I’ve heard it was written by Texas fiddler Benny Thomasson (or his father Luke).
I found a copy of Midnight on the Water and it sounds Applachian to me too. Looks like a waltz - ADD, how was it played at the Irish sessions where you heard it?
I agree. The recordings that I have of Midnight on the Water cite Luke Thomasson as the songwriter.
A few more old-time or Appalachian tunes that come to mind and are playable AND fun to play on the whistle are:
Ragtime Annie
Blackberry Blossom
Pretty Little Dog
Sandy River Belle
Liberty
Kitchen Girl
Bill Cheatham
Billy in the Lowground
Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine
Cherokee Shuffle
Stoney Point
St. Anne’s Reel (New England)
Petronella (New England)
Red Wing
Eighth of January
Cluck Old Hen
Spotted Pony
Good list. Here are a few more: East Tennessee Blues, Mississippi Sawyer, Old French, Hog Eye, Cumberland Gap, Angeline the Baker, Stone’s Rag, Fire On the Mountain, Sweet Bunch of Daisies, and the Girl I Left Behind (you should walk around with a limp when you play this one).
Thought of a few more:
Seneca Square Dance
The Bell Cow
Flop Eared Mule
Sally Ann
Sail Away Ladies
Spider Bit the Baby
Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
Cumberland Gap
Golden Slippers
Off to California (hornipe - goes great with The Boys of Bluehill)
Aly Bain’s been playing it for years, as has Finbar Furey. I’m pretty sure that Bain, at least, credits Thomasson.
Don’t forget the cakewalk, Colored Aristocracy; great on flute/whistle.
This is a wonderful thread. I just joined C&F (purchased my 1st whistle day before yesterday), and I come from a bluegrass fiddle background. Since I don’t know too many Irish tunes, I’ve just been playing traditional bluegrass.
Very good and enjoyable discussion. It might be useful, though, to make more of a distinction between bluegrass (with its use of improvised solos), Southern old-time (usually stringed instruments, no solos but lots of variations on familiar tunes and lots of interplay, especially rhythmic, between instruments), and the New England contra style (with its mix of Irish, Scottish, and French Canadian tunes along with tunes shared with the southern string band repertoire and frequent use of sets of tunes). Lots of differences in style and sensibility. From what I’ve seen, New England style sessions are quite open to a variety of instruments (I’ve seen oboes!) and whistles and flutes are pretty common, which makes sense, given the eclectic range of tunes . But I know some old-time players who I don’t think would welcome a wind instrument; they’ve looking for a particular sound. And this might be true of any session dedicated to a specific style So it’s worth testing the water before you jump in.
Edited to recommend The Portland Collection and The Waltz Book volumes as good sources. The Fiddler’s Fake book is valuable too, but the transcriptions in the others are a less fancy, more bare-bones versions, and I’ve found that helpful.
I saw a show on PBS a while back that was a tribute to bluegrass banjoist Earl Scruggs. Among the guest musicians were the Chieftains. I remember at one point Paddy Maloney playing a very nice penny whistle solo on the old mountain tune Sally Goodin (had sweet pie, had sweet puddin’…). I think penny whistle can fit in very well in a bluegrass or string band context if given a chance.
Actually, around 4 or 5 years ago, the Chieftains did a tour called Down the Old Plank Road where they incorporated a number of bluegrass tunes, musicians, and vocalists. That show is available on DVD and there is also a CD.
That is a great album, one of the better examples of “hydridization” I’ve heard. That was actually one of my earlier exposures to Irish music and instrumentation, as prior to that my main interest was old time and bluegrass. I actually bought the album during a Bela Fleck faze, since he’s on a track or two.
I actually had the pleasure of catching this show live over in Boone, NC - minus a few of the guests featured on the DVD. It was an amazing show.
Also, worthy of mention: The DVD, which runs about 2 hrs, has significantly more material to sample.
Nice to see Bela Fleck mentioned. One of my favorite musicians (and a very nice cat to boot). Bela can fit in with (and has played) just about every type of music on the planet from bluegrass and old-timey to modern jazz.
Get The Fifer’s Delight by Ralph Sweet. This tune book is a gold mine of old-time American, some Irish, and folk tunes dating back 150+ years or more. They’re written mostly in D or G, but you can play them on an A whistle if you like. Fifes are usually played in Bb, but the book can be used for whistles, flutes, recorders, or whatever instrument/key you prefer.