The King’s (reel) on The Session

One setting

X: 1
T: The King's
R: reel

M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
A,2 EA, FA,EA,|~A,2 ED CA,A,G,|
A,2 EA, FA,EF|1G2 DC B,G,G,B,:|2G2 DC B,G,G,d||
^cA (3AAA eaed|^cA (3AAA BGBd|^cA (3AAA eaef|ged=c BGBd|
^cA (3AAA eaed|^cA (3AAA BGBd|=c2 dc B2 dB|AGED B,G,G,B,||

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Eleven comments

This is the reel version of King George IV played by Altan. I haven’t heard it anywhere else. A similar tune called "Old King’s Reel" is played by Cape Breton musicians.

T:Old King’s Reel
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:ADor
A|EA,A,B, A,2 A,A | EA,EF GEDB, | A,

…

A|EA,A,B, A,2 A,A | EA,EF GEDB, | A,

I can’t post the transcription…

You can’t use this - "<" - the ‘less than’ or ‘snap’ in the ‘Comment’ box - - -

This is an old problem, and I’m expecting what has happened is you’ve tried to put a ‘snap/less-than’ sign in the transcript, probably after - - - |A,*
It removes everything that follows it. Some of us have resorted to the ‘*’ - asterisk instead, but you can also, as you’ll see above, put it in the ‘Subject’ header, which is limiting. You could write up to that point, put the line with the ‘snap’ in the header, and then continue to write the rest in ‘Comment’ - or just jurry-rig it by using the asterisk. Best of luck. I know the frustration of it, but in this space that sign is taken as an HTML tag…

This isn’t "King George IV," or "The Old King’s Reel"

Errik, this fabulous tune is actually called "The King’s Reel," neither "King George IV" nor "The Old King’s Reel," though all the tunes seems related. Believe me! You’ll see they are all slighly different tunes if you listen to Ashley MacIsaac playing the set: King George IV/ King George V/ The Old King’s Reel/ The King’s Reel.

As I said somewhere before, there is no such reel called "King George IV." I believe Mairead Mooney mixed up the title of well-known strathspey with that of this tune "The King’s Reel" when learning them from the playing of Buddy MacMaster. It seems two tunes are often played together in Cape Breton.

So, please edit the details of the tune.

Thanks for another great tune. Keep posting!

P.S. Seamus Egan recorded this tune on banjo with Eileen Ivers: it’s in "Cape Breton Set" in his solo album "A Week in January." Cracking track!

Yeah, I confirm the real name of the tune is "The King’s Reel." It seems in the Athole Collection (1884) under the title: you will find the abc transcription of the tune through this page: http://www.flutesong.net/music/abc/index.htm I think the key signature should be Ador, but it’s basically the same as errik’s transcription.

Other Recording:

This reel also appears in a set on the album "Close to the Bone" by the Old Blind Dogs. A really nice set, in fact:

The Honeymoon Reel/The Kings Reel/The Clayslaps Reel

You got the last bar wrong. It goes:

|caBg BGDB,|

The King’s Reel

I see it’s recorded as being in the Athole Collection, but does anyone know who wrote it?

Piper’s setting for King’s Reel (Border Pipes)

The King’s reel