The Broken Pledge

reel

Key signature: Ddorian

Submitted on February 9th 2003 by Concertina Player.

This tune has been added to 189 tunebooks.

Also known as An Geall Briste.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A Flick Of The Wrist by Brendan Larrissey
• A Tribute To Michael Coleman by Joe Burke, Andy McGann And Felix Dolan
• Ace And Deuce by Ace And Deuce
• Box On by Shona Kipling And Damien O'Kane
• Bring Yer Wellies by Gaelic Storm
• Cavan's Lilter by Séamus Fay
• Close To The Bone by Old Blind Dogs
• Dig With It by Randal Bays, Dave Marshall And Willie Bays
• Folktrax 174 - Michael Gorman (fiddle) With Margaret Barry (banjo) by Michael Gorman
• Forty Years Of Irish Piping by Seamus Ennis
• Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar by Bóthar Na Sop
• Give Us Another by Joe Derrane
• In Safe Hands by Various Artists
• Irish Cream by Irish Cream
• Macalla Na HÓige by Hugh Healy And Colm Healy
• Maiden Voyage by Various Artists
• McGreevy And Cooley by John McGreevy And Seamus Cooley
• Pure Banjo by Brian McGrath
• Real Reels Of Ireland by Various Artists
• Sean Reid's Favourite by Jimmy O'Brien-Moran
• Selected Jigs Reels And Songs by De Danann
• Setting Free by Tola Custy And Cyril O'Donoghue
• Strange But True... by Takuji Tamura And Yukio Kashiwagi
• Take A Bow by Matt Cranitch
• The Blue CD by Irish Session Tunes
• The Celts Play Connecticut by Various Artists
• The Gaelic Heritage: Traditional Music From Connemara by Various Artists
• The Lonesome Touch by Martin Hayes
• The Mirthical Reel by Steve Mulhern And Ian Laws
• The Morning After by Beneche
• The Morning Dew by Brendan Mulvihill And Donna Long
• The Rowsome Tradition: Five Generations Of Uileann Piping by Kevin Rowsome
• The Seventh Veil by Theresa Kavanagh
• The Silver Spire by Karen Tweed
• The Sligo Champion (CD 2) by Michael Gorman
• The Tempest by Robbie Hannan
• The Well Tempered Bow by Liz And Yvonne Kane
• Three Shouts From A Hill by Cian
• Traditional Music From Clare And Beyond by Gearoid O HAllmhurain
• Who? by Darren Maloney
• Within A Mile Of Dublin by Paul O'Shaughnessy And Paul McGrattan
• Wooden Flute Obsession: Volume 3, Disc 2 by Various Artists

X: 1
T: Broken Pledge, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ddor
A|dcAG ADDB|cAGF ECCE|DEFG Addc|AcGc Adfe|
dcAG A2dB|cAGF ECCE|DEFG Addc|AcGc ADD:||
A|dcAG Acde|fAdf ecAB|cAGE GAcd|ecc2 eage|
dcAG Acde|fAdf ecAG|F2FE FGAB|cAGE FDD:||

A nasty tune ?

Extract from a Michael Simmons interview with Frankie Gavin for Fiddler Magazine:

Frankie Gavin was pushed into playing the fiddle at the age of ten by his older accordion-playing brother who thought the two instruments would sound good together. "One day Sean came up to me," Gavin recalls. "He said, 'You know, I think you should play the fiddle.' I said, 'I don't know about that. Doesn't it make a lot of squeaks when you're learning?' But he kept on me so I decided to give it a go. The first thing he made me learn was a tune called 'The Broken Pledge,' which is lovely, but really difficult to play. He said, 'If you can get a really nasty tune off first, everything else will be plain sailing after that.' And it turns out it's true enough."

# Posted on February 10th 2003 by Concertina Player

As a fiddler, I can see how you might not want this to be your first tune, but it's certainly not the most difficult in the book. Apparently Frankie was up to it....

# Posted on February 10th 2003 by Miss Lonelyhearts

The Well Tempered Bow

Does anybody know the jig version of 'broken pledge' that is played on the kane sisters' first album? i think it goes really well after 'do you want anymore?'

