Martin Rochford’s reel

Actually the key is F lydian as the final tone centre is F and the B is natural but there isn’t an option for it on the submit.

Really sweet little tune, Bernie. I also enjoyed your website--the photos, notes on the musicians, and especially the tunes you posted there. Please keep contributing these great Clare tunes…many of us are sorely infatuated with the style and repertoire of Clare players, (even if we do live 10,000 miles away), and we appreciate learning right from you at the source.

I’m particularly interested in Martin Rochford’s playing, so keep ’em coming!

Here is a version that is an approximate transcription of Martin Hayes’ performance on his “Live in Seattle” CD with Dennis Cahill, but without the ornamentation. They then follow straight into “Green Gowned Lass”, which is now on this site.
K:Fmaj
F2C2 FGAB|cAdA cAGA|F2CD F2dA|cAGB ADDE|
F2C2 FGAB|cAdA cAGA|F2CD F2dA|cAGB ADD2||
f3f edcd|Addc Adde|f2af edcA|cAGB ADD2|
f3f edcd|Addc d3e|faaf eggd|cAGB ADDE||

Yet another setting:

F2CD FGAc|cAGc Add2|FDCD FAdA|1 cAGc ADDE:|2 cAGc ADD2
|:f2df edcG|Ad (3ddd Adde|1 f2af edcA|dAGd ADD2:|2 f2af ec~c2|cAGc ADD2||

Also played in G.

Incidentally, this tune should more correctly be placed in F, not C - it happens not to contain a B-flat, so in practice it makes no difference. However, when I said, “Also played in G,” above, I meant that it can be played a tone higher, with 1 sharp in the key signature.

Here’s a closer look at Martin Hayes’ version from Live in Seattle:

X:1
T: Martin Rochford’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
D: :ive in Seattle, Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill
K: Fmaj
|F2 CD FGA=B-|cAdA cAGA|F2 CD FGd=B-|cAGc ADDE-|
|F2 CD FGA=B-|cAdA cAGA|FDCD FGdc-|cAGc ADDe-||
|f3 f edcd|A~d3 Adde|f2 {a}gf edcA|cAGc ADDe|
|{g}f3 f edcd|Addc d3 e-|f2 af eg{a}ge|cAGc ADDE-||
|F2 CD FGA=B-|cAdA cAGA|FDCD FGd=B-|cAGc ADDE-|
|F4 -FGAc|cAdA cAGA|FDCD FAd=B-|cAGc ADDe-||
|f3 f edcd|A~d3 Adde|f2 {a}gf edcA|c/c/A Gc ADDe|
|f3 f edcd|Ad{e}dc d3 f|fg ag eg{a}ge|cAGc ADDE-||

On fiddle, those little B nats into the c are done as sort of a slow motion hammer-on. Kevin Burke is also fond of doing these, and he says it’s something he picked up from listening to old blues guitarists. It sounds like a smeary slide of the finger, and some fiddlers actually do it that way, but Kevin often does the real slow hammer-on, from index to middle (in this case), which is what it sound like Hayes is doing on this track, at least some of the time.

http://claremusic.tripod.com

“Here you will find information about East Clare music, biography’s of the musicians past and present, a history of the world famous Tulla Céilí Band, news of events in East Clare and some music to download in abc format.”

Just a link and a reminder of Bernard Parkin’s website referred to earlier, which is also in his ‘details’… Last update 29/10/04 ~ come on Bernie, it’s 2006 and I know your passion for this lovely music hasn’t waned….
😉

Biography of this East Clare musician is on Mr. Bernard Parkin’s website: tttp://claremusic.tripod.com/martin_rochford.htm

Try http://claremusic.tripod.com/martin_rochford.htm

Apparently this is the same tune. It is the tune on Delirium before The Islay Ranter’s Reel.

X:1
T:Martin Rochford’s
D:Capercaillie - Delirium
M:4/4
R:Reel
K:G
|: G2 DE GABd | dBAc Beed | GEDE GAeB |1 dBAc BEEF :|2 dBAc BEEf |
| g2 ag fedA | Beed Beef | g2 bg fedB | dBAc BEEf |
| g2 ag fedA | Beed eeef | gbbg faaf | dBAc BEEF |

I’m not very sure, but this reel seems related to “My Love Is in America”, and “Tuttle’s”.

My Love Is in America: https://thesession.org/tunes/77
Tuttle’s: https://thesession.org/tunes/528

|: G2 DE GABd | dBeB dBAB | GEDE GBeB |1 dBAc BEEF :|2 dBAc BEE |
| g3 g fedA | Beed Beef | g2 bg fedB | dBAc BEEf |
| g2 ag fedA | Beed e3 f | g2bg faaf | dBAd BEEF |

Michael Queally recorded this as a version of the Dunmore Lasses https://thesession.org/tunes/462. As slainte pointed out, that family of tunes is certainly similar.

Really surprised that this isn’t here…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oKyL0VAkDw

play video

Interesting that the tune as given on this site ends in F. This, of course, fits with its beginning, which is clearly in F. Yet it repeatedly drops into Dm in the middle sections. However, there are versions that effectively end each section in Dm, and the one played by Martin Hayes does this, as noted above. In JC’s tune finder, most versions follow the Hayes version. I personally like the F ending, since the repeated drop to D gets a bit repetitive.

I’ve added Johnny McCarthy’s version (which he calls Martin Woods’) from his album Solo Run.

It’s very straightforward and fits well on the fiddle.

It gives a flavour of Johnny’s approach to tunes, with several (characteristically) delayed notes. Many players use this technique of course, that of playing the semitone below the intended note (typically for a quaver before resolving).

Johnny usually plays the complete mini-phrase as quavers too, which is not as common and worth exploring.

David

This is pretty close to the transcription of Marin Hayes’ version as it is given in “Traditional Music in County Clare” by Niall Keegan.

I just found this tune at the Séamus Connolly Collection, though I had heard it on Johnny McCarthy’s wonderful accordion album, Solo Run. This is the transcription as it appears in the Connolly Collection. The small version has a mistake or two, but if you click through to the PDF, it’s corrected, and that’s what I’ve added here. There’s a recording there of Billy McComiskey, Laura Byrne, and Donna Long playing it a step up.

I’m not sure what key it’s in. It starts off in F and ends in D minor.

https://connollymusiccollection.bc.edu/document/574

Despite having searched for this here by title and by a fragment of the melody in both F and G, I just discovered that it’s here already under the title Martin Rochford’s.
https://thesession.org/tunes/1062
The version above is a little different from the other 10 posted there.

As taught by Martin Hayes. Phrase by phrase

https://youtu.be/-1DZY8BV5Ok

play video