Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Boys On The Hilltop

reel

Key signature: Adorian

Submitted on September 2nd 2003 by Dr. Dow.

This tune has been added to 66 tunebooks.

Also known as The Boy On The Hilltop, The Hilltop.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

As It Happened by Danny O'Mahony, Micheal O'Raghalleigh
Barefoot On The Altar by Chulrua
Beal A' Mhurlaigh by P.J. And Marcus Hernon
Cuts From The Turf by Hooley
Eavesdropper by Kevin Burke And Jackie Daly
From Ballymote To Brooklyn by Paddy Killoran and James Morrison
Hell For Leather by Swallow's Tail Céilí Band
Hives Of Honeyed Sound by Padraic Mac Mathuna
In Full Flight by Gavin Whelan
Lucky In Love by Charlie Lennon And Mick O'Connor
Music Of Sligo by Peter Horan And Fred Finn
Mysterious Ireland by Various Artists
Number 6 by Sean Potts
On Common Ground by Cillian Vallely And Kevin Crawford
Past Masters Of Irish Fiddle Music by Various Artists
Potsticks by Sean Moloney
Reed Only by Tim Collins/Brian McNamara
Roguery Road by Jason O'Rouke And Ruadhrai O'Kane
Rossinver Braes by Ben Lennon And Tony O'Connell
Sean Reid's Favourite by Jimmy O'Brien-Moran
The Luck Penny by Seamus Bugler
The Sligo Indians by Tony DeMarco
Traditional Irish Music On Flute And Guitar by Jack And Jimmy Coen
Turas Ceoil by Marcas O'Murchu
Welcome Here, Kind Stranger by Paul Brady
Wind Dancer by Conor Byrne

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Boys On The Hilltop

This is an ace tune I'm learning at the moment. I've transcribed it directly from the playing of SirNose. Below is a more standard session setting:

~A3B B2AG|EGGF G2AG|EA~A2 BABd|egdB BAdB|
~A3B B2AG|EGGF G2AB|c2cA ~B3c|dBGA BAAG||
A2 (3Bcd egdB|GB~B2 defg|aged egdB|GBdB BAA2|
aged egdB|GB~B2 defg|affe fdef|g2af gedB||

This tune caught my attention because of some interesting variations SirNose did at a recent session which I'm trying to put chords to. These involve throwing in F naturals and G sharps into an A dorian tune, so you're switching between 3 modes (A aeolian, A dorian and A melodic minor) in one short tune, so it totally confuses the ear in a really cool way:

Weird version 1:
~A3B B2AG|=FG~G2 FGBG|A2AB B2AB|egdB BAAG|
DAAB B2AG|=FG~G2 FGBG|cEGc dB~B2|dBAG EAAG||
A2 (3Bcd egdB|^GB~B2 def=g|a2gd egdB|^GBdB BAA2|
a2=gd egdB|^GB~B2 defg|a2gd egdB|fggf gedB||

Weird version 2:
A=FAB B2AG|DG~G2 DGBG|A2AB B2AB|egdB BAAG|
=FAAB B2AG|DG~G2 DGBG|cEGc dB~B2|dBAG EAAG||
A2 (3Bcd egdB|^GB~B2 def=g|a2gd egdB|^GBdB BAA2|
a2=gd egdB|^GB~B2 defg|a2gd egdB|fggf gedB||

And my personal favourite weird version 3 with a mix of everything:
eAAB B2AG|=FG~G2 FGBG|DAAB B2AB|egdB BAAG|
=FAAB B2AG|DG~G2 DGBG|cEGc dB~B2|dBAG EAAG||
A2 (3Bcd egdB|^GB~B2 def=g|a2gd egdB|^GBdB BAA2|
a2=gd egdB|^GB~B2 defg|a2gd egdB|fggf gedB||

# Posted on September 2nd 2003 by Dr. Dow

SirNose I hope you don't mind me transcribing these :-/

# Posted on September 2nd 2003 by Dr. Dow

After coming back to it the next morning I've come up with my own version with a bit of a rhythm change. (I'm having some great fun with this in my own self-indulgent thesession corner!)

