The First Month Of Summer reel

Also known as First Month In Summer, The First Month In Summer.

There are 34 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The First Month Of Summer appears in 3 other tune collections.

The First Month Of Summer has been added to 8 tune sets.

The First Month Of Summer has been added to 107 tunebooks.

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Nine settings

1
X: 1
T: The First Month Of Summer
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
AFDF E2CE|A,ECE d/c/B cB|A~F3 E~A,3|1 CEAB c2 cB:|2 CEAB cABG||
A~c3 ecfc|ecAc fe f/g/a|e~c3 fcec|d/c/B BA Bcdf|
e~c3 ecfc|ecAc ~f3g|agfe fedc|d/c/B BA B2cB||
2
X: 2
T: The First Month Of Summer
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
AF~F2 E2CE|A,2CE dBcB|AF~F2 EA,~A,2|CEAB c2cB|
AF~F2 FECE|A,ECE dBcB|AF~F2 EA,~A,2|CEAB c2Bc||
Ac~c2 ecfc|ecAc defa|ec~c2 acec|dBBA Bcdf|
ec~c2 ac~c2|ec~c2 defb|(3aba ga faec|dBBA BdcB||
GECE D2B,D|G,DB,D cABA|GECE D2B,E|DEGA (3Bcd BA:|
GB~B2 dBeB|dBGB cdeg|dB~B2 eBdB|cAAG ABce|
dB~B2 dBeB|dBGB cdef|gzfd egdB|cAAG AcBA||
AFDF E2CE|A,ECE dBcB|AFDF E2CF|EFAB cecB:|
Ac~c2 ecfc|ecAc defa|ec~c2 fcec|dBBA Bcdf|
ec~c2 ecfc|ecAc defg|azge faec|dBBA BdcB||
3
X: 3
T: The First Month Of Summer
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
|dB~B2 BAFA|~D2FA defe|dBBF AAFA|BBed egfe|
dB~B2 BAFB|~A2FA defg|afge fdec|dBAB e2fg|
af~f2 afbf|af~f2 afef|af~f2 ~a3f|egfe dBA2|
af~f2 afbf|af~f2 afea|fa~a2 fb~b2|bafe fgfe|
affb afbf|fefb afef|af~f2 ~a3f|egfe dBA2|
af~f2 afbf|af~f2 afea|fa~a2 f[~b3 ~g3]|[b g]afe fgfe|
4
X: 4
T: The First Month Of Summer
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
(3efe|dB(3BBB A2FA|D2FAg2 fe|dB(3BBB A2FA|Beed e2fe
dBBA BAFB|A3B defa|affe edef|dBAB e3f|
a2f2 afbf|af(3fff afef|a2f2 abaf|edfe dBAB|
a2f2afbf|af(3fff afef|fa(3aaa fb(3bbb|bafe fdef|
5
X: 5
T: The First Month Of Summer
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
fe|:d~B3 ~A2FB|A~B3 defe|d~B3 ~A2FA|~B3c d2fe|
d~B3 AFBF|AFBA defg|af (3gfe fded|1 BABc d2fe:|2 BABc d2fg||
|:a2fb ~a2fb|~a2fa ~b3f|a2fb ~a2fb|fedA B2A2|
a2fb ~a2fb|afdA BABc|dfef dfef|1 dBAB d2fg:|2 dBAB d2||
6
X: 6
T: The First Month Of Summer
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amaj
|B||AFF2 E2CE|A,ECE d2cB|AFF2 E2CE|A,ECE A4|
ABAF E2CE|A,ECE d2cB|AFF2 E2CE|A,ECE A3c||
ecc2 ecBc|ecc2 f3a|ecc2 ecef|c2BA FAA2|
ecc2 ecBc|ecc2 f3g|affe faec|dBBA BdcB||
7
X: 7
T: The First Month Of Summer
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:GEcE D2BD|GDBD c/B/A BA|G~E3 D~G3|1 BdGA B2 BA:|2 BdGA BGAF||
|:G~B3 dBeB|dBGB ed e/f/g|d~B3 eBdB|c/B/A AG ABce|
d~B3 dBeB|dBGB ~e3f|gfed edcB|c/B/A AG A2BA:|
8
X: 8
T: The First Month Of Summer
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|dB B2 BAFA|D2 FA defe|dBBF A3B|defd egfe|
dB B2 BAFB|A2FA defg|afge fdec|dBAB e3f||
af f2 afbf|af f2 afef|af f2 a3f|egfe dBA2|
af f2 afbf|af f2 afea|fa a2 fb b2|bafe fgfe||
# Added by JACKB .
9
X: 9
T: The First Month Of Summer
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
GE~E2 D2BD|~D2 BD GABA|GEEG DB ~B2|DEGA BcBA|
GEcE ~D2 BD|~D2 BD GABA|GEEG DB ~B2|DEGA BcBA||
GB ~B2 dBeB|dB ~B2 e2eg|dB B/c/d e2dB|~c2 Bc ABce|
dB ~B2 dBeB|dB ~B2 e2ef|~g2fg edBd|cABG AcBA||

Twelve comments

Lads Of Laois/First Month of Summer

This is a great set & I’ve never heard the First Month of Summer played without being preceded by the “Lads of Laois”. Sometimes the “First Month of Summer” is played in G, but If it’s played with the “Lads..” I think it sounds best in A - it’s the modulation of Em to A that makes the set cook.

