The Galway (hornpipe) on The Session

Also known as The Bald Headed Bachelor, Cornphíopa Na Gaillimhe, Dan Lowry’s, McDermott’s, McDermott’s No.1.

Twenty comments

The setting I’ve shown here is really just the bare bones of the tune and should really be considered just a starting point.

When I play this hornpipe, I throw in quite a lot of triplets. In fact, just about anywhere that a note is held longer than usual (except perhaps at the end of a bar), I turn it into a triplet. So the low D at the start of the first part, or the high F at the start of the second part, can be transformed into a quick DED or FEF respectively.

Try variations on the end of the tune with triplets, as well. You could play DED CDE D, for instance.

A “Galway Hornpipe” set

We like to play the "Galway Hornpipe" followed by the "Brown Chest" and then "Cronin’s Hornpipe" We play lots of triplets too. Mary Ann

Galway on pipes, whistle?

I’m sure this has an obvious answer, but how would a someone playing a whistle or pipes approach playing the low note in the second and forth bars of this tune without playing it in another key? Would they play the same not in a higher octave or would they just wait till the next tune in the set?

Galway Hornpipe

Does anyone have any ideas of where to put in triplets. The only recording I’ve heard (that I can play from) is by the Gallowglass ceili band, put I can’t tell how they do the triplets. Thanks

Catherine : try to get a listen to Hom Bru’s recording of this tune on their CD "No Afore Time". It’s a great moderately-paced version to learn from.
As far as triplets go, Jeremy has said it all at the start - it’s one of those tunes that is played very idiosyncratically by each different player, but a lot put triplets in the 4th bar that sound very much like the 4th bar of "HArvest Home", so you could try that for starters

Colin: you could just play it as a D or an E, or turn the C-D into a D crann.

SSDSA

a belated reply to Colin E. or whoever still wonders how to play the bottom sharp c:
An answer is that you could play ‘e’ instead of c at the 2nd and 6th bar here, and f# at the end of each part. This may create a harmony you may or may not find..er..harmonious when playing along with the c# version.

When playing in a group setting, the best rule of thumb is to go for bottom d’s (if the tune is in D, etc). This may sound funny on your own but will go unnoticed in the buzz and bustle of a pub session.

Another option is to avoid playing those tunes that are not suited to your instrument or your current ability: It’s does no harm to have a rest, sip your beer, observe the other musicians or punters from time to time. Give yourself a rest!

This tune is a good old solid staple item of trad sessions, easy enough for beginners to pick up on the go, with room for variation, but probably too boring to bother w m of the time i’d say.

Don’t forget that there are so many hundreds more to chose from!

also, setting it in another key (Gmaj) implies stretching it to the highest d”, not necessarily the sweeteest option! Loud and bad’s good though, sometimes. Vent your feelings! Play it by ear!

^C & K: GMaj ~ feat not the c’ and d’ of it… 8-)

You can also, on a D whistle (not a low D) play ^C with your little finger just partially covering the lower opening of the whistle. However, this tune is often played in G Major by others and elsewhere, including on winds. If you’re shy of the high c’ and d’ you can play the second part down an octave…

I’ve several recordings of it in G Major and may dig one out to transcribe for you here or will offer my own take on it… It’s one we also played while living on Cape Breton Island and I believe we played it up, in G Major, and I think I’ve recordings of that too…

"feat not"? :-/ Yes, do feet it, but ‘fear not’…

Low D ~ use your knee… :-D

“The Galway Hornpipe” / “The Bald Headed Bachelor” ~ Buddy MacMaster

“The Galway Hornpipe” / “The Bald Headed Bachelor” minus > < & (3

“The Galway Hornpipe” with and without in D Major

Regarding the low C# on instruments that cannot play it, I asked Peter Horan that exact question in 2006. He plays a flute without working keys, this tune is part of his concert repertoire, and he just plays the C#s up an octave. It’s easy to play, sounds perfectly fine if you’re playing with someone who can play the low C#, and sounds reasonable even on your own.

If you did transpose it to G (played on an A whistle that fingering will come out in D), you can work around the one high note by playing d2^ced2 instead of d2fad’2 — that’s a pretty standard variation of the tune.

I’m surprised no one here has mentioned the four part version of this tune, which adds https://thesession.org/tunes/5131 as the third and fourth parts — most of the recordings I have either play it as a four part tune or play the pair as linked two-part tunes.

Alternatively ou could listen to the 2nd tune n this set and see how Enda Scahill plays it….then (if you are like me) throw your banjo away in disgust. Great playing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXEz6aSdbRA&feature=related

play video

The Galway, X:6

This is the version Andy McGann and Paul Brady play on the album, It’s a Hard Road to Travel. They play it in a set as the first tune followed by McDermott’s and From Galway to Dublin.

Andy plays it with some interesting variations from the settings already shown here…and Andy McGann is considered one of The Oracles by the leaders of the session I attend.

Re: The Galway

We play this in D, but with a C natural in the second full measure. I like the kick that gives to the tune.

The Galway, X:7

I play this really reelly, without the hornpipey swing.

The Galway hornpipe

Seven settings