I’m trying to figure out how to play Carolan’s “Loftus Jones.” Can it be played on the whistle? It seems to be the most difficult thing I’ve tried.
Picking it up by ear from cds became too frustrating so I went in search of sheet music. I found it in A, which 1) seems prohibitively difficult, given the quick tempo and the half-hole necessary on G, and 2) goes to low to be played on a D whistle anyway. But if you try it in D you have to use the bell note two octaves up, which is very piercing. Also my transposition skills are minimal.
So . . . does anyone play this tune? How is it done? Can sheet music in D be found anywhere? Help!
Just off the top of my head (where the hair used to be) here’s what I would do. Play it in G. Just move everything down one note. In the last two measures of the first part, I’d just play G, D, C, B,A G in the rhythm indicated in the music. In the second part I’d play everything up an octave from measure 9 through 14. In measuer 21, do something like the second last measure of the first part. Other than that, play as is.
My version is in the Complete Collection of O’C Tunes.
Steve
Hi Michael,
You can very well try to work something out with this sheet music : http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/cgi/abc/gettune?F=GIF&U=/~jc/music/abc/Ireland/reel/LoftusJones_1.abc&X=2&T=LOFTUSJONES&N=LoftusJones.gif
Cheers
To get the full range of the tune, you have to play in “relative D” with the opening note being 3rd octave D. I play it on an A whistle which allows me to play along with the Patrick Street rendition.
Jon Michaels
[ This Message was edited by: Jon-M on 2002-10-09 17:28 ]
Henrik Norbeck has it in G, but this version is of such range that it will need some modifications. Other than that, it appears to be a very straight-forward arrangement. Try it on a D whistle and substitute harmony notes for the low-low C’s and B’s.