Dermot McLoughlin’s barndance

Here I am, cap in hand - before submitting this piece I shouldn’t have begun having finished that bottle of Tokaji Aszu on my own and on an empty stomach. Mind you, the goof ups add their own interest as ‘variants’… But is it the wrong sort of liquor for this kind of thing, not being Irish I mean, but Hungarian?

The ABCs have been ‘adjusted’…from
|f>da>d f2 f2| to |f>dA>d f2 f2| on the one hand and |c>a ~ to |c’>a ~ on the other…

I’m sure ‘c will like this one.

I learnt it from this website/recording

http://irishflute.podbean.com/2007/05/06/barndance/

As you can see, the flautist has not provided a name and research on the tune proved fruitless. If anyone does know a name, post it here.

The tune itself is a great little barndance. Even though there is a handful of accidentals and it goes right up to the high C#, this tune fits very well on the flute (even a simple system one.) If non-keyed flute players have difficult with the accidental G# and D#, simply play them natural. It works fine melodically but I don’t think half holing is too difficult in this tune anyway.

My version is a little different to what the guy plays on the website as I’ve been playing it (and changing it around slightly) for the past few weeks. And, the version I’ve transcribed is just the very bare bones but still ok for submission purposes.

Enjoy the tune and any information on it would be very appreciated.

Yes, I know this one… But I’m glad you had your way with it… Now, in my current state of "DUH!-dom", will I be able to make the connections? 😏 A title would be nice for a start…

Now to check out the link… 🙂

OUCH!!! ~ Sorry Paddy, that was a bit painful, no control whatsoever of tempo… But, they gave it a try, bless them for that. It is one of the things that can make the music a pain in the arse and knees to dance to ~ wobbling rhythm… Sadly, it is not so uncommon in the realm of sessionopia…

Thanks for the transcription…

X: 2
T: ? ? ?
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: barndance
K: Dmaj
|: F>G |\
A>FA>d f2 f2 | e>^de>g B2 e>=d | c2 E>F G>FG>A | (3BcB A^G A>=GF>G |
A>F (3FAd f2 f2 | e>^de>g B2 e>=d | c2 e>f g>eB>c | d2 f2 d2 :|
|: (3a^ga |\
f>dA>d f2 f2 | e>^de>g b2 ^a>b | c’>bg>e c2 (3ABc | (3dfe (3dcB A>a^g>a |
f>d (3FAd f2 f2 | e>^de>g b2 ^a>b | c’>bg>e b>a (3gfe | d2 f2 d2 :|

I’ve a sneaking suspicion that ~ |: (3a^ga |\ ~ has dropped in from another barndance… I’m enjoying playing this, thanks, and good news came in pairs, a missing cable has been found, I can plug myself in again… 😀

Nice take on the tune ‘c. The final 2 bars in each part are particularly interesting. Thanks for that.

Yes, I don’t know whats up with that guys rhythm. Anyway, I was able to make out the main tune regardless.

paddy ,for your information flute player who was your source for this barndance is michael clarson from belfast. you could find information of his cd ( far set) in recording section.
marin

some part of this barndance seem to me very similar to dermot mc laughlin barndance as played by within a mile of dublin cd by paul mcgrattan and paul o’shaughnessy ( track6, last tune)
marin

Yes, there may be outside influences working on me with this one, I kept preventing myself from taking it where it wanted me to go, in the B-part, taking the first and fifth measures higher, with that intro I’d left in ~

|: (3a^ga |\
b>af>d A2 d2 | e>^de>g B2 ^a>b | ~
b>a (3fed A2 (3dcd | e2 (3^de>g b2 ^a>b | ~

Since you mentioned it, for comparison, here’s the link ~

"Dermot McLoughlin’s Barndance"
Key signature: G Major
Submitted on September 14th 2004 by you.
https://thesession.org/tunes/3542

But there’s also ~

"Maggie’s Lilt"
Key signature: D Major
Submitted on June 19th 2004 by slainte.
https://thesession.org/tunes/3180

Michel Clarkson is a great player but I’ve heard him in much better form than those clips on that website. They don’t do him the slightest bit of justice.

I’d be happy to put this as Dermot McLaughlin’s for now. Its definitely a version of what the two Pauls play on Within a Mile of Dublin, the B part being almost identical.

Its also considerably different to the tune ‘c posted a while back so hopefully this one doesn’t get deleted.

X: 1
T: Dermot McLaughlin’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: barndance
K: Dmaj
|:AFAd f2 df|e^deg B3 =d|c2 EF G3 A|BAA^G A=GFG|
AFAd f2 df|e^deg B3 =d|c2 EF GABc|e2 dc d4:|
|:fdAd f2 df|e^deg b4|c’bge cABc|(3dfe (3dcB A3 d|
fdAd f2 df|e^deg b4|c’bge cABc|e2 dc d4:|

Here is a version I posted yesterday. I’ve just put it here for fear Jeremy deletes it.

paddy, i agree that maybe michael wasn’t in form in this clip ( but not on those clips…), because i found his website one of most usefull site, expecially if you isolated from right music sources as i am.
i spoke with him during one workshop, so he said that he often do clips in hurry, with just one try,so that is expanation why clips isnt always perfect.
but, his version of tunes is interesting, because he add lot new in his version.

marin

Yes, I meant just this clip. He has great versions on the other tunes and you’re right, its very useful. Every tune he plays is a great flute tune and I’m learning them at the moment. I can understand that he rushed through them but you could be easily led astray from thinking it was Michael Clarkson sometimes.

Michael Clarkson has put up another version of this tune on his website.

http://irishflute.podbean.com/2008/08/08/connollys-barndance/

He actually put it up last year, but I haven’t been on it in a while. This version is much neater and ornamented (a contradiction of terms perhaps?) but the first part is in G, with the second part in D as usual. Now, on Within A Mile of Dublin (McGrattan/O’Shaughnessy) it also follows the form- A part: G, B part: D.

It’s an interesting division of the versions here. I guess the A part in G is more common, and maybe Clarkson was too drunk at the time of the first recording of this tune to remember that the first part was in G.

Also, he calls it Connolly’s. hhmmm.

A setting of this tune is noted as ‘Untitled Barndance’ in ‘Irish Fiddle Music from the NorthernCounties’ (p109), in the section on tunes from the playing of Simon Doherty. A two-part arrangement in G is at:-
http://www.rudemex.co.uk/Tune%20library/RM%20arrangements/Simon%20Doherty’s%20Barndance.pdf