Tag Archives: reel

More reels and October workshops

Posted on by
Reply

For the next couple of weeks both Flute and Whistle classes are looking at a pair of Irish single reels with Scottish origins: The Glentown Reel and The Boyne Hunt. For most, these will be new tunes, but for everyone there will be a chance to explore some more advanced techniques with them.

I have written on The Glentown Reel previously on The Flow Music Workshops web site and also The Boyne Hunt, originally entitled The Perthshire Hunt.

With a number of people being away, it’s good to remember that it is possible to catch up on a missed class by attending one of the other ones. There is no problem with this but if you let me know that you intend to do this, I can make sure that your needs are met within the class.

Fèis Fhoirt Adult flute and whistle workshops 24-25 October

I will be leading two day-long workshops in Callendar this October as part of Fèis Fhoirt.

  • Saturday 24 Oct: improver/ lower intermediate whistle.
  • Sunday 25 Oct: upper intermediate/ advanced flute

Both workshops will include a mix of repertoire and technique for the respective instruments. Low whistles are welcome to the whistle workshop. Boehm system (silver) flutes are welcome to the flute workshop, as well as keyed or unkeyed wooden flutes that are associated with traditional music.

There are a number of other workshops also taking place, including Complete Beginners Whistle, led by Chris Ferrie.

All details, including booking, can be found on the Fèis Fhoirt web site.

Callander is situated at the edge of the Trossachs National Park and is particularly beautiful in the Autumn when the leaves turn. There is accommodation and the town is a good base for exploring the area.

Photo of Callander by Keith Yahl, some rights reserved.

The Glentown Reel/ Lord MacDonald’s

Posted on by
Reply

I am fascinated by Scottish tunes that cross over into Ireland and this week’s tune is no exception. The Glentown Reel has 2 parts and many names in Ireland, but it was originally a 4 part Scottish tune entitled Lord MacDonald’s Reel.

In G, it suits flutes and whistles well and the missing two parts are very similar but played lower than the range of our instruments but within the compass of the fiddle. There are various recordings of it on YouTube. Here’s a version from Unst in the Shetland Isles found on the Tobar an Dualchais / Kist o’ Riches website.

Some background on the tune and resources can be found on The Flow Music Workshops website and The Flow website, where I posted about them a few years ago. I will eventually move the resources over to this site too.

Update 27 September: New recordings and the notation have now been added to the Resources page for this year.

 

Bonus holiday tune: The Cameron Highlanders

Posted on by
Reply

A quick unexpected update as the classes aren’t due to resume until later in the month. However, a good tune to get to help get to grips with a resonant bottom D on the flute is The Cameron Highlanders.

A composition by James Scott Skinner, which you can see here, the Traditional Tune Archive puts the date at 1880. The Cameron Highlanders were a Scottish Regiment first raised in the 18th Century.

Don’t confuse this tune (as I often do) with The Cameronian Reel or Cameronian Rant, both different tunes, possibly related, with similar structures and Scottish origins. Confused? You’re not alone.

My version is much influenced by the Irish setting (and maybe by those other tunes), where it is played as a barndance. Some discussion of the different versions can be found on The Session website.

I haven’t put up music notation for this yet, but have recorded it on whistle and flute. You can find them on the Resources page for this year.

Image: Donald Callander graduation, Sandhurst 1939 by A.D.F.Callander, some rights reserved.

The Sailor’s Bonnet

Posted on by
Reply

So we finished the term with the concluding tune of The Tarbolton Set of reels associated with Michael Coleman.

The Sailor’s Bonnet sits pretty solidily in D with some B minor phrases. The first part is repetitive and rhythmic, with the B part flying out high from this with high B rolls possible. The leaps can be quite demanding for the wind player, flutes especially as the notes can easily go out of tune if not shaped correctly. However, it makes for a strong finish to the set and the phrases are relatively straightforward, especially when compared with The Tarbolton Reel.

While it is quite common for D and Bm to go together in tunes, the structure of this reel is unusual as the B part is twice as long as the A part. Certainly it is often played that way.

Alan Ng suggests that the earliest recording is Coleman’s of 1934, however while he certainly popularised it, The Fiddler’s Companion puts Leitrim flute player John McKenna and Sligo fiddler James Morrison as getting there first, citing musicologists Harry Bradshaw and Jackie Small. The alternative title The Highlander’s Bonnet hints at a Scottish connection, but it could simply refer to similar styles of hat.

Resources are up for this tune. Term begins again 24th April. In the meantime, sign up for the Scottish Flute Day on 10th of May while sitting back and enjoying the last two tunes of The Tarbotlon Set:

Image: Sailing on the North-Sea, Germany by Peter Femto, some rights reserved.

The Longford Collector

Posted on by
Reply

After the recent challenges of The Tarbolton Reel, the Improvers and Beyond class looked at the next reel in the Michael Coleman set, The Longford Collector.

This tune in G sits nicely on flutes and whistle and offers some scope for variation, particularly in the B part. There is not much known abut this tune, which is strongly associated with this set. There are a few variations on the title, and an account of how Michael Coleman gave it its current title on Alan Kuntz’s Tune Archive web site.

Some information on recordings of the tune can be found on Alan Ng’s site Irishtune.info, which puts the earliest source of the tune as 1936, when it was first recorded.

I have put resources for this tune and The Sailor’s Bonnet up on the Resources page for this year.

Photo: Summer sky in Longford, Ireland by Paul Wilson, some rights reserved.