The MacNeils Of Ugadale jig

One of the great many tunes I’ve learned from Natalie MacMaster….

1 - this is a 6/8 march - not a jig.
2 - Composed by P.M. John MacKenzie.
3 - like most pipe-marches, it has 4 parts, not just 2.

The third part is essentially a variation on the first part, and the fourth part is exactly the same as the second.

no it’s not

It’s not like you need a QC, but here’s that march, what I could find of it on the spot, not as I would play it necessarily 😉 ~ but it isn’t a march I was familiar with before catching it here in two parts…

"The MacNeils Of Ugadale"
Composer: Pipe Major John Mackenzie
Source: "Ceol na Fidhle:
The Fiddle Music of the Scottish Highlands, vols. 1 & 2 combined"
Compiled and arranged by Christine Martin
Publisher: Taigh na Teud Music Publishers, 1999
ISBN: 18719-3132-0 (w/CD)

http://www.scotlandsmusic.com/

R: March
M: 6/8
K: A
L: 1/8
|: a |
c>dB A>AA | c<ee e>cA | f>ec e>fa | a>ec B2 a |
c>dB A>AA | c<ee e>cA | c<dB e>fc | A>AA A2 :|
|: e |
a>gf e2 a | e>fe e>cA | a>gf e2 a | a>ec B2 e |
1 a>gf e2 a | e>fe e>cA | c<dB e>fc | A>AA A2 :|
2 c>dB A>AA | c<ee e>cA | c<dB e>fc | A>AA A2 ||
|: e |
c3 A3 | c<ee e>cA | f3 d2 a | a>ec B2 a |
c3 A3 | c<ee e>cA | c<dB e>fc | A>AA A2 :|
|: e |
f2 a d2 a | e>fe e>cA | f2 a d2 a | a>ec B2 e |
1 f2 a d2 a | e>fe e>cA | c<dB e>fc | A>AA A2 :|
2 c>dB e>fc | a>gf e>cA | c<dB e>fc | A>AA A2 ||

This is a march I’ve heard before, most probably Cape Breton, and I quite like it and think it deserves to be ‘complete’, 4 parts…out of courtesy for the composer… I can also recommend the collection listed above, a nice selection of tunes, and it includes chords and is available with a CD of the tunes…

Now to learn it so I can be ‘familiar’ with it, wear it in like an old pair of blue jeans…

Just a little different, honest.

The source for this is in part an old partial transcription from my pal Paddy tucked away in my manuscript pad, Ceol’s feel from his above post >> << and listening to the only two recordings I have of it, 1. recording of an unnamed piper and 2. Alistair Fraser’ Driven Bow album. That, and my memory.

Both the recordings repeat the last 4 bars of the 1st part second time through the 2nd part, Ceol has it this way also from Christine’s book, but it’s not always played this way, some people just repeat the 2nd part straight, not sure which is correct but I’ve included the 4 1st part final bars last time through the 2nd part in the abc below, safety in numbers and all that.

The only real difference between this and Ceolachan’s posted abc above (apart from including [x repeat brackets so that it’ll play properly in barfly), are the odd couple of notes in the first part. The inclusion of some semiquavers in the 3rd part and the removal of articulation in the final bars of each part (as I think it improves the marchie feel and is closer to what I hear happening on the pipes), the last bar can also be played: | A>BA A2 :| as my pal does (although he plays the final bar of the last part as I have it below, both times through), or as Ceol has it.

Great 6/8, perhaps the OP may reconsider amending the abc to include the last 2 parts? 🙂

X: 1
T: The MacNeils Of Ugadale
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: March
K: A
|: e | c>dB A>AA | c<ee e>cA | f>ec e2a | a>ec B2e |
c>dB A>AA | c<ee e>cA | c<dB e>fc | A3 ~A2 :|
|: e | a>gf e2a | e>fe e>ce | a>gf e2a | a>ec B2e |
[1 a>gf e2a | e>fe e>cA | c<dB e>fc | A3 ~A2 :|
[2 c>dB A>AA | c<ee e>cA | c<dB e>fc | A3 ~A2 ||
|: e/d/ | c3 A3 | c<ee e>cA | f3 d2a | a>ec B2e/d/ |
c3 A3 | c<ee e>cA | c>dB e>fc | A3 ~A2 :|
|: e | f2a d2a | e>fe e>ce | f2a d2a | a>ec B2e |
[1 f2a d2a | e>fe e>cA | c>dB e>fc | A3 ~A2 :|
[2 c>dB e>fc | a>gf e2a | c>dB e>fc | A3 ~A2 ||