Favorite Reels

[AlBrown]

I am going to be learning a few new reels in the coming months, and in addition to the ones I hear at the pub, I was thinking of learning a few different ones. What are people's favorite reels, and why do you like them?

[BigDavy]

Drunken Landlady, for the swing.
Salamanca as I like the tune.
The Otter's Holt for what a good player can do with it.
Colonel Frazer for the drive when played at warp speed on the pipes.

David

[buddhu]

A lot of the cliche, greatest-hits ones are great tunes - which is why they get done to death. I still love 'em.

Maid Behind the Bar
Drowsy Maggie
Col. Rodney's
Silver Spear
Swallow's Tail
Fermoy Lasses
Wind That Shakes the Barley

Not trolling, I really do still like this stuff, despite the eye-rolling of those who prefer more esoteric fare.

[benhall.1]

Of course you're "not trolling"; they're good tunes. I don't actually play Col Rodney's. I've had a look and it looks a fine old Scottish tune to me - fairly typically Scottish (possibly why I don't play it ... yet).

My current favourite reel by a long way is Bunker Hill. Brilliant, it is!

[Mr.Gumby]

OK I'll bite.

T:Jack Roe
R:reel
M: 4/4
L:1/8
K:DMix
~A3F GFED|(3EFG AB cABA|GBdg egdB|GBAF GFED|
!(3EFG AF GFED|(3EFG AB cABA|GBdB AcBA|1GEDE GD (3EFG:|2GEDE GA (3B^cd|
!:~g3e fddf|efge fedf|eB~B2 efge|fdef gdef|
!gbag eage|dBBA BAGF|GBdB AcBA|1GEDE GA (3B^cd:|2GEDE GD (3EFG||

T:Launching The Boat
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:D
c|:d2fd AGFA|BE~E2 BAFA|d2fd AGFD|EFGA BABc|!
defd AGFA|BE~E2 BAFG|A2FA dAFD|EFDE FDFA::\
!:fd~d2 fdge|fAde fagf|eggf ~g3f|efga bgag|
!fd~d2 edBc|defd AGFG|A2FA DAFD|EFDE FDFA:|

T:John Naughton's
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:Reel
K:Edor
B2 BA Beed|B2 AG FDFA|B2 BA Beed|B2 AG FDDA:||!
fede fd d2|fede fbba|fede fddB|ABde fdde|!
fede fd d2|fede fbba|fgef dedB|ABde fded||



T:Leitrim Bucks
R:reel
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Edor
A2 FA AD (3FED|A2 FA BcdB|A2 FA AD (3FED|EFGA BE (3EDE:|
dcBc d2 Bc|d2 cA BE (3EDE|dcBA BAGF|EFGA BE (3EDE :|
dcBc d2 Bc|d2 cA BE (3EDE|dcBA BAGF|EFGA BE (3EDE :|
fa (3aga afdf|a2 fd eB (3BAB|fa (3aga afdf|defd eB (3BAB|
fa (3aga afdf|a2 fd eB (3BAB|fa (3aga afdf|defd e2 de||
f3 g fede|f2 df eB (3BAB|f3 d e2 fe|d2 fd eB (3BAB|
f3 g fede|f2 df eB (3BAB|f3 d e2 fe|defd e2 dB||

T:Mills are Grinding
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:reel
K:G
DGGF ~G3A|BGBd cAFA|D3 E ~F3 G|ABcA BGAF|
DGGF ~G3A|BGBd cAFA|dcde fdcA|AGFA ~G3 A:|
dggf ~g3 a|bgga bgaf|dcde ~f3g|agfg aggf|
dgfa ~g3 a|bgga bgaf|dcde fdcA|AGFA ~G3 A:|

T:Mrs. Crehan's
R:reel
M:C|
L:1/8
K:G
G2dG eGdG|G2dG AdBA|G2dG eGdG|1 EGAB cedB:|2 EGAB cege||
d2 (3Bcd GdBd|GdBd eA~A2|d2 (3Bcd GdBd|ecAc BG~G2|
d2Bd G2BG|~G2BG AE~E2|GABc dedc|BdAc BGGF||



That should get you started.

[Nanohedron]

Among new flute material D minor's an attraction for me lately, so The Humors of Scariff and The Torrid Romance are on my practice docket's A-list.

Like Mr. Gumby I very much like Jack Rowe, but I learned it from some really kickin' and bouncy B/C box-playing, so while I can get the basic bounce of it, on flute I just don't seem to be able to conjure up quite the same swagger that I heard and am hoping to emulate. Maybe if I forgot that %@&$# box for a while....

My go-to flute reel workhorses would probably be The Foxhunters, Father O'Grady's Trip to Bocca, The Redhaired Lass, Galway Rambler, and Bantry Lasses.

[Cathy Wilde]

Aha! I've been looking for John Naughton's -- to play with Jack Rowe, nonetheless. Thanks, Mr. Gumby!!!!!

