Annotation:Tam Bain's Lum
X: 1 T:Tam Bain's Lum C:Joe Buchanan's Scottish Tome - Page 330.0 I:330 0 C:P.M. Donald Shaw Ramsay R:Hornpipe Z:Carl Allison L:1/8 M:4/4 F:http://www.john-chambers.us/~jc/music/abc/mirror/thisoldtractor.com/Tam_Bains_Lum.abc K:D A>B | "D"d2 (f<a) A>B ((3ddd) | "A7"A>B e>e f>d (f>a) |"A"e2 (c>e) A>c ((3ccc) | "A7"A>c e>c a>g f>e | "D"d2 (f<a) A>B ((3ddd) | "D"A>B de f>d (f>a) | "A"A>c ((3ccc) A>c e>c | "A7"a>g f>e "D"d2 :| "D"a2 f>d A>d ((3ddd) | "D"A>d f>d a>d (f>d) | "A"g2 e>c A>c ((3ccc) | "A7"A>c e>c g2 f>g | "D"a2 f>d A>d ((3ddd) | "D"A>d f>d a>d ((3ddd) |"A"G>B ((3ccc) A>c e>c | "A7"a>g f>e d2 :| A>B | "D"((3ddd) d>e f>A A>e | f>e d>e f>A A>B |"A"((3ccc) e>c A>c | "A7"a>g f>e d2 A>B | "D"((3ddd) d>e f>A A>e | "D"f>e d>e f>A A>B | "G"G>B ((3BBB) "A"A>c e>c | "A7"a>g f>e "D"d2 :| (d>B) | "D"A>d ((3ddd) A>d ((3ddd) | "D"A>d f>d a>d (f>d) | "A"G>B ((3ccc) c>B A>c | A>c e>c "D"d2 d>B | "D"A>d ((3ddd) A>d ((3ddd) | "G"G>B ((3ddd) g>f e>c | "A"A>c ((3ccc) "A"A>c e>c | "A7"a>g f>e "D"d2 :|
TAM BAIN'S LUM. Scottish, Canadian; Hornpipe (whole time). Canada, Cape Breton. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCCDD. "Tam Bain's Lum" was composed by Pipe Major wikipedia:Donald_Shaw_Ramsay (1919-1998) of Torpichen, who, after service in World War II (the youngest pipe major in the army), led the Edinburgh City Police Pipe Band to victory at the World Championships twice. He was also leader of the all-star Invergordon Distillery Pipe Band during its four years of existence. A lum is a tall hat. Ramsay's title inspiration was a chimney pot shaped like a man with a tall crooked hat that sat atop a tenement across the street from a pub. The story goes that the tenement was the abode of one Tam Bain, who was not allowed to smoke inside. He installed the effigy to the rooftop, and was able to declare to one and all that he smoked at home. The ornamental chimney pot depicting Tam Bain with his lum has been removed from the roof to a place of honor inside the Tam Bain, Main Street, Laurieston, Falkirk.
The tune is sometimes mischaracterized as a march, and is suitable for a Canadian Barn Dance.
The hornpipe was popularized among Cape Breton musicians by the playing of Theresa MacLellan and Cameron Chisholm. Paul Cranford observes "One of the classic typos of all time occurred on Theresa's 1977 Rounder LP where the title was given as 'Tam Bain Slum'."