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Miss Susan Cooper reel

By Ronald Cooper

Also known as Mary Finn’s, Miss Susan Cooper’s, Susan Cooper, Susan Cooper’s.

There are 28 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

Miss Susan Cooper appears in 2 other tune collections.

Miss Susan Cooper has been added to 10 tune sets.

Miss Susan Cooper has been added to 151 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Six settings

1
X: 1
T: Miss Susan Cooper
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
ABc|:dfed BedB|BAFA DAFA|ABde fa^ga|g2fg egfe|
dfed B2dB|A2FA DAFA|ABde fagf|eAce d2dc:|
|:Bcde fB(3BBB|def^g a2gf|e2ce Aece|g2fg egfe|
dfed B2dB|BAFA DAFA|ABde fagf|1 eAce d2dc:|2 eAce dABc||
# Added by SPeak .
2
X: 2
T: Miss Susan Cooper
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
(3A/B/c/|"D"d/f/e/d/ "G"Bd/B/|"D"B/A/F/A/ D/A/F/A/|d/c/|"Bm"B/c/d/e/ f/B/B/c/|"Bm"d/e/f/^g/ "E7"ag/f/|
3
X: 3
T: Miss Susan Cooper
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
defd BcdB|BAFA DAFB|ABde fg^ga|gAfA egfe|
defd BcdB|BAFA DAFA|ABde fg^ga|gece d4:|
Bcde fBB2|def^g a2gf|eAA2 eAce|gAfA egfe|
defd BcdB|BAFA DAFB|ABde fg^ga|gece d4:|
4
X: 4
T: Miss Susan Cooper
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
ABc|:dfed BedB|BAFA DAFA|ABde fa^ga|g2fg egfe|
dfed B2dB|A2FA DAFA|ABde fagf|eAce d2dc:|
|:(3Bcd de fB B2|def^g a2gf|e2ce Aece|g2fg egfe|
dfed B2dB|BAFA DAFA|ABde fagf|1 eAce d2dc:|2 eAce dABc||
# Added by JACKB .
5
X: 5
T: Miss Susan Cooper
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:((3ABc)|dfed B2 dB|A2 (FA) DAFA|(AB)de fa^ga|=g2 fd eAce|
dfed B2 dB|A2 (FA) DAFA|(AB)de fafd|eAce d2:|
|:dc|(Bc)de fBBc|def^g a2 gf|eAce a2 ^ga|=g2 fd eAce|
dfed B2 dB|A2 (FA) DAFA|(AB)de fafd|eAce d2:|
6
X: 6
T: Miss Susan Cooper
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:GBAG .E2EG|D2{^A,}B,D G,D{^A,}B,D|DEGA Bd^cd|c2(3(BcB) ADEF|
GBAG EDEG|D2{^A,}B,D G,D{^A,}B,D|DEGA BdcB|ADEF .G2 GF:|
|:EFGA BEEF|GAB^c .d2cB|ADFA dFAd|c2(3(BcB) A2D2|
GBAG .E2EG|D2{^A,}B,D G,D{^A,}B,D|DEGA BdcB|ADEF .G2 GF:|

Nineteen comments

This tune was composed by Ronnie Cooper from Shetland.

Posted by .

Miss Susan Cooper

A great little reel which I haven’t heard before (the minor sounding bit at the start of the “B” part is particularly catchy) - many thanks S Peak !! This proves without doubt that the best tunes are always the most straightforward and this one definitely deserves to join that illustrious group such as Cooley’s, the Silver Spear, the Foxhunters, etc which will always remain with us.

One one of the CD’s in the BBC Scottish Tradition series, Shetland fiddler Willie Hunter Jr. plays this tune. Presumably closer to Ronnie Cooper’s original than the version here, there are a number of minor differences, but the one major difference is the 3rd bar of the B part, which he plays:

|eAce a2^ga|

This version is similar to Bonnie Rideout’s “Kindred Spirits” recording. This is the version from Sean Keane’s “Jig It in Style”.

Posted by .

I might add that the variations are few and far between.