Oops did I say “Never” I meant “rarely”… is that better Will?

Angry lunchmeat

Brad I really enjoy your new moniker…I smile every time I log on now. I only wish my name had such a fun anagram (and if it does, I’m sure you or Zina or Glauber will soon unfurl it on these pages) *grin*

And I genuinely do appreciate the comments you post with your tunes, such as this one, which helps me think about a new and interesting approach to these two tunes as a set. Maybe you can persuade Josh Kane and others to take the time to comment more on their tune postings.

Posted .

It was a child hood nickname that I still think is kind of funny. I’ll give Josh a good punch in the head if I see him tonight. Or even better - I’ll tell his mom to.

Hey!

I love you too, Brad…

First Month Of Summer

I’ve heard 2 different versions of this at our session which are in different keys. The first is Matt Molloy’s version which he calls First Month Of *Spring* https://thesession.org/tunes/3806, and the 2nd is a bit like Brad’s version and also similar to the version in the Miles Krassen ed of O’Neill’s:

X: 1
T: First Month Of Summer, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amaj
AF~F2 E2CE|A,2CE dBcB|AF~F2 EA,~A,2|CEAB c2cB|
AF~F2 FECE|A,ECE dBcB|AF~F2 EA,~A,2|CEAB c2Bc||
Ac~c2 ecfc|ecAc defa|ec~c2 acec|dBBA Bcdf|
ec~c2 ac~c2|ec~c2 defb|(3aba ga faec|dBBA BdcB||

This tune also gets played in G, and I find that this lies under my fingers better. My setting goes like this:

X: 1
T: First Month Of Summer, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
GECE D2B,D|G,DB,D cABA|GECE D2B,E|DEGA (3Bcd BA:|
GB~B2 dBeB|dBGB cdeg|dB~B2 eBdB|cAAG ABce|
dB~B2 dBeB|dBGB cdef|gzfd egdB|cAAG AcBA||

In Amaj, that’s:

X: 1
T: First Month Of Summer, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amaj
AFDF E2CE|A,ECE dBcB|AFDF E2CF|EFAB cecB:|
Ac~c2 ecfc|ecAc defa|ec~c2 fcec|dBBA Bcdf|
ec~c2 ecfc|ecAc defg|azge faec|dBBA BdcB||

Mcsherry

X: 1
T: First Month Of Spring, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
|dB~B2 BAFA|~D2FA defe|dBBF AAFA|BBed egfe|
|dB~B2 BAFB|~A2FA defg|afge fdec|dBAB e2fg|
|af~f2 afbf|af~f2 afef|af~f2 ~a3f|egfe dBA2|
af~f2 afbf|af~f2 afea|fa~a2 fb~b2|bafe fgfe|
“variation”
|affb afbf|fefb afef|af~f2 ~a3f|egfe dBA2|
af~f2 afbf|af~f2 afea|fa~a2 f[~b3 ~g3]|[b g]afe fgfe|

Tommy McCarthy’s version, from Sporting Nell

Tommy McCarthy’s setting of the classic tune has some lovely things in it that the other versions do not have. I didn’t put some accents in - notably in the 2nd and 3rd bars in the second line. Players familiar with Irish ornaments will have no trouble figuring out where to put the grace notes. I think that Tommy plays the tune on a Bb whistle. Tommy is a wonderful musician and the album, Sporting Nell, is a classic.

First Month Of Summer

From a wax cylinder recording of a great Mayo piper, Mike Carney. This recording was transcribed in full by Pat Mitchell and Sean Donnelly, their work may be viewed here: http://162.13.136.126/data/PIOBAIRE/PIOB0304.PDF This is accurate down to the individual grace notes and pauses; I’ve taken their work and attempted to suss out the melody underneath it all, which would be nigh-unto-impossible for even modern day pipers to make sense of, Carney like his Connaught born piping peers of those times played in a very tight (=staccato) style which would be constantly breaking the octave and which was chockablock full of triplets and trills, this is a style which has by and large died out except for aficionados. The present setting may be of interest or use to musicians looking for alternatives to the run-of-the-mill as set in stone by Molloy + Peoples. You may do a better job of figuring out what the basic melody here is than I did, too. Feel free to addendize, if that’s the word.

The First Month Of Spring, X:6

This setting from the great Sligo fiddlemaster Paddy Killoran. Killoran had it after “My Love is Fair and Handsome” ( https://thesession.org/tunes/5955 ), another great tune, and the two go well together, somewhat unsurprisingly.
Of note is that Killoran titled it the “First Month of Spring”. B/C Boxplayers might make good use of their outside E for the low phrase as well.