Big John McNeil

reel

Key signature: Amajor

Submitted on October 1st 2002 by MichaelBolton.

This tune has been added to 176 tunebooks.

Also known as Big John MacNeil, Big John MacNeill, Big John McNeal, Big John McNeil's, Big John McNeill's, Big John McNiel, John MacNeil, John MacNeil's, John Macneils, John McNeil's, John McNeill's, John Mcneils, Lord Ramsey, Lord Ramsey's.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• Battlefield Band by Battlefield Band
• Bruach An TSuláin by The Abbey Céilí Band
• Chasing The Bear by John Hicks
• Clear The Dresser And Take The Floor by Emerald Ceili Band
• Colin Grant by Colin Grant
• Craic'd! by Atlantic Wave
• Edge Of Reason by Face The West
• Explosive Fiddlers by The Explosive Fiddlers
• Fiddle Music 101 by Ashley And Dave MacIsaac
• Heat Of The Moment by Pierre Schryer And Ian Clark
• How The West Was Won by De Danann
• Ireland's Own Traditional Accordionist by Finbarr Dwyer
• Live At The Music Room by Troy MacGillivray
• Live At West Mabou Hall by Howie MacDonald, Dave MacIsaac And Mac Morin
• Live: Rough Around The Edges by Syncopaths
• Meiteal by Seamus Begley And Stephen Cooney
• Music From The Heart by Pius MacIsaac
• Northern Banjo by Ken Pearlman
• One by 422
• Party Acadien by Eddy Arsenault Et Famille, Anastasia DesRoches, Louise Arsenault
• Relative Minors by Qristina And Quinn Bachand
• Set On Stone by The Kilfenora Ceili Band
• Strict Tempo: Scottish Country Dance Music From The 1950's, Volume 1 by Adam Rennie And His Scottish Country Dance Quartet
• The Best Of Aly Bain by Aly Bain
• The Best Of Don Messer by Don Messer
• The Best Of Fiddle Fever by Fiddle Fever
• The Easy Club by The Easy Club
• The Legendary Down Home Recordings by Various Artists
• The Mist Covered Mountain by De Danann
• The Steeplechase by Brendan Mulvihill And Donna Long
• Three Bean Salad by Three Bean Salad
• Traditional Fiddle Music Of Cape Breton Volume 4 Mackinnon's Brook by Various Artists
• Twistin' The Bow by Samantha Robichaud
• Unearthed by Paul McGlinchey

X: 1
T: Big John McNeil
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Amaj
A2|:A,2 CE FECE|AECE FECE|A,2 CE FECE|FAGF EDCB,|
A,2 CE FECE|AECE FECE|A,CB,D CEDF|1EGBd (3cBA A2:|2EGBd (3cBA cd||
|:eAfA eAcd|eAfA e2 (3agf|eAfA eAce|dece B2 cd|
eAfA eAcd|eAfA e2 fg|agfe fedc|1defg a2 cd:|2defg a2 A2||

Big John McNeil

I couldn't find this tune anywhere on The Session, and given its popularity in Canada, it seemed an amazing omission. Chris Ricker had the nicest arrangement that I could find, so I, um, adapted it from his site. Or "adopted" may be the better word.

I've seen the tune attributed to Trad, but I believe the author is Peter Milne, who called it simply "John O'Neill". However, I think the robust nature of the piece earns it the "Big".

# Posted on October 1st 2002 by MichaelBolton

This tune is of Scottish origin. I think Big John McNeil was one of the McNeils of Barra, in the Hebrides - the same family which brought us Brian McNeil of the Battlefield Band and the traditional Scots Gaelic singer, Flora McNeil.

# Posted on October 4th 2002 by OrganicPeatCreature

Big John McNeil

I learnt this tune from one of my tutors,the famous lochilart fiddler, Angus Grant .Angus is very good friends with the famous Bert Murray from Aberdeen. Bert played this tune in a very good march,strathspey and reel set. First of all he played a pipe march called "The Stirlingshire Milita",then he played a strathspey called "A Gloomy Winter"(which is also played by Richard Wood) and then he finished of with Big John McNeill.

