The Lobster reel

One for the flute-players. From the playing of John Skelton, from his days as a member of the excellent London-Irish band “Shegui”. “De Danann” have it recorded in “A”.

Kinda funny to see this posted. Few summers ago, I was bored at a job and there was rap music on the radio. I of course had a tin whistle nearby and just started playing random notes to the beat. It actually sounded like a tune, one that I hadn’t recalled hearing before. I wrote down the notes and figured I’d do some searching around to see if it was in any way original. Eventually, I found a tune nearly identical, and it was indeed the Lobster. Never heard the tune in this lifetime. Pure coincidence. Funny how that stuff works out.

# Posted on January 16th 2008 by drone
~ /discussions/16408

Can anybody put as name to this jolly little reel?

X:1
T:Gan Aimn
S:DeDannan YouTube clip
M: 4/4 L: 1/8
K: A
|: AF | EFAc BcAc | BcAc BcAF | EFAc BcAc | Bcec (3BcB :|
Ac |\
e3 ^d eA A/A/A | eAcA BAFA | e3 ^d edec | ABcA BAFA |
e3 ^d e ~a3 | ea a/a/f ecAc | d2 [df]/[df/[df] [c3e3] B | ABcA (3BcB AF |]

I first heard it played by DeDannan - the second tune here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7IyanD814o

play video

then emailed the mighty Will CPT to see if he knew the name, which he didn’t. Instead he transcribed the whole tune (above) direct from the source! Thanks, Will for making this tune available to all . Maybe someone will recognize it.

# Posted on January 16th 2008 by drone

The first (of the U-tube set) is the Boys of Malin.

# Posted on January 16th 2008 by PaddyCmusic

Sorry, the CPT transcription didn’t give ‘lead-ins’, so, after adding the lead-ins I missed eliminating that last beat of the last bar, the AF… For the sake of the original, it merely starts so, no lead-in:

EFAc BcAc | BcAc BcAF | ~

That was my fartin’ around as I was playing through the ABCs, after moving them to Notepad…

http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/LOA_LOM.htm

~ Irish, Reel. G Major. Standard. AB. Breathnach named the tune himself, on the occasion of its printing in the early 1960’s in Tacar Port. Source for notated version: whistle player John Fennell, 1958 (Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare, Ireland) [Breathnach]. Breathnach (CRÉ II), 1976; No. 147, pg. 78. SU1130, De Dannan – “Song for Ireland” (appears, in the key of A major, as the third of “Mulqueen’s” reels).

X: 3
T: An Gliomach / Giomach
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: G Major
|: GE |\
DEGB A2 GB | ABGB AE G/F/E |
DEGB A/B/A GB |[1 dBAc BG :|[2 dB A/B/c BG ||
|: GB |\
d3 e dBGB | d2 BG AG E/F/G |
[1 d2 de dBGB | dBAc BG :|
[2 c2 c/B/A B2 BA | G2 BG AG |]

Lovely tune Ernestine Healey is teaching it on the new site Online Academy of Irish Music . She calls it a ‘single reel’ What is that?

Michael, a reel played single (aka a single reel) is just a reel with A and B parts eight bars long. Another way of thinking of it is that a single reel has four bar A and B parts that are repeated (occasionally with a different second ending of one or two bars length) while a regular reel has eight bar A and B parts that are repeated. Generalization of course, as there are single reels with a full eight bar part.

It’s not full true, “single reel” have more meanings.
v. http://www.irishtune.info/rhythm/

any suggestions for a beginning concertina player what tunes to play with this?

Within a Mile of Dublin might go well with it

thanks!

As played on Banjophony by Damian O’Kane and Ron Block

At 1h26’16“ https://youtu.be/ty44kD94lz8?t=5176

play video