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Johnny’s Wedding reel

Also known as Col. McBain, Col. McBain’s, Colonel McBain, Colonel McBain’s, Johnnie’s Wedding, Johnnies Wedding, McMullin’s, Sean Frank’s, The Smoky House.

There are 31 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with Farewell To Milltown (a few times), Colonel Rodney’s (a few times), Galway Bay (a few times), The Gravel Walks (a few times) and The High Drive (a few times).

Johnny’s Wedding appears in 3 other tune collections.

Johnny’s Wedding has been added to 1 tune set.

Johnny's Wedding has been added to 104 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Five settings

1
X: 1
T: Johnny's Wedding
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmin
DE|FDAD FDDF|ECGC ECCE|FDAD FDDF|E^CG,C D2 DE|
FDAD FDDF|ECGC ECCE|DFEG FAGB|Ad^ce d2:|
|:de|f2 e2 dcAB|cAGF ED C2|fdec d2 A^G|Ad^ce d2 de|
f2 e2 dcAB|cAGF ED C2|DFEG FAGB|Ad^ce d2:|
|:c2|d2 dc defd|cdcB AGFE|d2 dc d2 A^G|Ad^ce d2 =c2|
d2 dc defd|cdcB AGFE|DFEG FAGB|Ad^ce d2:|
2
X: 2
T: Johnny's Wedding
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmin
GA|BGdG BGGB|AFcF AFFA|BGdG BGGB|AF (3D=E^F G2 GA|
!BGdG BGGB|AFcF AFFA|GBAc Bdce|dg^fa g2:|
!|:ga|bgag fdd=e|fdcB AFFA|bgag fddc|dg^fa g2 ga|
!bgag fdd=e|fdcB AFFA|GBAc Bdce|dg^fa g2:|
3
X: 3
T: Johnny's Wedding
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gdor
F|GEBE GEEG|FDAD FDDF|GEBE GEEB|AGFG E3F|
GEBE GEEB|ABAG FDDF|~G3F GBdB|AGFG E3:|
|:F|~G3F GBdB|ABAG FDDF|Eeed efge|fedf e3d|
efed BcdB|ABAG FDDF|~G3F GBdB|AGFG E3:|
A|BGdG BGGB|AFcF AFFA|BGdG BGGB|AGFA ~G3A|
BGdG BGGB|AFcF AFFA|GBAc Bdc_e|dg^fa ~g3:|
|:a|bgag fdde|fdcB AFFa|bgag fdd^c|dg^fa ~g3a|
bgag fdde|fdcB AFFA|GBAc Bdc_e|dg^fa ~g3:|
4
X: 4
T: Johnny's Wedding
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
GEBE GEEG | FDAD FDDF | GEBE GEEG | FEDF E3F |
GEBE GEEG | FDAD FDDF | EGFA GBAc | Be^df e2 :|
(3gfe fd edBA | BGAF GEEf | (3gfe fd edBA | Be^df e2 ef |
(3gfe fd edBA | BGAF GE E2 | EGFA GBAc | Be^df e2 :|
5
X: 5
T: Johnny's Wedding
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Edor
|:F|GEBE GEEG | FDAD FDDF | GEBE GEEG | FEDF E3F |
GEBE GEEG | FDAD FDDF | EGFA GBAc |1 Be^df e2 :|2Be^df ef||
(3gfe fd edBA | BGAF GE E2 | (3gfe fd edBA | Be^df e2 ef |
(3gfe fd edBA | BGAF GE E2 | EGFA GBAc | Be^df e2 :|
# Added by JACKB .

Twelve comments

Reel by Trio Vladah

I’d like to find the right title for this reel. I found it in a track list by Trio Vladah who played mainly Rom and East Europe folk music. They titled just "Reel".

Could be…………. ?

Looks a bit like "Johnny’s Wedding" to me.

Posted by .

"Johnny’s wedding" by O’Neill N.493

Thanks to Kenny I found the right title for this reel. The Dm submission just comes from my own recording by Trio Vladah, but the original version you can find in the book "O’Neill: The dance music of Ireland" at N.493 in Gm key. For traditionalist players I suggest this one.

