The Braes Of Glendochart reel

This is not the same tune as previously posted by Kenny. This is the one which appears on Matt Molloy’s Stony Steps and also in O’Neill’s. I don’t find it to be a particularly well-known tune, but it does get played in sessions. I got this version from my local session. It looks as though it’s derived from the Matt Molloy setting which goes something like this:

X: 1
T: Paddy Murphy’s Wife
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmix
~F3A BFAF|G2cG EFGE|FDAD BDAF|1 Add^c dBAG:|2 Add^c d3z||
fada fdag|ecgc eg~g2|fada fded|cAGE EDD2|
fada fdag|ecgc eg~g2|afge fde^c|d2AG FDD2||

I found another similar setting on the net (key edited for easy comparison):

X: 1
T: Paddy Murphy’s Wife
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmix
FDAD BDAD|G2cG ECAG|FDAD BDAD|1 Ad^ce d2AG:|2 Ad^ce d3e||
fada fdag|egcd efge|fade fdd^c|d2AG FADe|
fada fdag|egcd efge|afge edd^c|d2AG FADE||

Here’s the version which appears in the older collections such as O’Neill’s and Ryan’s. This is identical to the Scottish setting which goes by the name of The Braes Of Glendochart.

X: 1
T: The Braes Of Glendochart
T: Paddy Murphy’s Wife
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmix
G|(3FED AF BGAF|EGcG ECCE|(3FED AF BGAF|1 Ddd^c dDD:|
g|fada fdad|egcg ecgc|fada fdad|(3B^cd AG FDDg|
fada fdad|egcg ecgc|afge fde^c|dABG FDD||

Here’s another transcription of the Scottish version and some more info on the tune from the Fiddler’s Companion:

“The tune was likely composed by Alexander McGlashan, in whose publication it first appears (Third Collection, 1786), however, it was retitled “Mr. Menzies of Culdare’s Reel” and attributed to Niel Gow in that composer’s First Collection (2nd ed.), 1801, some years after McGlashan died. “The Dochart, a river and glen, is in Perthshire near Crianlarich. It is the burying ground for the Macnabs, and has been called “the Macnab country”… “It now is included in the Breadalbane territory, the clan having emigrated to Canada in the first two decades of the present century” (Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland,1883). Glen (The Glen Collection of Scottish Music), vol. 1, 1891; pg. 6. McGlashan (Collection of Strathspey Reels), vol. 3, 1786; pg. 5.”

X: 1
T: The Braes of Glendochert
M: C
L: 1/8
R: Reel
S: McGlashan – Strathspey Reels (1786)
Z: AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K: Dmix
A|FDAF BGAF|EcGc ECCA|DFAF BGAG|FdAd FDD:|
g|f/g/a da fdad|e/f/g c>g ecgc|f/g/a da fdad|B/^c/d A>d Fddg|
f/g/a da fdad|e/f/g cg ecge|afge fde^c|d/^c/B/c/ dA FDD||

Whew! ~ you must have a lot of free time on your hands… 😏

as played by Joe Burke here:
http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/murphys_wife_bonnie_kate_sean_sa_cheo/

This is the O’Neill’s 1001 version. I only changed the key signature to the one of D Mixolydian.

Setting for mouth whistling.

This is what I would whistle along in a session. The notes are still the same, there are just changes of octave.

This setting is the same as setting X:5 but with the first part one octave higher and the last bars of each line of the second part one octave higher as well.

It is possible to whistle the original notes without the octave changes, but there is a moment when the low notes are really quiet (usually below G). The whistlers feel a way more comfortable whistling notes in a more higher range.

Sometimes the octave changes don’t work very well, the phrasing is broken and it gets a bit strange. But for this tune I think it is not too bad.