This lovely tune is a strathspey written by Joan MacDonald Boes who was born in Cape Breton and lived in Detroit. I recorded it two years ago - inspired by the fantastic fiddle playing of Jerry Holland - and, this morning, received an email from Neil Boes, her grandson, saying how much he liked my version and how it brought back memories of his grandmother. Which I thought was very kind of him, considering how many other, better versions there are out there! If I was re-recording this now, I'd play the correct A part (I play it once instead of twice) and put more emphasis on the strathspey rhythm...
Very sweet sounding Will. I looked up the strathspey rhythm and found that it is a slow and stately tune in 4/4 with the "Scotch Snap" in it for emphasis. Thanks!
Thanks Michael. The strathspey's a great rhythm - the mirror image of the hornpipe. One is very Scottish - and one very English!
Lovely Will. If I may I'd like to contribute some abc for it. X: 1 T: the Sweetness of Mary C: Joan McDonald Boes S: Aly Bain (from a TV programme) S: Phil Cunningham, Aly Bain "Another Gem" Z: 2006 Nigel Gatherer, John Chambers R: air M: C L: 1/8 K: G G>A \ | "G"B2- (3BAG "C"E2- (3EGA | "G"B<d "C"c<e "D"d2- (3def | "C(Em)"g>f e>d "G(Bm)"d>c B>c \ |1 "A(m)"d<g B<G "D7"A2 :|2 "G"d<g "D7"B<A "G"G2 |] |: g>a \ | "G"b>d g<b "D"a>d f<a | "C(Em)"g>f e<g "G(Bm)"d2 c<B | "C(Am)"e>d c>e "G"d>c B>c \ |1 "A7"d<g B>G "D7"A2 :|2 "(G)"d<g "D7"B<A "G"G2 |]
Thanks Jim - you've beaten me to it! I was going to dig through my files to find the music and do an abc conversion. The original written key - very popular with Scottish players and Cape Breton fiddlers - is A, which is what I'm playing it in. Down here in Sussex, the locals - mainly free reed players with fixed-key boxes - do it in D. For an amateur fiddle player, the B part can be daunting as it goes up to 5th position - but no problem for us mandolin players!
A really lovely tune, Will. A new one for me and one I want to learn now that I have heard your playing of it. Jim, many thanks for the abc. Off now to learn!
Sounds as sweet as its name - wonderful fine rendition. I wonder where those alleged "better" renditions are supposed to be - I found some with more powerful instrumentation (hard to beat an accordion), but none that make the most out of a given set of instruments like this one. It might seem like the strathspey is the mirror image of the hornpipe in the sense that it has the pointed notes backwards, but strathspeys can also contain forward-pointed hornpipey notes. Therefore I'll say the strathspey is a hornpipe played from both ends simultaneously. Thanks to Jim for the ABC, that one goes on my 2do list.
Here's the "classic" version by one of my favourite fiddlers - Jerry Holland - alas, no more with us... The Sweetness Of Mary I can never play this without tears coming to my eyes - the power and the passion of Jerry's playing is superb.
So beautiful, Will.
When it comes to the depth of expression (many here at the Cafe are saying), the mandolin fights a losing battle against a fiddle. And there is some evidence that strathspeys are written with the fiddle in mind (beside the pipes), just thinking of all the fiddle-heavy SRSs where these are played. Still, I stand by what I said about making the most of using the instruments at hand, Will. The soul of the tune is there, that's what counts, and credit goes to the player.
Have spent some time today with this tune since hearing Will's version. Here is my version, played on various mandolin family instruments- mandolin,octave, bouzouki and tenor guitar, all tuned in GDAE. Oh, and an acoustic guitar.
