The Session >> Tunes >> Morrison's (jig)

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Morrison's

jig

Key signature: Edorian

Submitted on May 25th 2001 by Jeremy.

This tune has been added to 1868 tunebooks.

Also known as Cry Of The Celtic, Jim Morrison's, Maurice Carmondy's Favorite, Maurice Carmondy's Favourite, Morrison's, Morrison's Aaron, Stick Across The Hob, The Stick Across The Hob, Tom Carmondy's Favorite.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

X: 1
T: Morrison's
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Edor
|:E3 B3|EBE AFD|EDE B3|dcB AFD|
E3 B3|EBE AFD|G3 FGA|dAG FED:|
Bee fee|aee fee|Bee fee|a2g fed|
Bee fee|aee fee|gfe d2A|BAG FGA|
Bee fee|aee fee|Bee fee|faf def|
g3 gfe|def g2d|edc d2A|BAG FED|

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments
Morrison's sheetmusic
Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

This tune is great fun to play in a fast tempo, especially that second part which is more Metallica than Morrison's.

Those Es and Bs at the start are just crying out to be ornamented. You can try EDE and BAB.

You can get another variation by playing the notes EBE BEB ad nauseum. Of course, then it's really going to sound like Metallica :)

# Posted on June 2nd 2001 by Jeremy

James Morrison was the fiddler that made this tune popular, the story goes that Morrison learned the tune from Carmondy (a friend of Morrison's in NYC) & Tom did not have a name for it. James Morrison learned it & said that he would record it the next day for a record company & call it "Tom Carmondy's Favorite" which he did.

# Posted on March 21st 2002 by Mad Baloney

From a discussion thread on making up lyrics to tunes so you can remember them, Mark/Ottery came up with this gem, and I felt it simply shouldn't ever be lost:

Morrison's, Morrison's
We all play Morrison's.
It's such fun, and what could be finer?
Morrison's, Morrison's
Let's not play Morrison's -
It's not fun or clever and it's in E Minor.

# Posted on November 18th 2003 by Zina Lee

Padraig O'Keefe's Favourite

On "Gaelic Roots", a 2-CD compilation from a Boston College concert series, Johnny O'Leary plays a 3-part tune called "Padraig O'Keefe's Favourite", the first 2 parts of which sound almost identical to Morrison's. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

# Posted on January 28th 2004 by JHowley

Bowing problems on Morrison's (bowing to tne inevitable?)

My problems are bowing the EBE BAB starting the A part, and the BEE AEE in teh B part. I'm playing in a group with an accordion player who can really drill out those notes. Tactical non-hits (i.e. misses): One stroke/note: feel like I'm cutting wood, and badly. Light bouncing in the B part works, down-up-up,, throw in a cut or two, sounds good escept can't get needed speed or volume. Slurring the triples in the A part doesn't work for me at a fast pace unless I dot the first quarter (then can get a nice rock-n-roll burr sometimes).
Maybe just do a dotted quarter E in 1st 2 measures of A and B? Not macho, but better than tripping over my own shoes. I know, ask a better player at a seisun. But I just had to get this off my shoulders. A little cyber plea.
Mike, LA, CA, USA

# Posted on March 11th 2005 by mthornhill

Bowing problems: correction re notes

I meant the BEE FEE AEE sequences in B part are problematic. where the B part modulates, I'm okay. it flows right for me.
Mike

# Posted on March 11th 2005 by mthornhill

Bowing Morrison's

I was taught to bow the EBEB by rotating the wrist in a full circle. It took my about a week without the fiddle to do it. I have found that it gives an extra kick to reverse the rotation occaisionally.

E3 BEB | is a plausible solution as is Playing a long roll on the E3 then on a B3. If there's a dozen other fiddlers and no guitars, I might play the E diad {EB} in unson and then slide off to the open {DA}. Just don't do it the same way every time.

One thing that keeps this classic alive is that there's so many different ways to play it.