# Posted on February 23rd 2003 by weemanwatson

There's actually a recording

Though this won't be much help: There was a commercially available cassette made of the players who won or placed in the National Scottish Fiddle championship of (?year?). This tune is played by one of the performers in his set. Email me if you want and I'll try to locate it.

# Posted on April 19th 2003 by pchaffee

Big John McNeil

De Danann recorded this under a wrong name on "The Mist Covered Mountain" LP. A setting was published in Tony "Sully" Sullivan's first tune collection.

The tune works amazingly well on a fiddle tuned AEAE ("high bass" as they call it in Cape Breton), so well that I wonder whether this wasn't the way it was initially played.

# Posted on March 8th 2004 by blarneystar

Recordings

there's also a recording of this tune on the barachois CD, but it doesn't come up on the list of recordings, because it's in a set called "les deux johns"
Anders

# Posted on September 10th 2004 by weefreefidler

Old-Timers

Many of the old-time fiddlers that I know play this after St. Anne's Reel.

# Posted on January 11th 2005 by natharious

"Lord Ramsey"

Key signature: Gmajor
Submitted on January 2nd 2003 by Bernie.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1277

# Posted on May 13th 2006 by ceolachan

Composers, names

Peter Milne wrote it, and did so under the name "John McNeill's Reel"

# Posted on August 30th 2007 by cowsrhot

John McNeill's Reel

John McNeill was a famous Highland dancer at the turn of the 20th century. The legendary piper Angus MacPherson competed against McNeil several times, and said of him, “Oh aye, he threw a fine leg!” Peter Milne (the composer of the tune)'s student and friend James Scott Skinner wrote another tune for McNeill:

X:407
T:John McNeill's Highland Fling
C:James Scott Skinner
B:Harp & Claymore
Z:Nigel Gatherer
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:A
a | e>A A/A/A a>Ac<a | c/d/e =g>d B>GG>f |
e>A A/A/A a>Ac<a | c/d/e a>e c>AA :|
e | a/g/f e>A a>Ac<a | =g/f/e d>G g>GB<g |
a/g/f e>A a>Ae>d | c/d/e a>e c>AA>e |
(3agf (3edc (3agf (3edc | (3gfe (3dcB (3gfe d>f |
e>A A/A/A a>Ac<a | c/d/e a>e c>AA |]

# Posted on August 30th 2007 by nigelg

Big John McNeill

Can anyone direct me to the sheet music or ABC of the version on Slide's Harmonic Motion album?
Thanks

# Posted on November 13th 2007 by molaoch

Re: Big John McNeill

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1002

# Posted on November 13th 2007 by dafydd

Re: Big John McNeill

Thanks, but it's not the version I'm looking for.

# Posted on November 13th 2007 by molaoch

Re: Big John McNeill

I've only ever heard the one version.

# Posted on November 13th 2007 by dafydd

Re: Big John McNeill

Molaoch - Do you know of any Youtube clips of it, or somesuch like? (...the things we take for granted these days.)

There's another version here http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1277 posted as Lord Ramsey. This is the version I've heard most often in Ireland, although usually in A, not in G as posted here.

# Posted on November 13th 2007 by OrganicPeatCreature

NameChanges....
Thanks for your help. No, it's not that Lord Ramsey one either. The only place I've heard the version I'm looking for is on the Slide album.

# Posted on November 14th 2007 by molaoch

Bigger John Mcneil

I stumbled across a version with a couple of extra parts here:
http://www.folktunefinder.com/tune.php?id=5576

Not convinced it adds anything much to the 'usual' 2-part version

# Posted on August 10th 2008 by domnull

The American band Fiddle Fever do an amazing version of this tune, with the second part sliding down the keys.

# Posted on November 23rd 2008 by tirvaluk