Laurel’s reel

I learned this tune several years ago in a workshop with Liz Doherty. She called it Alli Bennet’s (sp? I’ve only heard the name). I’ve long since lost the tape from that workshop and I’m not sure how much the tune may have evolved in the yeas I’ve been playing it. I know Solas recently recorded this tune (they called it Laurel’s), and I’m wondering how many other versions of it are out there. Also any information about how wrote the tune (Alli Bennet?) would be most welcome.

P.S. I’ve never written anything in abc before. I sorry for any major goofs.

This gets played regularly at our session but I don’t know anything about the tune. I have a feeling I heard someone call it "Laurel’s" but I’m sure they wouldn’t have got it off a recent Solas recording. I’ll ask next time.

I asked at my session and they do call it Laurel’s. The source for our session was originally Colette Beagan and it was given as a Cape Breton tune, which tallies with the Allie Bennett reference.

Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

Key signature: A Major
Submitted on February 2nd 2007 by Peter Piper.

R: reel
C: Allie Bennett
K: A Major
|: ED |C3 D EFAB | cfec BAFA | BF F2 dcBA | GBAF EDCB, |
C3 D EFAB | cfec BAFA | BF F/F/F dcBA | EAGB A2 :|
|: cd |e2 ef edcd | eaab aece | fB B2 dcBA |
[1 GBAF E2 cd | e3 e edcd | ea a/a/a aece | fB B/B/B dcBA | EAGB A2 :|
[2 GBAF EDCB, | C3 D EFAB | cfec BAFA | BF F/F/F dcBA | EAGB A2 ||

Some variations are given above, for example the ‘triplets’, or F/F/F for F2, B/B/B for B2, a/a/a for eaab ~ and there are other places where you can do this…

Here are some other possibilities ~

A-part & B-part 2nd ending, final bars ~ | EAGB AF :|

B-part, 1st ending, final bar ~ | EAGB AB :|

A-part, bar 4 & the B-part, 2nd ending, 1st measure ~ | GBAF EFED | ~

B-part, 2nd measure:
~ | eaag aece | ~ or ~ | e2 ag aece | ~ or ~ | ea a/a/a aece | ~

1st ending, 1st measure ~ [1 GBAF EBcd | ~

Weird, I usually set tunes up with the lead-in separate, so you can see the corresponding measures of the parts and any ‘variations’, usually made in measures 5-8, so the measures line up as lead-in first, measures 1-4 second, 5-8 third, so, for example measure 1 and 5, 4 & 8, etc., are in line with each other. And where there’s a 5 meaure 1st and 2nd ending, like here, the same line up, which worked above… I did this just previous and the yellowboard seems to have slammed it all together. Let’s try again, with variations thrown in for good measure, for an experiment:

K: A Major
|: ED |
C2 CD EFAB | cfec B2 FA | BF F2 dcBA | GBAF EFED |
C/C/C CD EFAB | c2 ec BAFA | BF F/F/F d2 c/B/A | EAGB A2 :|
|: cd |
e2 ef edcd | eaag a2 ce | fB B/B/B dcBA |
[1 GBAF EBcd | eA (3Bcd edcd | ea a/a/a a2 ce | fB B/B/B dcBA | EAGB AB :|
[2 GBAF EFED | (3CDE CD EFAB | cfec (3BcB FA | BFAF dcBA | EAGB AF ||

Huh, it worked this time…

I learned this tune from a cape breton fiddler. It’s a gorgeous tune.