POSTING SOON: full ornaments and chord scores for “Road to Lisdoonvarna” ( reel) and O’Raghallaigh’s version of “Hawthorne Hedge”

 
Putting a tune together with alternate fingerings and ornamentation: a polka, jig and reel 

Before I start with this I should point out that all of the ornamentation and fingerings recommended below are only a guide to different options. Use what suits you, and for example if  I have a series of notes in the press direction, but you prefer them on the draw, then you do it your way.

 To indicate the alternatives I have used  upward and downward arrow symbols.    The upward arrow  indicates a note on the draw, whilst the downward arrow  indicates a note on the press. And where both arrows appear then either fingering may be used. I have of course only included these arrows in the score where a note may be played with alternate fingerings. Notes such as E, F#, f#, G and g are almost always played in the one direction, and so are not notated (though for  the G’s and A’s there are alternate buttons). It’s really mainly the notes D, B, c, d, e, (with occasionally A, g, a and b as well) which I’ve notated with arrows. So if a B is shown with a downward arrow  then it’s played on the press at G4, and if a c is shown with an upward arrow  then it’s played on the draw at  G4. Although A can of course be played on the press at T4, this is rare so I generally have not put any arrow over the because it’s almost always  played on the draw. I generally use G3 on the G row, but sometimes I do use C5 too, and for some players the latter is their preferred version.

My notation assumes that you have a c# in both directions, but if you only have that note on the press, then adjust by playing adjoining notes also on the press, e.g. in bar 2 you would play I the first 3 notes on the press.

Now click on the links below for a detailed score and explanation of these tunes:

THE MAIDS OF ARDAGH (polka)

THE PIPE ON THE HOB (jig)

BRENDA STUBBERT’S REEL ( reel)

 

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