Toss The Feathers reel

One of my all-time favorite tunes. Kevin Burke rips through a tremendous version on his If the Cap Fits cd. This tune is quite different from the more common Toss the Feathers reel, and we play them in a set, giving rise to lots of odd looks when someone asks, “Great tunes! What are they called?” You can emphasize the long d in measure 4 of Part A and the long a in measure 3 of Part B by sliding up to those notes. I also tend to add triplets to the stair-step phrases (|cABG A2| becomes |(3cBA BG A2|, and in Part B |afge…| becomes |(3aaf ge…|). Finally, go with the bluesy feel of that c natural in a D tune by sharping the G in the end phrase that comes around in each half: |cAB^G A2…|

Cool tune. found sound recording really useful as it was very slow and allowed us to learn the tune very easily. thanks!

Actually, this setting of the tune is the more well known. Kevin Burke popularized the emin version, but most veterans know this setting as Toss the Feathers--especially in Clare

Yep, I’ve noticed that, based on recordings of Clare musicians and sessions. On this side of the pond, both tunes are fairly widespread, but seems to me more people know the Em one.

Breandan’s true story in the sessions section reminded me of one I’d forgotten about:

Matt and Shannon Heaton had started up a tune learning session at the Small Circle coffeehouse in Longmont. One of the first tunes they taught us was the Clare version of Toss the Feathers. So we’re all stomping away, roaring it out.

Now, the session at the Small Circle takes place on a small “stage” built of plywood covered by vinyl flooring. It’s very bouncy and loud -- tapping your foot sounds like someone hitting a bodhran fairly hard.

Somehow, none of us noticed that Matt’s enormous latte (his very favorite kind, but I can’t remember what kind that is, exactly) was headed off the table, and after about three times through the tune, pop! Off it went, right into Matt’s open fiddle case. (He was playing the fiddle at the time, thank god.) Great consternation and mopping up, with Matt moaning that he’d only gotten one sip out of it -- I think he was more crushed about losing the latte than he was over the mess in his case. 🙂

Zina

It’s nice on Accordion or Concertina (Galway versions?)
but I suspect the earlier version - see John
Roche - is the correct one, anyway that is the
way Swarbrick used do it;probably during the
early days of O’Riada when there was no real need
to be ‘session’ wary. I think on fiddle, Trevor,
your version sounds overdone wheras the old one
seems to fit like a glove - made for the fiddle I
think.

I heard this played in my local session as “Toss The Feathers #3”. I see that it’s posted on JC’s as the “Clare version” by none other than Zina. It’s the same setting as the one I heard at our session:

K:Dmix
D2AD EDAD|D2AG EAGE|D2AD EDEG| AddB cAGE:|2 AcGE EDD2||
Add^c d2cd|ed^cd ed~d2|eaag ed^cd|ed^cd ed~d2|
eaag efge|dged cAGE|D2AD EGAB|cded cAGE||

Yes, this is what I’ve been looking for! Thanks Anderson-san. I really don’t know exactly why, but this is the standard version of the tune played in Leeds, West Yorkshire. It’s a bit weird that unusual Clare versions of common tunes are popularised in the city, considering none of Irish people residing there have Clare origin. I guess some of the musicians picked up tunes while visiting the county for ceili band competitions.

Listen to James Kelly playing the unusual Clare setting of the tune: http://www.claddaghrecords.com/www/music/mp3/NOV2004/JKM0147trk1.mp3 I think it’s almost the same as what Dow transcribed above.

could someone suggest some good tunes to play along with ‘toss the feathers’?

thanks🙂

Here’s my version of the tune:

K: Dmix
D2AD EDAD|D2AG EAGE|D2AD EGAB|cded cAGE|
D2AD EDAD|D2AG EAGE|D2AD EGAB|cAGE EDD2||
Add^c d2cd|ed^cd edd2|eaag ed^cd|ed^cd edd2|
eaag efge|dfed cAGE|D2AD EGAB|cded cAGE||

Well, it’s actually a mixture of Dow’s setting posted above and James Kelly’s. I personally like playing it a little bit slowly.

K:Dmix

|D2 AD EDAD|D2 AG EAGE|D2 AD EDEG|AddB cAGE|
|D2 AD EDAD|D2 AG EAGE|D2 AD EDEG|cAGE ED D2|

|Add^c d2 cd|ed^cd ed d2|eaag ed^cd|ed^cd ed d2|
|eaag efge|dged cAGE|D2 AD EDEG|AddB cAGE|

John Dwyer learnt this from Sonny brogan.

the corrs perform this tune full of energy

# Posted on December 12th 2006 by redindygo

“Here’s a flute tab I found on the Corrs discussion group.”

