Bethany’s waltz

I transcribed it from the BBC programme “Transatlantic Sessions” October 2009. I have assumed that Jenna Reid wrote the tune as her name was shown as the main musician. Please can you correct this assumption if you know differently.
On the programme it is played AABBCC (as per usual) but ends with a reprise of the “A”.
I play it too fast and ruin it. On the programme it is really quite a lilting slow waltz.
And yes, some of the chords do not look as tho’ they fit with the harmonic structure of the bar but they add a little tension and resolve themselves.

I think it probably is one of Jenna’s tunes. The Bethany in question is Jenna’s sister.

It is indeed one of Jenna’s tunes.
On the Filska CD she plays it something like:

X: 1
T: Bethany’s Waltz
C: Jenna Reid
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
K: G
d3c (TBA|AB)G3(G|FG) A(D F)G|(AB) {c}(BA) FA|
(cd2)c (TBA|AB)G3(G|FG) A(D F)A|(FG2)A {c}Bc:|
(cd)(g2-Tgf)|(fg)d4|(cB) A(G F)E|(DE) (FG) AB|
d2(g2-Tgf)| (fg)d4|(cB) A(G F)D|1G3A {c}Bc:|2G6||
A3(B c/B/A)|B3(c d/c/B)|c3d ec|d(g fg) dG|
F3G AF|G3A {c}(Bd)|c2B3G|(FG) AF G2:|

And Andrew Tulloch plays chords something like these:

|:G5|G5|G5/F#|G5/F#|Em7|G5/D|Cadd9 D|G:|
|:Cadd9|G/B|A7sus4|D|Cadd9|G/B|A7sus4 D|G:|
|Am7|G/B|Cadd9|D|D/F#|G|C G/B|D G|
|Am7|G/B|Cadd9|D|D#dim|Em Em/D|C G/B|D G|]

Great tune this is. My Dad learned it first on the box. I got it on the fiddle now. Lovely stuff. Thanks to Jenna and her sister.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=960rpkZ_500

play video

Bethany’s Waltz was played at a session last night, by a host of fiddlers. it was tremendous. one occasional visitor played a lovely harmony. improvised or learnt earlier? I don’t know.
I thought that there was a harmony on this site, but it turned out to be a chord sequence for the tune, which has been interpreted as abc and rendered in musical notation! Strange.

I have no skills in the area of harmony, but would love to have one to play, or for other to play, for this tune. Range of the fiddle, preferably. can anyone help?

I have been playing Bethany’s for a few years now as the second tune with “Linnet’s Chorus” (I’m not worried about the mismatch of length, Bethany’s being 48 bar and “Linnet’s” being 64 bar, as they are not used for a dance) but a few weeks ago I was directed towards “the Beautiful Goldfish” and decided to put that tune in front of “Linnet’s” & “Bethany’s”. I think they make a super set and I was quite chuffed to find that Marcus Hernon is the composer of both “The B G” & “Linnet’s”. I welcome any comments on my arrangement and say thank you to both Marcus & Jenna for some superb composing.

Bethany’s has done wonders for developing playing technique on my D/G Castagnari and also harmony possibilities (in the form of the chord structure) It is also a great tune to finish on.

The tune you are referring to is ‘The Beautiful Goldfinch’ (‘An Lasair Álainn Choille’ in Irish), not a goldfish I’m afraid! Marcus Hernon plays it after ‘The Linnet’s Chorus’ on his solo CD ‘The Grouse in the Heather’ (‘An Chearc Fhraoigh’). All the tunes on the CD are Marcus’s own compositions and all are named after species of bird found in Ireland. Marcus is from the Connemara Gaeltacht and has given names in Irish to all of the tunes. These two lovely waltzes seem to be the tunes that have proved most popular from his CD. ‘An Lasair Álainn Choille’ could be translated as ‘the beautiful flame of the forest’, a very appropriate name considering the bright red and yellow parts of its plumage.

I thoroughly recommend this video as it has the composer Jenna Reid and her sister and dedicatee playing it. Also Gemma Wilson and Andrew Tulloch, I think.
I also recommend the transcription by DonaldK.
I cannot claim to play this exactly thus, as I learnt it in a session in Berwick-on-Tweed. However, I do find that people playing version #1, the 4th & 5th bars in the second part are creating a musical clash.
The original bars are;
|dg fg dG|F3G AF|
For fiddlers and mandolin players, that means playing the d then the G, whichever way you decide, then starting next bat with F#. It sounds effective and distinctive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ2TSPyRWaw

play video

“I also recommend the transcription by DonaldK.” … Yes, it’s very good! I had that same thought.

My transcription based on the Filska video performance. The grace notes in this notation are a fair, general but not fully inclusive representation of (all variations found in) that source performance by the composer. The basic melody can be played ignoring them completely. I think this transcription is a bit clearer to read than the previous version above and IMO those notes marked as grace notes are ornaments, not totally integral to the basic melody, albeit clearly characteristic of/integral to the playing style of the Reid sisters.

This transcription is available to download as a Word doc. (staff & ABC notation) here: https://app.box.com/s/dr0lqst8xqouel66t5w67okcb13umjkp

X:4
T:Bethany’s Waltz
C:Jenna Reid
O:Shetland
D:Filska - A Thousand Miles Away (2003) - Foot Stompin’ Records: CDFSR1723
S:https://youtu.be/MZ2TSPyRWaw & https://thesession.org/tunes/10007

play video

Z:Jem Hammond 16:6:2021
P:Format: AABBCC x ad lib, AA
R:Waltz
Q:1/4=126
M:3/4
L:1/8
K:G
d3c BA|{A}B2 G4|FG AD FG|AB {c}BA FA|
{c}d3 c BA|{A}B2 G4|FG AD FA|{F}G3 A Bc:|]
|:{c}d2 g3 {ag}f|{f}g2 d4|{B}cB AG FE|DE FG AB|
{c}d2 g3 {ag}f|{f}g2 d4|{B}cB AG FD|1 {F}G3A Bc:|]2 {F}G6|]
|:A3B c/B/A|B3 c d/c/B|{B}c3 d ec|dg fg dG|
F3G AF|{F}G3A Bd|{B}c2 B3 G|FG AF {F}G2:|]