Jerusalem Ridge reel

A request for oraghalm. I normaly notate tunes using Finale and am fairly new to ABC and the ABC for this tune did not want to play back correctly on my computer, some of the timing does not match the notation, does anybody else have this problem with ABC?. Anyway I checked the ABC against the sheetmusic
and I am sure its right.This setting is Kevin Burke’s from ‘Up Close’ and the tune was composed by Bill Munroe.

Good bluegrass tune…

Sorry, on my posting of Jerusalem Ridge I missed out the first few bars, here they are
A3cAGED|E3GEDCD|ECDCA,4CB,A,3
I dont know if Bill Munroe playes these bars but they are definately in Kevin Burkes version.

With tons of respect to The Kevin, the best Irish-ized version of this tune I’ve heard is from Joel Mabus, played on guitar on his Faries and Fools album. He does it after a satirical song about a contra fiddler who succombs to the bluegrass bug. He calls it Planxty William Monroe.

Here’s a transcription based on Mark O’Connor’s "Heroes" CD, with Kenny Baker on the track. Nothing Irish trad about it—but a great tune.

X: 1
T: Jerusalem Ridge
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
C: Bill Monroe
K: Am
A,B,CD E2 EF|EDCE DCEC|A,B,CD EGAG|EDCE DCB,G,|
A,B,CD E2 EF|EDCE DCEC|A,B,CD EGAG|1 (3EGE DC A,3G,:|2 (3EGE DC A,3D||
E2 A2 A2 A2|EGAB cdcA|E2 A2 A2 AB|c2 [e2e2] [e4e4]|
E2 A2 A2 A2|EGAB cdcA|EGAB cdcA|GEDC A,4:||
(3GAG E6|(3EFE D6|(3DED C6|(3B,CB, A,6:||
e2 a2 a3g|a2 b2 c’4|eg2 ag3 e|gage dc2 d|
ea2 ga2 a2|c’abc’ ac’gd|e2 e2 edcd|edcG A4|
A3c AG ED|E3G EDCD|ECDC A,4|(3DCB, A,6:||

Hi.

Wich whistle do I need to play this tune, maybe a Low A??


Thanks.

K: A minor ~ Range ~ G, - c’ ~ which is quite a stretch…

There isn’t one whistle that would work. What you’d need to do is either pull up some of the lower notes or down some of the higher ones. You could get c’ on a C whistle, but then you’d have to raise lower notes ~ G, - A, - B, ~ by an alternate interval or an octave. If you used a G whistle then you’d have problems with the higher notes of a - b - c’…

Which ever way you went you’d need to make compromises…

~ at least with the usual run of the mill 6-hole whistle… 😎

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTmLQlB1PSI

play video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENQW0kzH4NY&list=PLo0sBOk2K5Oo6UKMV9Ivgrlj7zRsWOUqM

play video

Not Irish, but a great rendition.

The second arrangement here has all the parts, the first arrangement takes out the crooked parts. If anyone wants to see my notated version with bowings and fingerings (uses second and third position) here it is https://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/23914455ff09212d6020ece48073edf40ef04471

Looking at the available transcriptions (above) and comparing them to the Kenny Baker source recording (https://youtu.be/JWySDSagHGU), I really wasn’t satisfied (they’re unusable IMO). The Tunearch one (https://tunearch.org/wiki/Jerusalem_Ridge) which appears as the second entry above, whilst somewhat better and more complete than the first, is still rather poor. The repeat structure is not correctly represented (bad notation) and the timings of various bits really aren’t right and there are some wrong notes. I have attempted to make an accurate (as far as I can manage it), direct transcription from Baker’s playing (but without his double stopping), making good use of the YouTube slow-down function.

play video

N.B. The alternative bar D4 I have given is actually preferred by Baker – he only plays the first-given version in his very first iteration of the B section, but plays the alternative in the repeat and both times in the second time through the tune in the source video.

See also Baker with the composer, Monroe: https://youtu.be/D0AA8lAwH1s - in which, when the mandolin takes the lead, Monroe’s playing seems to me scruffy and rather indeterminate at best - if he’s playing his original conception of the tune, Baker’s version is clearly dominant (and is very close to being exactly the same as his solo rendition in the video I based my transcription upon).

play video

You can download my transcription (dots and ABCs) as a Word document here: https://app.box.com/s/zj5md423n3kp4k3wj53m1k06ckprsb0c. In it I have also provided two different octave-folded adaptations to suit instruments which don’t go below C (or D), one mostly as low as can be, the second going higher. I’ve also included a transposition up a tone to produce a setting playable on C whistle (B minor fingering on D whistle) to sound actual A minor to play along with others. Help yourselves!