This is a somewhat unusual instrumental quartet arrangement of this famous Irish rebel song. Arranged by Jan Wolters for two recorders, guitar and bass: http://www.janwolters.nl/blad/fogdew.pdf I've adapted the arrangement for a quartet of two mandolins, tenor guitar and mandocello. Mid-Missouri M-0W mandolin 1915 Luigi Embergher mandolin Ozark tenor guitar Suzuki MC-815 mandocello Martin
This song makes a mighty fine instrumental. It really has a lovely melody – and one I don't think I've heard before. Thanks...
What a peaceful version - and no trace of the Easter rising in the pictures. But is has a kind of marching quality to it, nevertheless.
Not often have I heard this as a tune, Martin. Know it as the song of rebellion. Good job as usual from you!
still gets the auld blood rising nice one Martin
Thanks, all! As I said, it's a somewhat unusual arrangement but I enjoyed the different approach to how it's normally heard. It brings out the beauty of the melody which is somewhat lost in the more raucous singalong versions of the song. I was thinking about using photos of the Easter Rising, but in the end went with more peaceful imagery. There are two paintings of Dublin and the Liffey in there, though, in a nod to the lyrics and subject matter. Martin
I appreciate a certain detachment from those emotions, even though they are based on reality and even though (or just because?) they were Padraig Pearse's major objective of this rising (he was a poet, after all). However, should anyone be interested in a fleeting experience of the whole bloodstained romance thus staged, there is a completely different version ornamented with movie scenes from Michael Collins and others. And should you shed a tear, it's because Pearse wanted you to.
Thanks, Bertram. Here is another tear-jerking version by Sinéad O'Connor & The Chieftains, also to movie scenes from Michael Collins. I went through my Irish rebel romantics phase as a teenager many years ago -- my high school history dissertation was on the Easter Rising, and I once started (and aborted) a convoluted alternative history/time travel novel based on the life of Michael Collins. I have a bit more distance now. Music (and Irish music in particular) can make some pretty weird ideas seem romantic. Martin
Without a doubt, one of your best, Martin!
Oooooohhhh. That's a good one!!
I found this in a tune book yesterday, and was drawn to it because it was written in Dm. Only after I learned it and searched here did I learn the significance of it in Irish history. Apologies in advance to the folk across the pond, I know I've not done it justice, but I've enjoyed learning it after a fashion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKL4bj3uJZ4
That’s great Marc, nicely played I haven’t heard that song in a while, thanks! -I’d actually like to play and hear ‘John Brown’s March’ more often too, just because I like the tune. Another tune I really like is ‘Booth shot Lincoln’ just because I like the tune (No offence)
Well played, Mark. You've only been practising since yesterday? Wow!
Thanks guys, its a very simple tune and repetitive so not such a feat to learn it in a day, I had a few hours of playing time both days. I found it hard to learn the first half of the B part and I know it's still not correct, but it's what I can do. I used the melody notation from The Kingston Irish Tunebook to work up this version with.
Thanks again Marc, great tune, here’s a version that I half got from the session but changed because it’s more like the version I heard from maybe Planxty, don’t know, and I’ve added the Gm chords which I seem to remember. Enjoy! https://www.dropbox.com/s/k1y36igu76...0GOOD.pdf?dl=0 X:1 T:The Foggy Dew R:march M:4/4 L:1/8 K:Dmin |Ac |"Dm"d2 cA d2 cA |"C"G3 AC2 DE | "Dm"FA GF "Gm"D3C| "Dm"D6 Ac | "Dm"d2 cA d2 cA |"C"G3A C2 DE | "Dm"FA GF "Gm"D3 C | "Dm"D6 (3CDE | "F"F3 A c2 BA | "C"G2 FG "Dm"A2 FG | "Dm"A2 fe dc Ac | "Dm" d6 fe| "Dm"d2 cA d2 cA | "C"G3A C2 DE | "Dm"FA GF "Gm"D3C | "Dm"D6 z2|
The first thread I found for this tune was a posting by Martin in forums… Simon then indicated to me that there was a thread or two in th ‘other tunes’ list…which I where I happened upon this. Recorded raw straight onto the iPad, which I think fits the style the tune/song is played in. Arr Dominique Rivière The OM is in effect tuned down from the standard GDAE to F# C# G# C# and a capo is placed on the first fret, in order to a) reduce the scale length by about an inch (21” ish to 20” ish) to make it easier for me to play in terms of reach, and b) to get the GDAD tuning used on Irish Bouzoukis. Ivor Pickard OM Ps. Martin, I really enjoyed your version…which I hadn’t come across until searching to upload my video on the MC.
