Saddle The Pony jig

Nice little jig. I usually play the 7th measure in both parts as ege rather than the efe shown here. Kevin Burke does this one on his Beginner Irish Fiddle video. Goes well with My Darling Asleep.
Will

This shows up in O’Neil and Walsh as “The Priest’s Leap”. I misread this initially and thought it was “The Priest’s Lap”. 🙂 Sounded pretty funny at the time.

I learned this tune from Kevin Burke’s video. I think the opening combination of notes is good ear training because it is really noticeable if you do not hit the b and g in tune. I play it with Cannaughtman Rambles, since that is the way Kevin Burke teaches it on the video. The only ornament that I use is the triplet that Kevin teaches and a grace note on the g in the third bar. To my ear, the tune does not call for much ornamentation, but I have never heard anyone else play it other than Kevin Burke.

I don’t know where I got this tune from - but I play it as it is here. It was one of those tunes that I learned through osmosis. I asked a walking encyclopedia I know about the name & if I was playing it correctly, he said “yep, mm-hmm, Saddle the Pony - I don’t think you learned it at any sessions around here. No one plays it” Must have been from a tape I’ve forgotten about. As a variation I like to play the AFD AFD measure AFD DEF & I cran the high e’s on the whistle. On the fiddle I do the efe or ege or even e/f/ge if I’m feeling sassy. Good tune - I wish I could say where I learned it, must’ve been one of those sessions on the UFO that picked me up that time.

If anyone is interested here is the I-sound ‘file’ for Motorola cell phones for Saddle the Pony. It seems like since ring-tones are all the rage we ITM guys can have our own annoying cell phone sounds:
*4d4*4g4*4b4*4a4*4g3*4b4*5d4*5e4*5#f4*5g4*5d4*4b4*4g4*4b4*4a4*4g3*4b4*4a4*4#f4*4d4*4a4*4#f4*4d4*4g4*4b4*4a4*4g3*4*4g3*4

Ralph

As mentioned previously, you can also find Kevin Burke teaching this on video & DVD, #1 of a pair:

“Learn to Play Irish Fiddle: Polkas, Jigs & Slides” ~ 90 minutes
Homespun Videos / DVDs
ISBN: 1-932964-44-4

https://thesession.org/recordings/2060

From the first track of Patrick Street’s album “Street Life.”

X: 1
T: Saddle The Pony
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
D|:GBA G2B|def gdB|GBA G2B|AFD D2F|
GBA G2B|def g2f|ecA dBG|1 FEF G2 D:|2 FEF G2 B||
|:d2d dcd|def gfe|d2d dcd|AFD D2c|
d2d dcd|def g2f|ecA dBG|1 FEF G2 B:|2 FEF G2 D||

X: 3
T: Saddle The Pony
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Gmaj
|: D |\
GBA G2 B | def gdB | GBA G2 B | AFD AFD |
GBA G2 B | def gfg | ege dBA | BAF G2 :|
|: B |\
efe edB | def gfg | ege edB | dBA ABd |
efe edB | def gfg | e/f/ge dBA | BAF G2 :|

Michael Dunn is likely the current longest serving and oldest Irish fiddler in Lancashire, a great character and good craic…

This is linked to Kevin Burks Across the Black River but this tune, although it is the same name, is not that particular tune in the recording. The one in the recording is a slip jig.

In O’Neill’s 1850 tunes, this tune is the Priest’s Leap. There are two other settings of Saddle the Pony which are certainly not this tune. So, did the priest leap onto his pony which needed to be saddled thereby creating this unreasonable confusion? Geez!

I prefer this Eponymous* tune:
https://thesession.org/tunes/45
https://thesession.org/tunes/8665
but the part two here is nice and one way of enjoying it without having to endure the dull first part is simply to play The Legacy!
https://thesession.org/tunes/2259
https://thesession.org/tunes/2324

(*Funnily enough Epona was the goddess of horses!)

On ’ Flute for the Feis’ John Doonan plays the 7th and 8th bars
|ef/g/e dBG|cAF G2 throughout (with the dB and cA rather staccato).

I don’t normally like filling in gaped scales - no other c in the tune - but then I am a John Doonan fan.

Its also easier than BGG G2 🙂, but would clash with my mates 🙁.

In Joyce’s collection this tune appears under the names “Down with the Tithes” and “The Widow Well Married”.

Hi, I am beginning to learn above tune and playing My Darling Asleep with it as suggested .Is there a third jig to go with these 2 tunes that would suit ..also same level of difficulty which I can just about manage..many thanks

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

play video

This is the setting we play alot in sessions in North-West Paris subburbs. There are a few subtle differences compared to previous settings, but it gives a different feeling.

Early version of this in the Ryan collection, entitled “Rough Diamond”

https://www.itma.ie/digital-library/score/ryans-506

Hi Carlovian
You probably won’t see this seven years on but if you do then try it before ‘The Mountain Stage’ jig for something pacey and different👍