The Bag Of Spuds reel

This is a lovely tune I specially like when played on flute. It’s a very lively reel when played fast and an astonishingly beautiful tune when played slowly.
It shares the name with a totally different reel in the key of G which is posted here as well

Toni, this is the version I’m familiar with, too, from the playing of Liz Carrol and more recently (and in a much lower register, requiring viola of all things), Kevin Crawford and Martin Hayes on “In Good Company.”

Good post.

Is it? Looks like it was simply been cut & pasted from Henrik Norbeck’s to me.

Better effort than my English grammar though I suppose.

Whenever playing this tune, my fingers say it is very similar to New Copperplate. I haven’t learned Old Copperplate yet, but that sounds even more similar.

I came cross this tune several times while travelling around in UK quite recently. I’ve just reconstructed the most common version from memory and a couple of recordings. It is actually a composite of the two slightly different ones Toni took from Norbeck’s collection. Something like this:

K: Ador
A2eA cAeA|ABcd eBdB|G2dG BGdB|GB~B2 GBdB|
A2eA cAeA|ABcd eBdB|A2Bd efge|1 dBGA BAAG:|2 dBGA BA~A2||
a2ea ageg|agbg agef|gedc BGBd|~g3a bgeg|
a2ea ageg|agbg ageg|d^cde ~g3e|1 dBGA BA~A2:|2 dBGA BAAG||

Note the second part is virtually identical to that of “Down the Broom.”

Has it occurred to you the first part of this reel is v similar to the 1st part of Morrison’s reel?
https://thesession.org/tunes/7135
I’ve known both reels for years but have only noticed today!

This goes well in E(dorian?) too.

any clue of the variations from the no place like home album

Watch Gerry O’Connor play the tune: http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_284_1_gerry_oconnor/

It’s nice to know he can play slowly.

T: Sligo Dandy
S:John Kennedy, Ballyshannon 1990
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K:Ador
|:A2eA cAeA|ABcd (3efe dB|~G2 dG BGdB|GB~B2 GBdB|
A2eA cAeA|ABcd (3efe dB|ABcd eg~g2|dBGA BA ~A2:|
|:a2ea ~a2ea|agbg agef|(3gfe dc BGBd|gfga bgea|
a2ea ~a2(3efg|agbg agef|gedc BGBd| gedB BAA2:||

Here it is in a Longford session http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H2jKI87mdA

play video

the second tune that is

This is a splendid mixolydian version of the same tune:
X: 1
T: Bag Of Spuds, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: A mixolydian
A2eA c/B/AeA|ABcd efdB|GAAG d2dB|GBBB GBdB|
A2eA c/B/AeA|ABcd efdB|A/A/AGA g2ge|dBGA BAA2:||
a2ea ageg|agbg agef|gedc BGB/c/d|g2ga bge2|
a2ea ageg|agbg agef|d2ef g2ge|dBGA BAA2:||

Unfortunately, I haven’t transcribed it as I heard it long ago on a tape, on yhich is was followed by The Bird in the Bush in a set. It was played on the tin whistle, please come forwrd if you have more precisions.

My memory is faulty, at least, for bars 6 to 8 of the 1st part.

Lovely Bb minor Banjo setting (tutorial from 1’47):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq5-kIxuEoU

play video

I’ve misposted this a while ago at the other Bag Of Spuds.
See https://thesession.org/tunes/391#comment669526 pp.
And in particular http://youtu.be/BjLcfnY8-gY

play video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZHHZf7aRZ0

play video

Got this setting off ClareFM almost a decade ago. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the artists, but I do remember it was primarily fiddle, and possibly flute.

I should add that it was played as a slow reel, and came out beautifully as such.

It occurs to me that it would sound fabulous to play this tune with two fiddles, one playing down the octave! That’s a long-forgotten/abandoned practice that needs reviving in my opinion.

It’s not ‘long-forgotten’ in Ireland, Daniel!

As I heard it in Killarney in 2013

Gonzo, it seems to be pretty well non-existent in ITM in the US…

Liam O’connor on the fiddle. The sound quality not that great but the fiddle playing is.

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

play video

a version from Gerry O’Connor’s “No Place Like Home” in a set with the CopperPlate reel

I heard this groovy version from Sephen Doherty : https://player.vimeo.com/video/179673471

Harry Bradley… https://youtu.be/vk8obLUvptU

play video

From the playing of Là Nua.

Almost identical to X1, without the C & D Parts.

A quick blast of The Bag Of Spuds on mandolin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4qfc3vJzkQ

play video

My attempt to approximate the Patsy Hanly setting from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjLcfnY8-gY

play video

(Though I think he plays a bunch of the Cs sharp, and I haven’t attempted to capture that here.) Rests are spots for breaths.

Based on the playing of Noel Hill and Tony McMahon on their Aisling recording. I like the high Cs that remind me that the turn is not Down the Broom. The end of the turn also distinguishes this setting

Here’s a link to Edel Fox playing The Bag of Spuds years ago. She plays a three tune set and The Bag of Spuds is after Devanny’s Goat. The set starts about 13 minutes into the video.

https://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_198_focus_on_tullamore/

Very similar to the second setting, but tweaked a little from the playing of Martin Hayes on Keven Crawfords album “In Good Company”. He plays it on a viola and the low quality is amazing. It’s not in this key on the recording but as this is the most common and “session friendly” key, it makes sense to leave it in Aminor.

I’ve just been playing over this again and playing along to Martin Hayes and Kevin Crawford on “In Good Company” and I’ve realised that they’re playing it in Cminor, which when translated to a Viola is like playing in Gminor on a fiddle, this probably explains their interpretation of this tune. I learnt it by just tuning my Mandolin down a tone and played it in Dminor, so the jump up to Am is easy. When played in Aminor it is also great played down a whole octave.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3y1GDndlKo&ab_channel=TradTG4 A great dancing Tune

play video

From the playing of Brian Hughes.