# Posted on July 11th 2005 by Owell Mabee

Variation 4 Morrison's

well this is a variation that i thought maybe you'd like to know
i roll the E and the B
so its
EFEDE BCBAB
:)

# Posted on September 10th 2005 by CELTICCHEF83

"Richard Brennan's Jig" = "Morrison's #2"

Key signature: D Major
Submitted on March 10th 2004 by Mad Baloney.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/2632

Comment from Mad Baloney:

"This is the jig that James Morrison usually played after "Morrison's Jig" ~ Don't know why the first one became so popular while this tune is so rare, but anyway they make a nice pair."

# Posted on December 14th 2005 by ceolachan

A neat trick with this Jig

So last night I was playing with some friends, and the mando player thought that we were starting at the B section, when me and the guitar started at the top.

The result? Pretty darn cool. Other than a quick G in the guitar that sounds a little strange, it sounds really amazing, like an incredible counterpoint harmony. Try it out, and let me know what you think.

# Posted on January 1st 2006 by JONATHAN2001

Morrisons Jig

can anyone tell me what tunes they would put with this in there session set. looking for two simple but effective tunes to go with this great jig

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by squelly

Re: Morrisons Jig

forgot to mention the same question for "the maid behind the bar"

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by squelly

Re: Morrisons Jig

Donnybrook Fair "falls" nicely into Morrisons.

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by Newty

Re: Morrisons Jig

Which Morrison's, there are 7 here alone? Could you post the link?

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by llig leahcim

Re: Morrisons Jig

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/71

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by squelly

Re: Morrisons Jig

Well, i copied john carty's set of cooley's reel running into the maid behind the bar. It works pretty well. As for morrison's, i never heard it before

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by copo24

Re: Morrisons Jig

Oh come on michael isn't obvious which morrisons jig it is. Ye'll be asking which maid behind the bar it is next.

I usually put it after, out in the ocean

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by Ripthecalico

Re: Morrisons Jig

I only asked because I'm not good with the names of tunes. I had a quick sacn of it and I can now say, oh, that one. (I did know the maid behind the bar's name though)

So, you cuold just play the Bothy band set ...
http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/324
nowt wrong with that. But it's better to be more inventive

After out on the ocean in A would be more fun than in G I think. But I'd prefer to keep the set darker. Start with something in A min, morrisons in the middle, then get another big Emin jig, kid in the mountain maybe


# Posted on March 14th 2006 by llig leahcim

Re: Morrisons Jig

Drowsy Maggie is a fairly obvious tune to play after Morrison's Jig. Perhaps, too obvious!

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by John J.

Re: Morrisons Jig

Try Morrison's with Dorros Mill. they might be a little too similar in key and structure for some, but I like 'em.

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by fidkid

Re: Morrisons Jig

John J, would't it be better to play a jig with a jig in a session.

Try a jig starting on g, and in G, maybe Jim Ward's?
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/793

MBTB try Father Kelly's.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/791

Just off the top of my head, I haven't tried these before.

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by kjay_bc_box

Re: Morrisons Jig

hey, those two tunes are only two numbers apart!
Creepy...

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by kjay_bc_box

Re: Morrisons Jig

Well, perhaps in a session but it's quite a nice change, I think. Both tunes are in the same key and I quite like moving from a jig to a reel, in this instance.
Maybe, it's not's suitable for a session though, as it's unexpected.

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by John J.

Re: Morrisons Jig

Morrison's into the Kesh goes very nicely

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by fiddlefamily

Re: Morrisons Jig

Concertina Reel - Maid Behind the Bar - Dairy Maid - Sligo Maid

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by Shrog

Re: Morrisons Jig

I'd tend to think of jig into reel as very Scottish so it was interesting to see what you say about yourself John J.

Would people do the March/Strathspey/Reel thing in a session in Scotland, or is that for more formal situations?

