The Gentle Light That Wakes Me reel

This is a version of this lovely Phil Cunningham tune which I learned for a Fiddle rally a couple of years ago.

It is, of course, NOT a reel but a slow air and I’d urge you to listen to the recordings by Phil & Aly and/or Duncan Chisholm to get the true feel of things including ornaments, grace notes etc.

Aly & Phil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z36tHtzLVHI

play video

Duncan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eUEILzTP3g

play video

Here’s how I originally learnt it from Duncan Chisholm’s album Canaich, with a few grace notes. But as John J. says, NOT A REEL and definitely listen to the videos above or get the recordings.

X:1
T:Gentle Light That Wakes Me, The
C:Phil Cunningham
S:Duncan Chisholm, Canaich, 2010
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:reel
K:Dmaj
D2|:A>F A,>A, A2 G>F|F2 {GF}E>D F2 {GF}E2|D2 d>c B2 BA|A2 D>E F2 {GF}E2|
A>F A,>A, A2 G>F|{G}F2 {GF}E>D {G}F2 {GF}E2|D2 B{Bc}A A2 D>E|F2 E>D D4:|
D2|d2 c>d e3 c|d2 c>d {FG}F4|d2 c>d B2 {B}A>B|A2 D>E F2 {GF}E>E|
d2 c>d e3 c|d2 c>d F3 E|D2 B>A A2 D>E|F2 E>D D3D|
d2 c>d e3 c|d2 c>d {FG}F4|d2 c>d B2 {B}A>B|A2 D>E F2 {GF}E>E|
A>F A,>A, A2 G>F|F2 E>D F2 {GF}E2|D>D B>A A2 D>E|F2 {F}E>D D4|]

The Beaton Sisters play a lovely version… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53sQDWyxcco

play video

Great version of this beautiful tune played by Alauda: https://open.spotify.com/track/0JIPnLNeTwsQtgl0u9iN3w?si=1kQDIYz7TDOJG_lqLzxaYg

This is as I hear it as played by Ali Bain and Phil Cunningham , or as near as I can get. Any comments/corrections welcome.

I have listened to Duncan play this tune, and none of the above sheet music comes close to his interpretation. How unfortunate. I learn from sheet music -being 70 years old and only been playing for 5 years, I have so many tunes to learn and so little time left. I wish I started earlier………………..

Brian, I understand.

Unfortunately, sheet music is just a guide at the best and the best way to learn a tune is to listen to the player and his/her own individual interpretation. I realise that doesn’t come naturally to everyone and is a skill in itself. Personally, I generally do a combination of both but can still end up with my “own version” either by accident or design. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though.

Most of the settings posted on this site tend to be a “snapshot in time” whether they are transcriptions from recordings, learned from the playing of other musicians, or even actual copies of sheet music. The latter can also be just as varied and are not necessarily the original versions or what the composer intended. Of course, even the composer of a particular tune may not play it exactly the same way each time!

Although it’s possible to write very detailed sheet music with all the ornaments and different nuances, this is usually seldom done with our kind of music unless it’s for a specific purpose or performance. Usually, it tends to just be the basic notation even in official books approved or published on behalf of the composers.

Well, yes, any slow air is all about interpretation, and I wrote something similar to what Johnny Jay has just said on another thread the subject of ornamentation and even used that same phrase “ a snapshot” when talking about what you hear in a recording.
I also transcribed the tune from the playing of Phil and Aly, so have that F# near the start of the 4th line, as in X1 and X3, and the ornamentation that I wrote down pretty much matches Dr Tom’s in X2, although I as I said in the other thread I would not think of it as prescriptive.
What you don’t get in ABC or standard notation scores as above is all the phrasing, dynamics, pauses, rubato, which make it sound as gorgeous it does when Phil and Aly or Duncan play it: but the actual notes are pretty well correct, I would say, Brian. Interpretation is everything that changes a tune from a string of notes to a beautiful piece of music.