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’G Iomain Nan Gamhna slip jig

Also known as ‘G Ioman Nan Gamhan ’s Mi Muladach, Tending The Steer, Tendir The Steer… With A Heavy Heart.

There are 5 recordings of this tune.

’G Iomain Nan Gamhna has been added to 7 tune sets.

'G Iomain Nan Gamhna has been added to 51 tunebooks.

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One setting

1
X: 1
T: 'G Iomain Nan Gamhna
R: slip jig
M: 9/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
dBB B2 A BAG|dBB Bcd efg|dBB B2 A BAG|eAA dBG A2 e|
dBB B2 A BAG|dBB Bcd efg|dBB B2 A BAG|eAA dBG A2 A|
BAB g2 e fed|BAB e/f/g e f2 A|BAB g2 e fed|eAA ABd e2 A|
BAB g2 e fed|BAB e/f/g e f2 f|def gfe fed|eAA ABd efg|
# Added .

Nine comments

Cracking little slip jig. I think the title is something to do with cattle droving but would need a Gaelic speaker to confirm that.

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Title in English

“Driving the Calves” in English, I think.

Posted by .

They must have driven their cattle all the way down to Northumbria- quite a way…

Posted .

Or all the way up to the Highlands, actually

Posted .

’G Iomain Nan Gamhna

Could you inform us where you got your version please, iliketurtles?

Tending the steer,

with a heavy heart!

This tune appears in William Gunn’s collection of highland bagpipe tunes (1848); the third one on p 43.
Have a look at; http://www.ceolsean.net/content/Gunn/Gunn_TOC.html for links to the virtual 1st edition.

The titles appear both in Gàidhlig and English over the tunes, which are written with grace notes and repeats.

I picked it up piecemeal from various sessions around Edinburgh and the Highlands; the version seems almost identical to what Blazin’ Fiddles and Julie Fowlis play

Posted .

NB the ABC shows GMaj where the pipers play A mixolydian 8using the same notation, drones sounding A). Nevertheless it turns out that playing this tune on a G drone is very appealing. A few notes (notably the c’s) might need to be changed to keep it wholly melodic.