GHB Tunes on the UPs

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GHB Tunes on the UPs

Post by Nanohedron »

It's just not the same, quite, is it. But I'm picking up a couple of marches and hope to get some uilleann pipe-friendly strathspeys, too, as I'm doing ambient piping at a monthly scotch-tasting event (they did try the Great Pipes, of course, but you know how it is: field instrument in a small, enclosed space, acute tinnitus, bleeding eyes, that sort of thing, and yet they want something pipey), and while Irish tunes are great, they're just not...Scottish. I oughta have Scots tunes for a scotch tasting, right? And the GHB tunes seem just the thing if you want to pull off a cliché. :wink:

So, if anyone has any tunes they could recommend, or links to dots or preferably sound files, or just plain advice on a more sucessful marrying of uilleann pipes to GHB tunes, it would be most welcome. These would be tunes to be transposed and played suited to the drones.

So far what I'm working on are Bonnie Dundee, and The Stool of Repentance (which makes me think of Montezuma's Revenge. Sorry. I can't help that).
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Post by Key_of_D »

What about, Scottish Smallpipes?

For UP's though, Skye Boat Song works lovely, Bonnie Prince Charlie (march) works as well, hell even Scotland the Brave works. Though I'm sure there's many more tunes.
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Post by Nanohedron »

Key_of_D wrote:What about, Scottish Smallpipes?
Well, I don't play the smallpipes, you see. It was me they asked, and I'm not about to defer the position when free drams are at stake! Uilleann pipes it is. Anyway, the pub in question is basically an "Isles" pub, meaning Irish/Scots/Welsh/English (expats from all those flavors hang out there), so the uilleann pipes are thematically appropriate, if you want to stretch it that far. :wink:
Key_of_D wrote:Skye Boat Song works lovely, Bonnie Prince Charlie (march) works as well, hell even Scotland the Brave works. Though I'm sure there's many more tunes.
Thanks. There are loads of tunes out there, so I want to be able to pick and choose; I just don't have a direct handle on the tradition, so that's why I'm asking for suggestions. The two marches I mentioned above were for all intents and purposes terra incognita to me until I started playing 'em. Then I was like, Oh. Yeah. I've heard those tunes before.
Last edited by Nanohedron on Fri Dec 14, 2007 12:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Pazziato »

MacLean's Farewell to Oban is a good one . . . . Cooney does a great version of it on "A Stone's Throw"
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Post by Joseph E. Smith »

Lord Lovat's Lament works nicely too.
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Post by Nanohedron »

Thanks, Pazziato. I'm hooked up to J.C.'s Tunefinder right now, and man, the MIDIs are freakin' horrid. :boggle: But they get the job done, I guess.

But you want über-horrid? Check out this MIDI file for MacLean's Farewell to Oban in G. Oh, my goodness! What in the world??? Surely you didn't mean THAT. :lol:

And thanks, too, Joseph. Nice tune! That MIDI file wasn't so bad, as they go. Hey, are you in Minnefunky for the holidays, yet? Have your people call my people. :)

Oh, yeah: The Green Hills of Tyrol. That's a definite for sure.
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Post by BigDavy »

Hi Nanohedran

You could start with Niel Gow's Farewell to Whiskey

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1529

Used as a tune to a song by Dougie MacLean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci5tUIpkcyk

The Drunken Piper (you after the free drams :lol: )
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/2123

The mouth music tune in the vid at around 1 minute into the vid is the Drunken Piper in a GHBy form.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tODfMxaf3HE

Stirling Castle is a nice Strathspey.

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1762

I believe anniemcu has a nice version of it in clips and snips.

Tha mi Sgith is one of my favourite strathspeys
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/647#abc

Moon and Alan can give you an mp3 of this tune.

If you are looking for ABCs of a lot of Scots tunes try here

http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/abc/abc1.html

The Flowers of Edinburgh sounds lovely played on UP - though it is a fiddle rather than a pipe tune. (in fact most Scottish tunes sound lovely on UP {except when I murder them :sniffle: })

David

Edited to show Kenny McNicholl playing flowers of edinburgh on one of his flat sets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txS1Ots3YMQ
Last edited by BigDavy on Fri Dec 14, 2007 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Nanohedron »

Hey, Dave. Thanks. I'll forego the YouTube links as I'm on dialup - yes, it's sadly true - but the other stuff is very helpful. The name Stirling Castle rings a bell for me, so I'll be checking that out.

