Roddy McDonald’s Fancy reel

By Donald MacLeod

Also known as Roddie MacDonald’s Favourite, Roddy MacDonald’s, Roddy MacDonald’s Fancy, Roderick MacDonald’s.

There are 29 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

Roddy McDonald’s Fancy has been added to 33 tune sets.

Roddy McDonald's Fancy has been added to 260 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Six settings

1
X: 1
T: Roddy McDonald's Fancy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
af|:ecBe cA~AA|BccB ceaf|ecBe cAAB|cffe fgaf:|
e3f a3f|ecBc ecaf|ecea afec|cffe fgaf|
ecef a3f|ecBc ecaf|ecBe cAAB|cffe f2z2|
|:B3c A3B|c2cB ceaf|ecBe cAAB|1 cffe f2ef:|2 cffe f2ef||
a2ef aefa|efae faef|a2ef aefB|cffe f2fg|
a2ba f3f|ef2e c2af|ecBe cAAB|cffe fgaf|
2
X: 2
T: Roddy McDonald's Fancy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
ec B2 cAAB|c2 cB ceaf|ec B2 cAAB|cffe f2 fa:|
ecef a2 af|ecBc ecca|fef=g a2 ec|Bffe f2 fa|
ecef a2 af|ecBc ceaf|ecB2 cAAB|cffe faec|
B2 cB AAAB|c2 cB ceaf|ecBc AAAB|1 cffe f2 ec:|2 cffe f2 f=g||
a2 ea aefa|efae faec|aeea feac|Bffe f2 f=g|
a2 fa f2 fa|eAfe ceaf|ecBc AAAB|cffe f2fa||
# Added by Kenny .
3
X: 3
T: Roddy McDonald's Fancy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
af|:ecBd cA~A2|BccB c2af|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2af:|
~e3f ~a3f|e2cA BAFA|ecef a2fe|Bffe f2ec|
~e3f ~a3f|e2cA BAaf|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2ec||
|:~B3c A3B|BccB c2af|ecBd cAAB|1 cffe f2ec:|2 cffe f2ef||
a2ef aefa|efae f2ef|a2ef aefe|cffe f2ef|
ac'ba fbaf|eafe Bcaf|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2af||
4
X: 4
T: Roddy McDonald's Fancy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
af|:ecBd cAAB|c2cB ceaf|ecBd cA~A2|cffe f2af:|
ecef ~a3f|e2cA Bcaf|ecef aAfe|Bffe f2af|
ecef ~a3f|e2cA Bcaf|ecBd cA~A2|cffe f2ec||
|:~B3c A3B|c2cB c2af|ecBd cA~A2|1 cffe f2ec:|2 cffe f2ef||
a2ef aefa|efae fAef|a2ef aAfe|Bffe f2ef|
a2ba fbaf|eAfe Bcaf|ecBd cA~A2|cffe f2af||
5
X: 5
T: Roddy McDonald's Fancy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
af|:ecBd cAAB|c2cB ceaf|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2af:|
ecef a/a/aaf|ecBc ecaf|ecef afec|Bffe f2af|
ecef a/a/aaf|ecBc ecaf|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2ec||
|:B2Bc A3B|c2cB ceaf|ecBd cAAB|1 cffe f2ec:|2 cffe f2ef||
a2ef aefa|efae faef|a2ef afec|Bffe f2ef|
a2ba f2af|e2fe c2af|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2af||
6
X: 6
T: Roddy McDonald's Fancy
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
af|:ecBd cA~AB|c2cB c2af|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2af:|
e3f a3f|ecBc efaf|ecef afef|cffe fgaf|
e2~ef a3f|ecBc efaf|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2z2|
B3c A2AB|c2cB ceaf|ecBd cAAB|cffe fgae|
BBBc A2AB|c2cB ceaf|dcBd cAAB|cffe f2ef|
a2ef aefa|efae faef|a2ef afef|cffe f2ef|
a2ba f3e|cfed ceaf|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2af|

Sixteen comments

The Scotsman, or Johny McDonald

This is my ABC rendition of this wonderful fiddle tune, as played with me in a show here with Dezi Donnelly. I have not found it anywhere on the internet. If someone else knows this tune, I would be very interested in seeing their version, perhaps closer to the source, as Dezi’s playing is full of variarious, and perhaps not the real melody. Dezi played it in a set that started off with Michael McGoldrick’s slip jig “Farewell to Walley Range” followed by this reel.

