The Tap Room reel

I got this one of the "Smoke In Your Eyes" book.

What "Smoke In Your Eyes" book? Where did you get it?

I’m assuming the 3rd book written by Caoimhin Gaimh? Page 84? Yup, that’s the one!
You could probably get it online. I got mine from Skip Healy.

Yup…That’s where I got mine. http://www.skiphealy.com/frames/fr_music.htm
That’s a link to the book…For all of those who are interested.

Brent

Thanks! Any advice on a good introductory book for someone struggling with concertina?
Birgit

Source: Mary McNamara Transcription: g.m.p.

|:E2BE [Dd]EBE|dBAF DEFD|E2BE [Dd]EBE|dBAF BEED|
E2BE [Dd]EBE|dBAF DEFA|afge fdec|dBAF BEE2:|:
e3f gfec|dBAF DFGD|Beef gfec||dBAF BEE2|
Beef gfec|dBAF DFGA|afge fdec|dBAF BEE2:|

I love Mary McNamara.
( is she married? )

Shouldn’t this be E Dorian (which would make all of those accidental C#s non-accidental, and would require an accidental natural on the C in the 12th measure)?

I love Mary MacNamara too. But, nobody can beat the energetic and imaginative playing of "The Tap Room Trio." I’ve been playing this tune mixing their version and more common versions.

K: Edor
E2(3ABc d2Bc|dBAF DEFD|E2BE dEBE|dBAF BEED|
E2(3ABc d2Bc|dBAF DEF2|afge fdec|1 dBAF BEED:|2 dBAF BEE2||
Bdef gfed|BdAF DEFD|Bdef gfed|BdAF BEE2|
Bdef gfed|BdAF DEF2|afge fdec|1 dBAF BEE2:|2 dBAF BEED||

K: Edor
E2Be edB2|dBAF DEFD|E2Be edB2|dBAF BFAF:|
e2ef gfef|dBAF DEFD|~e3f gfef|dBAF BFAF|
edef gfef|dBAB defg|abag fgfe|dBAF BFAF||

It’s based on Mike Rafferty’s beautiful playing, but not exactly the same: http://www.worldtrad.org/MP3/WFO1/MIKE%20RAFFERTY.mp3 This is a really nice version for flute not only because it sounds lovely but because it carefully avoids C notes.

The tune itself seems one of many descendants of "Drowsy Maggie" and "Sleepy Maggie." Here are the links to particularly similar tunes:

Fling setting: https://thesession.org/tunes/444
3-part setting: https://thesession.org/tunes/2626

Here’s a tune I got at my local session which seems to be a version of The Tap Room:

X: 1
T: Dermot McLaughlin’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Edor
EGBd cABc|d2AF DEED|EGBd cABc|1 dBAd BEED:|2 dBAd BEEA||
Beed egfe|defg afed|Beed egfe|dBAd BEEA|
Beed egfe|defg a2fa|bgeg ~f3e|dBAd BEED||

Actually it’s a bit like the Rolling Barrel also.

Rolling in the Barrell/ The Tap Room/ The Earl’s Chair

East Clare musicians sometimes play the set. It’s on Mary MacNamara’s first album, and I played it with Pat O’Connor in Tokyo! It seems popularised by Paddy Canny and P.J. Hayes.

Anyway, the first part of Dow’s version reminds me of Donegal setting of "Drowsy Maggie." D. McLaughlin is a Donegal fiddler, isn’t he? The second part is very similar to that of the version recorded by "The Tap Room Trio": http://mad.elive.net/productaudio/SPINCD1007_3.mp3

I think I have to confine myself to one or two settings of this tune. Just confusing.

Da yo ne, today inbetween bouts of study I’ve been playing through Rolling In The Barrel, Tap Room, Drowsy Maggie normal, Drowsy Maggie Donegal, Dermot McLaughlin’s and that other one, the Reel With The Birl, and now I’m thoroughly confused.

My favourtie setting of Maggie: https://thesession.org/tunes/2215#comment129390

I play another varient in E (I think Mixolydian) as "Sweet Molly". I have always played it alone as a little party piece on the mandoline because no-one else ever seems to know it.

I have no idea where I got it and have always assumed it was a Scottish variation on Drowsy Maggie, but it’s a much lighter tune. I just stumbled on it, however, on The Fiddlers Companion at http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/HONOR_HOW.htm as Hopetoun House, and apparently it was first published under this name in 1760 - so perhaps it predates Drowsy Maggie?

If I understand rightly what the text is saying, O’Neill renamed it to "The Youngest Daughter".

In her collection "A Drop In The Ocean", Josephine Keegan has notated a tune in E Minor which she calls The Tap Room which bears little resemblance to this one. I set out the tune below. Anyone know this by another name?

