The Rambling Pitchfork (jig) on The Session

Also known as An Píce Ar Fán, Baxter’s, Clar-claigean An Moncaí, Clár-Cloigeann An Moncaí, The Farmer’s Frolic, The Fisherman’s Widow, The Monkey’s Forehead, Ramblin’ Pitchfork, Roland’s Return, Roland’s U-Turn, The Rollicking Dandy.

Eighteen comments

Here’s a lovely tune that sounds nice when it’s played with a "lilting" feeling.

The setting of the tune here includes a few slight variations on the melody. Compare the first four bars to the next four. Some of the longer notes have been replaced with triplets.

To give this tune a nice lilt, try sliding up to the long notes. This works especially well on the opening F in the first part, and the opening D of the second part.

If you’re playing the fiddle or banjo, keep your finger on the F for the first few bars, and use cross bowing/picking. This is a technique that is more often used in reels, "The Mountain Road" for example.

“The Rambling Pitchfork”

Key signature: D minor & 4-part
Submitted on January 1st 2004 by Christopher Reynolds.
https://thesession.org/tunes/2329

Roland’s U-Turn

Here’s a different setting of the tune called "Roland’s U-Turn". I transcribed it from the "Late In the Night" CD , live at O’Conner’s in Doolin. It’s a really nice version…has some extra flare…

X: 1
T: Roland’s U-Turn
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
Q: 1/8 = 400
R: jig
K: Fmaj
F2F AGF | cAG AGF | G2G A2B | d2d cAG|
F2F AGF | cAG AGF | G2A BAG | AFD D3 :|
|: ~f3 fcF | FAc fcA | G2G A2B | d2d cAG |
|[1 ~f3 fcF | FAc fcA | G2A BAG | AFD D3 :|
|[2 fef gfg | afd cAF | G2A BAG | AFD D3 ||
|| d2e fed | ede A=B^c | d2e fed | g2g gec |
| d2e fed | ede A2=B | G2A BAG | AFD D3 ||
|| d2e fed | ede A=B^c | d2e fed | afa def |
| afd gec| fed cAF | G2A BAG | AFD D3 ||

Scottish pipes version (w flattened c)

to be heard on one of BattlefieldBand’s albums (‘wae’s me… ’ or ‘there is a buzz’ perhaps)

“The Rambling Pitchfork” ~ courtesy of Michael Dunn, Irish fiddler, Lancashire

Anyone know where this tune is called "The flat skulled monkey"? I’m not disputing it as a name, I always love to see the Gaelic originals (or translations) for tunes, it’s just a very unusual one.

“Roland’s Return” ~ minor relatives

Key signature: d minor
Submitted on August 2nd 2008 by ceolachan.
https://thesession.org/tunes/8777

& a different take ~

"Roland’s Return"
Key signature: F Major (d minor)
Submitted on April 6th 2007 by joesmith.
https://thesession.org/tunes/7046

For another comparison to these see "Roland’s U-Turn" above…

I heard a longer version of this song that actually starts in E dorian with irish bagpipes playing a D drone…

Recorded by Felix Doran in 1949:

http://www.archive.org/details
/FelixDoranDoransFancyTheRamblingPitchfork

:-)

love this tune :-) :-)
a little video of me and a few friends from around the world at our ‘online session’…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH3RAmE_ZW8

play video

Mary Custy’s setting of Rambling Pitchfork

Setting 4 is from Mary Custy and Stephen Flaherty’s CD "After 10:30". They play it in C, but I’ve put it in D. Mary has a more standard setting in the sheet music and ABC on her teaching website, but you can hear her recording of it on the same page: http://www.marycustymusicschool.com/#!blog/c1hby . The first jig in the set is the Caherlistrane jig thesession.org/tunes/3006 .