I think it’s fair to say that Finbar Furey playing the Lonesome Boatman is quite a stirring thing. I’d love to go half way to emulating Finbar’s version of this lovely tune, however I’m confused about the Key of the whistle he plays when playing this tune. Can anyone help me out here. If it’s a D whistle, it has to be a sweet tone.
Wistle connosiuers out there, please don’t be annoyed by my ignorance.
Eminor I am told, I think that’s what I play it in anyway. Only covering the top hole is the first note.
Ah yes, thon auld song Fear an bhata, stretched out to make it sound more lonesome. Then he does jazzy bits at the end. Fair play to the Fionbar boy. Ptarmo’s recent thread about copycatting should be digested with caution.
At a session I used to host, this classical clarinettist-cum-half-a-dozen Irish tunes on the whistle used to turn up and do the Boatman, de rigeur a la Furey interpretation, as his star turn. And yes the grockell punters loved it. Meanwhile knowing bemused glances were swapped by the regular (paid) players.
And it’s always the first tune you get asked to play if you’re a WHISTLE player. I have deliberately never learned it (as per the Furey interpretation) so it’s easy to “No” rather than get bored having to become a lonesome tune robot.
At the session I frequent this semi sloshed lady has been turning up recently and she has routinely asked me to play this tune. when she first asked if i knew the lonesome boatman I replied I wasn’t sure if he drank in that pub. Again she has asked and I have wandered if she is referrin to ellen McArthur.
I suppose the point is that if you play a whistle punters will ask for the tune and my reaction here was avoidance.
Does the key of the whistle actually mater here - perhaps only if you want to play it exactly as Finbar
Such a load of pretentious drivel. “I don’t play it because it’s common/too well known”, it’s only for moronic listeners etc etc etc. At that rate, and using that yardstick, you wouldn’t play anything except Sully’s Number 5 or something. That would make a great night for anyone else in the vicinity. I can imagine your sessions Indie Niall “does anyone know this tune? No. Oh good, we will do that then”. Elitist, super race prats do annoy me I must confess. “The Kesh Jig? Oh no, that might be OK for Kevin Burkee, Paddy Keenan and the rest of the Bothy Band, but I am on a higher, esoteric level than that”.
It’s still a good tune, even if it is the only one punters ask for, especially in Norn Ireland. I have never heard two peopple play it the same way, everyone seems to do it in their own style.
If you want to play the tune Aberandy, go ahead. Do not be deterred by those who wouldn’t know a true session if they fell over one.
See there Indie, you got yr slagging, finally. Those surprize slags are so much more fun. Don’t you think.?
So now I’m suffering pangs of conscience because the Blisster stepped in there for you while all I could do is apologize. So now you know who yr TRUE Friend is….
Since I don’t even play the whistle (too popular 🙂 ) and am unclear on exactly which tune this is. ( I have the 1st 2 Finbar Furey LP’s. Haven’t even seen any others) perhaps I should respectfully p*** off.
Aberandy - I have a video of Finbar playing this on a TV programme about 20 years ago when he appeared on it as a guest of the “Corries”. On that occasion, he was playing a medium-sized aluminium whistle, probably an Overton, and I would guess in the key of “G” or possibly “F”. I’ll check it out for you.
Owell, what do you mean “finally”?
I regularly receive a kicking on here for saying stuff like that and am now immune to it. And Frankie Gavin does a good version of the Kesh, but that doesn’t mean I like playing it at yet another session for 10 billionth time. I don’t think it’s snobbery to get bored with wheeling out the same old warhorses over and over again, week in week out. And there was a time at the aforementioned session where Mr. Classical Clarinettist would do just that with the Boatman.
Didn’t I just open a nice big juicy can of worms with that one! And I only wanted to know what key the whistle was!!! hee hee. Ah well, thanks for your responses. I’m still a novice on the old whistle and don’t practice enough. Being a newly qualified teacher it’s hard to find the time of day to do anything else, apart from school work. I really must keep on playing.
