The Swallow’s Nest reel

Source: Kevin Crawford_maiden voiage
Transcription: Gian Marco Pietrasanta

Hi! sorry for sounding so un-learned but I read music as defgabc etc and I can’t understand this ….G3A business or 2Fga or 1F ……are the lower case letters low notes and the upper case high notes ??? and what do the numbers mean???
Help!!!
Many thanks.

This tune also appears on the album ‘Fierce Traditional’ by Frankie Gavin

Just in case anybody hasn’t noticed the “alternative” title, Paddy O’Brien published this reel as “The Swallow’s Nest”. Thought it worth putting in the “comments”.

There’s no “Stolen Reel” listed in the recording section on Frankie’s “Fierce Traditional” CD that I can see.

The tune that Trian plays is the “Nervous Man”:

https://thesession.org/tunes/3247

“The Compositions of Paddy O’Brien”
J.D.C. Publications Ltd., Scotland, 1992

Page 39: “The Swallow’s Nest” / “The Swallows’ Nest”

The jig that is titled “Paddy O´Brien´s” on this great recording, is one of his compositions, and is called “The Black Lough”. It has been submitted under that name. The tune that comes up when you follow the link on the playlist of the cd is ,of course, a reel and has nothing to do with the tune in question.

The recording I´m referring to being “They Sailes Away From Dublin Bay”. I think I got a bit lost somewhere!!;o)

The Black Lough: https://thesession.org/tunes/5459

This doesn’t seem anything like the Paddy O’Brien’s on Natalie MacMaster’s Compilation CD. Is she playing a different song or a variation of this tune? Anybody know?

There are a ton of tunes written by Paddy O‘Brien that are called “Paddy O’Brien’s”. If it doesn’t sound like the same tune, then it probably isn’t, although I can’t speak specifically for the the MacMaster CD.

Which Paddy O’Brien is this?

Read the comments ~ all will be revealed… 😏

Another take on this tune.

X: 1
T: Swallow’s Nest, The
C: Paddy O’Brien (Nenagh)
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: G
~G3A GEDE|G2BG AedB|A~E3 A2 B/c/d|egfa gedB|
~G3A GEDE|GABd efge|d~G3 EGDG|1 FGAF GcBA:|2 FGAF G2 Bc||
dgbg edBA|GEDE GABd|eaab aged|~B3d e2 ge|
d~g3 agbg|aged eage|d~G3 EGDG|1 FGAF GABc:|2 FGAF GcBA||

From a handout Des wrote for a 1983 workshop. The last couple of bars in his version clash with the usual way I’ve heard it played in sessions, but he’s added some nice variations to the tune.

K:G
(3DEF|G3 A GEDB,|DEGA BedB|AE (3EEE ABcd|eaba gedB|
DG (3AGF GEDB,|DEGA BABc|dG (3GGG FDAF|DFAF G2 (3DEF|
GABA GEDB,|DEGA BedB|AE (3EEE ABcd|eg (3agf gedB|
GdBA GEDB,|DEGA BG (3ABc|dG (3GGG FDAF|DFAF G2||
Bc|dgag edBA|GBDE GABd|ea^gb aged|BABd ed (3ABc|
eg (3ggg agbg|aged eage|dG (3GGG FDAF|DFAF G2:||

Watch him dance to this reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svZvAfGQ3J4

play video

Does anybody have an idea of who the flute player is?

G A e

Harry McGowan, apparently!

… and that’s according to Carmel Gunning, whom I’m sure would know. [ His name is mentioned in the Comments, “slainte” ].

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svZvAfGQ3J4

play video

Flute player’s name courtesy of Carmel Gunning…

Are there any other examples of his playing available to hear?

Harry is a Master…..
https://vimeo.com/162391670

That video is just fantastic. Thanks for pointing it out!

from the source.

First reel - By Siobhan O’Donnell of London - one of the best pieces of Irish flute playing I ever heard.

https://youtu.be/R-r1pDRlVm8

play video

Followed by “The Crib Of Perches”.

Learnt this variation from Aoife Ní Bhriain. I like the string shift in measure 7 (and repeats) on the fiddle, covering both strings.