Fun With Waltzes

I have a few private weddings on my upcoming schedule and it was suggested by another band member that I might play a waltz or two at such an event. This got me thinking about the few waltzes that I know and that I'd better refresh my playing of them and rehearse them daily, too. One of my absolute favorites is a waltz written by a man I met who lives in Hudson Falls by the name of George Wilson. He writes "Cape Breton style" music and his waltz named "Sweet Journeys" (available in a Jerry Holland fiddle book) is one of my all-time favorites. The tune is in A Major with lots of relative minor chords....just beautiful!

Another old standby is one named "Westphalia Waltz". This one is in the key of C Major and is a simple tune with only the tonic, dominant and relative minor chords being played. The next one is another old standby called the "Golden Anniversary Waltz" or sometimes simply called the "Anniversary Waltz". It's in the key of D Major and the second part goes "around the horn" in its chordal progression. (See the music theory page for an explanation of "around the horn").

The next waltz is an original of mine that I named "My Autumn Waltz". It's also in the key of D Major and has a lot of pretty chords in it. (See the "Fiddliferous" page here on this website for the music).

I've been playing so many reels and hoedowns lately, I'd forgotten how beautiful the playing of waltzes can be.