X:1
T:The Tap Room
M:4/4
R:Reel
K:Em
|:Beef e2dB|AD (3FED FAAc|Beef edBc|dBAc BEE2|
Beef e2dB|AD (3FED FAAc|Beef edBc|dBAc BEE2:||
|:(3Bcd eg fde^c|defg afed|(3Bcd eg fde^c|dBAc BEE2|
(3Bcd eg fde^c|defg afef|g2ge f2fe|dBAc BEE2:||

Someone mentioned the "Youngest Daughter". Norbeck has a separate entry for that, but it’s clearly just a version of the Tap Room. The 1st couple of bars do have echoes of Farewell To Ireland, though:

X: 1
T: Youngest Daughter, The
R: reel
H: See also "In the Tap Room", #295.
H: The name is from O’Neill’s, since there is no name on Mary Bergin’s recording
D: Mary Bergin: Feadoga Stain
Z: id:hn-reel-378
M: C|
K: Edor
~E3G BEGB|dBAF DEFD|~E3G BEGB|dBAF BEED|
~E3G BEGB|dBAF DEFD|a2ge fdec|1 dBAF BEED:|2 dBAF BE~E2||
|:~e3f gfec|dBAF DEFD|~e3f gfec|dBAF BE~E2|
~e3f gfec|d2ce d2fg|afge fdec|1 dBAF BE~E2:|2 dBAF BEED||

Aidan, that tune in Josephine Keegan’s book is a version of the Queen Of May https://thesession.org/tunes/2518, only with a non-standard B-part similar to a version in O’Neill’s entitled Kitty Losty’s.

I think the tune entitled "Charlie O’Donnell’s" on the first Altan album is a Donegal version of the Tap Room. Compare with the tune I posted as "Dermot McLaughlin’s" above.

X: 1
T: Charlie O’Donnell’s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
S: Altan
R: reel
K: Edor
EB~B2 BABc|d2AF DEFD|~E2cE BABc|dAFA BE~E2|
EB~B2 BABc|d2AF DEFD|EBBA FABc|dBA=c BE~E2||
Beed egfe|d2fd adfd|Beed egfe|dAFA BE~E2|
Beed egfe|defg abaf|gage fgfe|dBAF DEFD||

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=8eVqJDjohqk&feature=related

play video

This tune is in the Gunn Book (Fermanagh 1865) as Polly’s Rant

The second tune here by Brendan Mulholland, Brendan Hendry and Paul McSherry, played up a semi tone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkFK7qB2Zxw

play video

Love Tap Room Trio’s version of this- and they do it in f dorian too, which sounds pretty cool.

I love Brongaene Griffin’s version.

Which I think I’ve transcribed correctly

X: 1
T: In The Tap Room
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Reel
K: C
A,2~A,2 EA,EA,|A,2 EA, B,A,G,B,|A,2~A,2 EA,EA,|E2 DF EA, A,2|
A,2~A,2 EA,EA,|A,2 EA, B,A,G,B,|A,2~A,2 EA,EA,|E2 {F} DF EA, A,2|
A2 BA eABA | G^FGB d2 BG| A2 BA eABA |G^FGE DA, A,2|
A2 BA eABA | G^FGB d2 BG| AB{d}BA G^FGE| D2 B,D EA, A,G,||

oops…low B not low E

X: 1
T: In The Tap Room - Brongaene’s version
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Reel
K: C
A,2~A,2 EA,B,A,|A,2 EA, B,A,G,B,|A,2~A,2 EA,B,A,|E2 DF EA, A,2|
A,2~A,2 EA,B,A,|A,2 EA, B,A,G,B,|A,2~A,2 EA,B,A,|E2 {F} DF EA, A,2|
A2 BA eABA | G^FGB d2 BG| A2 BA eABA |G^FGE DA, A,2|
A2 BA eABA | G^FGB d2 BG| AB{d}BA G^FGE| D2 B,D EA, A,G,||

When I listen to ‘Sweet Molly’ on "Caledonia’s Hardy Sons", I don’t perceive any connection with this reel. Silly Wizard plays it as Strathspey and reel, and their version sounds more like this to me:
X:1
T:Sweet Molly (Strathspey)
D:Silly Wizard - Caledonia’s Hardy Sons
M:4/4
R:Strathspey
L:1/8
K:E Dorian
|:B<e e>f e2 d>B|d2 f>d e>c d>A|B<e e>f e2 d>B|1A<B d>F E2-E2:|2A<B d>F E2 D>E|
|:F2 F>E D>E F<A|B2 B>A B>d e<f|d>c d>A B>e e<f|1d>c d>F E2 D>E:|2d>c d>F E2-E2|

I find it tricky to distinguish between this and Rolling in The Barrel that precedes it on the Paddy Canny LP (1959).mary MacNamara did he same set which finishes with The Earl’s Chair. She did them in Dmin and then C on C/G concertina

THE GLOAMING

(sorry, here) http://www.irishtimes.com/theticket/thegloaming/

What, only 11 settings?? No. 12 is from O’Neill’s 1850, which is pretty much how I play it.
I like that dEBe variant in the A part, and these E to e jumps in the B part.

Kevin Burke and Martin Hayes play the above-mentioned set (Rolling in the Barrell/The Tap Room/The Earl’s Chair) as an unaccompanied duet (ooh yeah!) on Burke’s ‘In Concert’ CD too.

http://youtu.be/sBcVN227vjQ

play video

Charlie Harris, Jackie Daly and the McGuire brothers, Manus and Seamus.
"The Tap Room" starts the medley, followed by "The Moving Bog" and "The Lilies In The Field".

Although I can read music I find it quite a lengthy process to work out a tune so its great to get a midi file to play it instantly and decide if I want to learn it. I tried the Tap Room tune midi but it plays so fast I can’t fathom it.Can I do anything to slow it down?

Windows media player has a slider which can change the speed it plays midi files.

@pete hulme: Why would you listen to the MIDI while there are 3 excellent clips posted in the comments, one immediately before your post!? 😲 If it’s too fast, VLC lets you slow down any audio or video (including youtube streams) without changing the pitch.

Source: Rira With Stuart Mitchell
Transcription: gian Marco pietrasanta

The Stephen Grier MSS also have "Polly’s Rant" as the title of this reel, Book 2 (SG2.059)