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Gusty’s Frolics slip jig

By Gustavis Augustus Nicolls

Also known as The Galway Jig, Gurty’s Frolic, Gurty’s Frolics, Gusty Frolic’s, Gusty’s Frolicks, Súgradh Aibhistín.

There are 38 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

Gusty’s Frolics appears in 4 other tune collections.

Gusty’s Frolics has been added to 6 tune sets.

Gusty's Frolics has been added to 173 tunebooks.

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Seven settings

1
X: 1
T: Gusty's Frolics
R: slip jig
M: 9/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:A,DD DCD ~F3|A,DD DFA GEC|A,DD A,DD FEF|~G3 E2F GFE:|
FED AB^G A2=G|FDD ABc dAG|FED AB^G A=GF|GBG E2F GFE|
FED AB^G A2=G|FDD ABc dAG|FED ~d3 AFD|GBG E2F GFE|
|:Add ded ~f3|Add dfa gec|Add ded ~f3|~g3 ecA gfe:|
|:dfd cec d2B|AFD DE/F/G AFD|GBd d=cB ~c2A|GE=C CEC GEC:|
# Added by JD .
2
X: 2
T: Gusty's Frolics
R: slip jig
M: 9/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:A,DD A,DD FEF|A,DD DFA GED|A,DD A,DD FEF|GFG ECE GFE:|
|:FDF ABF A2 G|FDF ABF GFE|FDF ABF A2 F|GFG ECE GFE:|
|:Add def gfg|Add dfa gfe|Add def gfg|ece ece gfe:|
|:fdf abf a 2g|fdf abf gfe|fdf abf a2 f|gfg ece gfe:|
|:aff dff dff|aff dfa gfe|aff dff dff|gfg ece gfe:|
|:dff a/g/fe d2 A|dff agf gfe|dff a/g/fe def|gfg ece gfe:|
|:faf dec dAF|DFA def gfe|faf ded def|gfg ece gfe:|
|:a/g/fe dfe d2 f|afd def gec|dec dec dAF|GAF GEF GFE:|
|:ABA dcB A2 B|AFD DFD EFG|AFA BGB =cBA|GFG ECE GFE:|
3
X: 3
T: Gusty's Frolics
R: slip jig
M: 9/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:A,DD DCD FF/F/F|A,DD DFA GEC|A,DD A,DD FF/F/F|GG/G/G EF/F/F GFE:|
FED AB^G A2 G|FF/F/F ABc dAG|FED AB^G AF/F/F|GG/G/G EF/F/F GFE|
FED AB^G A=G/G/G|FF/F/F ABc dAG|FED dd/d/d AFD|GG/G/G EF/F/F GFE|
|:Add ded ff/f/f|Add dfa gec|Add ded ff/f/f|gg/g/g ecA gfe:|
|:dfd cec d2B|AFD DFD AF^G|AA/A/A BB/B/B =cBA|GG/G/G E=CE GFE:|
4
X: 4
T: Gusty's Frolics
R: slip jig
M: 9/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:D(3DDD D(3DDD ~F2{B}A|D(3DDD FAF GFE|D(3DDD D(3DDD ~F2{B}A|GFG E(3.c.AE GFE:|
|:FDF ABF A2 G|FDF ABF GFE|FDF ABF A2 f|gfg ece GFE:|
|:d(3.G.F.d d(3.G.F.d ~f2a|d(3.G.F.d (3.f.c.Af gfe|d(3.G.F.d d(3.G.F.d ~f2a|gfg (3.f.c.Af gfe:|
|:d(3.G.F.d c(3.G.F.c d2B|AFA D(3DDD D(3DDD|BDD cDD Bzf|gfg (3.e.c.Af gfe:|
5
X: 5
T: Gusty's Frolics
R: slip jig
M: 9/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
D3 D3 F2A|D3 Fc/A/F GFE|D3 D3 F2A|GFG Ec/A/E GFE|
D3 D3 F2A|D3 Fc/A/F GFE|D3 D3 F2A|GFG Ec/A/E GFE||
FDF AF/G/A A2G|FDF AF/G/A GFE|FDF AF/G/A A2F|Gc/A/G Ec/A/E GFE|
FDF AF/G/A A2G|FDF AF/G/A GFE|FDF AF/G/A A2f|gfg ece gfe||
df/g/d df/g/d f2a|df/g/d fc/a/f gfe|df/g/d df/g/d f2a|gfg ec/a/e gfe|
df/g/d df/g/d f2a|df/g/d fc/a/f gfe|df/g/d df/g/d f2a|gfg ec/a/e gfe||
df/g/d cf/g/c d2B|AF/G/A D3 D3|BDD cDD B2f|gfg ec/a/e gfe|
df/g/d cf/g/c d2B|AF/G/A D3 D3|BDD cDD B2F|GFG Ec/A/E GFE||
# Added by JACKB .
6
X: 6
T: Gusty's Frolics
R: slip jig
M: 9/8
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|:A,DD A,DD FEF|A,DD DFA GED|A,DD A,DD FGA|GEC CEF GFE:|
|:FDF ABG ABG|FDF ABF GFE|FDF ABF ABF|GFG ECE GFE:|
|:Add Add fef|Add dfa gfe|Add Add fef|gfg ece gfe:|
|:fdf ab/a/g ab/a/g|fdf a2f gfe|fdf a>ba/g/ a>ba/g/|gbg ece gfe:|
|:afg/f/ dff dff|aff dff gfe|aff dff dff|gfg ece gfe:|
|:dfa/f/ dfa/f/ d2A|dfa/f/ dfa/f/ gfe|dfa/f/ dfa/f/ dfa/f/|gbg ece gfe:|
|:dfe dfe dAF|DFA dfa gfe|dfa/f/ dec dfa|gfg ece gfe:|
|:AFA d>ed/c/ d2D|DFA dcB AGF|DFA =cdB cBA|GEC CEF GFE:|
|:A,DD A,DD FEF|A,DD DFA GED|A,DD A,DD F2A|GEC C>DE/F/ GFE:|
|:A2A Adc/B/ A2G|AFD DED EFG|AFA BGB =cBA|GEC CDE/F/ GFE:|
# Added by Moxhe .
7
X: 7
T: Gusty's Frolics
R: slip jig
M: 9/8
L: 1/8
K: Emaj
|:B,EE B,EF FGG|B,EE EF/G/B AFD|B,EE DEF FGE|AGA {E}F2G AGF:|
GFG BcB BB/B/A|GFG Bcd eBA|GFG BcB c/B/AG|AGA {E}F2G AGF|
GFG BcB BB/B/A|GFG Bcd eBA|GFE edc B/c/B/A/G|AGA {E}F2G AGF|
|:B2e e/e/Bf fgg|Bee ef/g/b afd|ee/e/e efa fge|aga f2g agf:|
|:ede g/f/ed e2c|BGE EFG BGE|=DE/F/A =dec d2B|1 AF=D DEF AFD:|2 AFE E/E/EF EDC||
# Added by jmeme .

