menu
Log in or Sign up

Gerald Thomas’ Burnt Potato reel

Also known as The Burnt Potato, The Burnt Potatoes, Les Patates Brulees, Les Patates Brûlées, Les Patates Brûlées à Gerald Thomas, Les Patates Brulees à Gerald Thomas.

There are 2 recordings of this tune.

Gerald Thomas’ Burnt Potato has been added to 1 tune set.

Gerald Thomas' Burnt Potato has been added to 34 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Four settings

1
X: 1
T: Gerald Thomas' Burnt Potato
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Bmin
|: dc | BFFF dFFF | EFED B,2 A,B, | DEFE DEFA| ecAc BF F2 |
dcBA BF F2 | AFED B,2 A,B, | DEFE DEFA | ecAc B2 :|
|: Bc | defe dcBd | cded cBAc | d2 fd cdec | AB (3cBA B2 dc|
BF F2 dF F2 | EFED B,2 A,B, | DEFE DEFA | ecAc B2 :|
2
X: 2
T: Gerald Thomas' Burnt Potato
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Bmin
BF F/F/F dF F/F/F | AFED B,/C/B, A,B, | DEFE DEFA | ecAc B/c/B dc |
BF F/F/F dF F/F/F | AFED B,2 A,B, | DE E/E/E DE F/G/A | ecAc B2 :|
defe dc B/c/d | cded cBAc | d2 f/e/d cdec |
[1 AB c/B/A B2 Bc | d2 fe dcBd | c2 ed cBAc | d2 fd c2 ec | A2 c/B/A B2 :|
[2 A2 cA B2 dc | BF F/F/F dF F/F/F | AFED B,2 A,B, | DE E/E/E DEFA | ecAc B2 ||
3
X: 3
T: Gerald Thomas' Burnt Potato
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Bmin
|: dc | BF F2 dF F2 | EFAF B2 AB | DE E2 DEFA| ecAc BF F2 |
dcBA BF F2 | EFAF B2 AB | DE E2 DEFA | ecAc B2 :|
|: Bc | defe dcBd | cded cBAc | d2 fd cdec | AB (3cBA B2 dc|
BF F2 dF F2 | EFAF B2 AB | DE E2 DEFA | ecAc B2 :|
# Added by JACKB .
4
X: 4
T: Gerald Thomas' Burnt Potato
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Amin
|: cB | AE E2 cE E2 | DEGE A2 GA | cd d2 cdeg| dBGB AE E2 |
cBAG AE E2 | DEGE A2 GA | cd d2 cdeg | dBGB A2 :|
|: AB | cded cBAc | Bcdc BAGB | c2 ec BcdB | GA (3BAG A2 cB|
AE E2 cE E2 | DEGE A2 GA | cd d2 cdeg | dBGB A2 :|
# Added by JACKB .

Six comments

Gerald Thomas’ Burnt Potato

This is wonderful tune written by the late great Newfoundland fiddler, Emile Benoit. He wrote it following an incident where his friend, Gerald Thomas, managed to burn his potatoes while boiling them!
I find this tune works really well in a set when preceded by Hound’s tune, a tune oft played by another late great Newfoundland fiddler, Rufus Guinchard.

Triplets

Something I often do (but didn’t include in the ABC) is turn those F# quarter notes into triplets. In other words, measure 5 in the A part and measure 5 in th B part. Special thanks to ceolachan for all his help with getting the ABC format right. Cheers buddy!

"Gerald Thomas’s Burnt Potatoes"

Homage to Emile, and hopefully this won’t roust him from his sleep, but this lovely melody had me doing this with it, a small sample:

K: b minor
|: dc |
BF F/F/F dF F/F/F | AFED B,/C/B, A,B, | DEFE DEFA | ecAc B/c/B dc |
BF F/F/F dF F/F/F | AFED B,2 A,B, | DE E/E/E DE F/G/A | ecAc B2 :|
|: Bc |
defe dc B/c/d | cded cBAc | d2 f/e/d cdec |
[1 AB c/B/A B2 Bc | d2 fe dcBd | c2 ed cBAc | d2 fd c2 ec | A2 c/B/A B2 :|
[2 A2 cA B2 dc | BF F/F/F dF F/F/F | AFED B,2 A,B, | DE E/E/E DEFA | ecAc B2 ||

Tie Aindriu ~ we were both thinking triplets, which can be shown either way ~ (3FFF ~ or ~ F/F/F ~ as I’ve given them above… I didn’t see your post until I hit the button [ post ] to add the above transcript…

Those triplets could also be rolled, or, one example, bar 1 -

|: dc | B ~F3 d ~F3 | - - -
or as some like to show it -
|: dc | BF ~F2 dF ~F2 | - - -

Here’s a nice youtube clip of this reel on fiddle and guitar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MXraaYw6-U


The second half of the B part is different from the one that Aindriu posted - and quite similar, incidentally, to ceolachan’s variation.

Great tune, either way. I’ve been obsessed with it ever since I heard Aindriu himself play it on bouzouki at a session I visited in St. John’s earlier this month!