Traditional Welsh tunes - Dic Siôn Dafydd

Click to hear a midi version of the tune

Dic Siôn Dafydd

(Unloyal Welshman)

This is an old pipe and pibgorn tune which sounds good with a drone and is a a very effective finale to a set..

There are only two chords so it is not difficult to play with the chord accopanyment. Although the tune is set in A minor, the first chord is a G which then leads into the A minor chord.

Dic Siôn Dafydd is a good tune to follow Beth yw'r Haf i Mi and Crwtyn Llwyd in a set.

It has the typical old Welsh tune structure - AABA.
Part A is played twice: note the two dots at the end of the stave showing this; then part B is played once, then D.C. (dal capo - from the top) means that part A is played again until reaching Fine - the end.

Click for a .pdf set file including this tune

Player's guide

A disciplined approach to the fingering will make this a straightforward tune to play.

Right hand guidance

Part A, Bar 1 - The thumb (1) starts on B' and the middle finger (3) on G.

Bar 2 - the middle finger (3) plays G then the index finger plays B', freeing the thumb to play the 4, the whole hand moves up one string to span up from A' to D', so that the thumb (1) and three fingers (2,3,4) locate on D',C',B',A' and don't change.

Part B - the first four bars played with hand position and fingering simmilar to part A; bars 5 to 8 are even easier than part A: the whole hand moves up one string to span from B' to E', so that the thumb (1) and three fingers (2,3,4) locate on E',D',C',B' and don't change until the hand moves back down 2 strings to start part A again.