The Hop Down reel

This is a mighty tune that I got from Harry Bradley. It lends it’s self to Harry’s punctuated breathing style. It’s like the “articulated cough” that Ciaran Carson refers to when he describes John McKenna’s playing style in his pocket guide to ITM. All of you flute and whistle players will enjoy this tune.

Harry told me that a friend of his wrote it, but he forgot what name he had for it. I forgot his friend’s name, but I remember looking at the liner notes to Mary Staunton’s debut CD ‘Bright Early Mornings’ and found his friend’s name and the title of the tune as well. Maybe if one of you has a copy of that recording you can post that fella’s name here.

Harry Bradley! What a man he is! How can I imitate his flute playing?

Cathal McConnell recorded this tune in 1978 on his 1st solo LP under the title “The Long Slender Sally”. The sleeve notes say he got the tune from a whistle player at a Fleadh.Mary Staunton’s sleeve notes say she learned it from Sarah and Rita Keane of Co. Galway, but there is no mention of a composer.

Any relation to Long Tall Sally made famous by Richard Penniman of Macon, Georgia ?

Well… it’s been a while now since I’ve seen the liner notes on Mary’s CD. At least I was right about the name being there. But now it makes me wonder if Harry did tell me his friend penned it. I like Cathal’s name for it, I wonder if Mary made up the name she has for it so she could put it on her CD.

This is a mighty tune indeed. I, too, got it from Harry last November at a workshop. If I recall correctly, he labeled the tune as a set dance. “Long slender Sally” was the name he had for it about six months later.

The title “The Hop Down” appeared on Rita and Sarah Keane’s recording “At the Setting of the Sun” on the Demon label, which featured a few instrumental tracks.

The setting I wrote above is the way Kevin Burke plays it. (It can be heard at 0:56 in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHt4d8y0Noc) There’s also a lovely slow version on Breda Keville’s album of the same name but she plays the parts the other way around.

play video

Thanks RPiggott - I just figured out this tune from a recording of Kevin (on the latest Celtic Fiddle Festival CD) today, and it’s gratifying to see that what you’ve written matches up almost exactly with what I worked out - am getting better at this learning-by-ear lark! 🙂

Was told a very regional tune from the area of Galway the Keane family came from Sean’ Rita..etc
with no mention of composer Iam afraid..!!

Often play in the session in Lorient since Kevin Burke teached it to several fiddlers during a training course this summer during the FIL ( Festival Interceltique de Lorient- France);