K:Ador
eAAB (3BcB AG|=FG{A}GF G{A}GFG|DAAB {c}BABd|egdB {c}BA{B}AG|
=FAAB (3BcB AG|DG{A}GD G{A}GBG|cEGc dB~B2|dBAG EA{B}AG||
A2 (3B^cd egdB|^GB~B2 def=g|(3aba gd egdB|^GBdB BAAz|
{^g}a2=gd egdB|^GB~B2 defg|(3aba gd egdB|fg{a}gf gedB||

# Posted on September 3rd 2003 by Dr. Dow

BTW if you want to try any of these, note that the last G in bar 6 of the B part I have consistently transcribed as a G# but it should be a G nat, and I should have included the key for all the settings, which is Ador.

# Posted on September 3rd 2003 by Dr. Dow

Sorry for getting carried away, but what about this for an A part that sounds nothing like the original...

K:Ador
eA~A2 eA{B}AG|=FG{A}GF G{A}GFG|DA{B}AG (3ABA Bd|egdB {c}BA{B}AG|
=FA~A2 cA{B}AG|DG{A}GD G{A}GBG|cEGc dB~B2|dBAG =FA{B}AG||

# Posted on September 3rd 2003 by Dr. Dow

Or what about this for an even more wacky concertina setting:
K:Ador
eA (3ABA aA{B}AG|=FG{A}GF (3GAG EG|DA{B}AG (3ABA Bd|eaed (3cBA BG|
=FA (3AG^A cA (3AGA|D=G{A}G^F (3GAG BG|cEGc dB~B2|eBAG =FA{B}AG||
I think it's turned into a different tune - I'd better leave it there :-)

# Posted on September 3rd 2003 by Dr. Dow

And what about this for the B part:
A2 (3B^cd eaed|=cA^GB def=g|(3aba gd eaed|^cAGE D2D2|
{^g}a2=gd eaed|=cA^GB def=g|(3aba ^ga ~b3g|(3aba ^ge (3=gag ^fd||
Right this is getting ridiculous. I promise to stop (-:

# Posted on September 3rd 2003 by Dr. Dow

Dow, dow , dow.
are you a genius or just INSANE!!!!
Love you're work, but my ABC ckills are a bit not good so i'll have to work through the more bizare versions later

I learnt this one from murty ryan, box-player extraordinaire, in Ennis last year.

(dow, i think we are a VERy bad influence on each other ;o)

# Posted on September 8th 2003 by SirNose

Good god, Mark. I still haven't finished working my way through your extras of Jenny's Welcome (okay, it's mainly because of *time*)...this'll take me another year. ;)

# Posted on September 9th 2003 by Zina Lee

*Sigh* Every time I read through this I find more mistakes in my ABC. The beginning of the 2nd line of the 1st part should read =FA (3A^GA instead of =FA (3AG^A.

SirNose, any single notes in { } brackets is a cut or tap on the flute. Triplets I explained on Sunday, and the only other one is accidentals outside the key signature. = makes a note natural if it's sharp in the key sig, ^ is sharp, and _ is flat. Any accidentals have a lasting effect throughout the whole bar they appear in, but get neutralised back to the original key sig after the next barline (as with sheetmusic). ~ strictly speaking is a short or long roll, but I use it as an easy-to-read general ornament which could be either a roll or triplet type thing. z is a rest (its value works just like a normal note).

....Hey what about this one for a final version (-:

K:Ador
eAA{B}A ^GA{B}A=G|=FG{A}GF G{A}GEG|DA{B}AG AzBd|eaed (3cBA BG|
=FAA{^G}A cAA{^G}A|D=G{A}G^F G{A}GBG|cEGc dB~B2|eBAG =FA{B}AG||
A2 (3B^cd eaed|=cA^GB def=g|a{b}agd eaed|^cAGE ~D4|
{^g}a2=gd eaed|=cA^GB def=g|a{b}a^ga bzbg|a{b}a^ge =g{a}g^fd|

You could maybe cran for ages on that low D Kevin Crawford style.

