David Adams reel

Composed by J.S. Skinner. This version appears on Fisherstreet’s “Out in the Night”. I think the original version was single, with no repeats, but Fisherstreet had it as a double.

I’ve decided to edit out the repeats and post this as a single reel. Because both parts have 1st and 2nd time endings, it works as a double as well, but I just think it’s punchier and less tediously repetitive in its phrasing as a single, the way it was originally meant to be. If you look at some other similar tunes by Skinner, like the Gladstone, the Bride’s Reel etc, you’ll see that he often used this kind of structure where the A-part has a 2nd time ending as well as the B-part. This one seems to fit nicely into that pattern. Just be aware, though, that most people who are familiar with this tune will probably have the Fisherstreet setting in their heads, which as I said is double with repeats.

X: 1
T: David Adams
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amaj
A2cA GABc|dcBA GEFG|A2cA Bcdf|ecdB cAAE|
A2cA GABc|dcBA GEFG|AcEc ABcd|1 ecdB cAAE:|2 ecdB cAAg||
|:aAag fddf|bBba geeg|aAag fdaf|ecdB cAAg|
a2ag fddf|b2ba geeg|agae faea|1 ecdB cAAg:|2 ecdB cAAE||

X: 1
T: Reel in A
S: Altan - The Poison Glen
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amaj
E|A2cA GBBc|d2BA GE~E2|A2cA Bcdf|ecdB cAAE|
A2cA GBBc|d2BA GE~E2|A2cA Bcdf|ecdB cAAg||
a2ea fdda|b2fa geeg|agae defa|ecdB cAAg|
a2ea fdda|b2fa geeg|agae defa|ecdB A3||

Submitted on July 21st 2012 by iris eve.

There are two similar reels which echo the tune in question. In my opinion what Altan play is the second of the two, a reel by James Scott Skinner called “David Adams”.

X:979
T:Mill Burn, The
S:Kerr’s Merry Melodies Bk.3
Z:Nigel Gatherer
L:1/8
M:4/4
K:A
E | A2 cA GABc | dFBA GBEG | A2 cA Bcdf | ecdB A/A/A A :|
B | Aaga fedc | dFBA GBEG | Aaga fedc | dfec A/A/A AB |
Aaga fedc | dFBA GBEG | AcBd cedf | ecdB A/A/A A |]

X:980
T:David Adams
C:James Scott Skinner
Z:Nigel Gatherer
L:1/8
M:4/4
K:A
E | A/A/A cA GABc | dcBA GEFG | A/A/A cA Bcdf | ecdB cAAa |
A/A/A cA GABc | dcBA GFEG | AcEc ABcd | ecdB cAAa ||
aAag fddf | bBba geeg | aAag fdaf | ecdB cAAg |
a/a/a Aa fddf b/b/b Bb geeg | agae faea | ecdB cAA |]

# Posted on July 21st 2012 by Nigel Gatherer

Nigel, the first tune you posted looks like a mixture of Scott Skinner’s David Adams and The Baker https://thesession.org/tunes/3861.

I learned the above submitted version of this tune from Dermot Diamond at a fiddle workshop in Oude Niedorp and then discovered it on “The Poison Glen”. At the workshop, we followed it with “Mickey Doherty’s Reel”.

This one is obviously related to its mixolydian cousin, The Mullingar Lee:
https://thesession.org/tunes/1657
It distinguishes itself by that catchy B part, with those characteristic I - IV - ii - V phrases.

The version I posted is again as played by Michael on http://irishflute.podbean.com/2007/06/20/nine-pint-coggie/, with some of his variations shown.

This isn’t the Nine Pint Coggie, which is a completely different tune. Your tune is a Gmaj version of Scott Skinner’s “David Adams” https://thesession.org/tunes/8575.

X: 4 comes from session member megapop under the (erroneous?) title of Nine Pint Coggie.

This appears as The Nine Pint Coggie in the Northern Fiddler in the repertoire of John Doherty, but is completely unrelated to that tune. Instead, it is related to Scott Skinner’s composition Davie Work and James Fraser’s, The Mill Burn.

That first A chord/double stop in the first bar is cool and would usually be a no go for fiddlers of Trad music persuasion. Unless he had his bridge filed down extra flat like American Old-Time and Bluegrass players you’re just not gonna make that one on a standardish bridge. I just had the thought that he may have raked the bow across the strings to get it happening. Mr. Doherty was known to use some fairly unconventional bow movements now and again…or it might be a misprint, haha.