The Cup Of Tea reel

I think I first heard this reel on an old album by “The Wild Geese”. It’s quite a popular reel and a good one to liven up any session.

I’ve shown a fairly basic version of the tune here. As always, you could spice it up with some tastefully applied ornamentation.

For instance, at the start of the second part, you could either turn that D note into a triplet or slide up to it from C sharp.

For a very NON-basic version of the tune, check out Liz Carroll’s version on Lost in the Loop on the first track (along with Sevens and Michael Kennedy’s). Wild!

Zina

In set with “Greiggs pipes” and “the Congess” on album “Kieran Hanrahan-plays the Irish tenor banjo”. Brilliant!

Adorian instead of Edorian – it sounds great on the fiddle!

It’s on the Thistle and Shamrock Christmas Ceilidh.

Isn’t this sometimes called “The Unfortunate Cup Of Tea”? If so, why is it unfortunate? Is there a story behind this?

Horslips had an album entitled The Unfortunate Cup of Tea and it is under that name if you look in the contents of O’Neill’s. Other than that, I’ve only heard it called the Cup of Tea.

Recorded by Phil Martin:
http://www.archive.org/details/PhilMartinTheCupofTeaTheFloggingReel2
By Michael Gallagher (1924):
http://www.archive.org/details/MichaelGallagherLucyCampbellTheCupofTea
By Sláinte (2000):
http://www.archive.org/download/CupofTea/11.ogg

Try,

Drowsy Maggie, The Morning Dew, The Cup of Tea

Does anyone know why it is ‘Unfortunate’ - this would seem to be the older name of the tune. There must be a story behind it …someone?

Watch the Young Tulla Ceili Band play the tune: http://youtu.be/rNtgQS3n-bA

play video

If I’m not mistaken, one of the fiddlers is Sorcha Costelloe.

I’d say “unfortunate” refers to a spilt cup of tea. We’ll all spilt a cup at some stage but it can be particularly unfortunate if, for example, it was the last teabag. Maybe you’d just carried it all the way out to the shed, having taken care not to spill any of the full-to-the-brim cup on the garden patio only to have an accident at the finish line all lose everything.

No idea about keys,

X:1
T:A Cup of Tea
M:C|
L:1/8
R:Reel
C:Traditional
Q:120
K:HP
|:e3/2A/2 A2 g2 f3/2g/2|e3/2A/2 A2 B3/2G/2G3/2B/2|e3/2A/2 A2 g2 f3/2g/2|a3/2f/2g3/2e/2 d3/2g/2f/2g3/2:|
|:e3/2a/2a3/2g/2 e3/2f/2g3/2e/2|e3/2a/2a3/2g/2 e3/2d/2B/2d3/2|e3/2a/2a3/2g/2 e3/2f/2g3/2e/2|a3/2f/2g3/2e/2 d2 c3/2d/2:|

It’s A mixolydian. Tunes in A keys tend to have lots of notes within A chords (e.g. A major = AC#E).
A part: 1st, 2nd and 3rd bars all start with EAA.
B part: 1st, 2nd and 3rd bars all start with eaa

Also, try to imagine what note you would play after the last note, to finish the tune off. In this tune it might be an e, but as part of an A chord, or you might feel that a solid A would be the note. Either way, it’s the note that’s not written at the end which may reveal the key.

Now post it properly as a setting!

Why not post them where they actually belong? https://thesession.org/tunes/3038

Wasn’t aware there was “A” Cup of Tea and “THE” Cup of tea - both being different Reels, now I am.

I posted this setting the way we play on banjo. It’s very much like the other settings posted here but I’ve added chords for the backup guitarist.

Great rendition of the tune by Ronan O’Flaherty: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A87DXX3Xc8

play video

Perhaps Edor at the beginning of this reel, with the first 2 bars letting hear E/G/B, but, as last bar of the 4th part resolves on D (can’t imagine adding a coda to end on an E), and all this part being based on D arpeggios,I would have said DMaj… But perhaps am I wrong as I am no accompanist ?…

This setting is from boxplayer Michael Reynolds of Boston. Mike has a number of great reel sets where he will play the first time through in a common manner (usually similar to how it might be written in the original O’Neill’s) and then play subsequent passes with different settings to keep the tune alive, to the point that he might play a single reel 4 or 5 times and keep it interesting and the listeners wanting more. This setting is particularly fun as the second ending of C, when the eighth notes are swung, leaves the tune feeling as though it is hanging, waiting to descend into part A. This is usually the meat in a set.

Didier yes you are right -I play both melody and chords - the tune starts in E dor [E minor on guitar]
then moves into D major for the 2nd and 3rd parts

I can’t believe this tune is not already posted - so I’m expecting somebody to point out the original - but I couldn’t find it

Posted by Jeremy 17 years ago : https://thesession.org/tunes/20

This seems like another example of a Session search engine glitch. (See comments on ‘Two for Joy’). A search on ‘Cup of Tea’ brings up a nil response, but there are now two settings on the site.

Sadly I can’t find “Two for Joy” to see what the comments were, but the search does not respond to three letter words in the tune title. Some three letter words do get results but not the desired words in the title. Hmmm.
Kenny, how did you find the original setting of “The Cup of Tea” ??

Thanks - It had to be here - but yes search came back blank. I’ll see if my version adds anything - if so will add a version to the main post - then this one can be peeled back

Slight variations but same main tune

This transcription is from Paddy Glackin’s “Glackin” album, and is in only two parts. I wonder if he got this variant from a Cassidy or a Doherty? In any case, I liked it so much, particularly with all those C-naturals and double stops in the first part, that I actually learned it yesterday. I do play the more well-known version, of course.

We play “Cup of Tea” after “ Man of the House“ in Akron, Ohio.

Another unusual Donegal setting, this time a three-parter from Caoimhín Mac Aoidh in this lesson video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rokQgQbpyIg. He plays it twice through before teaching it. He states his source as the fiddler Francie Dearg O’Byrne.

play video

In the sheet music posted I didn’t see any repeats. Is the tune played straight through? I play it repeating a part A then a part B and finally a part C.

Frankie & Alec - over 40 years ago :
https://youtu.be/3f3p5QbZ6co

play video

Liz Carroll plays it down a 5th.