# Posted on September 9th 2003 by Dr. Dow

It deserves a new name I think - what about "The Insane Boys On The Hilltop"!

# Posted on September 9th 2003 by Dr. Dow

Now you're pluralizing yourself & referring to yourself in the third person... yep, that title works for me.

# Posted on September 9th 2003 by emily_bmore

', :-) Hmmm!

# Posted on September 9th 2003 by Dr. Dow

Hey by the way, in case you're wondering, I read somewhere on the net that (-: is officially a "smile from the southern hemisphere". For some reason I find that quite amusing. I'm just wondering about my "ironic look" and "doubtful expression" - whether those'll work... okay: (-:', {-:,' /-:', \-:,' hmm I'm not sure that they work as well.

# Posted on September 9th 2003 by Dr. Dow

I just need a "Dow is insane in the southern hemisphere" expression now to complete my repertoire. What about #-8{

# Posted on September 9th 2003 by Dr. Dow

Well, the hat's on upside down, that bit's right at least.

# Posted on September 9th 2003 by Tish

~ ~
@@
v
O

I know I'm violating the one line emoticon rule, but I just had to use the 'at' sign. Plus, it's pretty lifelike.

# Posted on September 9th 2003 by emily_bmore

Oh well I deserved for that not to turn out. It looked better in the box.

# Posted on September 9th 2003 by emily_bmore

Lifelike... so I look vaguely like a surprised dog wearing spectacles?

# Posted on September 9th 2003 by Dr. Dow

hehehe...a mutt, at that...

# Posted on September 10th 2003 by Zina Lee

Sorry Jeremy, I didn't realise this was already here: http://thesession.org/tunes/display.php/1197

# Posted on October 18th 2003 by Dr. Dow

From 'On Common Ground' (Cillian Vallely & Kevin Crawford)

X:1
T:Boys On The Hilltop, The
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:reel
K:Gdor
D |G3 B A2 GF|DF FE F2 GG/F/|DG G2 AFAc |dfcA AGGF |
G3 B A2 GF|DF FE F2 GA|BGGG A3 B| cAFG AGGF ||
G2 (3ABc (3def cA | FA A2 cdef | {f}g2 dc dfcA| FAcA AG G2|
{f}g2 dc dfcA | FA A2 cdef| gefd ecde |fa ge fdcA ||

# Posted on August 26th 2009 by Marcianne

The Boys On The Hilltop

Here's a clip of this tune played by ony Linnane & Jim O'Connor. It's the second tune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roFxoK0Vbqs

# Posted on August 26th 2009 by bogman

There's a very nice version of this song on Welcome Here Kind Stranger, where it is played by Tommy Peoples in Bb dorian.

# Posted on September 2nd 2009 by WickedSaint

Patsy Hanley's version

I like Patsy Hanley's version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjLcfnY8-gY

# Posted on May 1st 2011 by Hup

Re: Patsy Hanley's version

Oh, that is a good one indeed. Very nice playing.

# Posted on June 23rd 2011 by WickedSaint

For more of P. Haley's flute playing, visit this page: http://www.lafferty.ca/music/irish/flute-geezers/

# Posted on June 26th 2011 by slainte

Sorry, I mean Patsy Hanley. He actually appeared on RTE radio 1 a couple of years ago: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/therollingwave/1251860.html (July 1)

# Posted on June 26th 2011 by slainte

http://comhaltasarchive.ie/search?tab=tracks&q=carney+michael Piping version from Mayo musician Michael Carney, recorded on wax cylinder back in the day. This is subtly different than the usual setting, the 2nd part starts something like this:

A2eA eABA G2BA Bdeg a2eA eABd bag2 baag a2eA

Lots of little variations go by, too. Carney was a great piper and these cylinders are even better than his 78s, fine as those were.

# Posted on June 26th 2011 by KLR