Here is key of A. I tried key of D but playing it is a bit daunting. X:2 T: the Sweetness of Mary C: Joan McDonald Boes N: L:1/8 Q:240 M:4/4 K:A |: A3/2B/ | c2 (3cBA F2 (3FAB | c/e3/2 d/f3/2 e2 (3efg | a3/2g/ f3/2e/ e3/2d/ c3/2d/ | \ |1 e/a3/2 c/A3/2 B4 :|2 e/a3/2 c/B3/2 A2 |: a3/2b/ | c'3/2e/ a/c'3/2 b3/2e/ g/b3/2 | \ a3/2g/ f/a3/2 e2 d/c3/2 | f3/2e/ d3/2f/ e3/2d/ c3/2d/ |1 e/a3/2 c3/2A/ B4 :|2 e/a3/2 c/B3/2 A2 | \ W:Created with TablEdit http://www.tabledit.com/
That's a rich choir of mandolin instruments, John. Are they all JK-made?
Well - I was dissatisfied with my 2009 recording of this - I didn't do the repeat of the A part and missed out some of the strathspey "snaps" here and there in the original. So I've re-done it...
Very well played John. Love the binding on your little tenor guitar. Did you make that instrument as well? Wow, Will's new video popped in just as I posted this so had to go back and add that your new video is excellent!
Great new version, Will! You impart a sort of jazz swing into the strathspey here and I really like that. Bertram, the instruments are all my own builds and Michael, the binding on my tenor is fibre purfling plus purpleheart bindings - I had some purpleheart left from another project and made the bindings and the bridge from it.
The world is at peace with itself, as far as this music is concerned. Who needs anything else - except, maybe, a dram of single malt?
Bertram - there are a couple of bottles of Glenfiddich and a bottle of Dalwhinnie in my drinks cupboard - drop round any time and we'll test them out...
Oh, Will, if only you lived a bit nearer to me up here in Argyll, I would drop round too with my Jura and Glenlivet. Maybe even have a tune or two as well. Isn't the internet wonderful!
John, I don't doubt we'd be singing Slainte in harmony! I lived in Glasgow for some years after the war, so the area is not unknown to me - and I have ancestors who came from Kinross... but that's the other coast.
I'll throw in Balvenie, Highland Park and Laphroaig (or, alternatively Ardbeg 10, whatever's in the house)
I can see there's going to be a new Social Group on the Forum - the "Malt Whisky Group"!
Can't wait to see the videos you'd all post!
Now there's an idea to warm the heart of all good Scotsmen! Good music, good company and some of the golden grain to lubricate the whole process. Music is indeed a universal language, but then so is Malt Whisky - oooh, I love being a Scot with an Irish surname.
Ok, used a sober moment and a Saturday noon's sunshine to record my version of this. A month late, but what is time anyway.
Just come across this thread for the first time - what a lovely tune! Very well played by you all as well!
Thanks Tavy, you should definitely try this - it's easier than it sounds. Plus, watching my own video I discovered it's a 3-finger tune that can be played completely without a pinky!
I want to join the afor mentioned group. I'm not as musically proficient as the rest of you. But, I am really good at drinking single malt. The G.K. stands for Glenfiddich and Knockando. I like to sing and drink Whisky. My friends like to hear me drink Whisky. Gary
Well played Bertram, I'm afraid I'm not eligible for membership in your club. I've had too many years of playing guitar and bass to attempt 3 finger playing on larger instruments. It should be noted that I recorded this video "Stuche style" aka a video capture of the actual recording. No metronomes or drum machines were harmed in the making of this video.
Very nicely played Mr. Hansen. It's a very "snappy" tune in your hands!
Thanks David, and there's a brisk marching quality to your version that makes our feileadh beags (and whatever else) fly in the morning breeze. I would not try to start a club of three-finger-players, only my pinky - compared to my other fingers - is like the arms of a T. Rex: apparently a leftover artefact evolution has given up on. What works for Donald Duck works for me. Glenfiddich Knockando Wilson, feel free to join. Caveat: when you make your first recording of drinking, remember the Scottish saying: "Suppin' loud's nae company"
Lovely playing David, as Michael says, it has a lovely snappy feel to it, very Scottish too!