X: 1
T: Johnny’s wedding
M: C|
L: !/8
R: reel
K: Gm
GA|BGdG BGGB|AFcF AFFA|BGdG BGGB|AF (3D=E^F G2 GA|
!BGdG BGGB|AFcF AFFA|GBAc Bdce|dg^fa g2:|
!|:ga|bgag fdd=e|fdcB AFFA|bgag fddc|dg^fa g2 ga|
!bgag fdd=e|fdcB AFFA|GBAc Bdce|dg^fa g2:|

I often come across this tune as Colonel McBain, and it is always played in Em in Irish sessions. Jeremey posted it as Sean Frank’s: https://thesession.org/tunes/102 I’m sure O’Neill has it in the same key. A bit of research shows the older Scottish version is in the key of Gm in the Athole collection. You can find it on this page: http://softflute.co.uk/music/abc/index.htm It’s massive!

About Johnn’s wedding, Sean Frank’s, Colonel McBain

Comparing all these tunes I find great similarity mainly in A part, but in my opinion the most recognizable parts of "Johnny’s wedding" stand in the latest 2 measures both of A and B.
In my own database I will consider similar (very similar indeed!) all them, but I prefer to distinguish separately "Johnny’s wedding" by "Sean Frank’s" and "Colonel McBain".
About O’Neill editions I confirm that in "O’Neill: The dance music of Ireland" N.493 you will find in Gm. Meanwhile I have the "O’Neill: Music fo Ireland" (revised by Miles Krassen) editon on page 99 where you can find just 1 b near violin key, but the tune sounds in Gm too.

It seems to me the two tunes derived from one and the same Scots tune in Gm. But O’Neill has them as separate tunes in different keys. Mind you, keyless flute players can’t play most tunes in Gm and Dm.

Johnny’s Wedding

I’ve generally played this tune in G minor but I also have a setting of the same/similar tune known as Sean frank’s or Colonel McBain from Lucy Farr, in A minor.
I recently came across another version of this tune in O’Neills ‘1001’ as ‘The Smoky House’

Colonel McBain, Johnny’s Wedding

I also play these as separate tunes in different keys, but I play them in Edor and Gdor respectively. I don’t think I realised until today that they were related, but it seems obvious to me now. Here are my settings:

X: 1
T: Colonel McBain’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Edor
F|GEBE GEEG|FDAD FDDF|GEBE GEEB|AGFG E3F|
GEBE GEEB|ABAG FDDF|~G3F GBdB|AGFG E3:|
|:F|~G3F GBdB|ABAG FDDF|Eeed efge|fedf e3d|
efed BcdB|ABAG FDDF|~G3F GBdB|AGFG E3:|

X: 1
T: Johnny’s wedding
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gdor
A|BGdG BGGB|AFcF AFFA|BGdG BGGB|AGFA ~G3A|
BGdG BGGB|AFcF AFFA|GBAc Bdc_e|dg^fa ~g3:|
|:a|bgag fdde|fdcB AFFa|bgag fdd^c|dg^fa ~g3a|
bgag fdde|fdcB AFFA|GBAc Bdc_e|dg^fa ~g3:|

Nice settings… 🙂

"McMullin’s Reel" / "Johnny’s Wedding" ~ rescued duplication

Key signature: E Dorian
Submitted on April 3rd 2007 by JACKB.

X: 1
T: McMullin’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: E Dorian
|: zF |
GEBE GEEG | FDAD FDDF | GEBE GEEG | FEDF E3F |
GEBE GEEG | FDAD FDDF | EGFA GBAc | Be^df e2 :|
|: ef |
(3gfe fd edBA | BGAF GEEf | (3gfe fd edBA | Be^df e2 ef |
(3gfe fd edBA | BGAF GE E2 | EGFA GBAc | Be^df e2 :|

"I don’t know much about this tune, I learnt it years ago."

# Posted on April 3rd 2007 by JACKB

Well done for saving that, ‘c’.

Great tune…..a little dark for a wedding…… the poor lad prolly didn’t know what he was getting himself into.

Posted by .