The Dregs Of Birch reel

I got this nice slow reel from the excellent ‘Tuned Up’ album by Brendan Mulholland, Brendan Hendry and Paul McSherry. They play it in Bb but I’ve posted it here in the more session friendly key of G. As I bought the album on itunes I’m not sure if the tune’s traditional or not.

The CD credits this to Tania Elizabeth but unfortunately the sleeve notes don’t elaborate. It’s an excellent tune, thanks.

I think it works very well at a livelier pace too.

I haven’t tried birch wine yet so I don’t know what effect on my playing drinking it to the dregs would have. Presumably it would induce as much serenity as this tune does.

Here it is at a much livelier pace!

https://soundcloud.com/goitse/tall-tales

I learnt it like this in Amaj!

https://youtu.be/XJjbVA3E6Dg

play video

Tania Elizabeth - mentioned above - was a member of Canadian band “The Duhks”. You can hear their version of this from 1.00 in the above “Youtube” video.

I’m glad you like the tune!

I wrote it originally in A major, both as an air and a reel.

Lovely version (in B flat major not G minor, but the session doesn’t give me that option) for low F whistle from the Lunasa CD Cas.
(They go from this into a version in F on the CD)

This is a transcription of the version that Tania Elizabeth, the tune’s author, plays on the Duhks’ second album. I don’t know why all the other versions here have high notes at the end of each part; it’s not how she wrote it, and it frankly sounds funny to me.

JHowley - “it’s not how she wrote it”. I clearly stated that it was a transcription from Brendan Mulholland’s playing.

Tania Elizabeth - can you tell us the story of the tune title?

JHowley asked for the story of the tune title. I’ve been playing this tune recently and loving it so wrote to Tania to ask her. Here’s her reply: “The dregs of birch refers to a time when all the Duhks got in a sauna with a promoter friend of ours and we used the last drops of birch essential oil to mix with the water. It smelled amazing.” What a nice story, eh?

Version from Goitse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt6tBrLgf_U

play video

The Goitse gang begin this reel at 2’00".

Corrections;
As they read today, X:5 and X:6 have 7 semi-quavers at the end(s) of part 1.
shouldn’t *|1 FA A3 AB:|2 FA A3 fe||* be |1 FA A4 AB:|2 FA A4 fe||, JHowley?
and
*|1 FG A3 AB:|2 FGA2- ABce||* be: |1 FG A4 AB:|2 FGA2- ABce||, Juan Almaraz?