If you're a boxplayer you can't go wrong with any of Paddy O'Brien (Nenagh)'s tunes -- Iniscealtra is a terrific one, and New Year's Eve and The Barge Inn make a brilliant set. Two other favorites of mine are Larkin's Beehives (which I think is one of the all-time greats) and Hanley's Tweed.

I'm hanging out in D minor myself lately and as such am having a lot of fun with The Porthole of the Kelp.

[Mr.Gumby]

I doubt though it's the same Naughton's. I only named it John Naughton's because I lifted it off a John Naughton tape, together with a bunch of other unnamed ones that are now 'Naughton's'. It's not one of the commonly known as Naughton's (if that makes any sense).

You might be looking for this one:

T: John Naughton's
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ador
A3 G EGDE|G2BG cGBG|ABAG EGD2|1 egdB BAAG:|2 gedB BAA2||
ageg a2ba|gede g2ge|ageg a2ga|bgga bg~g2|
ageg ageg|gedB GABd|ea~a2 g3 d|egdB BAAG||

[straycat82]

St. Patrick's Night is one that I just learned and I'm very much enjoying it. Not sure what instrument you play but it sits very nicely on the whistle... and I got it from a concertina player so perhaps it suits the box well too.

I don't have any abc or sheet music for it as I learned it by ear but I recorded a clip of it which you can find in my signature below (it's not tha great but you can get the notes from it anyway).

I also just learned Larkin's Beehive to go after it which is another lovely reel.

X: 1
T: Larkin's Beehive
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
|:~B3 d edge|dGBG AGEG|~B3 d edge|dBAd BG~G2|
~B3 d edge|dGBG AGEG|~B2GB ABGB|dBAd BG~G2:|
|:BABd eg~g2|ea~a2 gedB|GBdB eBdB|~A2BG AGEG|
~B3d eg~g2|ezab gedc|BDGB A{B}AGB|dBAd BG~G2:|

[cboody]

Some chestnuts I really like:

The Bucks of Oranmore
The Banshee
The Sound of Sleat (scottish reel)
Foxhunters Reel (which I butcher )

[Cathy Wilde]

Aaah, you are indeed correct, Mr. G. -- but I sat down with that first No-Name Naughton's tune last night and I have to say it's a nice one; if I can keep from wandering into Thady Casey's I may have to adopt it! Thanks for that! Also, thanks for the nice Mrs. Crehan's. I've never been able to get the 2nd half of the B part quite right and my stupid ear can't keep up with the Kellys, so it helps to see it laid out.

P.S. St. Patrick's Night is also a Paddy O'Brien composition, so it's uber-box-friendly!

[Mr.Gumby]

I got a truckload of tunes off Tony Linnane, Kevin Crawford and Mick Conneelly a few months ago.

Anyhow, a fiddle player visited yesterday and she played the following one, among others. That will suit the accordeon well (pipes and flute too by the way). I blame it on Jackie Daly. It's always played as a reel but I am not actually sure it originally is one. Easy little tune, whatever it is.

T:Creamer's Reel (or Charlie Harris')
R:reel
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:D
e|A2 AB AFDF|AFAd f3 g|afef dBBc|dBAF FEDF|
AFAB AFDF|AFAd f3 g|afef dBAF|Adfe d3 :|
e|fded BAFA|dcdf a2 af|fefd edBc|dBAF FEDF|
A2 AB AFDF|AFAd f3 g|afef dBAF|Adfe d3 :|

[MTGuru]

T:Creamer's Reel (or Charlie Harris')

I play that as "The Tinker's Daughter" on whistle. No idea where I picked it up, and I take it pretty fast.

X:1
T:Tinker's Daughter, The ?
M:C|
K:D
A3B AF~F2|AFAd ~f3g|afef dB~B2|dBAF EFDF|
A^GAB AF~F2|AFAd ~f3g|Afef dedB|Adfe d4:|
f2ed BA (3FGA|dcdf afdf|g2fg eBBc|dBAF EFDF|
A3B AF~F2|AFAd ~f3g|Afef dedB|Adfe d4:|

[Mr.Gumby]

The Tinker's Daughter is a different one altogether, one of Vincie Broderick's

A2 FA DAFA f2 df efdB A2 FA DAFA B2 dB BAF

The Creamer name comes from the Mulvihil collection. Jackie Daly got it from Charlie Harris when they both played for the sets in Kinvarra and named it after him when they recorded it with the Dannan. Wouldn't take that one very fast normally. Only usually play it when Jackie comes up with it anyway. As I said, I blame him for this one.

I always feel the tune is closely related to The buck from the Mountain, which is normally treated as a hornpipe but really doesn't feel like that either.

There was a discussion about the same stuff elsewhere recently.

[MTGuru]

The Tinker's Daughter is a different one altogether, one of Vincie Broderick's

Yes, I know. Seems to me I had another, better name for this other one at some point. Norbeck has it as The Tinkerman's Daughter.