Boil The Breakfast Early (reel) on The Session

Six settings

X: 1
T: Boil The Breakfast Early
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
BA|G2 BG AFDF|G2Bd c2BA|G2 BG AFDF|GEEG c2BA|
G2 BG AFDF|G2 Bd c2 Bc|dBcA BGAF|GEEG c2 Bc||
d2 fd eBAB|d2 fa g2 fe|d2 fd eBAB|BGEG c2 Bc|
d2 fd eBAB|d2 fa g2 fg|afge fded|BGEG c2 Bc||
dAAA dAFA|dAAA defe|dAAA dAFA|GEEG c2 Bc|
dAAA dAFA|d^cde dgfe|dBcA BGAF|GEEG c2||

X: 2
T: Boil The Breakfast Early
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
G2 BG AD D2|GB B2 c2BA|G2 BG AD D2|GE E2 c2BA|
G2 BG AD D2|GB B2 c2 Bc|dBcA BGAF|GE E2 c2 Bc||
d2 fd edB^c|d2 ef g2 fe|d2 fd edBA|GE E2 c2 Bc|
d2 fd edB^c|d2 ef g2 fg|afge fded|dcAB c2 Bc||
dA A2 dAFA|dA A2 defe|dA A2 dAFA|GE E2 c2 Bc|
dA A2 dAFA|d2 d^c defe|dBcA BGAF|GE E2 c2 BA||

X: 3
T: Boil The Breakfast Early
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
B|GE E/E/E GDDB|GE E/E/E B2 AB|GE E/E/E GDDG|EFGA B3:|
e|dGeG BAAe|dGed B2 dg|dGeG BGAB|GEGA B2 Be|
dGeG BAAe|dGed B2 Ba|gfeg dgBG|EFGA BGAB||

X: 4
T: Boil The Breakfast Early
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:G2 BG A~D3|GABG c2BA|GABG AGEF|GE E2 ~c2BA|
G2 BG A~D3|G~B3 c2 Bc|dBcA BGAF|1 G~E3 .cz BA:|2 G~E3 .cz B^c||
|:d~A3 dAFA|d~A3 dz fe|d~A3 dAFA|G~E3 ~c2 Bc|
d~A3 dAFA|d^cde dfe^c|dBcA BGAF|GE E2 ~c2 BA:|

X: 5
T: Boil The Breakfast Early
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
dBB2 dAFA|dBB2 dege|dBB2 GBAB|GEE2 c2Bc|
dBB2 dAFA|dBB2 dege|dBB2 GBAB|GEE2 c3e||
d2fd fdgd|d2fd gdfd|d2fd edcA|GEE2 c3e|
d2fd fdgd|d2fd (3gag fg|aff2 dBB2|GEE2 c2Bc||

X: 6
T: Boil The Breakfast Early
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
G3B ADD2|GBB2 c2BA|G2BG ADD2|GEE2 cABA|
G3B ADD2|GBB2 c2Bc|dBcA BGAF|GEE2 c2Bc||
d2fd edBA|d2ef g2fe|d2fd edBA|GEE2 c2Bc|
d2fd edBA|d2ef g2fg|afge fdBA|GEE2 c2Bc||
dAA2 dAFA|dAA2 defe|dAA2 dAFA|GEE2 c2Bc|
dAA2 dAFA|d2d^c defe|d2cA BGAF|G2 Bd g2BA||

Twelve comments

We play this in Canada as a two-part tune, corresponding to the A and C parts listed here.

Version ?

I think that version is not the best you can find ;)

I’m with you msikio.

Try this instead:

G2 BG ADDA l GBBA c2 BA l GABG ADDA l GE E2 c2 BA l
G2 BG ADD2 l DBB2 c2 Bc l dBcA BGAF l GE E2 c2 Bc

d2 fd eA A2 l d2 fg a2 gf l d2 fd eA A2 l GE E2 c2 bc l
d2 fd eA A2 l d2 fg a2 fg l afge fded l BE E2 c2 bc l

dA A2 dAFA l dA A2 defe l dA A2 dAFA l GE E2 c2 bc
dA A2 dAFA l dA A2 defe l gefd ecdB l GE E2 c2 BA

This is very bare bones - add rolls, crans, triplets, & melodic variations at your discretion. Hint: I cran the living sh*t out of most of those (lower octave) D2s and E2s.

Paddy Maloney’s Version

X: 1
T: Boil The Breakfast Early
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|:G2 BG AD D2| GB B2 c2BA|G2 BG AD D2| GE E2 c2BA|
G2 BG AD D2| GB B2 c2 Bc|dBcA BGAF| GE E2 c2 Bc||
|:d2 fd edB^c|d2 ef g2 fe|d2 fd edBA| GE E2 c2 Bc|
d2 fd edB^c|d2 ef g2 fg|afge fded| dcAB c2 Bc||
|:dA A2 dAFA|dA A2 defe|dA A2 dAFA|GE E2 c2 Bc|
dA A2 dAFA| d2 d^c defe| dBcA BGAF|GE E2 c2 BA ||

Boil The Breakfast Early

“Boil The Breakfast Early” is related to an old Highland reel found in Captain Fraser’s 1816 collection:

X: 1
T: Fashion Which the Lasses Have, The
T: Am fasan th’aig na Caileagan
S: Airs & Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland…
N:Transposed from A major for comparison
Z: Nigel Gatherer
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: G
B | GE E/E/E GDDB | GE E/E/E B2 AB | GE E/E/E GDDG | EFGA B3 :|
e | dGeG BAAe | dGed B2 dg | dGeG BGAB | GEGA B2 Be |
dGeG BAAe | dGed B2 Ba | gfeg dgBG | EFGA BGAB |]

Other versions of this tune can be found here:
https://thesession.org/tunes/4652

The air was used apparently for a Gaelic song, “giving a ludicrous account of all the eccentricities of female dress.”