The Kerry Slide

Whistle
1

My favorite Irish Tune, apparently the Chieftains’ interpretation of “Merrily Danced the Quaker.” We’re playing it as a recessional at my friend’s wedding, so I finally had to get this song off the cd and into abc. 'Haven’t added gracenotes yet. Crans/rolls on all normal/dotted quarter notes. I wrote 8th rests where he takes his breaths because I think those pauses are great accents…

Enjoy:

X:1
T:Kerry Slide
C: Chieftains
D: Tears of Stone
H: Crans on all quarter notes and dotted quarter notes!
M:6/8
L:1/8
Q:C1=375
K:G
D| GAB D3| c2 A BGE| GAB D3| A3 AGE| GAB D2 B| c2 A BGE| GAB D3| G3 G2 D|*
GAB D3| c2 A BGE| GAB DEG| A3 AGE| GAB D z B| cBA BGE| GAB D3| G3 G z z|*
G2 B d z d| edB d2 B| G2 B dBG| A3 AGE| GAB d z g| edB d3| G3 D3| G3 G2 D|*
GAB d z d| edB d2 B| GAB BdG| A3 AGE| GAB d2 g| edB d2 B| GAB D3| G3 G z z|*
G2 B d z d| edB g2 e| dBA GBd| e2 f g3| ged BAB| d2 B AGE| GAB D3| G3 G z z|*
GAB d z d| edB g z e| dBA GBd| e2 f g3| ged BAB| d2 B AGE| GAB D3| G3 g z z|*

Paste it here: http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html

If anyone has the cd “Tears of Stone,” take a listen: what do you call the ornamentation on all the non-low-d quarter notes? Is it possible to cran notes other than d? Or are those rolls?

Thanks,

Joey

2

i should add: i’m especially curious about what he’s doing on those c nat quarter notes…

thanks!

joey

3

Put the word “John” in the subject line and you’ll get more responses. :wink:

4

That is absolute favorite of the slides that I know. The skeleton that I learned my version (which I play completelely differently on pipes and whistle.

It fits well with a slip jig “Hardiman, the Fiddler” which makes a nice musical joke about fidelity.

I basically learned it by ear from friends and a Planxty (Liam O’Flynn solo) album.

X:46
T:Merrily Kiss the Quaker's Wife
T:Merrily Dance the Quaker
R:slide
Z:Boston
M:12/8
L:1/8
K:G
|:D|GAB D2B c2A BGE|GAB DEG ~A3 AGE|
GAB D2B c2A BGE|GAB D2 E ~G3 G2::
A|BGG AGG BGG AGE|GAB DEG ~A3 AGA|
BGG AGG BGG AGE|GAB D2E ~G3 G2::
(3def|gfg aga bge dBd|~g3 gab ~a3 agf|
~g3 ~f3 efg dBA|GAB D2 E ~G3 G2:||

Basically, you can crann any note (on the whistle/flute, at least) that has two or more fingers available above the note.

It won’t work in the octave on the pipes above g, though.

Usually you can use a crann on D for a nice variation in the 2nd group of notes (D2B), especially if you have a nice bell note on your instrument that goes very well. I think Paddy Keenan’s last has that tune on it as well. and he gets some interesting things open where I expect tight tripletts from other versions I have hear live.

I played that tune with the master instructor (I can’t remember his name) for the 2002 tionol in Chapel Hill when we jammed at registration. That was cool.

My favorite recessional is another slip jig “An Phis Fliuch”. :smiling_imp:

5

Probably patting the bottom fingers down to effectively cut the note into a couple of eighth notes with an octave d? I don’t have that album, but I have several recordings now that I am trying to analyze and get it down “my way” and then spring it on the band.