Would you Adam and Eve it?

So two tunes which get played in sessions I have sat in on.

The first, a jig in G whose first measure is: B3 ded | BAB G2 B | AGE DEG | AGE D3 |

The second, a slide in D whose first measure is: f2A fAA ~f3 fef|a2f ede f2d A2g|

If you ask the player who kicked the first tune off what they call it, you’ll get the answer "Adam and Eve".

A different night, a different place, a different bunch of players, a different set which includes the second tune. You ask the player who led the set what they call the slide in question. "Adam and Eve"

And then you go to a different session and both tunes are played *as* a set (or you listen to At The Racket’s album where both are played as a set). "What do you call that first tune?" "Adam and Eve" "And the second?" "Adam and Eve"

Now, I’m happy enough with different tunes having the same name. Not a bother. I’m grand with one tune having different names. Fair enough - the more the merrier, bring it on. But this may be the only occasion I know of where two tunes are commonly played as a set and referred to under the same name (without a distinguishing "1" and "2").

And before anyone chips in to point out the obvious, I know they’re often referred to as "Kevin McHugh’s 1" and "Kevin McHugh’s 2" and "Kevin McHugh’s Jig" and "Kevin McHugh’s Slide". I’m only talking about the occasions when a player knows both and refers to both as Adam and Eve…

Anyone else know of any commonly-played sets where both tunes (or more it’s a set of more than two tunes) are commonly known by the same title without any distinguishing suffix?

Toss the feathers ?

But that’s not quite the same thing - just the same tune played in different keys? At least that’s the only instance I can think of where I’ve heard two “different” tunes called Toss The Feathers played in a set…

there are 3 tunes called toss the feathers, I have heard at least two of them together in sets

Ok. Actually I’m going to answer my own question here(!). I’ve just thought about The Rakes Of Kildare. There are two tunes - one in a major key (G, I think) and one in an A mode. I sometimes play them separately as part of different sets but sometimes I’ll play them together - the major tune running into the modal one.

Paddy Fahys

Paddy Fahey’s : officially they do have numbers but nobody knows what the numbers are..

Hmmm and Gan Ainm, I suppose. OK. Point taken.

The copper plate

I think they are referenced as new and old unless there is a third copper plate

You could make a mega set of tunes named Hare in the Corn if you wanted too.

Thanks for that CE. And of course some of those tunes are *indeed* commonly played in sets. Good one.

I think of tune sets like Martin Wynn’s that are often played together. Which is #1? Which is #2? Do you play 3 and 4 as well? Very confusing!

Also there are at least 4 Ballydesmond Polkas that I can think of, all with overlapping, shifting numbers.

The 2 ‘Father Kelly’s’ (Rossmore Jetty and Ben Hill) seem have fuzzy nomenclature, too.

@joefidkid - fair shout. But at least those tunes are often enumerated to create *some* sort of distinction but perhaps not in the same way from player to player, session to session, area to area…

Sharon Shannon CDs?

This is often done with the Blackbird set by Sharon Shannon, which is actually Padraig O’Keefe’s and the Happy One Step. Very confusing as the Blackbird is a completely unrelated tune.

Thanks for that. But my original question was about two or more tunes with the same conventional name, commonly played in sets together and with no distinguishing suffix such as No 1, No 2, etc. But that tic of ascribing a name to a set which is nothing to do with the tunes itself is a right pain.

Excluding tunes proper names (there are five pages of tunes with the surname O’Keeffe, and how many Jackson’s aren’t there?) there are still other examples:
Whinney Hills of Leitrim, The Crosses of Annagh, Blackberry Blossom

I have recordings of the Tommy Peoples reel in Bm (B3c dBAF) as Frankie Kennedy’s and Jackie Daly’s. 😀

By the way, I play all four Martin Wynne’s tunes - #1 in D, #2 in Bm/D, #3 in G - gdeg B2Ac, and #4 in G - B2AG EDB,C. #4 is my current favourite of them.

A couple points:
- Paddy Fahey did not number his tunes, so no, there are no "official" numbers for them.
- Most of the tunes with numbers (the Ballydesmond polkas for instance) don’t actually include the numbers as part of the "name", they’ve been organically added after the fact by people referencing a set off a recording, or a standard set (example: "let’s play that 1st Ballydesmond polka that Denis and Julia recorded, but not the other two").
- The Geese in the Bog and the Pipe on the Hob are two other examples
- (edited to add) I’m not sure where these two tunes got the name Adam and Eve, but I would guess the idea of naming them both the same thing came from an album that labeled the track as such, in a similar way as the "Blackbird set" mentioned already.

Paddy Fahey WARNING !!! (Thanks Nico)

All those reels (numbered 1 to 29) jigs(1 to 12) and hornpipes 1,2 in Maria Holohan’s thesis from 1995 are all unofficial numbers and they will not hold up in a court of law.

I often play Paddy Fahey No. 20 but that could be any of the 29 Reels and should in no way be confused with this tune here https://thesession.org/tunes/1402

The Peacock’s Feather (Dm) followed by
The Peacock’s Feather (Dmaj)
as played by the Tulla Ceili Band.

The Kilfenora Jig

And here I thought the subject thread was asking if one was willing to play naked or not. Sorry, couldn’t let that one slide by.

There’s a set of hornpipes commonly played together, both called the Peacock’s Feathers. I’m not sure why, though, as I only play the one of them in Dm.