hi, i’m learning the reel mason’s apron after i heard matt molloy’s solo, but i couldnt get well how it is just by ear, so i found the sheet on thesession… the problem is that i have a keyless flute and the sheet is in A major, so with the G sharp… now, i cound half hole it, but it wouldnt be perfect, or i could change key in G major (i think), so that it would be easyer… but usually during the sessions what key do flutist use?
Until now, if it was played, it was played in A on the session I visit. It falls easier on the flute in G, but, depending on the version, that G# isn’t hard to play and half-holing it works quite good, at least a lot besser than with other tunes and notes.
Regardon boyd’s question: I only know the simple two part version, that is, the first two parts of the version Molloy plays on his Shadows On Stone. I don’t particulary like that tune, so I don’t bother to learn the other parts.
What version of the Mason’s do people on the forum play??
post some dots, please
B
The pyrotechnical versions à la Messrs Molloy and Flatley are in G.
I’m a cheater. When it comes to tunes in A major, if there aren’t too many G#s, I just skip them entirely. Take a rest there, breathe or do something besides try to play them. They often aren’t all that necessary to the tune in my opinion, especially not in the version you have above.
there’s a “micho russell’s mason’s apron” that’s two parts in G, a nice flute friendly alternative.
On my [keyless] flute I can get a pretty good cross-fingered G# in both octaves.
I use XXO XXX in the bottom octave and XXO XOO in the second octave. Both of these are fine in most cases, especially, as SB Fluter says, the G#'s are often not important notes.
I find half-holing G# on my flute does not speak very well, especially in the bottom octave and in the second octave is noticeably flat, even allowing for the (probable) mean tone tuning of the flute.
Geoff
XXO XXX in the bottom octave and XXO XOO in the second octave
Thank you for that. I’ve used the bottom octave cross-fingering but didn’t know what the second octave cross-fingering was. Now I can try that, too. I’ll still try to avoid first, cross-finger second, because I’m lazy and easily confused.
doesn’t work on Casey’s flutes very well 
Denny-Which CB flutes did you try cross-fingering the G# on? I’ve cross- fingered the G# on his flutes and it has worked quite well.
~Sean
the folk flute, I haven’t tried it on the C/Bb/A combo
it was a couple of years ago, I don’t remember what I didn’t like about it. 
I just checked an old fingering chart I’d made when I got it and G# was XXD OOO
what means I couldn’t find a cross fingering I liked.
When I posted, I was kinda hoping someone would post the (pyrotechnic) version in G that Molloy and Flatley play…save me the trouble of sitting down and working it out 
B
A variant name for The Mason’s Apron in G is “The Fluteplayer’s Revenge”.
I’m a recorder player originally, so cross fingering is what I prefer if I can. However the only option with some notes - Fnat and Eb in particular - the only real option is half holing.
BTW, if you find XXO XOO a little sharp try XXO XOX. On my flute the second fingering flattens the G# a smidgen and seems to bring it more in tune with other instruments.
Going back to “The Mason’s Apron”, the Fiddlers Companion suggests that the usual key is A major but G major in some Irish versions.
well, they’re fiddlers ain’t they
an it explains
ok well, i guess i can learn the tune on both keys… the cross fingering doesnt work well on my flute, but anyway i can get a decent g# by half holing, or i can just skip it sometimes… thanks for the advices
You could copy this into an ABC file reader:
X: 1
T: Mason’s Apron, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K:Gmaj %Transposed from AMAJ
|:d2|gGG2 GAGE|DEGB cBAG|cAA2 ABAG|ABcd edef|
gGG2 GAGE|DEGB cBAG|cBcd edeg|G2 BA G2:|
|:dc|BGdG eGdG|BGdG edcB|cAeA gAeA|cdef gedc|
BGdG eGdG|DEGB cBAG|c2cB cdeg|G2 BA G2:|
|:dc|Bddd eddd|Bddd edcB|ceee geee|ceee gfed|
Bddd eddd|DEGB cBAG|cBcd edeg|G2 BA G2:|
|:d2|gddd gddd|gdfd eddd|addd addd|adgd fdef|
gddd gddd|gdfd eddd|cBcd edeg|G2 BA G2:|
|dc|B2GB dGBd|GBdG BdBG|c2 Gc eGce|GceG cedc|
B2GB dGBd|GBdG BdBG|c2cB cdeg|G2 BA G2:|
Sorry I can’t figure out an easy way to post an image file.
Geoffrey
