Anderson’s reel

I hope this is the tune “Anderson’s” which was requested. I’ll comment at a later date.

I have bars 2 and 6 as:
|AFF2 EFDF|

I like to keep this one as “skeleton” as possible and leave out Gs:

|:ABdf e2dB|AF~F2 EFDB|ABdf e2df|1 afef dedB:|2 afef d3f||
a2fa bafb|a2fd edBd|a2fa bafb|afef d3f|
a2fa bafb|a2fd edBd|A2FB ABdf|afef d3B||

This is the “Anderson’s” played on Paddy Keenan’s “Na Keen Affair” album (rather than the tune more commonly known as New Mown Meadows, which is what you’ll get if you link from the album directly). He plays the last measure of the b part AFEG FEDB, which leads nicely back into the A part.

He also plays the 2nd and 6th measure of the A part AFF2~ EFDF, as David says.

i learnt this tune a few years ago, without a name but the 2nd part came first and the first part second. anyone else know this tune this way am i the only backward player?

Since it was me who posted the tune, maybe this will help. I’ve looked at 3 printed sources for this reel, “Bulmer & Sharpley” Vol.4, Ceol Rince na Eireann Vol 1, and “The Golden Eagle”, a collection of tunes associated with the late Donncha O’Brien. All 3 have the parts in the order which I have posted, ie, the “lower” part first, followed by the “higher” part. I could have a listen to some of the recordings of the tune to hear what they do, but I don’t have that many of the recordings which this tune is linked to. I did listen to Noel Hill & Tony Linnane’s recording, and they have it as “low” followed by “high”.
It is sometimes played with the high part first, as you do, but I think the culprit here may be Seamus Tansey. Again, I’d have to check, but I’m 99% certain that he played this on one of his “Outlet” recordings starting off with the “high” part, and maybe musicians have taken it from that, thinking that was how the tune was composed, whereas in my opinion, it was just Seamus being a little bit different for that recording.
My opinion would be that it is more commonly played with the parts as I have posted them, but there’s nothing “wrong” per se with the way you play it. You’d have to agree with musicians in a session which part you’re going to finish on though, otherwise it could go on forever !

Kenny, I’ve heard it played quite often with the high part first. It just depends on the session. It’s also in that Mally’s session tunebook with the high part first. I personally prefer to play it as I posted in 2004, nice and simple, low part first.

Hasn’t O‘Grada also recorded it B part first? Just trying to take some of the heat (pronounced “hate”) off poor oul’ Tansey.

I’ve a feeling you’re right, “Longnote”. I’m not disparaging Tansey or making any sort of complaint about this at all, by the way. It’s just that I think he may have been the first to record it starting with the “high” part, and others have followed.
It’s listed in 20 recordings, although not all of them will be this particular tune. It would be interesting to know who plays what.

Listen to Patsy Hanley of Roscommon play this tune and the Flowers of the Red Mill, which is also known as Anderson’s: http://www.lafferty.ca/music/irish/flute-geezers/patsyh3.mp3

I’ve heard Brendan Mulkere play this tune. He played it very well and at a very nice rythem. I like this tune but I play a fairly standard version that I’m sure could be made more lively with a bit of practice.

Just to confuse matters, I notice the Comhaltas session books have the high part transcribed before the low part…but the accompanying CD has them played the other way around. Whichever way works I guess!

This is the jig by this title on the Daimh album “Divertions”
https://thesession.org/tunes/10836

I got this version from Fidelma O’Brien during a banjo workshop in Germany.

Just a few small differences here. It’s pretty much like Kenny’s setting #1, with slightly different turnarounds in measures 4, 8, and 16, high a instead of high b at the end of measures 9, 11, and 13, and A2 FB instead of A2 FA in measure 15.