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If Only A Little three-two

There are 2 recordings of a tune by this name.

If Only A Little has been added to 4 tune sets.

If Only A Little has been added to 43 tunebooks.

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Two settings

X: 1
T: If Only A Little
R: three-two
M: 3/2
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:GDBA- ABGD dc(3BAG|DEGA AGGA ABDE|
GDBA- ABGD dcBG|1(3BcdeG- GAAB FGGz:|2(3BcdeG- GAAB FGgg||
M:7/8
|:add a2gf|ega a2gg|c'bg gag2|gfd GAG2|
gad a2gf|ega a2gg|c'bg gag2|gfd G2G2:|
X: 2
T: If Only A Little
R: three-two
M: 3/2
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
G2BA2!slide!BG2dc{c}BG|!slide!E2 G !slide!A2 G{A}GAABDE|
G2BA2!slide!BG2dc{c}BG|cdeG2AAB FGGz|
GDBA2!slide!BG2dc{c}BG|!slide!E2 G !slide!A2 G{A}GAABDE|
G2BA2!slide!BG2dc{c}BG|cdeG2A{c}AB FGGz|
M:7/8
|:{c'}add Ja2{a}gfeJga a2gz| c'bg g<ag2 Jgfd GAG2|
add Ja2{a}g{a}feJga Ja2gz|c'bg g<agz Jgfd G4:|

Nine comments

About this tune…

It’s definitely not a three-two, but the first part is in 3/2… or perhaps 6/4, I’m not sure.
This incredibly beautiful tune was written by none other than Brian Finnegan, and played after a slow air in this clip here-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6TtqedsR5k


I don’t know the name or anything else about it, other than it’s played on an Olwell bamboo flute in the key of… Ab!

Beauuuutiful tune. I just had a very concentrated listen through it, and the barring for the first part should be 3-3-2-4, or something thereabouts. GDB A2 B GD dc (3BAG | DEG AAG GA ABDE | etc.
So yes, it adds up to the same number of beats per bar as 3/2, even though it’s clearly not a 3/2! Maybe 12/8 would be more appropriate? It’s still clearly not a slide though, either.

I wish I knew its name!

And yeah, Brian has a really annoying habit of playing flat-tuned instruments…

The name is "If Only A Little"… Nice somewhat poetic title… I do dearly wish I knew his story behind it, though.

Well, then, it would seem this tune was actually written about a poem! A poem by the same name, written by Damien O’Kane I’m assuming, as it says in the liner notes of Brian’s new CD.

Personally, I kind of prefer the version in that youtube clip over the album version, as it’s a bit slower, and without the drums, it seems to lose so much of that power it had for me the way I first heard it. It’s still undoubtedly an amazing tune, though!

If Only A Little, X:2

Inspired by recent attendance at a whistle workshop given by Brian (nice man!), another attempt at transcribing the tune from Brian’s CD. Interestingly, slides now appear in the music where they hadn’t before but the positioning isn’t great. I will have to go back and review old transcriptions and see how they look now.

Re: If Only A Little

Hi guys, please does anyone know what whistle matches the recording of Brian Finnegan?

Thanks a lot for any answer

Re: If Only A Little

It’s mentioned further above Klára, it’s an Ab Bamboo flute.

Re: If Only A Little

Thanks bogman, sorry I haven’t seen.