All the Pretty Horses

Rhiannon Giddens joins The Elftones on a beautiful album of Celtic ballads and lullabies, mixed in with a few contra dance tunes. All the Pretty Horses showcases Rhiannon’s rich and lovely voice, Mara’s lyrical fiddle, and Roger’s sparkling guitar. 

Elftones

The Elftones’ debut album of high-drive contra dance music, with a couple of waltzes added to the mix. 

The Moon & Seven Stars

The Elftones’ second album, another treasury of excellent contra dance energy and creativity! 

Mist-Covered Mountains

The Elftones’ well-loved album of waltzes, Mist-covered Mountains, is a favorite with many waltz teachers and dancers. Good for dancing or for just listening and relaxing, it is a compilation of different kinds of waltzes.

The Elftones, Naturally

The Elftones, Naturally  is an album of beautiful listening pieces that are some of Mara and Roger’s favorites, several of which are original compositions. Enjoy a bouquet of tunes from England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Venezuela, and America!

In 3/4 Time

Copious Notes (Mara Shea on fiddle and Julie Gorka on piano) play Scottish, English, and contra dance music, but they like waltzes, too. Here’s their very danceable waltz album, In 3/4 Time.

Heather Hills:

Music for Scottish Country Dancing

Dave Wiesler (piano) and Mara Shea (fiddle) recorded a very danceable album of Scottish country dance sets for classes and teachers; since then, it has become far more than that–a well-loved recording showing great teamwork. Dave’s sparkling and inventive musicianship, and Mara’s melodic yet driving fiddle make this a favorite album for with anyone who likes to listen to great piano and fiddle music. 

English Country Dance Tunes, a Collection

Mara Shea (violin, various instruments). A “pandemic album” of  music for 36 English country dances, mostly solo violin with multi-tracked harmony parts on mandolin, viola, and guitar on some tracks. Julie Gorka on piano joins in on several tracks, as well, representing our band, “Copious Notes.” These tracks were recorded for teachers and dance groups during the 2020-23 pandemic; many of the dances on this album were requested by teachers because they had not yet been recorded or were difficult to find.

Atlanta Fare

Sixteen dances from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society – Atlanta Branch

Mara Shea on fiddle, and Julie Gorka on piano (as Copious Notes) play these sixteen Scottish country dances, with bow chords and at tempos suitable for dancing. All tune names are listed on the Bandcamp page. 

The Swans of Atlanta

Mara Shea (fiddle) and Julie Gorka (piano), as Copious Notes, recorded a very danceable album of Scottish country dance sets for the RSCDS-Atlanta Branch. Call it Volume 1…there’s a follow-on CD (More Swans of Atlanta) with dances from the Atlanta Branch’s 40th Anniversary Book. Tracks are recorded with bow chords and at tempos suitable for dancing. All tune names are listed on the Bandcamp page. 

More Swans of Atlanta

Mara Shea (fiddle) and Julie Gorka (piano), as Copious Notes, followed up The Swans of Atlanta collection of Scottish country dances with MORE Swans – these selections from the RSCDS-Atlanta Branch 40th Anniversary Book. Tracks are recorded with bow chords and at tempos suitable for dancing. All tune names are listed on the Bandcamp page. 

Airs & Dances: A Collection of Scottish Strathspeys

A book and audio files!  A compilation of one hundred strathspeys of different kinds from the Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland, from the early 18th through late 19th centuries. Tunes harmonized by Julie Gorka. This link will take you to the Mel Bay Publications website, and both an e-book and a physical book are available from them (with audio files).