You know, it just occurred to me that a database of GHB tunes with sound files would be just the thing. Anyone have any links to something like that?
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Post by djm »

What's in your CD collection? Liam O'Flynn did Miss Admiral Gordon's Strathspey on his Piper's Call album. Jerry O'Sullivan plays UPs, but most of his stuff is done in a very Scottish style. Check out his O'Sullivan Meets O'Farrell CD, where he skipped over most Irish tunes in O'Farrell's and picked out the Scots tunes instead. Lots of good examples there.

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Post by BigDavy »

How about this one Nano

http://www.viperpiper.org/forum/tunedb. ... h_string=t

There is a nice vesion of Devil in the Kitchen in midi format in it


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Post by Pazziato »

But you want über-horrid? Check out this MIDI file for MacLean's Farewell to Oban in G. Oh, my goodness! What in the world??? Surely you didn't mean THAT.

ugh. . . .wow. :twisted:
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Post by Nanohedron »

djm wrote:What's in your CD collection? Liam O'Flynn did Miss Admiral Gordon's Strathspey on his Piper's Call album. Jerry O'Sullivan plays UPs, but most of his stuff is done in a very Scottish style. Check out his O'Sullivan Meets O'Farrell CD, where he skipped over most Irish tunes in O'Farrell's and picked out the Scots tunes instead. Lots of good examples there.

djm
I've got O'Sullivan's O'Farrell CD. There's a strathspey on it in D that I very much like, but it's a bit beyond my abilities, yet. I'll have to buckle down. But good suggestion. I'll revisit it.

Oh, for cryin' out loud. I just remembered a lady who was clearing out her collection gave me a CD of GHB piping a while back. I'll have to finally give it a listen, won't I! :wink:
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Post by Nanohedron »

BigDavy wrote:How about this one Nano

http://www.viperpiper.org/forum/tunedb. ... h_string=t

There is a nice vesion of Devil in the Kitchen in midi format in it


David
It's a good start. For some reason I can't access the sound files. Do you have to be a member first?

There's a jig there called The Nippler. Interesting. :wink:
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Post by boyd »

An awful lot of Irish reels are essentially Scottish tunes brought back home by migrant workers...so I wouldnt worry too much about the distinctions...if you want truly "Scottish" tunes, you're looking at fiddle reels in A (not so drone-friendly a key)...bagpipe tunes for eg Bb sets, and squeezebox choons that all too often are in anything except G or D.

Just play the fekkers the Irish stuff and spin them a yarn about it...theyre all getting drunk on Malt Whisky, for crying out loud...after a couple of nips, they won't give a hoot if you play Led Zeppelin or Gerschwin...in fact they probably won't even notice :lol:

Yours etc

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Post by Nanohedron »

boyd wrote:An awful lot of Irish reels are essentially Scottish tunes brought back home by migrant workers...so I wouldnt worry too much about the distinctions...if you want truly "Scottish" tunes, you're looking at fiddle reels in A (not so drone-friendly a key)...bagpipe tunes for eg Bb sets, and squeezebox choons that all too often are in anything except G or D.

Just play the fekkers the Irish stuff and spin them a yarn about it...theyre all getting drunk on Malt Whisky, for crying out loud...after a couple of nips, they won't give a hoot if you play Led Zeppelin or Gerschwin...in fact they probably won't even notice :lol:

Yours etc

Boyd
I know, I know. It's arguably pearls before swine. But there might be some cognoscenti among the tipplers, and besides, I'm kinda just trying to satisfy myself. I'm also finding that GHB tunes are a bit of a presentational challenge, as that sense of a crispy snap that's peculiar to the Great Pipes can get lost on uilleann pipes, especially with a flat set. Tighter fingering, or I may have to invoke artistic license. :twisted:

Green Grow the Rushes, O. That's another good 'un.
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