The Yellow Tinker reel

This tune is adorable isn’t it? It’s more or less the version played at a recent Sydney session by site member bandjalong - (ta for the tune). It is related to an Amix tune called "The Drunken Tinker" which has a similar 1st part. Confusingly, that tune sometimes also goes by the name of "The Yellow Tinker", e.g. on Altan’s album "The Red Crow".

I’m willing to bet that "The Drunken Tinker" came about because a drunken session player tried to remember "The Yellow Tinker", and could only remember the 1st part of the 3, so he/she made up a new 2nd part. Or maybe not.

Sheetmusic readers watch out for the key changes

Loads of fun. Melodic contours in the 1st part are nearly the same for both "Tinkers." The Drunken Tinker in Amix falls more comfortably on my mandolin. Lots of open A string to ring through.

The Gmix is more interesting though. Now I must learn both tunes so I can get them mixed up. 🙂

The Amix one is at https://thesession.org/tunes/1555

Her version is different from the posted version and is as follows:

|:DG (3GGG DEFE|DG (3GGG BcAF|DGGF D2CD|F3A c2AF|
DGGF D2CD|DG (3GGG BcAF|DGGF D2CD|F3A c2Ac|
dG (3GGG dGcA|dG (3GGG d2cA|dGGA dcAG|F3A c2Ac|
dG (3GGG dGcA|dG (3GGG d2cA|d3e fefd|BcAF CFAF:|

This goes second in a set of reels with The New Road/The Yellow Tinker/Delia Crowley’s. A grand set indeed!

X: 1
T: The Yellow Tinker
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|:DGGF DEFA | DGGF dBcA | DGGF DEFA | cAFA c2 BA |
DGGF DEFA | DGGF dBcA | DGGF DEFA | cAFA c4 ||
|:Bc| dG G2 dGBc | dg g2 fdcA | dG G2 dGBd | cAFA c2 Bc |
dG G2 dGBc | dg g2 fgaf | g2 de fgaf | gbag fdcA ||
|:d2 BG (3Bcd BG | (3Bcd BG c2 BA | d2 BG (3Bcd BG | cAFA c2 Bc |
d2 BG (3Bcd BG | (3Bcd BG c2 BA | dcde f3d | cAFA c3 ||

DG3 DF3|DG3 dGcG| DGGF DCDF| cAFA c2AF:|
G2BG dGeG| dG3 ABcA|dG3 defd|cAFA c2Bc|dG~G2 eG~G2|dG~G2 ABcA|dcde fefd|cAFA c2AF|

Second bar of B part he alternatively does this
G2BG dGeG|G2BG ABcA|

Dow does the end really resolve on a G after an F natural? I think it sounds better to play the C there as in the ending of the A part.

A version that’s based on how Craobh Rua plays it (and pretty close to the Solas version as well)

Oops, sorry, mean to say based on how Dervish (and friends?) plays it on the album "The Leitrim Equation" (not Croabh Rua, brain fart).

Got to love this :

https://youtu.be/R0rjZJ4OdsA

play video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANBDrfwe1LY

play video

As played by Eamon Cotter, Conor McCarthy, Oisin MacDiarmada & Padraic O’Reilly
on track 11 of "The Riches of Clare". I think this is an old Clare setting of the Yellow Tinker that probably
pre-dates Paddy O’Brien’s famous version. I think Noel Hill taught us this version at one of his concertina schools, too. I like it a lot. It can be played all on the C-row of the concertina.
(There is no B in the tune, so it doesn’t matter whether there is a B-flat in the key signature or not.)

I now see that versions similar to the one I just posted are being called
"The Drunken Tinker" https://thesession.org/tunes/1555 .
But I’m sure that Noel Hill thinks of this as a version of the Yellow Tinker, so we’ll leave it here
and people can go to tune 1555 for more similar versions (and in other keys).

Basic transcription (transposed in Gmix) from Cormac Begley’s playing in his album "Cormac Begley" (https://thesession.org/recordings/5633). Track available here:

https://cormacbegley.bandcamp.com/track/reels-yellow-tinker-ri-l-mho-r-bhaile-an-chalaidh

Cormac plays the tune in Dmix, I have transposed it in Gmix which seems to be the original key and fits well on the flute.

A video recording of Cormac playing the tune is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0rjZJ4OdsA

play video

(Edit: I see this movie was already posted above. Great playing, anyway!)