Gan Ainm

jig

Key signature: Gminor

Submitted on August 15th 2009 by Trevor Jennings.

This tune has been added to 6 tunebooks.

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Gan ainm

This jig is unnamed tune #99 in the Petrie Collection. It is of course in B-flat, but there is no specific provision here for posting in that key.

# Posted on August 15th 2009 by Trevor Jennings

Gan ainm

Something unexpected has happened with this posting ...

The tune is in B-flat. Now B-flat is not on the list of keys here, so when I posted the tune I specified it as G-minor so as to ensure that there would be two flats in the key signature (B-flat and E-flat). Now I see that the key signature has mysteriously changed to D-minor, which has only the B-flat. This makes a nonsense of the sheet music if played as seen, also of the midi file.

There does not appear to be any way of changing the contents of the K: field in the ABC, so I am manually changing each E-nat in the ABC to E-flat. Unfortunately, this will not be reflected in the sheet music (which cannot now be changed) so anyone reading the sheet music will have to use their common sense and remember to play E-flat instead of E-nat.

This is how the ABC should now read:

f | f2_e d2B | c_ec AFA | B3 BAG | ABc F2f |
d2B dfd | _egc AFA | B2G cAF |B3 B2 :|
_e | d_ef fdB | fdB B2d | _e/f/gg g_ec |g_ec c2_e |
d_ef fgf | b2g fdf | g2_e AFA | B3 B2 :|

# Posted on August 16th 2009 by Trevor Jennings

Just an observation

if you play this tune as if it were in b minor i.e. ignoring the flates in the key signature but still starting on the note in the sheet music it actually makes quite a nice other tune...=]
Rachel

# Posted on August 16th 2009 by Mrs.Lonal Dunny

Just an observation

Good point, Rachel. I think, as I trawl through the Petrie gan ainms it would be useful to transpose from an exotic key (i.e. anything more than 1 or 2 flats or more than 3 sharps) to something more common in Irish trad. But I'd also have to check that the transposed tune doesn't lie too harshly under the fiddler's fingers or bow (can't speak for the blowers, though).

# Posted on August 16th 2009 by Trevor Jennings

Gan ainm

The key signature has now magically changed to the intended 2 flats - presumably done by the MIC (Magician-in-Charge). Many thanks!

# Posted on August 16th 2009 by Trevor Jennings

Side note about Petrie's

After perusing through a good deal of Petrie's myself, it occurred to me that Petrie was most likely writing down the tunes at the pitch they sounded at. For instance, if he had a tune written out in B flat, it wasn't because the player decided ton play in a difficult key; it is much more likely that it was either a flat- pitched instrument or a fiddle tuned down. So yes, much of what appears in oddball keys in Petrie's should be transposed into more human keys than say, C Sharp Minor!

# Posted on August 17th 2009 by jaychoons

Side note about Petrie's

I think that Petrie was an experienced enough musician to notice if a fiddle player was playing in A on a fiddle that was a half-tone flat (a common Baroque thing, btw), and would have notated it in A. Similarly with whistles and flutes. This probably wouldn't have applied in the case of sung songs, and in those instances he would have chosen a key that sounded right to his ear. Incidentanlly, we all know the odd pitches that solo singers are capable of settling on in sessions, and the consequent frantic shifting around of capos by guitarists desperately trying to cope!

However, it's worth pointing out that on the fiddle 2 (and even 3) flats aren't difficult - quite the reverse in fact because players who might find that high B on the E string a difficult stretch will have little problem with the high B-flat. If anything, for this sort of reason flat keys on the fiddle are a shade easier to play than the sharp keys.

I leave it to others to comment on such keys when played on flute, whistle or box.

I'll certainly look to transposing in the case of keys with 3 or more flats, or 4 or more sharps (and there aren't all that many in Petrie).

# Posted on August 17th 2009 by Trevor Jennings

It's worth pointing out that Petrie was doing his collecting in the 19th century at a time when sound recording had yet to be invented. Musicians in those days must have been fairly skilled at notating tunes on the fly with pen and paper, with perhaps few (if any) opportunities for the performer to repeat the tune as a check - and then it's a good bet that the second time through would be slightly different!

# Posted on August 17th 2009 by Trevor Jennings