The Road To Skye jig

Tune requested by ktmacm
Source: Chris Norman
Transcription: g.m.p.

I have a different setting of this tune, in G, not uncommon in london sessions. I don’t know what name it goes by:

T:?!?
M:6/8
K:G
D|GFG EGD|GBd e2d|gBB BAB|cBc E2F|
GFG EGD|GBd e2d|gBB BAB|cEF G2:|
:D|GBd GBd|GBd cAF|GBd efg|fdd def|
g3 f3|efe d2B|cBc ABc|BGG G2:||

I’m not sure how this name, common in Cape Breton, got attached to an old Irish jig printed under at least two titles in O’Neill.

The name “The New York Jig,” commonly used since the 1960s, may come from its inclusion in the repertoire of the the New York Ceili Band c. 1960.

K: G Major
|: D |
G2 G DB,/C/D | GBd e2 f | gdB BAB cBc E2 D |
GFG D2 D | GB/c/d e2 d | g2 B BB/B/B | cEF G2 :|
|: d |
GBd GBd | GBd cBA | GB/c/d efg | fd^c d2 f |
gbg f/g/ag | ece d2 B | cBc Adc | BGF G2 :|

A-part ~ alternates: lead-in & for measure 4 & 8:

|: BA |
~ | c2 c EBA | ~ | cEF G :|

B-part ~ alternates for the last four bars:

| gdg fdf | e/f/ge d3 | cBc A/B/cA | AGF G2 :|
&
| g3 f3 | e3 dB/c/d | c2 c AFd | BGG G2 :|

This tune is a favourite of my wife’s and also seems to go well with dancers too… It’s a great tune to play and to dance too.

A wild idea… could this appellation have to do with the fact that it is no. 212 in O’Neill’s?

I transcribed this version from the playing of Melbourne band TitK. Not sure where they got it from.

X:1
T:The Road to Skye
Z:Trouble in the Kitchen
R:Jig
L:1/8
M:6/8
K:G
GGG FGD | GBd e2f| gBB {c}BAB | cBc E2D |
GGG FGD | GBd e2f| gBB {c}BAB |1 cAF GBA :|2 cAF G2A :|
GBd GBd |GBd cAF | GBd eag | {g}fdd def|
g3 f3 |e3 d2B | cBc Adc |1 BGG G2A :|2 BGG G3 :|

That’s not what they’re playing. It’s more like this:

X:1
T:The Road to Skye
Z:Trouble in the Kitchen
R:Jig
L:1/8
M:6/8
K:G
~G3 EGD | GBd e2d| gBB BAB | cBc E2D |
GFG E/F/GD | GBd e2f| gBB BAB | cAF G2F :|
GBd GBd | GBd cAF | GBd eag | fd^c def|
~g3 ~f3 | e/f/ge dcB | cBc Adc | BGG G2F :|

And from a recent vid:

X:1
T:The Road to Skye
Z:Trouble in the Kitchen
R:Jig
L:1/8
M:6/8
K:G
~G3 EGD | GBd e2f| gdc ~B3| cBc E2D |
GFG E/F/GD | GBd e2f| gdc ~B3 | cAF G2F :|
|: GBd GBd | GBd cAF | GBd eag | fd^c def|
gbg ~f3 | e/f/ge dBG | cBc Adc | BGF GBA :|

Here I’ve transcribed it as Paul Kelly plays it on “A Mandolin Album” , the first of four jigs. He plays it in G major


X:1
T:Des Carty’s Jig or Paddy’s Resource or Road to Skye
M:6/8
L:1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
D|GFG DB,D|GBd e2d|gBB BAB|cBc DEF|
GFG DB,D|GBd e2d|gdB BAB|cEF G2:|
:D|GBd GBd|GBd cBA|GBd efg|fdd def|
gag fgf|ege d2B|c2c Adc|AGF G2:||

This is a variation of the New York Jig in G
|:GFG DBD|GBd e2d|gdB BAB|cBc E2F|
GFG DBD|GBd e2d|gdB BAB|cEF G3:|
|:GBd GBd|GBd cBA|GBd efg|fd^c def|
geg fdf|ece dcB|cBc Adc|BGF G3:|

X: 3
T: Paddy’s Resource
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: GMaj
|: D |\
G2 G DB,/C/D | GBd e2 f | gdB BAB cBc E2 D |
GFG D2 D | GB/c/d e2 d | g2 B BB/B/B | cEF G2 :|
|: d |\
GBd GBd | GBd cBA | GB/c/d efg | fd^c d2 f |
gbg f/g/ag | ece d2 B | cBc Adc | BGF G2 :|

X: 9
T: Paddy’s Resource
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: GMaj
|: D |\
GFG E2 D | GBd e2 d | gBB B^AB | cBc E2 D |
GFG E2 D | GBd e2 d | gBB B^AB | cAF G2 :|
|: D |\
GBd GBd | GBd cBA | GBd efg | fd^c def |
gbg afd | cde dBG | cBc Adc | BGF G2 :|

https://thesession.org/discussions/30611
I couldn’t find this old thing in the database, there was a related tune in the key of A called “The Road to Skye” but it’s not Paddy’s Resource

The Road To Skye https://thesession.org/tunes/1709

Paddy’s Resource (in more than one setting) has been posted in the comments to The Road to Skye.

