The Train Journey North (hornpipe) on The Session

Eight comments

The Train Journey North

This is a "weel kent" pipe (GHB) hornpipe composed by PM Tom Anderson from Paisley, Scotland. Tom was Pipe Major of the Renfrew pipe band and then moved to Dublin where he was Pipe Major of St.Patrick’s Donaghmore PB, Co. Tyrone. He was also much involved with the MacDonald Pipe Band in Dromore and it was apparently while travelling by train from Dublin to Dromore that he wrote this tune.
Apparently he is now living in Canada and is, and has been, involved in several pipe bands there.

Thanks to the suggestion by Tonya, I’ve used the "greater than" and "less than" symbols to neaten up the ABC notation - probably not something I’ll always do, as I usually use Noteworthy and abc2nwc to transcribe tunes, and this combination results in a longer text.

I’ll post the tune in its original 2/4 form with gracing once I get the feeling back in my fingers!

A nice wee hornpipe - I first learned it without the "dotted notes" and it was quite a tedious wee tune IMO (it is quite repetitive). The bounce gives it some life - though this is a fiddle setting, the gracing gives it sparkle as a pipe tune.

It goes quite nicely with "Tam Bain’s Lum" - or "Tam Lain’s Bum" as it is called in some circles.

I’m really surprised this one hasn’t been posted before.

At one time, I used to think it was Tom Anderson from Shetland who composed this tune but I’ve known better for a wee while now.

https://thesession.org/discussions/23019

I posted that thread when I was supposedly "resting".
Thanks for the more detailed information here.

"I’ll post the tune in its original 2/4 form with gracing once I get the feeling back in my fingers!" weejie

In the comments I hope, to save the ignominy of the "polka" tag.

No polka tag here!

Anyway, if I was to submit it as another tune, it would likely be zapped.

Here it is. Kind of hybrid notation was needed because the grace notes separate the main notes, making < and > ineffective - and it looks messy in anything I’ve tried except Barfly, but it does give you an idea how the pipe ornaments get altered in transition to other instrument settings:

X:1
T:The Train Journey North
C:PM Tom Anderson
M:2/4
L:1/16
R:hornpipe
K:Dmaj
A|{Gdc}d2{g}f>A {g}d>f{g}A>d|{g}f>A{g}d>f {g}A2d/{gfg}f3/2|
{gf}g2{aef}e>c {g}A3/2{d}c/2{gef}e>A|{d}c<e{g}A3/2{d}c/ {gef}e>A{g}f>e|
{Gdc}d2{g}f>A {g}d>f{g}A>d|{g}f>A{g}d>f {g}A2d/{gfg}f3/2|
{gf}g2{aef}e>c {g}A3/2{d}c/2{gef}e>A|[1{gcecG}c2{g}e>g {afg}f2{dG}d:|
[2{gcecG}c2{g}e>g {afg}f>A{g}d>f|:{ag}a2f>d {gAd}A2{g}f>A|
{g}d>fa>f {a}g>f{g}e>f|{gf}g2{aef}e>c {gAd}A2{gef}e>A|
{d}c<e{g}A>g {afg}f>A{g}d>f|{ag}a2f>d {gAd}A2{g}f>A|
{g}d>fa>f {a}g>f{g}e>f|{gf}g2{aef}e>c {g}A3/2{d}c/2{gef}e>A|
[1{gcecG}c2{g}e>g {afg}f>A{g}d>f:|[2{gcecG}c2{g}e>g {afg}f2{dG}dA|
|:{Gdc}d2{g}f>A {g}d>f{g}A>d|{gdedG}d2{g}f>A {g}d>f{g}A>d|
{gcd}c2{gef}e>A {gcecG}c2{g}e>A|{Gdc}d2{g}f>A {Gdc}d2{g}f>A|
{Gdc}d2{g}f>A {g}d>f{g}A>d|{gdedG}d2{g}f>A {g}d>f{g}A>d|
{gcd}c2{g}e>f {gf}g2{aef}e>A|[1{gcecG}c2{g}e>g {afg}f2{dG}dA:|
[2{gcecG}c2{g}e>g {afg}f>A{g}d>f|:{ag}a2f>d {gdedG}d2a>f|
{a}g>f{g}e>d {g}c>d{g}e>f|{gf}g2{aef}e>c {gcecG}c2{aef}e>A|
{gdedG}d2{g}f>g {ag}a2f>g|{ag}a2f>d {gdedG}d2a>f|
{a}g>f{g}e>d {g}c>d{g}e>f|{gf}g2{aef}e>c {g}A3/2{d}c/2{gef}e>A|
[1{gcecG}c2{g}e>g {afg}f>A{g}d>f:|[2{gcecG}c2{g}e>g {afg}f2{dG}d|]

For those who are interested in this sort of thing, you can hear the pipe version (A pitched) played through AbcNavigator and pipe software c/o Dennis Burns at Bolder Sounds here:

http://www.box.com/s/nuot0mydzupnkdi2u40a