months.
As requested by Bruce a set of Hawkes Bay dancers danced Seton’s Ceilidh Band to the music of Peter Elmes,
John Smith and Lynne Scott as a special farewell at his funeral.
SETON'S CEILIDH BAND
(J4x64)
A Bruce Fordyce Morison's Bush Collection
1- 8
1s cross RH & cast 1 place, lead down between 3s & cast behind 4s
9-16
1s dance reflection reels of 3 on opposite sides beginning by dancing
up between 4s
17-24
1s cross RH & cast up 1 place, lead up between 3s & cast up behind
2s
25-32
1s dance reels of 3 on own sides beginning by dancing down between
2s
33-40
1s cross RH & cast down 1 place to give RH to partner & LH to 1
st
corners, Balance-in-Line, turn partner RH to give LH to 2
nd
corners
41-48
Balance-in-Line, 1s dance out & cast down behind 3s & lead up to top
crossing to 1
st
place own sides
49-60
1L+2L & 1M+2M change places RH on sides, 2s & 1s cross over LH &
repeat with 3s & 4s until reaching the bottom of the set
61-64
All turn RH 1½ times