Lovely raw, driving version of the tune, John, which suits its background, I would say. In case anyone is thinking of copying your tuning, I think the A string should be tunes to Ab and not Bb to get your GDAD tuning. A typing error, I reckon.
You achieve a great sound by including chord strumming, John. A lot of accomplished technics!
Thanks for the compliments John K and Frithjof…and thank you John K for spotting an error… I was doing things in haste! Anyway, I’ve now amended the error and written the said string as G#…so they are all written as #.
Beautifully done, John. It really does create a different tone and brings out the beauty of the tune. I was interested in your experiment with using a capo and reducing the scale length. I have recently started doing this on the guitar (when playing solo), with exactly the same two purposes. I was inspired by Rob MacKillop, who generally uses a slightly smaller guitar with reduced scale length, or uses a capo a couple of frets up. As I get older, I really struggle with some of the stretches required on the guitar, especially for lute music. This is a great solution, so long as one doesn't mind abandoning purism. (I notice that Simon does it on his octave the whole time.)
Thank you Richard. Interesting that you've also been looking to reduce scale length...all-be-it on guitar. Given that one can buy OMs with a scale length of approx. 20" (which is approx. what I achieve with the capo) I'm not worried about purism. I have small hands/restricted finger stretch range anyway, but also as I don't play the OM or Tenor Banjo (which I purchased around 18 months ago but have barely used) frequently enough, and their scales lengths differ (approx. 21" OM and 20" TB) I was trying to get some consistency in scale length on both instruments...so that I can eliminate/or at least reduce the variation. One issue I encountered, which I suspect would have gone away with time, is that as the marker dots on the neck (and fretboard) were in the 'wrong place' with the capo on, this was throwing me a little...even though I wasn't aware that I took any notice of them! For now, I have put little stickers over the existing dots and placed other little stickers on the neck to mark the 'right places'.
Ps. A few of you at least are aware of my limitations in searching for existing threads...although with guidance from Simon and Richard I have today made a 'discovery' that will improve my searching skills. With the tune I posted here, I did add it to an existing SAW group thread...the first one I found...after attaching it to Martin's thread in forums...! However, I also discovered today that John K and Ginny 'missed' this thread and started another one a few years back with a posting of the same tune...which thankfully indicates that I'm not on my own
Aha! My guitar doesn't have marker dots, so I just have to get it right by guesswork - sorry, great expertise. But it is actually a bit of an issue, since everything is no longer quite in the right place. However, I have much less difficulty switching between mandolin and guitar than I would have expected (perhaps because left-hand technique is surprisingly different), so I think I'll adjust.
My fingers usually hover over the frets or I make precise position changes and scold myself severely with every clumsy move. This morning I put the capo at 2nd fret on my octave, looked up at the notation, played a couple of measures and when I arrived at a d note on the second string (fifth fret), I dropped my finger neatly on top of a fretwire. It was funny because I was really shocked, thinking to myself, what the hell just happened, what’s wrong with you?!! Then I remembered - the long hours of exercises the night before… on that fiddle.
Love this John! Been listening to Liam Clancy sing this for several months. You really got some great fell in there. It is a very sad song indeed.
Glad you enjoyed it, Frank…I appreciate your comments. Hope all is well with you…as I hadn’t seen a posting from you for several weeks. A great song re the lyrics and to sing along to…but I’m afraid I couldn’t do it justice !