# Posted on February 12th 2005 by galway-fiddle

Broken Pledge

Galway-fiddle, I just posted the dots for the jig, transcribed directly from the Well Tempered Bow. Click here: http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/4217

# Posted on February 12th 2005 by Miss Lonelyhearts

I hear this more often in Edor at our session for the pipers/fluters, altho' I have to say I prefer it in Ddor.

# Posted on February 12th 2005 by Dow

Broken pledge

Thanks Will!!!

# Posted on February 14th 2005 by galway-fiddle

is this tune really D dorian. Played with the Fs sharp it sounds just as fine to my humble ear and its quite ok to play it thence as notated on flutey/pipey things (i do it so...). I guess the Fs are just like the Cs in a lot of these tunes: you can jump back and forth between the sharp and the natural and anywhere in between depending on the mood your in.

# Posted on March 17th 2005 by timo

Broken pledge

Patrick Ourceau taught this beautiful tune with a slight variation which I post now in abc format. Makes it even more beautiful!

X: 1
T: Broken Pledge, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Ddor
|dcAG ADDd|cAGF ECCE|DEFG Addc|Ac1/2A1/2GB Adfe|
dcAG (3EFG AB|cdBd cAGE|DEFG Addc|Ac1/2A1/2GE EDD2:||
|dcAG Adde|f2df ecAB|~c3A GAcd|ecc2 eage|
dcAG Adde|f2df ecAG|F2~F2 FGAd|cAGE EDD2:||

# Posted on March 16th 2006 by bobbi

I've heard that version too, with the variation. It's nice.

# Posted on December 14th 2006 by Dow

Broken Pledge version from Liz Kane

Here's a version of the Broken Pledge given to me by Liz Kane, as best as I could make out her handwriting, and processed by six months of playing it.

X:2
T:Broken Pledge, The
M:C|
L:1/8
R:Reel
K:DDor
dcAG AEAB|cAGF ECCE|D2 (3E^FG Addc|(3ABc Gc Adfe|
dcAG (3E^FG AB|cBcd cAGE|D2 (3E^FG AddB|cAGE {G}ED D2:|
dcAG A2 de|fefd ecAB|cAGE GAcd|ec ~c2 eage|
dcAG FAde|fefd ecAG|F2 ED (3E^FG AB|cAGE {G}ED D2:|

I use the G for the cut between the two Es in the last bar because it's easiest on the B/C box, but an F natural works just as well or maybe better. One could put rolls on the quarter notes, but they sound ok to me without them.

# Posted on January 24th 2008 by GaryAMartin

Ha does anyone have this in EDor? otherwise i'll have to sit down and do it by ear....

# Posted on June 29th 2008 by irishflute93

Rowsome Version

My attempt at transcribing Kevin Rowsome's playing:

||:ed BA Be eB| dG AG FA DA|EF GA Be ec| (3.B.cB Ad Bf gf
| ed BA ~B3 c|dG AG FA DA|EF GA Be ec|~B2 Af Be eB:||
||:ed BA (3B.c.d ef|g2 ef fd Bc|dA FA dc de|fd (3B.c.d fb af
|ed BA (3B.c.d ef|g2 ef fd BA|~G3 F GA Be|dB AF Be eB:||

# Posted on January 4th 2009 by Anthony Shostak

Broken Pledge Transposed

For easier use on the D whistle, this tune works great transposed up to E mixolydian. It's very similar to playing it in E minor. I'd write it in ABC format, but not sure how to.

# Posted on August 21st 2009 by buailteoir

X:1
T:Broken Pledge, The
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:Reel
K:Emix
edBA BEEc|dBA^F FDDF|EF^FA Beed|BdAF Eagf|edBA GABC|dcdB ADDF|EF^FA Beed|BdAF FE E2:|
e2 BA Bdef|^f2 e^f fdBc|dcdB ABde|fd d2 fbaf|edBA GBEf|^f2 e^f fdBA|^F^F^FF ^FABe|dBAF FE E2:|

# Posted on August 23rd 2009 by buailteoir