The White Petticoat jig

Since Kevin posted the self-titled Solas cd in "recordings," and also Willie’s Trip to Toronto (aka Stan Chapman’s), I thought it would be fun to have the whole set of wonderful jigs from that cd that features Stan Chapman’s in the middle. The White Petticoat is the first tune, a beautifully twisted melody that sounds much more exotic than a simple Eminor. Watch that d sharp in the second half.

Ooh, cool! I’ve been wishing for ABC for this tune for a long time,
thanks!

Any other flute players have any tips for dealing with that low B?

I’m at work now and can’t try it, but maybe substitute the 3 notes B,EG by a roll on E…

Or, instead of the B,EG or a roll, play EGE…?

Florrie, it’s always nice to hear when someone appreciates a posted tune. With so many to choose from, it’s hard to decide which to post—what tunes will be welcome by most people? So your feedback helps. Thanks!
Will

On "Compendium" album

Does anyone know anything about the origins and history of this tune besides that it is in O’Neill’s & recorded by Solas? (Unlikely, I know, but I just thought I’d check…)

Learnt this at a tune-learning workshop yesterday. A lovely old tune with a touch of 18c elegance about it (the tutor thought it was at least that old). The jump into C maj at the start of the second half is unusual and unexpected, as is the return to a definite E min (emphasized by that important D#) later on. There is more development in the second part than is usual with many jigs, a reprise of the first part only occuring in the last two bars.
The White Petticoat follows on quite well from the Hag’s Purse.
Trevor

I just substitute the higher B for the lower one…seems to work ok.

I tried for years to learn this from a friend, who would patiently go over it with me from time to time - but it always baffled me and I’d end up with an odd number of bars. He couldn’t remember where he learned it and nobody I asked knew it.

Eventually I got it, and as he’s no longer around, I’m glad I have it to remember him. I checked the version in O’Niells, but it’s pretty far off what I know. I was amazed to hear Kevin Burke playing it later, but again, quite a different setting than I learned and I kind of avoid listening to it too much, cause I want to keep what I have in tact.

The setting WIll has posted is quite close to the one I know, however.

To overcome the low B, a roll on the E works well if you come into the roll from a low D rather than the E that is written,

I love the interpretation of the Valerio group (CD "The Humours of Altan").

The Patrick street version is just beautiful. Kevin Burke’s fiddle playing is always awesome. I play it on mandolin and found that it translates very well to both mandolin and tenor banjo. It’s a very eerie, pretty tune with a bit of a Spanish/Mediterranean feel in the second half due to the D# implying the harmonic minor. My band usually play’s this tune to start a set with White Petticoat/ the Swallow’s Tail/Garret Barry’s. Simply a lovely tune! thanks for posting!

Just been listening to this a few times through from the Solas album abd have decided it’s a really good tune. Can anybody help me with chords? This is what I have come up with so far, but it doesn’t quite seem right yet.
X:1
T:The White Petticoat
D:Solas
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Jig
K:Emin
|: "Em" Bed cBA | "Em"GFE B,EG | "Bm"FBB cBB| "Bm"eBB cBA|
| "Em" Bed cBA | "Em"GFE B,EG | "Bm"FBB cBA |1 "Em" GEE E2 A:|2 "Em" GEE E2 g||
|: "C" gec Gce| "C" gaf gec | "Am" cBA EAc | "Em" Be^d eBG |
|"Bm" FBB GBB|"Bm" FBA GFE | "Em" B,EG "Am" cBA|1 "Em"GEE E2 g:|2 "Em" GEE E2 A||

Here are the chords I came up with for the guitarist in my band. I used the Patrick Street recording as a reference, the chords should work just fine. I must appoligize as I am new to ABC…I learn everything by ear or use standard notation (if i can find it) when I get stuck.

A: |: E5 | E5 | B5 C5 | B5 A5 | E5 | E5 | B5 C5 | G5 Em |
B: | C5 | C5 | A5 | Em | B5 C5 | B5 | B5 A5 | G5 Em |

I hope this makes sense.
The guitarist in our group plays in standard tuning, so root-fifth chords (power chords) are nice with the root on the fifth (A string) allowing for a nice drone effect on the open high "B" & "E" strings. He also employes a strict "down/up/down:down/up/down" strumming pattern to give it the right pulse.

"The jump into C maj at the start of the second half is unusual " quoth Trevor: the more so unusual for its lydian F#lavour…

X: 3
T: White Petticoat, The
T: An Cota-Beag Bhan
B: "O’Neill’s Music of Ireland", 1806, page 144, tune 773
L: 1/8
M: 6/8
K: Emin
|: B |\
Bed cBA | GFE B,EG | FBB {d/}cBB | eBB {d/}cBA |
Bed {d/}cBA | GFE B,EG | FBB {d/}cBA | GEE E2 :|
|: g |\
{a/}gec Gce | gaf {a/}gec | {d/}cBA EAc | Be^d eBE |
FBB GBB | FBA GFE | B,EG cBA | GEE E2 :|

I used to play this in a band in the mid-1990s - great tune. We used to play it fairly slowly, and hold onto the G note in the 5th bar of the B part:

| F>BB G3 | FBA GFE |B,EG cBA | GEE E2 |]

Great version by Joe Derrane (at 27’) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VzFGI6IhM8&t=1620

play video

I think lots of these songs on The Session are lacking the chords. I wish there was an easier way to add chords to the melody that someone put up.

Here’s the chords that our guitarist and I came up with. They sound pretty cool:

||: Em | Em | Em | CM7/E
Em | Em | CM7/E Esus2 | Em :||
||: C | C | Am | Am
B7 | B7 | B7 | Em :||

For clarification of CM7/E (E C E G B):
On the piano, I play it with E B E for the LH, and G B C E for the RH.
On the guitar, it’s played E B E G C E (from lowest- to highest-pitched strings)

Esus2 has the following notes: E B Fsharp
Piano LH: E B E, and the RH: Fsharp B Fsharp
The guitarist plays it E B E X B Fsharp. I think he mutes that G string, but I’m not completely certain how.

You can do this by adding a setting. Copy the ABC as it is to your text editor. Then add the chords by putting the chord name in quotes - "Em" where you want the chord to go. Then re-post it as a new setting, and mention that you’re just adding chords.

See Edgar Bolton’s example: |: "Em" Bed cBA | "Em"GFE B,EG | "Bm"FBB cBB| "Bm"eBB cBA|

I’d put your chords in for an example but I don’t know which setting they’re to, so go ahead.

I think it’s a good idea to put chords in these tunes, not everybody plays fiddle, and those that do might want some backup.

It’s listed as an alternate title on this tone, but that’s a different tune (it’s second in the set on that Solas album).

You are right. This song is not Stan Chapman’s Jig.
Thanks for pointing that out!

Some articulations from the George Penk, Susan Songer, & Clyde Curley album. They play it nice and slowly, which opens up plenty of opportunity to play B rolls too.

Some suggestions for whistle/flute players … play the low B’s as regular B’s ("fold" them up), and for the B Part, rather than half-hole all of your c naturals, it’s easier/quicker to cross-finger some of them. For instance, the: g g e c g c e g note sequence. Most of the other parts of the tune are probably easier to half-hole on. When returning into the A Part, could drop the pick-up A note and slide into the B note instead. Also, playing E Eb E (rather than E D E) at the end of each part works nicely too!