The Wheels Of The World reel

I learned this setting from Breathnach’s Volume 1, and I’ve kept the notes basically the same here, I like this reel played at a slower tempo, “stately” as the old boys liked to say, and it follows nicely after one of the Paddy Fahy’s reels posted here by Zina recently. Sounds great on banjo, too.

This tune is also on a recording called The Wheels of the World: Early Irish American Music, Volume One. It is a various artists cd of old recordings. The Wheels of the World is played after Rakish Paddy in a set done by James Morrison.

The fiddler I accompany uses a third part to this tune that drops from D mix. to C. Does anyone know it who can transcribe to ABC?

Even before I posted this version, I knew a variant that I now prefer playing as the “basic melody” line, as follows.

X: 1
T: Wheels Of The World, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmix
dc|:AD (DDD FAGF|EC (3CCC G,CEG|AD (3DDD FAde|=fedc Addc|
|AD (3DDD FAGF|EDCD EFGc|AddB cBAG|1 ECGE D2 dc:|2 ECGE D2 AB||
|:dAdf afdf|ecgc acgc|dAdf afdf|edce d2 A(3BBc|
|dAdf afdf|ecgc acge|abag efge|1 fage d2 AB:|2 fage d2 dc||

Here’s generally what I play, based on Kevin Burke’s version from ‘If the Cap Fits’:

X:1
T: The Wheels Of The World
S:Based on Kevin Burke’s version from ‘If The Cap Fits’. Transcribed by Mark MacDiarmid.
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmix
B|ADED FAGF|E ~C3 G,CEG|A ~D3 FAde|=fedc Addc|
ADED FAGF|E~C3 G,CEG|A2dB cBAG|1 EDD E{G}ED d:|2 EDD E{G}ED AB||
c3 egecA|d2 adbdad|~c3 ded^cd|e~a3edAB|
c3 egecA|d2 adbdad|abag efge|1 (3fgage d2 AB:|2 ~f3e d3 ||

On “Fierce Traditional”, Frankie Gavin plays this tune and the B part is a nice hybrid between the version given here and the Kevin Burke version. Each time Franki goes to the B section of the song, he plays the first repeat the normal way, and the second repeat the “Kevin” way (more or less, given that he has all of his own stylistic stuff jammed in there too). It is a nice variation. For some reason I find it very satisfying when the B part starts with a D -> C chord progression, and then when it repeats it flips to C -> D.

Nice take on that Will.

Does anyone know the version of this tune Frankie Gavin does on “ Fierce Traditional”, ie. seen a transcript. It
is a cracker. Its fairly different from the standard version you see (or hear) about the place. Its also got a extra part I expect.
Does anyone know anything about the history of the tune?

I don’t recall Frankie Gavin playing anything other than the standard version of this tune on “Fierce”, although I’ll go back and have a listen again. He also recorded it on viola on an obscure Irish Tour of Germany CD, which I had to take back to the shop because that particular track “stuck” on the CD. Shame, cause he was playing with Liam O’Flynn and Desi Wilkinson, and I’ve never come across the recording again.

This tune is on a brand new cd by Colm Gannon, Jesse Smith and John Blake called ’The Ewe With the Crooked Horn🙂 They play the Dunboyne Straw Plaiters before The Wheels of the World. Lovely CD.

C# throughout make the 2d part sound new and intresting

check out joe burkes version on his CD, the morning mist. no doubt that this is one hell of a box tune. the low notes incorporated into the tune give it a haunting sound if you ask me.

Here’s a really niice version of this tune!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yJN-s0MSqaU

play video

It’s true what people are saying here - Frankie Gavin’s version is superior as it combines the best of both worlds in the 2nd part. Below is a transcription with an attempt to get some of the variations in the 1st part.

X: 1
T: The Wheels Of The World
S: Frankie Gavin - Fierce Traditional
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
dD (3DDD ADGF|EC (3CCC EFGB|AD (3FED FAde|=fedc ABcB|
AD (3DDD FAGF|ECCD EFGB|A2dB cBAG|EDCE D3^c|
dD (3DDD F2AG|EC~C2 G,CEG|AD (3FED FAde|=fedc ABcB|
AD (3DDD FGAG|EC (3CCC EFGB|A2dB cBAG|EDCD EDD2||
~d3f afdf|ecgc acgc|~d3f afdf|ed^ce dcAc|
~d3f afdf|ecgc acgc|eaag efge|fage d4|
~c3e gece|~d2ad bdad|~c3e gecd|eaag egdB|
~c3e gece|~d2ad bdad|eaag efge|aged ^cABc||

I’m not much for identifying church modes. One early comment mentions James Morrison’s recording. He did not mention that the first part of the tune was played in D minor(?) & the second part was played in D major with C naturals. Try it, you’ll like it.

How do other whistle players deal with the low C in this tune?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2OZr4V3yLw

play video

This setting comes from my head, in response to a tune ID query in discussions https://thesession.org/discussions/40315 .

This setting is how the tune was taught to me by David Munnelly, who based his setting on the James Morrison recording. It is similar to the setting posted by Dr. Dow, but has a few different phrases and ornamentation that suit the C#/D box.
( The audio playback sound ok, but it doesn’t seem to understand the long rolls in the first part, which are important to get right.)