A little off topic, but this discussion reminds me of when i last saw John Hartford perform. He said an older lady came up to him one night after a show and ask him, “Why don’t you play something I can recognize so I can tell if you’re any good or not.” John said, “Ma’am I’ve always made it a point to never play anything anyone has ever heard. That’s the secret to my success.”
Any bodhran players here able to play the Lonesome Beatman on theor drum?
I totally endorse Danny’s comments, especially for whistle and flute players.
Danny and other flute players, how many times have you been asked for Annie’s Song?
Michael Moriarty, a great flute player from Kerry, and myself were playing in The Iona Club one night, and some punter from Jarrow came over and asked if he could play Annie’s Song.
Michael’s reply, and in absolute genuine response (he hadn’t heard this No.1 hit by Galway!),
“I can play you any song you want. I have hundreds!”
If you need any more pain ITA stories, think no further than Gay McEoin being asked for Amazing Grace. Response was amazing, grace it was not!
No, I don’t “do”’ the Lonesome Boatman!
Brianx
Hi Aberandy, I think Finbar (not that we’re on first name terms you understand) originally played the tune on an Indian “Bansri” whistle.
When I play it on a D whistle the first note is a high E slid into an F natural (half-holed or slant-fingered), this position gives you the nice strong F# in the second bit of the tune and is the position I think originally played. You can also play it a tone higher starting on F# but you’ll need a half-hold G# in the second part.
If using the former the bluesy rundown uses a low Bb which I cross-finger.
Hope this helps
PP
Did I not say that.
Just watched the video, Aberandy. he played it on a “G” whistle. This would have been 1982.
Indie,
“finally” refers to that other discussion ( I can’t find it now and don’t remember the title) where you said your piece and then “the abuse will commence in 18.5” . Given yr apparent “air time” vs a vs mine I was being silly about the paucity of abuse. This was the 1st time since that I’d seen anybody lay into you. Hence “finally”.
I was just being a wize-acre and also taking a bankshot at Bliss. Just for the craic, you understand: the only serious thing I said in the whole post was admitting that I don’t know Jack Sheet about it and bowed out.
Actually Indie I agree with you. I’ve tried introducing new tunes, but the only one that ever caught on was the time [in a fit of sacasm] I turned “Camptown Races” into a slide. It was funny….once.
We now return to regular programming.
“Camptown Races” IS played as a slide. I think I’m right in remembering there was a recording of no lesser persons than Padraig O’Keeffe and Denis Murphy playing it on Robbie Hannan’s Radio Ulster “Culan” programme a few months ago.
Sorry - polka.
https://thesession.org/tunes/4271
Earlier this year Finbar Furey played a gig in Geelong, Victoria and he used an A whistle for the Lonesome Boatman. Sounded good to me. I use a D whistle to play it in sessions and when I get a couple of guitars and a fiddle going with me, it sounds brilliant!!
its in the key of Dm, its really easy to play, if you get a D whistle and start on the E..only problem is you have to play an F, but its still easy done, just cover 3 & a half holes :D sweet tone or a susato, it sounds good on both, but if you play a sweet tone, best use an amp to help it sound haunting!
hey there can anyone advise me as too where i can download the lonesome boatman for free its so hard to find and i luv it
finbar plays a low G whistle made by overton ,(and thats a fact) not a D C E OR F its an overton low G ,
Yes, I was just watching Finbar Furey play this tune on RTE’s “For One Night Only” and Finbar told Gay Byrne a nice story how Bernard Overton made him low whistle from scrap alumunium from the Jaguar plant, Finbar held up the whistle and said it was in G.
Even if you’ll get slagged for playing it at a session, it’s a grand tune for playing in a quiet place with lots of echo. I used to love playing whistle across the canyon from a sandstone cliff. I’m sure nowadays I’d be cited for noise pollution. I was just following my Dad’s request to play “Far, Far Away.”