Roddy McDonald’s Fancy

This is “Roddy McDonald’s Fancy”, a setting of the Irish “Blackberry Blossom” put into the piping scale with parts added. It is an arrangement/composition of Pipe Major Donald McLeod. It is not “Johnny McDonald’s” which is another reel altogether. The confusion arises, I believe, because the “Battlefield Band ” recorded the 2 of them “back-to-back”, and someone, somewhere along the line has switched the titles round. I think the 2 reels are on the “Home Is Where The Van Is ” LP, but I could be wrong.

Posted by .

Not quite……..

I’ve looked at your abcs, Bracha, and there are a few odd notes. I’ll post the original abcs from Donald McLeod’s pipe setting in the near future. If you want to play it as Dezi Donnelly’s version as a fiddle tune, then fair enough, but there are no high b notes in pipe music, and no g sharps. Do me one favour, please Bracha - change the title to “Roddy McDonald’s Fancy”, because that’s what the tune is.

Posted by .

As promised…..

Sorry about the delay, but here’s the version from the bagpipe collections: it’s in “A”, but as it’s a pipe tune, the “G”s are natural.

ec B2 cAAB | c2 cB ceaf | ec B2 cAAB | cffe f2 fa :|
ecef a2 af | ecBc ecca | fef=g a2 ec | Bffe f2 fa |
ecef a2 af | ecBc ceaf | ecB2 cAAB | cffe faec |
B2 cB AAAB | c2 cB ceaf | ecBc AAAB |1 cffe f2 ec :|2 cffe f2 f=g|
a2 ea aefa | efae faec | aeea feac | Bffe f2 f=g |
a2 fa f2 fa | eAfe ceaf | ecBc AAAB | cffe f2fa |

Posted by .

Roddy McDonald’s Fancy

Thanks Kenny for the name and transcription.

I just learnt this from some friends after hearing it in a session at the National Folk Festival in Canberra. The version they gave me was a bit more Irish sounding than Kenny’s transcription. Also I’ve noticed there were no Gs - # or nat, which kind of gave it less of a mixolydian bagpipey sound, and more of a straight major feel. They said this version came from the playing of Michael McGoldrick and friends:

X: 1
T: Roddy McDonald’s Fancy
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amaj
af|:ecBd cA~A2|BccB c2af|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2af:|
~e3f ~a3f|e2cA BAFA|ecef a2fe|Bffe f2ec|
~e3f ~a3f|e2cA BAaf|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2ec||
|:~B3c A3B|BccB c2af|ecBd cAAB|1 cffe f2ec:|2 cffe f2ef||
a2ef aefa|efae f2ef|a2ef aefe|cffe f2ef|
ac’ba fbaf|eafe Bcaf|ecBd cAAB|cffe f2af||

I’ve been messing about with the bits I like from different versions of this and came up with this:

X: 1
T: Roddy McDonald’s Fancy
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amaj
af|:ecBd cAAB|c2cB ceaf|ecBd cA~A2|cffe f2af:|
ecef ~a3f|e2cA Bcaf|ecef aAfe|Bffe f2af|
ecef ~a3f|e2cA Bcaf|ecBd cA~A2|cffe f2ec||
|:~B3c A3B|c2cB c2af|ecBd cA~A2|1 cffe f2ec:|2 cffe f2ef||
a2ef aefa|efae fAef|a2ef aAfe|Bffe f2ef|
a2ba fbaf|eAfe Bcaf|ecBd cA~A2|cffe f2af||

Roddy MacDonald’s Fancy

Great tune this one. Here it is played by two Skye lads, Angus Nicolson on pipes and Coll MacDonald on Fiddle. Starts about 2.50

Oh right, I wondered why the youngsters were playing a funny version of Blackberry blossom in A !

11 years later !

Recorded on “There’s A Buzz”, not “Home Is Where The Van Is”.

Posted by .

Re: Roddy McDonald’s Fancy

Added the title of Cronan’s, which the tune is published as in Angus MacDonald’s collection. I am not sure which title Donald MacLeod intended, as I don’t think it appears in any of his own works.

Posted by .

Roddy McDonald’s Fancy, X:6

Did my best to transcribe the powerful version on the Glasgow Session - Finbar Dwyer’s Set, where it comes as the second tune after the Kyleback Rambler