If You Will Not Have Me, You May Let Me Go three-two

Here’s something more for Dow to bitch about… 8-)

But the title of the thing is well worth the price of admission. :)

Thanks C…
We’ve had a spate of 3/2s at our session recently, and this was one I meant to learn. A timely reminder :-)
(I’ve also got to go and practice "Our cat has kitted", my fingers still get in a twist in the B part!

Chris

Lucky you, sounds like a fun session. However, Chris, if you want a straighter take on on this then ignore my ties (B2- B2 = B4)… Also, I did have my own way with it, in particular in the 3rd and 4th part, reflecting back on the endings for the first two parts. I have notes for it that give consistent endings for all parts, no 1st and 2nd endings ~

A-part ~ |d2 f2 f2 e2 d2 c2 | edcB ABcA B4 :|
B-part ~ | G2 B2 ABcA edcB | F2 B2 ABcA B4 :|
C-part ~ | B2 d2 d2 F2 F2 D2 | E4 F4 B,4 :|
D-part ~ | B2 G2 G2 E2 F2 D2 | E4 F4 B,4 :|

That should at least give you some idea of how I’ve varied from another take on this tune, as found in:

"A Northern Lass: Traditional Dance Music of North-West England"
compiled and edited by Jamie Knowles
Dave Mallinson Publications, 1995
ISBN: 1-899512-16-0

Page 40: "If you will not have me, you may let me go"

I have a waltz version!!!

X:1
K: Bm
M: 3/4
L:1/8
|: FB/B/ Bd cB | Ac/c/ ce dc | df fe dc/d/ | e/d/c/B/ A/B/c/A/ B2 :|
|: fB/B/ Bg fb | b/a/g/f/ e/d/c/B/ A2 | Bd/d/ dB GE | e/d/c/B/ A/B/c/A/ B2 :|
|: Bd/d/ df fd | eg/g/ gc’ c’a | bd’/d’/ d’b ge |1 e2 f2 B2 :|2 e2 f2 Bd’/d’/ |
|: d’b/b/ bg/g/ ge | c’a/a/ af/f/ fd | bg/g/ ge/e/ ed |1 e2 f2 Bd’/d’/ :|2 e2 f2 B2 ||

LOL - I think the dancers may get their toes in a twist!

My version’s pretty much what bellowhead play. But only it’s 3/4 rather than 3/2.

Here’s the version of this tune in the William Vickers manuscript from 1770.

http://www.asaplive.com/archive/detail.asp?id=R0303401

X:1
T:If you will not have me you may lett me go
K:Bb
M:6/8
L:1/8
|: FBB dcB | Acc edc | dff edc | e/d/c/B/ A/B/c/A/ B2 :|
|: fBB gfB | b/a/g/f/ e/d/c/B/ A2 | GB A/B/c/A/ e/d/c/B/ | FB A/B/c/A/ B2 :|
|: B,DD FFD | EGG ccA | Bdd FFD | E2 F2 B,2 :|
|: dBB GGE | cAA FFD | BGG EFD | E2 F2 B,2 :|]

LOL why would I bitch about this? You know I like 3/2s!

Get back to work ~ "WHACK!" 8-)

Great tune we are currently giving it some stick at our session

To aid comparisons… ;-)

Today is three-two day? :)

see SteveW above; it’s in B flat, does anyone else play it in a major key as written?

http://www.asaplive.com/archive/detail.asp?id=R0303401

As there are no Bb keys given as options the relative Dorian, C, for Bb Major, has been chosen for the two flats, the Vickers transcription moved from 6/8, which it ain’t, to 3/4 and then 3/2…

Bobday ~ what about adding a Bb Major (C Dorian) transcription for you play it?

Do we know why Vickers beamed it that way ? I think I have seen other 3/2s beamed with a mix of two groups and three groups per bar in the old manuscripts. What is it telling us ?

But I have just checked and the other example I can find quickly was also Vickers.

Age doesn’t give a decision more credibility. We didn’t used to notate slides as 12/8. Like everything else, our knowledge moves forward, if at times slowly, at other times seeming to stand still, and worse when it slides back before moving forward again. Actually, ‘worse’ is when it stagnates.

Personally, I suspect Mr. Vickers just didn’t know any better, or, in other words, got it wrong… :-D The melody clearly speaks for itself, as compound. If you’d slammed all those notes together without any barring at all, or spaces, it would still come out clearly compound. But, I’m open to any proofs to the contrary. 8-)

|: FBBdcBAccedcdffedce/d/c/B/A/B/c/A/B2 :|
|: fBBgfBb/a/g/f/e/d/c/B/A2GBA/B/c/A/e/d/c/B/FBA/B/c/A/B2 :|
|: B,DDFFDEGGccABddFFDE2F2B,2 :|
|: dBBGGEcAAFFDBGGEFDE2F2B,2 :|

‘c’ - have a look at the second tune down on this page: http://www.folknortheast.com/archive/detail.asp?id=R0304703

Its https://thesession.org/tunes/1208. How about the beaming of the B part being Vickers reminder to himself of how he accented it ?

(A year on I still haven’t got that one well enough to join in with :-( Must get back to it)

Confusions and curiosities in barring are not rare, including in the present. Sometimes you find everything in a bar barred, sometimes you find odd combinations, even where 6/8 is concerned. Mostly the music, the melody, speaks for itself and guides you, or the dance does, or both, at least if you’ve enough music and/or dance under your belt already. But that’s true with many things. ;-) There were some fun variations though in such things as Galliards, and folk like Tommy Hayes love to tease the music in different rhythmic ways, and then there’s zweifachers and mixed meter Balkan melodies, which specific dances fit and follow, or is it the other way round, the music following the dance? Even there, the rhythms speak sense to those familiar with them by ear and feet…

Me too, me to, mea culpa, must get back to it, and so much more… :-/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qErqZuIsu2Q

play video