David Adams reel

Composed by J.S. Skinner. This version appears on Fisherstreet’s "Out in the Night". I think the original version was single, with no repeats, but Fisherstreet had it as a double.

I’ve decided to edit out the repeats and post this as a single reel. Because both parts have 1st and 2nd time endings, it works as a double as well, but I just think it’s punchier and less tediously repetitive in its phrasing as a single, the way it was originally meant to be. If you look at some other similar tunes by Skinner, like the Gladstone, the Bride’s Reel etc, you’ll see that he often used this kind of structure where the A-part has a 2nd time ending as well as the B-part. This one seems to fit nicely into that pattern. Just be aware, though, that most people who are familiar with this tune will probably have the Fisherstreet setting in their heads, which as I said is double with repeats.

X: 1
T: David Adams
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amaj
A2cA GABc|dcBA GEFG|A2cA Bcdf|ecdB cAAE|
A2cA GABc|dcBA GEFG|AcEc ABcd|1 ecdB cAAE:|2 ecdB cAAg||
|:aAag fddf|bBba geeg|aAag fdaf|ecdB cAAg|
a2ag fddf|b2ba geeg|agae faea|1 ecdB cAAg:|2 ecdB cAAE||

X: 1
T: Reel in A
S: Altan - The Poison Glen
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amaj
E|A2cA GBBc|d2BA GE~E2|A2cA Bcdf|ecdB cAAE|
A2cA GBBc|d2BA GE~E2|A2cA Bcdf|ecdB cAAg||
a2ea fdda|b2fa geeg|agae defa|ecdB cAAg|
a2ea fdda|b2fa geeg|agae defa|ecdB A3||

Submitted on July 21st 2012 by iris eve.

There are two similar reels which echo the tune in question. In my opinion what Altan play is the second of the two, a reel by James Scott Skinner called "David Adams".

X:979
T:Mill Burn, The
S:Kerr’s Merry Melodies Bk.3
Z:Nigel Gatherer
L:1/8
M:4/4
K:A
E | A2 cA GABc | dFBA GBEG | A2 cA Bcdf | ecdB A/A/A A :|
B | Aaga fedc | dFBA GBEG | Aaga fedc | dfec A/A/A AB |
Aaga fedc | dFBA GBEG | AcBd cedf | ecdB A/A/A A |]

X:980
T:David Adams
C:James Scott Skinner
Z:Nigel Gatherer
L:1/8
M:4/4
K:A
E | A/A/A cA GABc | dcBA GEFG | A/A/A cA Bcdf | ecdB cAAa |
A/A/A cA GABc | dcBA GFEG | AcEc ABcd | ecdB cAAa ||
aAag fddf | bBba geeg | aAag fdaf | ecdB cAAg |
a/a/a Aa fddf b/b/b Bb geeg | agae faea | ecdB cAA |]

# Posted on July 21st 2012 by Nigel Gatherer

Nigel, the first tune you posted looks like a mixture of Scott Skinner’s David Adams and The Baker http://www.thesession.org/tunes/3861.

I learned the above submitted version of this tune from Dermot Diamond at a fiddle workshop in Oude Niedorp and then discovered it on "The Poison Glen". At the workshop, we followed it with "Mickey Doherty’s Reel".

X: 4 comes from session member megapop under the (erroneous?) title of Nine Pint Coggie.