What's the polka in Cotter's famous 'tutor'?

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What's the polka in Cotter's famous 'tutor'?

Post by Potoroo »

Newbie here. Hello! [Friendly wave]

A friend is working her way through chapter 2 of Geraldine Cotter's Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor. Neither she nor I know the name of the polka on page 11. Ms Cotter doesn't name it. Anyone able to assist please?

Cheers,
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Re: What's the polka in Cotter's famous 'tutor'?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

How does it go?
My brain hurts

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Re: What's the polka in Cotter's famous 'tutor'?

Post by Maddie »

Waving back to Potoroo ~~~~~~~~~. Welcome to the forum.

I don't have that book, but I checked the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon. That tune is Egan's Polka. It's on page 74 in The Bill Ochs Tin Whistle Handbook. Ryan Duns shares the sheet music on his blog, with his teaching video: http://tinwhistler.blogspot.com/2007/11 ... three.html
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Re: What's the polka in Cotter's famous 'tutor'?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

AKA 'The Kerry Polka'. There used to be a sign in the window of Hillery's of Miltown Malbay, warning musicians who attempted to play the tune would be subject to immediate eviction.

Both names are fully arbitrary, arguably. Some would call it the faba faba polka. One of the other polkas Duns gives there, Ryan's, is called the 'dum dum polka' by some musicians (although I seem to remember the original recording that exposed most of us to it called it the '40 pound float').

A lot, perhaps most, polkas don't really have name but are referred to by where they came from, either a location or player.
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Re: What's the polka in Cotter's famous 'tutor'?

Post by Potoroo »

Thanks Maddie and Mr Gumby (*love* that name!)

Your responses are much appreciated. My whistle buddy will be very grateful.
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Re: What's the polka in Cotter's famous 'tutor'?

Post by pancelticpiper »

I had heard "Peg Ryan's" for that one.

It's the insane thing about trad Irish tunes, how people re-name them over and over.

I suppose it's the phone-tag nature of how the titles are transmitted, shouted over the noise of a session, or spoken into a fuzzy recording device.

Add to that the fact that in many cases the person being asked doesn't know the title, and refers to the person, group, or album it was learned from, which now becomes a new title for the tune. (It would be like a particular song being called The Beatles Song or Abbey Road by everyone, and no-one calling it Here Comes The Sun.)

There are many cases of one of these new titles becoming the standard modern name for a tune which has been published under an established name over and over for 200 years or more.

All this being the case, let's all call that polka "Cotter's Polka" the next time anyone asks :D
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Re: What's the polka in Cotter's famous 'tutor'?

Post by Squeeky Elf »

Yeah, it seems like they have tried to blame a lot of people for that one, doesn’t it?
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Re: What's the polka in Cotter's famous 'tutor'?

Post by benhall.1 »

When I first heard this polka, which must be half a century ago, whoever it was that played it played the second bar of the second part in a syncopated fashion, as below, and called it "The Syncopated Polka". I cannot for the life of me remember where I heard it like that.

fa fe | d/ed/ BA | etc
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Re: What's the polka in Cotter's famous 'tutor'?

Post by pancelticpiper »

benhall.1 wrote:
fa fe | d/ed/ BA |
I don't understand that notation and therefore can't see where the syncopation might be.

Is that syncopation in staff notation somewhere?

No syncopation shows up here https://thesession.org/tunes/39

Syncopation would be easy enough to throw in, just don't separate the E that ends the first bar from the E that begins the second bar, in the second part.
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Re: What's the polka in Cotter's famous 'tutor'?

Post by benhall.1 »

pancelticpiper wrote:
benhall.1 wrote:
fa fe | d/ed/ BA |
I don't understand that notation and therefore can't see where the syncopation might be.

Is that syncopation in staff notation somewhere?

No syncopation shows up here https://thesession.org/tunes/39

Syncopation would be easy enough to throw in, just don't separate the E that ends the first bar from the E that begins the second bar, in the second part.
If you put that notation in ABC Navigator or some other ABC software, it will translate - it's taken directly from me writing it in ABC Navigator. It basically goes, "Dum dee dum dum | da-bap dee dum dum | if that helps … If not, I'll put a picture of staff notation up later.
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