Sixteen comments

Also recorded by the piper Patsy Touhey, a transcription is in the book “The Piping of Patsy Touhey.” This is very much more a piper’s setting, appropriately enough since the composer of this tune, Augustus “Gusty” Nicols, was a gentleman piper from Leitrim. A contemporary of Touhey’s, James Early, was also a Leitrim man, and perhaps he got the tune from him. This setting is more along the lines of the one in O’Neill’s; why Touhey’s version wasn’t used is a mystery.

Nine Part Version!?!

A pal of mine once had a nine part version of this, which he got from Cathal McConnell. Trouble is now he can only remember 7 or 8 parts - on a good night. He thinks Cathal may have recorded it a long time ago with Boys of the Lough. What he can remember is great. Anybody got the whole thing, or know which recording it might be?

Posted by .

K:D
|: A,DD A,DD FEF | A,DD DFA GED | A,DD A,DD FEF | GFG ECE GFE :|
|: FDF ABF A2 G | FDF ABF GFE | FDF ABF A2 F | GFG ECE GFE :|
|: Add def gfg | Add dfa gfe | Add def gfg | ece ece gfe :|
|: fdf abf a 2g | fdf abf gfe | fdf abf a2 f | gfg ece gfe :|
|: aff dff dff | aff dfa gfe | aff dff dff | gfg ece gfe :|
|: dff a/g/fe d2 A | dff agf gfe | dff a/g/fe def | gfg ece gfe :|
|: faf dec dAF | DFA def gfe| faf ded def | gfg ece gfe :|
|: a/g/fe dfe d2 f | afd def gec | dec dec dAF | GAF GEF GFE :|
|: ABA dcB A2 B | AFD DFD EFG | AFA BGB =cBA | GFG ECE GFE :|

Nine parts in O’Neill’s

Yes, the nine parter is also in O’Neills as Gurty’s, for anybody who struggles with ABCs.

Posted by .

Heard this at a session in Belfast a few months ago, bits of it been coming to me now and then but I never could find a recording or the name of the tune, and wasn’t sure if I was remembering it right. Thanks for the recording and the notes!

Posted by .

A Banjo version

This is just my personal take on it, with the ornamentations written for Irish Tenor Banjo. The only thing I really changed was adding a G# in the D part because another D note there was just too much for me. It gives a good lift into the next measure and seems like it’s that kind of tune anyway.

Patsy Touhey

Touhey’s recording of the full 8 parts may be heard here: http://archives.irishfest.com/dunn-family-collection/Music/Cylinders3.htm As the notes point out he only can fit in 1 1/2 playings owing to the limited amount of recording time on those old cylinders. Pretty crazy tune, I wonder why he only recorded 4 parts on the other cylinder. Touhey’s records have a bit of mystery about them, he played different second parts on separate recordings of the Humours of Whiskey; he recorded the “Duke of Leinster” on one record and the “Dandy Reel” on another - same tune. Displaying his musical breadth there, one supposes.

Gusty’s Frolics, X:6

This setting appears in The Petrie Collection of Irish Music, part II, ed. Charles Villiers Stanford (1905), p. 203, no. 813 as “Gurty’s Frolic – A very old Munster tune”. It has quite a few differences with X:2 and a 10th part.

Posted by .

Re: Gusty’s Frolics

John Doherty’s version of this reminds me a lot of the reel “The Pinch of Snuff” in slip jig form. It’s almost uncanny.

Re: Gusty’s Frolics

Composed by Gustavis Augustus “Gusty” Nicolls, who was a landlord and an uilleann piper of the late 18th and
early 19th century who lived near Carrigallen, County Leitrim.
With the two names Gustavis and Augustus, it’s no wonder that he got the nickname “Gusty” 🙂