John Joe Harnett’s slide

This is one of many tunes I picked up from John Joe Harnett, County Limerick, who I’ve too long lost contact with. Any news there would be welcome. I haven’t managed to find my notes for the recording this transcription was taken from, but it was a small intimate session somewhere in the countryside in a small pub in West Limerick. It was great kick because of the large number of different tune forms given air there, with a good lot of slides and polkas too, it being under that umbrella of ‘Sliabh Luachra’, and John Hoe being a fine flute player in that vein, with lots of great tunes and a store of quality local poteen, and aged, and very tasty stuff, too much so. A lovely character, as were the lot who gathered for music thereabouts.

Possibly interesting to some, we never played more than two tunes to a set, and a few times we played just one tune. This slide was one of a pair, though when playing at home John Joe played it on its own, as was his norm… He also suffered from emphysema, but was amazingly adept at working in extra breaths in a rhythmic fashion, brilliant. He did have to take pauses between tunes, and had less trouble with the whistle, though preferring the flute. He’d also been a regular playing for dances in the area…

Argh! Not ‘John Hoe’, John Joe… Too many late nights… 😏

In searching for this I did find another ABC transcription online, from ~
http://wiki.lespatientsdudocteurfranck.fr/pmwiki/
http://wiki.lespatientsdudocteurfranck.fr/pmwiki/pub/cache/__a3294c.abc

Someone fond of Irish music and dance, sets/quadrilles and ceili, and a flute player…

X: 2
T: gan ainm
M: 12/8
L: 1/8
R: slide
K: ADor
|: EFG |\
ABA e2 d d2 B G2 B | ABA e2 d def gdB |
ABA e2 d d2 B G2 g | efg e2 d B2 A :|
|: ABd |\
e2 d e2 f g2 f e2 d |Bcd e2 f g3 g2 a |
bag agf gfe fed | efg e2 d B2 A :|

For the B-part, bar3, John Joe also simply stepped it down so ~

b2 g a2 f g2 e f2 d | ~ instead of as given ~ bag agf g2 f e2 d |

While the transcription was from the session, it follows John Joe’s way with this slide…

X: 3
T: Gan Ainm
M: 12/8
L: 1/8
R: slide
K: Ador
|: ^G |\
ABA e2 d d2 B G2 ^G | ABA e2 A def g3 |
ABA e2 d d2 B G3 | efg e2 d B2 A A2 :|
|: g |\
e2 d e2 f g2 f e2 d | Bcd e2 f g3- g2 a |
[1 bag a2 f gfe fed | e2 g fed e3- e2 :|
[2 b2 g agf g2 e fed | efg e2 d B2 A- A2 |]

X: 3
T: Gan Ainm
M: 12/8
L: 1/8
R: slide
K: EDor
|: EFE B2 A A2 F D3 | EFE B2 E ABc d3 |
EFE B2 A A2 F D3 | Bcd B2 A F2 E E3 :|
|: B2 ^A B2 c d2 c B2 =A | FGA B2 c d3 d2 e |
f2 d e2 c d2 c B2 A | Bcd B2 A F2 E E3 :|

For those that might like to know ~ County Limerick, not the city, late 1970s, early 1980s..

Submitted on August 7th 2012 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/12115

Cool slide I found on a nice YouTube clip:~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbBysAEeJlg

play video

It starts at 3:24

Unfamiliar title, but I know the tune, if slightly different. I’m also furrowing my forhead, wandering why it isn’t here already. Or, do I have it in another version somewhere on hand here? 😏

Here are some other ways with this:

X: 2
T: Gan Ainm
T: Moss Murphy’s
M: 12/8
L: 1/8
R: slide
K: Ador
|: E |\
A^GA e2 d d2 B G2 E | A^GA e2 B dd/e/f g2 G |
A^GA e2 d d2 B G2 d | efg e2 d B2 A A2 :|
g |\
e2 B def g2 f e2 d | Bcd e2 f g2 f e2 d |
e2 B def g2 f e2 d | Bcd e2 d B2 A A2 g |
e2 d def g2 f e2 d | Bcd e2 f g3 g2 a |
b2 g agf g2 f e2 d | efg e2 d B3 A2 |]

… version’s A part this way:

|: E |\
A^GA e2 d d2 B =G2 E | A^GA e2 B dd/e/f =g2 =G |
A^GA e2 d d2 B =G2 d | efg e2 d B2 A A2 :|

(Yes, there’s a courtesy accidental in there.)

The tunes already posted I’ve known as Moss Murphy’s slide, but have found this on-line. https://youtu.be/v01vBboqJeg

play video

Unable to give any further info.

The first slide played by Diarmuid O’Brien & Willie Larkin in the video above is this one,
https://thesession.org/tunes/17492#setting33584
listed there according to their verbal introduction of the tunes as "John Joe Hartnett’s"

But, returning to the tune submitted by ceoloachan here, in five settings …

According to the liner notes for Francis O’Connor and Aine O’Connor’s CD "They Didn’t Come Home Until Morning", they were lent a tape of the duet playing of Moss Murphy and John Joe Harnett, who played as a duet for many years. There seems to be a problem differentiating whether tunes in their repertoire should be attributed to the one or the other, so Francis and Aine have four slides on the CD sensibly attributed to both.
Track 2 is two slides they call "Moss Murphy and John Joe Harnett’s" and track 17 is two more slides which they have as "John Joe Harnett and Moss Murphy’s".
The tune here submitted by ceoloachan in five settings is the first tune in their track 2.

# Posted by ceolachan - November 12th, 2012

Thanks for the heads up ‘corrections’ muspc, much appreciated…

"I’d play ceol’s … version’s A part this way:"
# Posted by muspc - November 20th, 2012

I’m glad you appreciate my little suggestions, ceol! Thank you for all the wonderful tunes!