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Thursday 5 January 2017

Traditional: Willson's Wilde (in C)

Here is a real old warhorse, of which there appear to be quite a few versions. This one is based on Lesson 4 in A Tutor for the Renaissance Lute by Diana Poulton. It's really easy.

I have kept as far as possible to the native fingerings of the original, even though the key of D in the uke can be a bit ploddy – but I think that's quite appropriate here. The original was arranged so that the open 4th, 5th and 6th strings on the lute provided the bass line (easier to play), a luxury we don't have, so I've had to make some compromises. I might have a go at transposing it up to G soon, with better bass but more awkward fingering.

The twiddly bits (e.g. 2-0-2 in the tabs) are indicated by # marks in the original, but there seems to be some dispute about what # actually meant in those days. I have opted for mordents and inverted mordents, based on a little reading, much ignorance, and personal preference. They can be left out, or played only on repeat.

As usual, there's a quick look below, and you can access fuller versions here in png pdf (preview), pdf auto download, and TablEdit formats. (Both tabs and notation are shown in pdf and TablEdit formats.)

Tablature and music notation for ukulele of Willsons wilde from the lute version
Tabs for Willsons wilde for low G ukulele