Submitted on September 24th 2012 by b.maloney.
~ /tunes/12187

X: 10
T: Paddy’s Resource
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: GMaj
|: d |\
GFG DB,D | GBd e2 d | gdB BAB | cBc E2 F |
GFG DB,D | GBd e2 d | gdB BAB | cEF G2 :|
|: D |\
GBd GBd | GBd cBA | GBd efg | fd^c def |
gbg faf | ece ~d2 B | cBc Adc | BGF G2 :|

Musician friend of ours found this (among other tunes written in ‘backward’ notation) from a fiddler’s manuscript at Arlington, Vermont, USA circa 1780.

Just in case, it has been added as comment to the earlier submission.

Backwards notation, I wonder if the fiddler was dyslexic? 😀 As a kid I started out with all my writing mirror images, right to left…

Ceol, I’ve seen more than a few notations by different colonial transcribers with the heads of the quavers looking to the ‘left’ instead of to the ‘right’ 🙂 You had a true gift there with your own early images…I’d like to see how you did that ~

It comes easy, but, sadly, it sometimes happens without intent, such as mixing up letters when I type very fast… It came in handy setting type from the old trays… 😀

Beautiful jig learned from the playing of a beautiful girl on youtube that will be posted soon.

http://youtu.be/qy3qzr5E_uE

play video

This is already on site as “The Road To Skye”,
https://thesession.org/tunes/1709.

“Paddy’s Recourse” is the title of this tune, as far as my memory goes!

“Paddie’s Resource” was the title used the first time this tune appeared in print (in 1780, in McGlashan’s “Collection of Scots Measures”, according to The Fiddler’s Companion).

The McGlashan setting is definitely the same tune, although the B part is slightly different from all the settings above:

A | EAc cAE | EGB BGE | AAc cBA | cdc B2 A | Ace agf | edc B2 A | cAF EFA | cAA A2 |]

Charlie Gore has suggested comparing the tune with “Lady Carlisle’s Reel” from W Boag’s “Collection of Favourite Reels and Strathspeys” (c1797), but I have not seen that book (it also seems to be in 24 Country Dances for the Year 1790, but I haven’t seen that either).

Here’s John Whelan’s version (in G) from his Celtic Roots CD, where he calls it the New York Jig.
https://thesession.org/recordings/949

https://youtu.be/a_hzDFZIKpU

play video

From the playing of John Whelan.

This jig was played twice during recent virtual sessions in this time of corona virus. I was surprised that no one previously posted a setting for it in G. There is a nice youtube video for learning it on the anglo concertina that this transcription is based on. Any errors are on me. Joe Mahon.

I’ll be extremely surprised if this is not here already under another name. Can’t think for the moment who has recorded it, but I’m sure someone will recognise it.

Indeed it is:
https://thesession.org/tunes/1709

Didn’t think it would take long. Well done.

I transcribed this one from a recording of an online session with John Whelan the other day, so I’ll offer up a more whistle-friendly setting for anyone interested. He calls it the New York Jig.

John plays bars 1 and 5 a bit differently. For whistle or pipes, I would do a D-cran (or a D followed by a D short-roll) in place of that low-B cluster in the A-part. For John’s version, you can replace my D~D2 with DB,D.

John’s been running a weekly Wednesday slow session, and I’ll put a plug in for it here in case you haven’t already checked it out: http://johnwhelanmusic.com/slow-session/
He also has weekly Master Sessions on Saturdays. Highly recommend those as well
… This is a pandemic special, so check it out while it’s still going! 🙂

Setting for mouth whistling.

I’m happy to discover that this version in G major can be whistled without doing any change of octave in the middle. This setting is the whole tune one octave higher.

Regarding the melody line, this is the one I’m used to, not sure where I got it from. It is pretty close to setting X:10.

I recently discovered the version in G major with the high A in the second part, I like it but that note is too high to whistle for me. If I want to whistle it without doing octave changes in the middle, I have to whistle it in F major.

From the playing of Iain MacDonald and Iain MacFarlane (The First Harvest, 2003). Last tune of the set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15qT0mOOIWk

play video