I play in a celidih band, and we are in desperate need of new 48 bar tunes for some of the dances we play for as we’re all fed of up of "merrily kissed the quaker," "dingle regatta" and "the blarney pilgrim." Can anyone suggest some good alternatives? Jig and reel suggestions are welcome
Humours of Ennistymon, (also known as Hartigan’s Fancy),
Father Kelly’s Jig.
Two 48 bar jigs
Sweets of May
Weasel in the Grass
ABCs available if you want
thanks goldfrog and cathy, I have sweets of may, but abcs of weasel in the grass would be fab
We have a couple of the 48-bar-ers above, but no dances to go with them. Can anyone spare a dance for a poor Englishman?
for 48 bar dances we do the bridge of athlone, virginia reel and the waves of tory. To make up for the lack of 48 bar tunes we tend to play 32 bar ones AABBAB, which is horribly confusing…
Random Jig (Random Notes); I’ll Get Wedded In My Auld Claes (Hexham Quadrille). Two from Northumbria.
How about The Oak Tree?
terry
Banish Misfortune
Cup of Tea
Trip to Durrow—Not sure if this would work as it’s AABCBC
"48 bar polka" in the Encyclopedia Blowzabellica is a good tune. Nationality-wise I guess it’s as you’d expect from that source!
Horizonto!!!!
Cook in the Kitchen
Of course you’ll know my suggestions, you live in the home of the Were-Rabbit where the snow lies heavy on the borderline, and all that.
Lord Macdonald’s Reel (Slanty Gart in Shetland), if you tag on the third part, which is the first part shifted to D.
Terry
Reels: Christmas Eve, Maids Of Mount Cisco, The Hare In The Heather - these are three-parters, and I thought of another, and lost it…
Cathy will remember, along with me, the formidable Helen Holt and her accordion resolutely playing AABBAB, because it seems to be the english barn dance band tradition. If anyone else in the band made a mistake nobody noticed, because she drowned them out anyway.
but… but….
Sweets of May is its own dance. Lord MacDonald is usually a 4-parter, if you repeat the parts right. And you’ve got slides mixed in your jigs, snowyowl.
Okay, here’s some options I enjoy:
Reels: Trip to Durrow, Bunker Hill (sometimes played 24-bar, who cares), Dowd’s Favourite, Flogging Reel
Jigs: Battering Ram
I think Maid of Mt. Cisco is a 40-bar tune.
Over the Moore to Maggie: https://thesession.org/tunes/115
The Ships in Full Sail: https://thesession.org/tunes/261
The Pipe on the Hob: https://thesession.org/tunes/81
The Queen of Rushes: https://thesession.org/tunes/4848
The Coming of Spring: https://thesession.org/tunes/2403
The last one isn’t well-known, but the Sruleen Ceili Band from Birmingham plays it.
And Behind the Haystack, Strike the Gay Harp, Wandering Minstrel, etc.
Hi Guernsey Pete,
yes I remember that well, and when we did get a proper 48 bar tune it was Dingle Regatta every time, just because it was Dingle’s Folk Club!
slainte - Yes, you’re right about Mt. Cisco, the second part’s only played once.
AABBAB ‘seems to be the English barn dance tradition’? First I’ve heard of it in 30 mumble years. AABB is usual, with a few oddities like AABC or occasional ABAB. Also AAB, where the B music is 16 bars and therefore not repeated. They often sound like AABA. 48 bar tunes are usually 3 parts - Paddy Carey, Morgan Rattler, Bang Up - all AABBCC. 40 bar tunes are much more of a challenge!
There’s also The Strayaway Child, and O’Carolan’s Concerto makes for 64 bars if played AABB.
c.g.,
I think Guernsey Pete is refering to having to adapt 32 bar tunes to 48 bar dances, hence the AABBAB structure.
Strayaway child has 6 parts so 96 bars.
There are so many fine AABBCC tunes why bother butchering a good 32 bar AABB tune?
Maggie Brown’s Favorite with B repeated. Crabs in the Skillet. Dusty Windowsill. Battering Ram. Da Full Rigged Ship. Pipe on the Hob. Bridal Festival Quadrille. McConnell’s Cup of Tea. Walpole Cottage. Mother’s (Regiment). McDonald’s March (Cormier’s) played as usual without the 4th part. Or am I getting too far afield here? I’ll stop.
I’m sorry, I was out working then socialising, so I culdn’t reply sooner.
Cathy has it right. I think Dingle Regatta is slowly fading from much hated to almost nostalgic.
Of course I went to Dingle once, was one of those who jumped in the sea to try tp play with the dolphin, who’s not that stupid as to let you.
one 3-part (and 48 bar) jig : the dusty windowsill… if I get the spelling right !
what we do in our ceilidh band, to get it less confusing, is to play a tune 3 times, without repeats : ABABAB…
one dance which makes your head work : the eightsome reel : ontro 40 bars (AABBB), and then 8 times 48 bars, ending 40 bars… that gives 1rst tune AABBB, then 8 tunes ABABAB, and back to the first tune AABBB… who said music was maths ? 🙂
thanks a lot everyone. I’ll go through them and we can choose which ones we like the best for the first time ever!
nikita - we’re currently working out an eightsome reel set…it makes our heads hurt!
Monaghan’s jig - sometimes 48, sometimes 72 (eg when sharron Shannon plays it). Often used with Orcadian Jig, another 48 bar jog with some nasty accidentals