Posted by .

This tune was also recorded by the Boys of the Lough, on their Regrouped album. It’s in a set with two other Ronnie Cooper tunes, The Tushkar and Millbrae. Aly Bain plays them at breakneck speed. Brilliant stuff

Posted by .

Goes well after “Gordon’s favourite”, another Ronnie Cooper reel.

Posted by .

Mary Finn’s Reel

I found Mary Finn’s on www.sessioneer.org It looks like the same tune with major changes in the second part. Does anyone know more?

Add the ABCs here for comparison…

What a nice tune. The 1st part reminds me of Vincent Broderick’s Fox On The Prowl, and maybe a few other similar tunes.

It only took 35 years, but this is the lead tune in Fairport Convention’s Dirty Linen!!!

Posted by .

Miss Susan Cooper

No its not - its the lead tune on Flatback Caper. Originally on the album Full House

Posted by .

1

X:10985
T:Miss Susan Cooper
% Nottingham Music Database
S:via PR
M:4/4
L:1/4
K:D
(3A/2B/2c/2|“D”d/2f/2e/2d/2 “G”Bd/2B/2|“D”B/2A/2F/2A/2 D/2A/2F/2A/2|\
A/2B/2d/2e/2 f/2a/2^g/2a/2|“Em”gf/2d/2 “A7”e/2A/2c/2e/2|
“D”d/2f/2e/2d/2 “G”Bd/2B/2|“D”B/2A/2F/2A/2 D/2A/2F/2A/2|\
“D”A/2B/2d/2e/2 “D”“f#“f/2a/2f/2d/2|“A7”e/2A/2c/2e/2 “D”d::
d/2c/2|“Bm”B/2c/2d/2e/2 f/2B/2B/2c/2|“Bm”d/2e/2f/2^g/2 “E7”ag/2f/2|\
“A”e/2A/2c/2e/2 a^g/2a/2|“A7”gf/2d/2 e/2A/2c/2e/2|
“D”d/2f/2e/2d/2 “G”Bd/2B/2|“D”B/2A/2F/2A/2 D/2A/2F/2A/2|\
“D”A/2B/2d/2e/2 “Bm”f/2a/2f/2d/2|“A7”e/2A/2c/2e/2 “D”d:|

2

X:10984
T:Miss Susan Cooper
R:Reel
S:
H:
N:
D:Galway session. Another version on Patrick Ourceau & O hAllmhurain.
Z:Adrian Scahill
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:D
defd BcdB|BAFA DAFB|ABde fg^ga|gAfA egfe|\
defd BcdB|BAFA DAFA|ABde fg^ga|gece d4:||\
Bcde fBB2|def^g a2gf|eAA2 eAce|gAfA egfe|\
defd BcdB|BAFA DAFB|ABde fg^ga|gece d4:||

Miss Susan Cooper, X:5

This is as close as I can get to the way it was written by Ronnie Cooper. Personally, I prefer this simpler setting.

Miss Susan Cooper, X:6

The first tune of the medley Flatback Caper from the album Full House by Fairport Convention.
I’ve always loved playing that semitone slide on the low B string.

Re: Miss Susan Cooper

X:5 is the setting given in the Shetland Fiddle Tunes collection, ‘Da Mirrie Dancers’ (Ed. Tom Anderson & Tom Georgeson. Shetland Folk Society, 1970).

Posted by .

Re: Miss Susan Cooper

Ronnie had to take Fairport to court to get the royalties and credits for this tune. They called it Flatback Capers and didn’t credit him.

Re: Miss Susan Cooper

I hadn’t realised that, Gary(?).

A poor show but probably par for the course at the time.

There still seems to be a propensity for even younger bands to give their sets fancy names. Sometimes, the titles might have some relevance to the music or it could just be an “in joke”.

That’s fair enough as long the actual tune titles are mentioned in the album note and/or introductions at concerts and credit is given to the composers but, in most cases, I’d rather just have a straight forward listing of the tunes. Old fashioned, grumpy git that I am. 🙂