The Geese In The Bog jig

I play this tune in C, and I think most other people do to, but I’ve also seen it written in D.

This is an unusual key for a jig to be in, and it can be played together with jigs in A minor to make an interesting change.

The actual melody is very straightforward and shouldn’t take long to learn. Then, you can start throwing in triplets for ornamentation.

Tin whistle players will probably find it easier to learn this tune as if it were in D and then play it it on a C whistle in order to reach that low C note.

T:Geese in the Bog, The
M:6/8
L:1/8
S:Sean Kane, Matt Molloy, Liam O’Flinn: "The Fire Aflame"
R:jig
Z:G.M.P.
K:ADor
B|cEE GEE|cEE GAB|cEE GED|EAA A2B|
cEE GEE|cEE GAB|cBA GED|EAA A2:|:B|
cde ged|eaf ged|cde ged|eag ~a3|
cde ged|eaf ged|cBA GED|EAA A2:|

I find Jeremy’s version a little bit unusual. What Gian Marco posted above is the standard session setting as far as I know, and whistle players don’t have any problem with it. I think the first part is in Cmaj and the second in Ador.

i know the second half as

cde ged eaa ged | cde ged | eaa ~a3 |
cde ged eaa ged | cBA GED EAA A2 :|

not too different. just doubling the a when you go up is all.

"Geese in the Bog" ~ 2-parts in B minor
Submitted on June 3rd 2002 by Jon Kiparsky.
https://thesession.org/tunes/723

This is the version that the Tannahill Weavers play on their third album.

The Tannies play the 4-part Highland pipes version. I don’t see that anywhere here yet.

As played in Music at Matt Molloy’s track 7/3

|:cEE GEE|cEE GEE|cEE GED| EAA A2B|cEE GEE|
cEE GEE|cBA GED| EAA A2B:|cde ged| eaa ged|
cde ged| eaa a2B|cde ged| eaa ged| cBA GED| EAA A2B:|

i play out on the ocean in dmaj i think after this, sounds good

For the benefit of D whistlers, a transposition of the above, sans impossible low C:

X: 1
T: Geese In The Bog, D Major version
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Dmaj
|:dFF AFF|DFF AFF|dFF AFE| FBB B2c|dFF AFF|
DFF AFF|dcB AFE| FBB B2A:|dff aff| bff aff|
dff aff| abb b2f|dff aff| bff afe| dcB AFE| FBB B2c:|

Apologies to Jeremy for orignally posting this as a separate version of the tune. Still fairly green, as far as The Session goes.

No need to transpose this tune to Dmaj. I’ve been playing the Ador version posted above on the D whistle.

As a reel, isn’t it cool?
c~E3 G~E3|c~E3 G2AB|c~E3 GEED|EAAG A2AB|
c~E3 G~E3|c~E3 EGAB|c2BA GEED|EAAG A3B:||
c2de geed|eaaf g2ed|c2de geed|eaag ~a3B|
c2de geed|eaaf gfed|c2BA GEED|EAAG A3B:||

You’re not the only person to think so https://thesession.org/tunes/4967

O_O ah.. but… I like my simple version better…

This one I know well (as the session version and Matt Molloy’s version above) but does anyone know the relationship to the tune Micho Russell plays second on this clip…?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=y9eC_MYp-5I

play video

He calls it the Little Black Pig and it would seem closely related to the Geese.

This tune appears, I believe, in Bulmer & Sharpley’s "Music from Ireland" (book 4, #55) as Ken Fahey’s. Interestingly, Andrew Kuntz at
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/HUMOURS_HUMP.htm#HUMOURS_OF_LISTOWELL_[2]
connects the setting in B & S with The Humours of Listowel, but not with the Geese in the Bog et al.

I play it much the same as Gian Marco’s version. I dislike Jeremy’s version as it is very tedious and monotonous to play especially on the tin whistle which cannot reach the low C’s

X:1
T:The Geese in the Bog
M:6/8
L:1/8
R:Jig
C:
Q:132
K:HP
|:g|g{a}B{G}B d{e}B{G}B|g{a}B{G}B def|g{a}B{G}B {g}d {GAG}A2|{g}Be{A}e {A}e2 f|
|g{a}B{G}B d{e}B{G}B|g{a}B{G}B def|{a}gfe {g}d {GAG}A2|{g}Be{A}e {A}e2:|
|:d|{gef}e2 a eg{f}g|{ef}e2 a ged|{gef}e2 a eg{f}g|{a}ea{g}a {g}a2 d|
|{gef}e2 a eg{f}g|{ef}e2 a ged|{a}gfe {g}d {GAG}A2|{g}Be{A}e {A}e2:|
|:g|g{a}B{G}B {g}B{G}B{G}B|{g}dB{G}B {g}B{G}B{G}B|g{a}B{G}B {g}d {GAG}A2|{g}Be{A}e {A}e2 f|
|g{a}B{G}B {g}B{G}B{G}B|{g}dB{G}B {g}B{G}B{G}B|{a}gfe {g}d {GAG}A2|{g}Be{A}e {A}e2:|
|:d|{g}ea{g}a eg{f}g|{a}ea{g}a ged|{g}ea{g}a eg{f}g|{a}ea{g}a {g}a2 d|
|{g}ea{g}a eg{f}g|{a}ea{g}a ged|{a}gfe {g}d {GAG}A2|{g}Be{A}e {A}e2:|

Its still too small and it does not work well unless you read it on computer and try 150%. I am sure there is a reason for doing this and so I am not complaining…Just mentioning the obvious.