Toss the Feathers

(1) D E D A D E D A B C A G E D E
D E D A D E D A D D B C A G E
D D A D E D A B C A G E E
1. C A B G A A B C D E D C A G E :||
2. C A B G A A B C D E D C A G B

(2) A D D A D D A D D E D C D
E A A G A G E A A G A G E D
E F# G E A F# G E F# E D D C A B
1. C A B G A A B C D E D C A G B :||
2. C A B G A A B C D E D C A G E D

# Posted on December 12th 2006 by redindygo

& here is my attempt to make sense of the weird notation, TAB FOR FLUTES ~ who came up with that, and how useless sense there’s nothing to distinguish not length or pitch? I would love to know, if there’s anyone who can answer that??? Anyway, here’s the bits worked back in as best as I was able to figure it, at least cleaned up and making abit more sense:

K: D Mixolydian
|: D2 ED ADED | ABcA GEDE | D2 ED ADED | AddB cAGE
D2 DA D2 ED | ABcA GE E2 | cABG A2 AB |1 cded cAGE :|
2 cded cAGB ||
Ad d2 ad d2 | Ad d2 ed^cd | eaag a2 ge | a2 ag aged
efge a2 fg | efed dcAB | cABG A2 AB |1 cded cAGB :|
2 cded cAGE ||

~ yes, the nap… Did I suggest ‘clarity’? Here’s a correction:

~ “ ~ since there’s nothing to distinguish note length of pitch? ~ ”

Just a few slips there, not too bad… 😏

AAA! ~ “note length or pitch?” Good night all…

The Flute TAB has scrambled my brain cells…

I have searched the web but can not find TAB for this tune. I would greatly appreciate it if someone could show me where to find it.

Put both hands behind you, take a firm grip, then…

I very much hope you’re not serious.

Yawn - windups are boring

Hello FishDoc.

If you don’t know how to use this website then hopefully this will guide you.

Click on tunes in the right hand side of the page.

Tabs will appear and you click on “search”.

In the box you type the name and, if you know what rhythm, that too.

there is a choice of abc notation or sheet music available. If that cannot help you then perhaps a friend can help you.

Better still you might learn by ear by asking a session player to play it for you slowly; that is a nice way to learn.

I hope this is some help to you.

Brian x

A great tune for using cranns.

https://thesession.org/recordings/35
3rd reel on track 8, a truly amazing piece of flute playing.

X: 7
T:Toss the Feathers
R:reel
H:Other versions: #263 (Ddor), #163 (Edor), #652 (Ddor)
Z:id:hn-reel-110
M:C|
K:Dmix
D2 (3FED AD (3FED|ABcA GE~E2|D2 (3FED ADFA|dfed cAGE|
D2 (3FED AD (3FED|ABcA GE~E2|cABG A2B^c|dfed cAGE:|
|:Ad~d2 Ad~d2|Ad^cd edcd|eaag ~a3g|eaag ed^cd|
efge afge|dfed cAAB|cABG A2B^c|dfed cAGE:|

I downloaded sheet music from a Corr’s site. The time sig. was 6/8. I counted the notes. So that would make their’s a jig, right? It does sound different.

Probably not - more likely to make “theirs” a mistake. There are 2 commonly-known reels called “Toss The Feathers”, but no jigs that I’ve ever come across.

In the middle of the discussion s.o. asked for whistle-tabs: This is where you can convert abc to whistle tabs - a great tool: http://www.mandolintab.net/abcconverter.php

X: 3
T: Toss The Feathers
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmix
D2AD EDAD|D2AG EGGE|D2AD EDAD|A2dB cAGE:||
Add^c d2cd|eddd eddd|eaag ed^cd|ed^cd ed^cd|
eaag egge|d2ed cAGE|D2AD E\F\GAB|c2dB cAGE||

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/scheppel/celtic-fire

Let me know if you guys need the sheet music. It’s a more straight version with a few slight embellishments.

As heard on sessions and played by The Corrs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEJa_VgpIAc

play video

Where can I find the sheet music for the Corrs version for tin whistle ?

This is the version that the Corrs play in this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEJa_VgpIAc

play video

It is really great to hear them play!
A very good version of this tune, anyway.
Fair weather and Full sails!

This version from Sonny Brogan, playing with Seán Ó Riada’s Ceoltóirí Chualann.

I believe Brogan composed this version of the tune. James Keane, who knew Brogan well, plays the tune doubled and with a slightly different B part. I wonder did Brogan play it single to fit the purposes of Ó Riada’s arrangement? The use of f naturals in cuts and triplets certainly gives the tune an older feel, and it makes one wonder if Brogan utilized them in his regular playing and that Keane has since forgotten them or does not use them, or if Brogan’s version for Ceoltóirí Chualann is not the way he played the tune regularly.

Regardless, this is a lovely variation on a lovely tune.

I learned this tune by ear from Winifred Horan - it’s a modal tune (doesn’t stay in the key of G) and th 5th bar of the B part needs to have an Fnatural in it. The F# is in every one of these versions and it just changes the whole tune. Try it with the Fnatural - it’s awesome.

Here’s the Solas version so you can hear what I’m talking about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqvNJFJ8Qtw

play video