What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessions?

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What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessions?

Post by Loren »

Kinda slow around here on the flute forum lately, unless you’re into oboes, so I thought I’d ask what tunes in the “odd” keys, thus requiring keys, are making the rounds at everyone’s local sessions lately?

If you’re Niall Keegan, NNTR, I realize every tune gets the chromatic treatment at your sessions 8)

But seriously, just curious who’s clacking to what these days.
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by Akiba »

Tuttle's

Julia Delaney's

Chief O'Neal's

Flogging

Usual Suspects. Interesting how there are so few. And yet I'm getting a new flute with a few keys.
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by benhall.1 »

Akiba wrote:Tuttle's

Julia Delaney's

Chief O'Neal's

Flogging

Usual Suspects. Interesting how there are so few. And yet I'm getting a new flute with a few keys.
Exactly. The "usual suspects". Also, The Cook in the Kitchen. Frank's reel - goes really nicely on flute, and handy to have that G# key.
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by Loren »

Akiba wrote:Tuttle's

Julia Delaney's

Chief O'Neal's

Flogging

Usual Suspects. Interesting how there are so few. And yet I'm getting a new flute with a few keys.

Cost per note per key doesn’t look good but.... new flute! :party: :lol:
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by Loren »

benhall.1 wrote: Exactly. The "usual suspects". Also, The Cook in the Kitchen. Frank's reel - goes really nicely on flute, and handy to have that G# key.
“The Usual Suspects”, perfect name for a session tune, somebody get on writing and popularizing that. Or should we just make it a thing to call out The Usual Suspects and then play a set of all the tunes we know that require keys? Pretty certain there’s a chapter on that in “How to make friends and influence people”


Good call on Frank’s Reel, that’s a lovely tune.
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by benhall.1 »

Loren wrote:Good call on Frank’s Reel, that’s a lovely tune.
It took me ages to learn to like that tune. But it was one of those where I heard a particular person playing it - no-one well-known, but they just had a good way with the tune - and it suddenly clicked. I've liked it ever since.
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by Steampacket »

Lily of the valley a reel by O'Riada and Lament for Limerick - F key
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by tstermitz »

Key of A. A lot of fiddlers like to play tunes A or F# minor. I can deal with that on whistle, but the G# key helps a lot on Flute. Franks is probably the most common. Also, Stan Chapman's, Trolley's, JB Reel (but I change it to A Dorian).

Key of C. Carolan's Welcome, Eleanor Plunkett. A minor: Coleraine. A number of D dorian tunes get played around here: Julia Delaney, Porthole of the Kelp, Peacock's Feathers (although I prefer it in E Dorian.) There are a bunch of "rock-star", non-traditional tunes in C. They aren't to my taste, but some fiddlers I know like them: Bustop, Tamlin, Pachelbel's Frolics, Music for a Found Harmonium, Farewell to Chernobyl.

Key of F. I'm not so good with the Bb key, so I usually transpose or pick up a Bb whistle. Tommy's Tarbukas, Eileen Curran (which is very easy in A Dorian, but the fiddlers don't like the high C note).

Some tunes I really like have accidentals, and here is where I need the Eb Key: Poor but Happy at 53, Tarbolton, King of the Fairies, White Petticoat, Crested Hens, Mr O'Connor

That is why, if I could only have ONE key, it would be Eb. Since that is fairly easy to purchase or upgrade from a keyless D-foot, I would in the future order my flute that way. TWO keys, and I'd add the G#.

That raises an interesting point: Flute makers don't seem to market or even talk about the benefit of the Eb key. Maybe the market doesn't care, but I think the market (newby flute players) doesn't really know about it.
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by Loren »

benhall.1 wrote: It took me ages to learn to like that tune. But it was one of those where I heard a particular person playing it - no-one well-known, but they just had a good way with the tune - and it suddenly clicked. I've liked it ever since.
Yeah, it’s interesting how that goes, much of the attractiveness of a tune lies in just how it’s played. I’ve certainly had the same experience you describe.
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by Loren »

Steampacket wrote:Lily of the valley a reel by O'Riada and Lament for Limerick - F key
I’m not familiar Lament for Limerick, but I see it listed as a waltz, is that correct?
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by colomon »

Taking the question as "what tunes requiring notes outside of the D & G scales are...", I think the list for our local session is
  • Frank's Reel
    MacArthur Road
    Margaret's Waltz
    Crested Hens
(I actually usually play the first three on low E whistle, which works perfectly.) (And now I want to run off and try Crested Hens on my C#/D accordion. Only I just remembered it's actually somewhere between Florida and here on a FedEx truck. :( )
Sol's Tunes (new tune 2/2020)
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Loren
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Tell us something.: You just slip out the back, Jack
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Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by Loren »

tstermitz wrote:Key of A......snip
Good list of tunes.
tstermitz wrote:Some tunes I really like have accidentals, and here is where I need the Eb Key: Poor but Happy at 53, Tarbolton, King of the Fairies, White Petticoat, Crested Hens, Mr O'Connor

That is why, if I could only have ONE key, it would be Eb. Since that is fairly easy to purchase or upgrade from a keyless D-foot, I would in the future order my flute that way. TWO keys, and I'd add the G#.

That raises an interesting point: Flute makers don't seem to market or even talk about the benefit of the Eb key. Maybe the market doesn't care, but I think the market (newby flute players) doesn't really know about it.
I liked some tunes starting early on requiring Eb as well, like Creasted Hens, Roslin Castle, etc., so I missed having that key right away, but of course those tunes aren’t Irish tunes, and the advice that always seems to be given out is that the Eb key isn’t critical for IRTrad. I suspect that’s why we don’t see many 1 key flutes around here, although that lone Eb key is of course more common on other wooden flutes.

I don’t think makers in general push much of anything, you know “just tell me what ye wants and I’ll maker.” I’d certainly advise new players to get the Eb key as a minimum (but then there’s cost, which most keyless buyers seem to want to keep down) , or at least the block (but folks often don’t like the aesthetics of that), so its up being all 6-8 keys or nothing more often than not it seems.

But yeah, you absolutely need that Eb key on your flute if you want to play certain tunes, unless you’re just gonna reserve those tunes for playing on a low D whistle where you can actually half hole a usable Eb.
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by Loren »

colomon wrote: I actually usually play the first three on low E whistle, which works perfectly. And now I want to run off and try Crested Hens on my C#/D accordion. Only I just remembered it's actually somewhere between Florida and here on a FedEx truck. :(
Ah yes, not owning any E whistles, I hadn’t thought of that approach.

Instruments in transit, ultimately frustrating :tantrum:
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by sligofluter »

Julia Delaney´s (reel)
Pady Fahy´s (Jig)
The maid´s of Michelstown (reel)
Mother´s delight (reel)
Strop the razor jig (F natural in the third part)
Jenny Chicken´s (G#)
Eileen curran (reel)
In memory of michael coleman (reel)
Dowd´s favourite (reel)


And probably a few more
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And get yourself free
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Re: What tunes requiring keys are played at your local sessi

Post by Loren »

And the list of usual suspects grows longer, thanks for those.
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