Dowd’s Favourite (reel) on The Session

This tune is also played by Tommy People’s on his Iron Man album.

Good version also by Kathleen Collins who uses an unexpected ornament in the third part. At first I thought she was putting in triplets on the ds and cs, but slowing it down I realized she was adding a d grace note before two d quavers (likewise on the c), with the bow really digging in triplet style for the grace note. Reproducing it changes the expected bowing direction so is initially tricky to do (especially if like me you’re all primed to put a triplet in at this spot). Here’s the last bar of her b part and all of her c part:

fdcA BGBd|]!
|gd {d}dd gbag|fc {c}cc fgaf|gd {d}dd gbag|fdcA BGBd|!
gd {d}dd gbag|fc {c}cc fgaf|gafg efde|cAfc AGG|]!

Using double stops

Peter Knight of Steeleye Span does a nice version with double stops on Ten Man Mop. The second note is usually higher or lower by a fifth, giving it a "fiddly" sound. Here’s the a part:

DGGA B2GB|A~F3 CFA,F|DGGA [D3B3]B|{c}BAGA {c}BA[DA]F |!
DGGA B2GB|A~F3 CFA,F|DGGA [D3B3]d|cA[Af]c [Ae]GG2 |!

Andy McGann’s 3rd part

Andy McGann’s setting of this is nice, too. Particularly the 3rd part. The 2nd part is also much more interesting than that posted here. You can hear it on the Tribute to Michael Coleman CD

https://thesession.org/recordings/display/47

or find a printed transcription in Miller and Perron’s Traditional Irish Fiddle Music. However, I’d advise ignoring the wierd 4th part there which was devised by Randy Miller.

haha dow…ds lol
sorry dow. we love you really. you are a legend

Into Am — is this cheating? For flute or concertina…

Dowd’s

And here’s another version as played by this young chap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esAhsMR0kVg

play video

If I remember well, there is a track of a woman doing a bit of mouth music in "the Scottish Tradition Series vol 2 or 3" and one of her tunes sounds v similar to this reel’s 1st part.

Tommy and Siobhan Peoples

@McBris

Hmm, that last e doublestopped with that A sounds a bit odd

Here is a link to the People’s recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw0YYdll_rs&feature=player_embedded

play video

Any more variations on Dowd’s Favorite?

Hi, I’m still trying to come up with a setting that sounds more like the version played by Tommy and Siobhan Peoples in the Youtube link above. I guess I’m going to try and find a recording of them playing it, but in the meantime, can anybody help me figure out some of the more subtle variations other than the ones I already notated above?

Tommy and Siobhán Peoples

This is a rough transcription of the reel played the last time round. I can write it with a swing but it is a lot of work in abc, and can never capture the way these two play it.

X:1
T:Dowd’s Favourite
S:Tommy and Siobhán Peoples
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:Reel
K:Gdor
F|D3G BABF|CF{G}F{E}F CFAF|DGGA B3/2{c}B/2{A}Bd|
cAfA AGGF|DG .G/2.G/2.G BABF|CF{G}F{E}F CFAF|
DGGA B3/2{c}B/2{A}Bd|cAfA AG G z||
B2dB FBdB|DFBd cAFA|.B/2.B/2.B dB fB{c}B{A}B|
(c/2=B/2c) Ac _BGGc|B3/2{c}B/2{A}Bd c3/2{d}c/2{B}cA|
.B/2.B/2.B dB cAFA|GBAc Bage|fdcA BG G z||
gd .d/2.d/2.d gbag|fc .c/2.c/2.c fgaf|
g2df (g/2f/2g) bg|fdcA BG G z|g2df (g/2f/2g) bg|
fcce fgcA|GBAc Bage|fdcA B2AF|G8|]

Hey thanks so much!

I haven’t even looked at this yet, but thanks for trying even if you can never "really" capture it. Swing is unnecessary to notate, I just can’t hear all the notes enough to reproduce them.

Solas Slow air before this tune elusive!

I’m trying to find info on the slow tune that Solas play before the Beauty spot. Despite it being listed as O’Dowd’s in many locations I can’t hear any resemblance to O Dowd’s! TunePal doesn’t recognise it either. I’m trying to credit the composer. Does anyone have any idea? Or anyone have the original sleeve notes for "the Words that remain" album?

Haley & Dylan Richardson

2nd tune - she’s 10!!!

http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_406_2_haley_dylan_richardson/