Sweet tune for a Bb flute

Irish Flute
1

Here’s a lovely Bb tune from the 1706 edition of Playford’s dancing master.

It’s an indifferent dance tune, but if you slow it right down, it suddenly coalesces into a gorgeous sad melody. I don’t have a Bb flute, so I’m playing it on tenor guitar, but I bet it’d sound terrific on one.

X: 1
T:Iantha
M:C|
L:1/8
O:Playford’s Dancing Master, 13th Edition
S:The Complete Country Dance Tunes, Jeremy Barlow, Ed.
F:> http://www.kennaquhair.com/tunes/tradtunes1.abc > 2005-12-31 07:34:08 UT
K:Bb
A | B2AG d2cd | edcB A2AB | c2BA Bdgd | cBAG G3 :expressionless: A |
B2Bc d2de | f2ed c2F2 | BABc d2gf | edcB B2d2 | =B2BB c2d2 | edcB A2g^f
| g2dc B2d2 | edcB A2d2|cBAG G3 :expressionless:

2

Neat tune, s1m0n. I have a question. When I run it through the Concertina.net Tune-O-Tron Converter, I get an odd first line. Do you know if this is by design, or am I somehow introducing an error when I copy your ABC and paste it in the tune-o-tron?

Here’s what it generates:

It’s certainly possible that I’m doing something wrong here, as I’m only a rank beginner as far as ABC is concerned.

3

I believe it’s rendering the “F:http://www.kennaquhair.com” line as ABC. No clue why, mind you, but notice that the odd line starts on F, and is in the key of C (because the key of Bb is not set until the next line).

If you erase the F: line, you’ll get what Simon intended.

4

A-HA! Thanks, much better!

Now, is there any way, short of re-keying the whole thing, to change the key?

5

I ransposed it to D and there are a few Eb notes to contend with.

X: 1
T:Iantha
M:C|
L:1/8
O:Playford’s Dancing Master, 13th Edition
S:The Complete Country Dance Tunes, Jeremy Barlow, Ed.
K:D %Transposed from D
c | d2cB f2ef | gfed c2cd | e2dc dfbf | edcB B3 :expressionless: c |
d2de f2fg | a2gf e2A2 | dcde f2ba | gfed d2f2 | ^d2dd e2f2 | gfed c2b^a
| b2fe d2f2 | gfed c2f2|edcB B3 :expressionless:

As well as an A# or Bb if you will.

Give it a go. BUT I can’t remove the smiley face and don’t know how it got there. Its where the “D” should be.

BillG

6

X: 1
T:Iantha
M:C|
L:1/8
O:Playford’s Dancing Master, 13th Edition
S:The Complete Country Dance Tunes, Jeremy Barlow, Ed.
K:D
c | d2cB f2ef | gfed c2cd | e2dc dfbf | edcB B3 :expressionless: c |
d2de f2fg | a2gf e2A2 | dcde f2ba | gfed d2f2 | ^d2dd e2f2 | gfed c2b^a
| b2fe d2f2 | gfed c2f2|edcB B3 :expressionless:

(I just used the “disable smilies” feature on this post) :wink: Nice tune

7

Great tune! Thank you!

Oddly enough for a G-minor tune, this tune lays out quite easily on a keyed flute.

Nice.

–James

8

Cool! I’ve been playing quite a bit in Bflat on my (still seemingly new) traverso, to get the hang of it. Bflat, played on an A415 flute, is a REALLY cool key. And this tune has quite a manageable range.

I probably oughta invest in a copy of Playford. I love those sorts of tunes.

9

The Barlow book referred to in the ABC is the one you want–tons of great chunes to be found among the 534 it contains. I sometimes flip to a page, pick a tune at random, and play, just to hear how it sounds–that’s how I found this one.

Much of it, sadly, is in woodenflute-hostile keys of C, Bb and F, but it you’re nimble at transcribing (I’m not) you can sort them out.

10

Thanks for the nice tune… great practice for me on my new 8 key - Tod

11

Actually, the key designation in the ABC is cited earlier is incorrect; this is really a tune in the related key of G min.

On whistle or flute, it fits best transposed into sexy E min.

X: 1
T:Iantha
M:C|
L:1/8
O:Playford’s Dancing Master, 13th Edition
S:The Complete Country Dance Tunes, Jeremy Barlow, Ed.
K:Emin
F | G2FE B2AB | cBAG F2FG | A2GF GBeB | AGFE E3 :expressionless: F |
G2GA B2Bc | d2cB A2D2 | GFGA B2ed | cBAG G2B2 | ^G2GG A2B2 | cBAG F2e^d
| e2BA G2B2 | cBAG F2B2|AGFE E3 :expressionless:

Incidentaly, I did the transcription using Jens Wollschläger’s ABC-Transposer, a java-enabled web form. It worked impprefectly, having rendered the G#s in the fifth bar of the B part as G naturals. I had to fix them manually. Still a lat faster than doing it by hand, tho.