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by TomB-R

Re: Morrisons Jig

Lannigan's Ball/Morrison's Jig

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by dafydd

Re: Morrisons Jig

Yes, they would do this sort of things in sessions too but it is usually done for more formal situations. Traditionally, many of the sessions have been like this in Scotland where a musician or two or three will "do something" as opposed to everyone playing in unison all the time.

These days, most sessions where the musicians "join in" together are very similar to Irish sessions but just have Scottish and/or a mixture of tunes. Reels usually get played with reels, jigs with jigs and so on.

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be as many strathspeys, pipe marches etc in your average Scottish session these days. It's all reels etc here these days as well.

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by John J.

Re: Morrisons Jig

Or when they do get played, they are played like jigs and reels half the time. :-(

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by John J.

Re: Morrisons Jig

our set starts with a song in Eb, then Sliabh Russel (jig in A-) which falls perfectly into the Morrison's grand final.

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by fiddlemax

Re: Morrisons Jig

You could try Whelan's Fancy before Morrisons.
I did it with my friends, and it worked out well..

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1447

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by ainekenaz

Re: Morrisons Jig

By the way, if The Bothy Band can get away with changing from a jig to a set of reels, then surely I can :-)

http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/9486

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by John J.

Re: Morrisons Jig

Oops. Was thinking of Monhan's with Dorros Mill, above. My bad.

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by fidkid

Obviously, somebody thinks this discussion belongs in the tunes section. :-)

# Posted on March 14th 2006 by John J.

More notes on the origin

Tom Carmody, who played accordion in Morrison's band, tells this story of its origin:

"Jim was up at my house the night before we were to go to the studio, and I played him this jig. Jim asked me where I had got it from and I told him it was my father's jig called 'The Stick Across the Hob'. Jim asked me to play it again and he wrote it down as I played, then he got the fiddle and played it off. "I will put that on record tomorrow", he said, and we'll call it Maurice Carmody's Favourite".

From "The James Morrison Story"

http://www.morrison.ie/Story.htm

# Posted on August 20th 2007 by joebowbeer

I've also heard variations of Morrison's and Whelan's mixed up together (like the first half of Morrisons and the second of Whelan's) an easy trick to slip into but then hard to play either tune correctly after you've learned it! Or does this hybrid tune have a name of it's own...? For example, what would you call the second tune this lad plays along with on youtube and who's the fiddle player on the backing track? (the first tune is Carraroe)

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EbiYgaGqgX0
(top marks for dancing :o)

# Posted on August 29th 2007 by Loughcurra

Hallmark Card

Hallmark just released a musical greeting card with The Irish Experience version of this tune.

http://newsroom.hallmark.com/Holiday/St-Patricks-Day

# Posted on February 13th 2008 by joebowbeer

the corrs plays this with carraroe jig, love this tune

# Posted on June 5th 2008 by chansherly212

Morrison's

Anyone know any tunes that go well into Morrison's that isn't a jig?

# Posted on June 5th 2008 by ajh92

Non-jigs with Morrison's

It's common to mix tune types for harp competitions; one combo I've used is:

Kerry Slide
Morrison's
Rakes of Mallo

# Posted on June 9th 2008 by khutchins

Cheers!

Cool! Thanks for that! I'll check them out!

# Posted on June 11th 2008 by ajh92

I've heard Drowsy Maggie played after this jig. They goes well together, in the same key.

# Posted on June 12th 2008 by slainte

Re. Morrison's jig

I play Morrison's with Brother's Jig (composed by Emile Benoit), then Humours of Glendart ..

# Posted on August 26th 2008 by apriloreilly13

The corrs never played it with any of their tunes. They never played at all !

# Posted on November 11th 2009 by Amilda

It's a new Tune? Lol

# Posted on April 21st 2010 by Tony O gealbhain

Morrison's

The Bothy Band, third tune
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgXwIIHAmaw

# Posted on November 12th 2010 by bogman

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