Once In A Blue Moose

reel

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on December 2nd 2003 by JHowley.

This tune has been added to 36 tunebooks.

Also known as MacLeod's Farewell.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• 40th Anniversary Album by Armagh Pipers Club
• A Day Like Today by Emily Smith
• Callan Bridge by Niall And Cillian Vallely
• Capercaillie Live! by Capercaillie
• Celtic Reign by Celtic Reign
• Live From The Katharine Cornell Theater Traditional Irish Music by Various Artists
• Luí Na Gréine by Seosamh Mac Grianna (Joe Mhicí Jimí)
• Relative Minors by Qristina And Quinn Bachand
• Sidewaulk by Capercaillie

X: 1
T: Once In A Blue Moose
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
DE|:F2BF AFEF|D2B,D A,B,DE|F~D3 ADF/G/A|BAAF FEDE|
F2BF AFEF|D2B,D A,B,DE|F~D3 BDAF|1 EFFE D3E:|2 EFFE DEF/G/A||
~B3c cddc|cBAF FEDE|F~D3 ADF/G/A|BAAF FEF/G/A|
~B3c cddc|cBAF FEDE|F~D3 BDAF|EFFE DEF/G/A|
~B3c cddc|cBAF FEDE|F~D3 ADF/G/A|B2AF FEDE|
F2BF AFEF|D2B,D A,B,DE|F~D3 BDAF|EFFE D3E||

a gorgeous tune by Niall Vallely. if you're a tinwhistler like me, you'll prob want to transpose it into G, unless you want to figure out a nice variation to get around the low B and A. but those low notes are particularly essential to the beauty of the tune, in my mind. (and what cues fellow musicians that it's not the first two bars of "The Wedding Reel"!) --j

# Posted on December 7th 2003 by JHowley

Key:

Am I "Special" or is this tune played in Eb major? (Followed by Over The Moor To Maggie in F major? I'm not a piper or a concertina player so how does that work?

# Posted on April 20th 2007 by JohnQ

Phil Hardy does a nice jazzy version of this tune in G (on a low D whistle) on his 'Low Whistle' album (still a free download from the Kerry Whistles site I believe). For those too lazy to transpose:

X: 1
T: Once In A Blue Moose
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Gmaj
GA|:B2eB dBAB|G2EG DEGA|B~G3 dGB/c/d|eddB BAGA|
B2eB dBAB|G2EG DEGA|B~G3 eGdB|1 ABBA G3A:|2 ABBA GAB/c/d||
~e3f fggf|fedB BAGA|B~G3 dGB/c/d|eddB BAB/c/d|
~e3f fggf|fedB BAGA|B~G3 eGdB|ABBA GAB/c/d|
~e3f fggf|fedB BAGA|B~G3 dGB/c/d|e2dB BAGA|
B2eB dBAB|G2EG DEGA|B~G3 eGdB|ABBA G3A||

# Posted on April 16th 2008 by bdh

Keys

"is this tune played in Eb major? (Followed by Over The Moor To Maggie in F major? I'm not a piper or a concertina player so how does that work?"

You're right, the keys are Eb and F. I've been working this out on concertina. While Niall Vallely is capable, I'm sure, of playing these tunes in any keys he wants to, I think he's probably playing this set on a concertina that's not in the most common tuning, C/G. My guess is that he's either using a C#/G# or an Ab/Eb concertina. If Ab/Eb, the fingering would be the same as if he played the tunes in G and A on a C/G box. I think both tunes fit under the fingers nicely in those keys; but really, with a player like Vallely, anything is possible.

# Posted on December 24th 2008 by boxist