Toss The Feathers (reel) on The Session

There are a few tunes that go by this name. This one, in E minor, is probably the most popular.

Despite its frivolous title, this is a very atmospheric reel. If it’s played too fast, it can lose some of that feeling.

D one may be more popular

I disagree about the popularity—I think the Toss the Feathers in D is the more common, speaking most generally.

Another Setting

Here is my version based on Matt Molloy and Tommy Peoples’ playing (of course, I cannot play like that).

K: Edor
EBBB dBBB|EBBA FEFA|BE E2 BABc|1 d2 fe dBAF:|2 d2 fe dBAd||
Beed e2 de|fede fe e2|febe febe|fede fe e2|
Beed e2 de|fede fgaf|b2 bg a2 af|egfe dBAF||

Shetland band Fiddlers’ Bid also recorded this tasty reel, but the four fiddles play it furiously fast and the tune is almost undistinguishable. Yeah, I like their playing, too.

“Toss the Feathers”

Does anybody play an unusual setting of the tune recorded by James Kelly and the band Providence? It sounds like a mixture of Edor and Dmix versions.

Yamadasan I think I might have just posted it today in the comments of the other one - tell me if that’s the one you mean.

The first version of this that I heard was on Fairport Convention’s "Liege and Leaf" album - it’s very different from this one.

Version by the Corrs

There’s another version of this tune by the Corrs on Forgiven, Not Forgotten. It doesn’t quite match the given sheet music though…

https://thesession.org/tunes/138

Corrs version

I think the Corrs’ version is more modern and more pop than the others…

Corrs version

Here’s a flute tab I found on the Corrs discussion group.

Toss the Feathers

(1) D E D A D E D A B C A G E D E
D E D A D E D A D D B C A G E
D D A D E D A B C A G E E
1. C A B G A A B C D E D C A G E :||
2. C A B G A A B C D E D C A G B

(2) A D D A D D A D D E D C D
E A A G A G E A A G A G E D
E F# G E A F# G E F# E D D C A B
1. C A B G A A B C D E D C A G B :||
2. C A B G A A B C D E D C A G E D

“Toss the Feathers” ~ weird notation, but it isn’t this tune ~ go here!

https://thesession.org/tunes/138

“Toss the Feathers” ~ making useful sense of the werid notation

"Tab for flutes" ~ you must be kidding… Anyway, here is your notation cleaned up and making a bit more sense:

K: D Mixolydian
|: D2 ED ADED | ABcA GEDE | D2 F/E/D ADED | AddB cAGE
D2 DA D2 ED | ABcA GE E2 | cABG A2 AB |1 cded cAGE :|
2 cded cAGB ||
Ad d2 ad d2 | Ad d2 ed^cd | eaag a2 ge | a2 ag aged
efge a2 fg | efed dcAB | cABG A2 AB |1 cded cAGB :|
2 cded cAGE ||

Werid? ~ I need a nap…

Why is that here? That Toss The Feathers is a completely different tune…

https://thesession.org/tunes/138

Damn, I still haven’t had a nap, and now I’m seeing stereo… :-/

Oh, it’s Nox. Is it usual for him not to read what was written before? Is he getting into bad habits, getting sloppy on us? Maybe copying me should be taken as flattery?

It’s probably because your posts are usually the only ones worth reading in the tunes section these days, ‘c’. Let’s be honest here :-)

You sweety! ~ Go on, blush!!! :-P I am…

"The Bridge Céilí Band" ~ track 6, #3 of 4 reels
Submitted & this missed on March 2nd 2007 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/recordings/display/2440

Tune really dorian? Or just basically pentatonic with some frills?

It works equally well in D (I guess D mix) since there’s no significant thirds (g’s) in it.

Tony Mac Mahon version

Toss the Feathers

2nd tune in this nice wee clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpeJSNfDKNM&feature=rec-r2

play video

there’s a

There’s a mistake here, the corrs never recorded this version of ttf on any of their album !

Not exactly a mistake. There are at least 3 major distinct versions of "Toss the Feathers," or 3 different tunes known by the title "Toss the Feathers."

The one the Corrs play is this: https://thesession.org/tunes/138

The lesser known but occasionally heard West Clare version can be found in the comments: https://thesession.org/tunes/138/comments#comment106022

A different Toss the Feathers

I’ve got a different one again. I’ll put it here, in a bit, although it’s almost different enough for its own entry. Almost.

A different Toss the Feathers

This is it. I don’t know where I got it from, but I’ve had it in my head forever. It really is like it is, even though the last bit of the second part sounds like it’s lifted from something else …

Somebody might know where this came from. Sorry, but, apart from "in my head", I don’t …

X:1
T:Toss the Feathers
M:4/4
R:Reel
K:Edor
~E3G B2BA | EB-~B2 AGFD | ~E3G B2Bc | ~d2ec dBAF |
EBBA B2BA | EB-~B2 AGFD | E3B BABc | dfec dBAd ||
Beed e2de | fede fedf | ~g3e ~f3g | afdf afdf |
gb(3bbb fa(3aaa | egfe dBAF | G2GF GABc | dcdB AG(3FED ||

Nuala Kennedy version of ‘Toss the Feathers’?

Has anybody got the notation of the Nuala Kennedy version of this tune? She plays it second on the first track of ‘The New Shoes’ album. She plays it on a low whistle in a different key and I’m having trouble figuring it out! Heres a link to the piece - http://vimeo.com/39380178

play video

Nuala Kennedy version of ‘Toss the Feathers’?

Has anybody got the notation of the Nuala Kennedy version of this tune? She plays it second on the first track of ‘The New Shoes’ album. She plays it on a low whistle in a different key and I’m having trouble figuring it out! Heres a link to the piece - http://vimeo.com/39380178

play video