"Its still too small and it does not work well unless you read it on computer and try 150%. I am sure there is a reason for doing this and so I am not complaining…Just mentioning the obvious."

That may well be your eyesight you know, it’s not far off standard printed sheet music size for me at 100%

X: 2
T: The Geese In The Bog
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Ador
|:eAA ABc|eaf efg|B3 BAB|d3 dBA|
eAA ABc|BAB G2 B|cEE GED|EAA A2:|
B|cEE GEE|cEE GAB|cEE GED|EAA A2B|
cEE GEE|cEE GAB|cBA GED|EAA A2:|:B|
cde ged|eaf ged|cde ged|ea^g a3|
cde ged|eaf ged|cBA GED|EAA A2:|

People round where I live play cBA BAG | EAA A2B at the end of the parts, for some reason. Joe Burke also does so on his Traditional Music Collection records. Dunno where the locals picked this up from. No one else has transcribed such a setting here or elsewhere, from the looks of things. Michael Cooney played it that way on the pipes but he and Joe were musical partners for a good long while. Ted Furey also played that phrase. Everyone else played CBA GED | EAA A2B, all the way back to Dinney Delaney on his 1898 recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDc7Rtoz_0s

play video

There’s a strong silinarity between this tune and “Sergt. Stack’s Favorite” (O’Neill’s 1001 # 241). I couldn’t find that one on TheSession (at least by name). Possibly the same tune?

(There is a jig called “Geese In The Bog” in O’Neill’s 1001 (#279) but it’s a totally unrelated tune.)

I only see the similarity in the B part, and the ending of the A part a bit. See https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Geese_in_the_Bog_(3) for more information - Sergt Stack’s, The Banks of Lough Gowna, this Geese in the Bog, and possibly others all share a B part.

The final note of a tune is not necessarily the tonal center.
This tune is a little unusual.
I don’t think it can definitively be nailed down to a specific key.
It does however seem consistent to a hexatonic scale.
Either a ‘C’ Lydian/Major gapped mode or ‘A’ Dorian/Minor gapped mode (both gapped modes common to Irish/Scottish music).
It depends on whether the C triad takes precedence, or the resolve to the final ‘A’ note.
An American Country Western musician would feel pretty comfortable moving about between C6 and Am7 triads.
Or, just enjoy it for what it is.


From Jack Campin
** start quote ****************************************************************
Misleading Final Notes
======================
In most European art music, the final note of a tune is its tonal centre.
In many Scottish tunes, it isn’t;
…
Multiple Modes in the Same Tune
===============================
Some tunes switch mode partway through.
…
A common idea in art music is to shift between major and minor keys using the same pitch set
…
Shifting tonal centre also works with other modes and with gapped pitch sets
** end quote *****************************************************************
** From: Scales and Modes in Scottish Traditional Music - Jack Campin
http://www.campin.me.uk/Music/Modes/


According to Dave Flynn
** start quote from pg. 270 ****************************************************************
The Geese in the Bog‘ is a popular jig which has caused a lot of confusion amongst accompanists who often consider it to be in the key of A minor. It is centred on the note C and it seems to be in the Ionian mode. The note F is never used in the melody; therefore it is based on a hexatonic scale.
** end quote *****************************************************************
** from: http://www.irishmemoryorchestra.com/uploads/9/7/5/4/9754549/dave_flynn_phd_-_traditional_irish_music_a_path_to_new_music.pdf

Personally I like the play between C, E, G, A as C6 to Am7 in a gapped mode.

From the playing of Lalla Rookh. They follow it Get Your Crap Off The Stage, which was probably written to go with The Geese In The Bog (the two tunes share a similar part).

From the playing of Dan Compton & Fran Slefer.

From the playing of Niilo Sirola.

From the playing of Liz Carroll.

Nos. 3,4,7,8 & 10-12 above only vary from one another within the normal scope of in-tune variations, and are not different settings. I’m not sure why they’re here: can someone enlighten me please?

Cannot speak for the other two posters, as for mine, I’d say our definitions of setting differs a bit from each other Jerry. Your definition seems to be "within the normal scope of in-tune variations", which is fine enough. Explaining my reason for posting the three mentioned settings (beyond the vague reason above) would be a bit of a digression from this comment section, so, pm me if you’d like to hear it.

What chords would people play over this? I was doing Am / Am G.. before I realised everyone is starting on a C. (Just starting out to learn accompaniment so go easy on me)

Flinty Bo Diddle: Suggestions..

6/8 First part: C | Am | C | Am | C | Am | C | Am ||
Second part: C | Am G | C G | Am | C | Am G | C G | Am ||
{Alt second part: C | Am | C | Am | C | Am | C | Am || (same as first part but a bit tedious!)}
or maybe…
6/8 First part: Am C | Am G | Am G | Am | Am C | Am G | Am G | Am ||
Second part: Am G | Am G | Am G | Am | Am G | Am G | Am G | Am ||