The Wandering Minstrel jig

A great jig, particularly the third part. We always play it in a set which starts with the Lark in the Morning and the Humours of Ennistymon - a bit of a marathon you might say with a 4 part jig followed by two 3 parters but good fun just the same as they’re all first-rate tunes!

Here’s a transcription of Eileen Iver’s first cut on this tune from the self-titled cd. The articulations are pretty straight forward, but the f/a/fA triplet toward the end of the C part is a particularly nice touch.

X: 1
T: Wandering Minstrel, The
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
D: Eileen Ivers, Traditional Irish Music
K: Dmaj
ADD BAF|Ade fdB|ADD BAG|~F3 GFE|
ADD BAF|Ade fdB|AdB AFE|1 FDC D2 B:|2 F/E/DC D2 e||
faf ede|fdB AFA|~B3 AGF|GFG E2e|
~f3 ede|fdB AFA|B/c/dB AFE|FDC D2 e:||
f2 f afd|gbe gbe|~f3 afd|ceA ceA|
~f3 afd|gbe gbe|f/g/af efg|fdc d3 |
~f3 afd|~g3 gfe|~f3 afd|c2 c cBA|
f/a/fA afd|gbe gbe|f/g/af efg|fdc dcB||

im lookin for some nice variations for this tune for banjo. Im preparing for fleadh cheoli and unsure whether to play this tune or ‘Lark in the Morning’ (4verse jig). Im hoping to get helpful advice,tips,ornamentation and variation.

We just learned this tune at Skenachy from my friend Carolee, who’s sister brought it back from Ireland calling it Cape Breton Jig. Great tune!

|: ADA BAF | Ade fdB | AFA BAF | FdF EFG | ADA BAF | Ade fdB | AdB AFE |1 FDD D3 :|2 FDD D2g | \
|: faf ede | fdB AFA | B2G Bcd | AFD E2g | faf ede | fdB AFA | AdB AFE | FDD D2g :|: fdf afd | \
gbe gbe | fdf afd | ceA ceg | fdf afd | gbe gbe | fdf ece |1 fdd d2g :|2 fdd d3 | \

On the Gentlemen Pipers record Mr Seamus Ennis teams us ‘The Wandering Minstrel’ with ‘Jackson’s Morning Brush.’ Awesome stuff!!!

play a two-part version of this. Well, it’s only the first part that’s compatible, really!

Nice CD though - ‘At Complete Ease’.

It goes like this:

K:D
|:B|Add BAF|Ade fdB|Add BAF|AFD EDE|
Add BAF|Ade fdB|AdB AFE|FDD D2:|
|:B|Ade ~f3|efg fdB|Ade f2e|fdB BAF|
Ade ~f3|efg fdA|~B3 AFE|FDD D2:|

This is mostly based on Carty and Rooney’s duet playing. They cite Leitrim flute player Packie Duignan as the source of it. You can listen to Harry Bradley play virtually the same version of the tune here: http://www.watsonflutes.com/products.html John McEvoy and John Wynne also recorded a very similar version recently.

Here’s Seán Ó Broin playing Packie Duignan’s two part version of the tune: http://source.pipers.ie/Media.aspx?mediaId=24184

And P. Duignan himself playing the tune: http://www.lafferty.ca/files/flute-geezers/packie3.mp3

I learnt this from Louise Mulcahy. She taught me a slight melodic variation for the 3rd line of the A part.

A2D BAF | Ade fdB | A2d BAF | AFD E2B |
DFF BAF | Ade fdA | BdB AFD | EDB D2B |

This is a version of The Wandering Minstrel, and is often associated with Leitrim flute player Packie Duignan. Here’s my transcription of the tune from another source: https://thesession.org/tunes/2025#setting15435

Harry Bradley: http://www.custysmusic.com/product-info.php?pid700.html
John McEvoy & John Wynne: http://pipers.ie/source/media/?mediaId=4385
Seán Ó Broin: http://pipers.ie/source/media/?mediaId=24184
Packie Duignan: http://www.lafferty.ca/files/flute-geezers/packie3.mp3

John Carty and Brian Rooney also recorded this version of the tune a couple of years ago.

Sorry, P. Duignan was from Co. Roscommon.

Harry Bradley informs that the tune was recorded by John McKenna: http://errantelbows.podbean.com/e/mckenna-project-the-gallant-boys-of-tipperary-jig-tune-1-of-track-2/

Interesting, I really like how it is played together with Jackson’s morning Brush, (I play them together alot) as they are both for the most part pentatonic in nature, with the exception of a couple notes on certain passages.

This tune is featured on the 1976 album “Bernard O’Sullivan, Tommy McMahon Play Irish Traditional Music of County Clare”. Tommy McMahon plays it solo, and it is puzzlingly labeled “The Rose in the Heather”.
In this notation I have tried to register his playing as carefully as possible - without straying from the fixed format of Western notation with its mathematic rhythm and repeats and all of that.

From the CD (2015) booklet:
“Every instrument has tunes for which it is especially suited and each instrument has its own distinctive system of grace notes and the concertina is no exception. Some of Tommy’s embellishment may at first hearing not satisfy listeners who have become accustomed to the accordion, pipes and fiddle, but this unease can be only temporary, and the full beauty of Tommy’s arrangements will quickly become apparent.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etuvWChE9_o&list=OLAK5uy_mMKnt8bsxjBO3SNQQo6RrvBoCkmflhzZU&index=9

play video