The tunes are chiefly Scottish, but include (folio 21) the song 'Though you make no return to my passion', by Henry Purcell, from the incidental music, 1693, to the play "The maid's last prayer" by Thomas Southerne.

Seven of the tunes, 'Wappat the widow' (folios 1 verso and 10 verso), 'Love is the cause of my mourning' (folio 6 verso), 'Allan Water' (folio 9 verso), "Hallowe'en" (folio 17), "The Laird of Cockpen's Scotch measure" (folio 17 verso), 'Old lang syne' (folio 31 verso), and 'I love my love in secret' (folio 33 verso) were published for the first time by Henry Playford in ‘A collection of original Scotch tunes’, but the settings in this manuscript are different and on the whole more elaborate.

Several have the initials J M or J McL, possibly the 'McClauklaine' whose 'Scotch Measure' was published in ‘A collection of original Scotch tunes’, page 1.