MacArthur Road reel

Apparently written By Dave Richardson of the
Bouys in the Lough. I leaned it from my friend
Michael Lesley, flute player, who plays it on an
Olwell bamboo flute keyed to E. I find myself wondering
what key it was composed in originally. ABCs for it
in the key of D can be found here:
http://www.cranfordpub.com/tunes/tunes11_20.htm#MacArthur’s%20Road
Richardson also wrote Calliope House, I’m pretty sure.
That tune is usually heard in the key of D
though he wrote it in E!
What is it about this guy’s tunes?

I also just posted the tune correctly named the Ostrich
in the comments section under that title if anyone is interested.

This tune was originally composed in E. (Guess it’s his favorite key!)Some people play it in D though to make it "playable" for more people at a session.

Does anyone know any others tunes that would go well with MacArthur Road in a set?

It’s fairly common to play it after the Easy Club reel in A. See: https://thesession.org/tunes/955

For some reason, I thought this wasn’t here but here’s the E version, at least.

|:B2 Bc Bcef|g2 ga gfec|f2 fg fece|aAgA feec|B2 Bc Bcef|g2 ga gfec|f2 fg feec|1Bcef e3 c:|2 Bcef e3 g||
|:beee bec’e|beee fece|f2 fg fece|aAgA feeg|1 beee bec’e|beee fece|f2 fg feec|Bcef e2-e g:|2 B2 BcBcef|g2 ga gfec|f2 fg feec|Bcef e2-e2||

John

I had always thought it was because of Dave being a guitarist, until I realised that I was getting mixed up with his late brother Tich.

However as his E tunes work pretty well up the open E string on banjo or mando, maybe they were composed on a banjo?

I find that maggies pancakes goes well either side of MacArthur Road

Bren, I heard that "Calliope House" (also in E) was composed on mandolin, so I’m guessing that it was the same for this tune.

This is the second tune of the "Trucks of Bohermore" set on the Reeltime CD "Live it Up."

Dave Richardson wrote this in honor of Vermont singer and song collector Margaret MacArthur, whose family lives on MacArthur Road. Margaret died two days ago from Creuzfeldt-Jacob Disease.

also appears on Gaelic Storm’s Herding Cats album as "Unknown Shetland Tune".
https://thesession.org/recordings/128

i love this tune…learnt it a couple of weeks ago from sophy ball. she then taught us it as a jig! twas well funny! apparently she runined it by making it into a jig but i like it played both styles. x

Key signature: E Major
Submitted on February 19th 2008 by Horse Badorties.
~ /tunes/8275

X: 1
T: MacArthur Road
C: Dave Richardson
T: Old But Happy At 63
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: E Major
|: B2 Gc Bcef | g2 (3ggg fece | ~f3 g fece | a2 ga gfec |
B2 Gc Bcef | g2 (3ggg fece | f3 g fecA | Bcef e4 :|
|: be (3eee bec’e | beeg fece | ~f3 g fece | a2 ga gfec |
[1 be (3eee bec’e | beeg fece | ~f3 g fecA | Bcef e4 :|
[2 B2 Gc Bcef | g2 (3ggg fece | f3 g fecA | Bcef e4 |]

See ~ https://thesession.org/recordings/2881/comments
Thanks to Saskia Tomkins ~ http://www.steafan.com/saskiatomkins/

# Posted on February 19th 2008 by Horse Badorties

X: 1
T: MacArthur Road
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|: dA A2 ABde | f2 fd edBd | e2 ef edBd | effd edBe |
dA A2 ABde | f2 fd edBd | e2 ef edBA | Bdde d3e :|
|: fA A2 fAgA | fAgA fdBd | e2 ef edBd | effd edBe |
fA A2 fAgA | fAgA fdBd | e2 ef edBA | Bdde d3e |
fA A2 fAgA | fAgA fdBd | e2 ef edBd | effd edBe |
dA A2 ABde | f2 fd edBd | e2 ef edBA | Bdde d3e ||

I’d just like to add that this was obviously written in honour of the home of the late Margaret MacArthur, of Vermont, a great friend of the Boys of the Lough.
I, too, have had the privilege of staying at MacArthur Road, many years ago now.

X: 1
T: Sean Smith’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amix
|:A2(3AAA ABde|effd edBd|e2 ~e2 edBd|gd fd ed Bd|
A2(3AAA ABde|effd edBd|e2 ~e2 edBd|fdec d2 (3AAA:|
|:ad ~d2 adBd|a~d3 edBd|e2 ~e2 edBd|gdfd edBd|
ad ~d2 adBd|a~d3 edBd|e2 ~e2 edBd|gdfd edBd:|

What is the first tune too? :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaVw4063eTI

play video

actually the fiddle playing sounds god awful in the reels and I can’t remove this now so, oh :(

^^ That set started promising anyway…

Maybe these will help cleanse the palate, it’s really a great little tune!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqM5LoOmfzM

play video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SCPrpimUGg

play video

Here is a nice version on flute and fiddle, preceded by Miss Martin’s wedding (https://thesession.org/tunes/10517):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YyfkfqSdUy4

play video

This is a relatively common session tune in Boston, which boasts a proud Cape Breton/Scottish music scene as well as its notorious Irish one. This is how I’ve heard it played, and it is probably the friendliest Irish session setting, so I figured I would post it. I first heard the tune itself played by Alana and Julia Tryder, fiddlers that have mastered both Cape Breton and Irish styles, but cannot guarantee this is how they play it themselves. Nonetheless, it’s a great one and I wish it was played more.

Calliope House is written in E and it really sounds brighter and better when played in that key. In D it just becomes an average tune.
Sylvia Miskoe, Concord NH

Just discovered this works a treat on the guitar, all the chord positions in E maj fit the melody line just right.

I like doing Julia Delaney’s before Macarthur road and then I do it in D first and then key change to E which is good fun

I really like Mikela Rayburn’s suggestion above — it makes for a great set of tunes. I’d never played Julia Delaney in E before, but it’s easy and makes a good transition to MacArthur Road in E, on the fiddle, at least!

I tend to play music more than I listen to recordings these days and I would never have heard MacArthur Road if Canadian fiddler Patti Kustoruk hadn’t played the tune this morning on a Facebook live video stream.

A much simpler version for the purpose of teaching younger kids this reel on fiddle.