Tunes?

Jack Macleod · Post by **Jack Macleod** » Thu Aug 08, 2002 11:50 am

I posted this on Bob Dunsire's piping forum but got no response...help me out here....

How 'bout a list (10? 20? More?) of tunes every uilleann piper should know. Kind of like "massed band" tunes for Highland pipers....

john · Post by **john** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 11:43 am

the old bush
merry blacksmith
kerry reel (kerry man's daughter)
jenny's wedding
craig's pipes
rakish paddy
old torn petticoat
sean reid's favourite
sally gardens
pigeon on the gate

i'd like to hear others choice of tunes that they regard as pretty standard to the repertoire of a piper

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 12:19 pm

some of us play jigs and hornpipes too. Marches even. And airs.

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 1:32 pm

Here's a few excellent Hornpipes, Set Dances, and jigs every piper should know:

The Derry Hornpipe
The Job of Journeywork
The Ace and Deuce of Pipering
Coppers and Brass
The Joy of My Life (aka Donnybrook Fair)
The Choice Wife (An Phis Fliuch)
The Gold Ring
The Old Favorite
The Little Fair Cannavans

Airs?

I dunno. I like the classics -

Sliabh na Mnan (sp?)
The Coolin
The Dear Irish Boy
The Yellow Bittern
The Snowy-Breasted Pearl

Pat

Kevin Popejoy · Post by **Kevin Popejoy** » Wed Aug 14, 2002 7:26 am

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Wed Aug 14, 2002 7:58 am

Hey Kevin.

Sorry no I haven't, but I'm sure it's grand.

The Song of the Books is a powerful lament and sounds great on flat pipes.

janice · Post by **janice** » Wed Aug 14, 2002 10:33 am

And don't forget all of those great modal D pipe jigs(my personal faves)

Frieze Britches
Garret Barry's
All of the assorted "old hag",buried my wife tunes( what a bunch of bitter guys those old pipers must have been!)

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Wed Aug 14, 2002 12:15 pm

Some of today's pipers could give them a run for their money

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Wed Aug 14, 2002 12:37 pm

...wa wa wait wait a minute! There's always two sides to every story. Some of the best tunes came from some of these "bitter" guys...and who's to say they were wrong without a cause?

Ever try composing a good tune rather than yielding to the temptation to lose your composure? It may have save a lot of good souls their sanity. Wrestling with the old 7 legged octopus (the pipes) can be a costructive alternative to wrestling, even verbally, with the old lady. (No excuses)

Lorenzo

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Wed Aug 14, 2002 12:56 pm

I was just kidding! Sheesh! I was thinking of certain heated exchanges which used to take place on the uilleann pipes discussion group on Heanet.ie.

janice · Post by **janice** » Wed Aug 14, 2002 1:01 pm

I didn't mean bitter without reason(!)
I wrote a lament called "It's Cold in my Basement" after being banished there for the umpteenth time.

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Wed Aug 14, 2002 1:27 pm

Janice...that's a good one. You deserve more than some cold, damp, dark basement with only an octopus for company. Hope yours is a daylight basement today.

One of the more interesting titles for an old Irish jig I found in a book was called, "The Gudgeon of Maurice's Car." I still don't know what he or she was referring to exactly...a pivot, a journal, a socket..., a fish, or a wrist pin. Probably a wrist pin which is a stud (no pun intended) that forms a journal for a connecting rod. Yikes! That could be kind of confusing, and subject to misinterpretation.

Lorenzo

Kevin Popejoy · Post by **Kevin Popejoy** » Wed Aug 14, 2002 4:32 pm

marcpipes · Post by **marcpipes** » Wed Aug 14, 2002 10:35 pm

Does that mean Maurice was a used car salesman? Perhaps he sold the gudgeon a "dodgey" vehicle. If he sold older dogs would he be a used cur salesman?...Sorry...
Actually my comment deals for the tune list deals with the Davy Spillane tutor which, while being sub-standard for teaching gracenotes has a great list of tunes: Lark in the Morning, The Mountain Road, Cup of Tea reel, Kiss the Maid Behind the Bar, etc. Most of these I've heard recordings of by many pipers and so must assume that they are played fairly commonly in sessions. A few questions though. I also have the O'Neill collection and find alot of the tunes are a bit different than I usually hear them or see them written elsewhere. Are these 19th century typos or has there been a general re-arranging of the tunes as time goes on. How do you know which version to play? Can anybody recommend a good book of slow airs and sadder tunes(appropriate for use at funerals)? Ossians Lament (Page 23) in the O'Neill book is very nice and easy to memorize.
Thanks

Marc