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The Blackwater polka

Also known as The Blackwater Polkas No. 2.

There are 5 recordings of this tune.

The Blackwater appears in 1 other tune collection.

The Blackwater has been added to 6 tune sets.

The Blackwater has been added to 30 tunebooks.

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Four settings

1
X: 1
T: The Blackwater
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
g2|:fe fe|fe df|fe fe|d2 ef
g2 f2|ed Be|dB AB|1 G2 Gg:|2 G2 GA||
|:B>A Bd|c>B ce|d>c dg|f/g/a g2
e/d/e/f/ ge|ed Bd|cd/c/ BA|1 G2 GA:|2 G2 G2||
2
X: 2
T: The Blackwater
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:d|cB cB|cB Ad|c/c/B c/c/B|A2 Bc|
d2 c3/2d/4c/4|BA FA|G3/2A/4G/4 FE|D2 D:|
|:E|F/G/F/E/ FA|G/A/G/F/ GB|A/B/A/G/ Ad|c/d/e dc|
B>c dB|AF FA|G3/2A/4G/4 FE|D2 D:|
3
X: 3
T: The Blackwater
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
g|fe f/>g/f/e/|fe dg|f/>g/f/e/ fe|d2 ef|
ga/g/ fg/f/|ed Bd|cd/c/ BA|G2- Gg|
fe f>e|fe dg|f>e fe|d2 ef|
ga/g/ fg/f/|ed Bd|cd/c/ BA|G2 G||
|:A|B>A Bd|c>B ce|d>^c dg|f/g/a g2|
e/d/e/f/ ge|dB Bd|cd/c/ BA|G2- G:|
4
X: 4
T: The Blackwater
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
d2|:cB cB|cB A>d/|cB cB|A2 Bc|d2 c2|BA F2|GF/G/ FE|D4:|
E|:F>E/ FA|G>F/ GB|A>F/ Ad|ce dc|B>c dB|AF FA|G2 FE|D4:|

Nine comments

The Blackwater #2

Couldn’t find this anywhere on the site, so I said I’d throw it up - it’s the second of a set of polkas labelled “The Blackwater Polka’s” from Denis Doody’s 1978 album “Denis Doody Plays Kerry Music”, available here: https://thesession.org/recordings/1309

From the discussion and the ensuing difficulty in finding the tune, I surmise it was probably Gan Ainm before the album, and still is, essentially.

Here’s one I made earlier of the tune, in case the MIDI doesn’t quite do it justice.

http://youtube.com/_XmRwpzW8Ag

“The Blackwater Polka No. 2”

I’d forgotten to note the obvious above, it’s the 3rd polka in that set of three. 😎

X: 2 “TheThe Blackwater Polkas No. 2”

S: “Matt Cranitch & Jackie Daly: The Living Stream”, track 11, the 3rd polka of three

Q: 134 bpm / 1 beat = one crotchet/quarter note

Note, from the CD: “The source for both of ‘The Blackwater Polkas’ was the Sliabh Luachra accordion player Denis Doody.” ~ Jackie Small

“Denis Doody Plays Kerry Music” - track 17
https://thesession.org/recordings/1309

The Blackwater, X:4

Not sure where I got this setting, but I thought I would add it for its small differences but also the key – it never occurred to me to play this in anything but D, and after trying a few of these other settings out I’m still not convinced. On the B/C Accordion, it’s easy to the first few bars (cB, etc) on the pull, but it can be fun to screw around with the push B, especially if you’re playing loudly and slowly and your bellows are 2’ out…

I like to play this after Jimmy Doyle’s (The Lonesome) and John Walsh’s (The Newmarket).