Below is an approxiamate abc for a rather famous reel. It is, in fact, so very famous and well-known and popular at sessions that … I … er … don’t know the name of it. Any ideas?
Thanks, Bill. I wish I had your memory for tunes. Actually, I wish I had any sort of memory period! I picked this up off RTÉ’s Céilí House. It was in the middle of a set by a céilí band of some sort (fiddles, boxes, banjoes, etc.). I just liked the tune and wrote it out as best I could from the whistle.
Yes, I can see that this would be a bit of a bear on the pipes. It doesn’t sit well on the drones. I don’t think its actually in G, but some other esoteric minor key that I can’t be bothered to figure out (beyond my skill level).
I’ve got a copy of Clandestine’s The Ale is Dear and one of the tune sets is more of a a bit of a medley of tunes. In that set, EJ playes the A and B parts of Gravel Walks, but not the C or D parts (hear snippet here)…He’s mentioned to me in the past at session that it’s difficult on the pipes.
I remember once seeing a project for kids (ha!) where they would lay out the notes in columns, and then cut out a cardboard slide indicator that could be run up and down the columns to help identify key signatures, the number of sharps and flats, modes, etc. I wish I could find the instructions again. Even better would be if someone could duplicate the function in a little Java program and put it up on the web.
Thanks, Congrats. I’ll bookmark that. That was an interesting way of explaining modes—it definitely shed some more light on the subject for me. My one problem is with that root chord thing. But if it is complicated then I think I’d best just work on thinking about the last note and realizing that whatever it is could be fooling you. Thanks!
I kind of play this tune pipes. It’s bloody hard. No weird notes – it’s in a reasonable key – but some interesting octave jumps for the pipes. Jumping from the high G to the high A with the C natural as a pedal note is kind of the Olympic downhill skiing of piping. So yeah, the B and D parts are a hassle and I have yet to figure out how to play them well. But the A and C parts are a lot of fun. You can rip it on that C part and then realize you are totally screwed going into the D part.
I’ve played said tune on GHB and flute. Like JES and E.J. Jones, I played a two parter on GHB. The 3rd and 4th parts are playable but it would be difficult and a little awkward sounding. Those C naturals can be played on GHB but they’re never quite “on” unless you have a really good reed but still usually takes some underblowing. And it’s a bit of a finger twist. It would be more playable on border pipes which can play a truer C natural.
I’ve heard Clandestine live a few times and I know quite a few people who lament their fracture. Another good source for Gravel Walks on GHB is The 78th Fraser Highlanders’ “Live In Ireland” CD: a watermark pipe band recording.
I don’t want to appear to be a drudge, but in view of the fact that this is an Uilleann pipe forum, I would have thought that any discussion of a piping version of this tune would have zeroed in on citing examples of how an Uileann piper would deal with it rather than citing Highland piping versions.
A check of Johnson’s piping discography reveals that the tune only appears on a Neff Brothers recording which I don’t own. Does anyone know if there is a significant piping presence there or is it just a fiddle solo?
Given the dearth of recorded Uilleann piping versions of this tune, does any
one play this tune, or does one just head for the bar or reach for the fiddle when it comes up in a session?
I heard it was all due to Jen wanting to move and be with some guy..but that’s all secondhand info
I have been incredibly lucky enough to play with EJ on a number of occasions, back when I lived in Houston, both at session and working at the Texas Ren Fest. He’s an incredibly talented guy. My wife actually knew him from college, before Clandestine. Talk about your small worlds!
I really like the first album he made after Clandestine split up, The Willow. It has quite a bit of uilleann pipes in it (how’s that for bringing it back on topic? hehe!). He plays a number of reels, but I don’t remember if Gravel Walk is among them, since the CD track names don’t actually list the names of the tunes. I’ll check tonight, and if it’s nestled in the reel sets, I’ll post a sample.
That’s interesting, Bill, that you only found the one uilleann source of the tune. Are all of the octave jumps in 2nd and 4th parts difficult on the uilleann pipes? It’s a bit of a lip workout on the flute.
I hadn’t heard any reasons for the Clandestine break-up but Jen would be irreplaceable.
Mikie Smyth plays this tune on his CD, from what I recall, I don’t have the CD here at work. Most of the CD is UP’s but I think he is playing Gravel Walk on the Whistle. Great whistle playing on that CD.
P.S. It is a great tune on the GHB’s. That and Mason’s Apron are to of my favorites on the GHB’s.
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